Dear Mr. Burkill, 
T 
15th April, 1915 . 
Mr. LeGoc. has referred to me your query re Cross’s Hevea. 
We published last year a complete account of all vve know about the intro¬ 
duction of Hevea into Ceylon in the Annals Peradeniya. If you did not 
receive a copy, will you let me know. 
Both consignments of Kevea plants arrived in Ceylon when 
Thwaftes was almost past work. Consequently we have very few records re¬ 
lating to them. It may be said that their location at Henaratgoda was due 
in great measure to Thwa/tes increasing infirmities. 
But there is no doubt that Ceylon received two consignments 
of plants, one in 1876 and the other in 1 877. It is also certain that no 
one knows whether these were both planted at Henaratgoda, whether they were 
planted in separate blocks there, or whether the second consignment was 
retained at Peradeniya. We suppose that the trees at Henaratgoda are the 
survivors of both consignments and therefore any seed sent from Henaratgoda 
is almost as likely to be descended from Cross's trees as from Wickham's.. 
We sent ifOQ seeds to Singapore in a Wardian case in 1885, 
seeds in bags in 1888. The latter date is fixed by the Ceylon 
Botanic Gardens Reports for 1887 & 1888 , and Trimen's diaries. But is 
not all this somewhat superfluous as far as the Singapore trees are con- 
eerned. Singapore received plants direct from Kew in 1876. Ridley says 
these all died but Murton said they did not. Another consignment was sent 
direct to Singapore in 1 877. So Singapore, like Ceylon, received plants 
>f both consignments. 
| 
We have always regarded the second consignments to Ceylon 
and Singapore as Cross's trees. But quite recently Kew has stated that it 1 
has no record that Cross's plants ever became fit to send out. 
Trimen's statement which you quote was based on data supplied 
V 
by Dyer in i 860 or 1881. It is true that Dyer did not inform Trimen that 
the second lot were Cross's trees, but on the other hand he stated "By the 
time Cross arrived we had done with Hevea"; "we saved I think a Wardian 
a * 
easeful to do justice to Cross". As they gave half the plants to Bull of 
Chelsea, it is difficult to see where the justice comes in, especially if 
they never distributed his plants. 
