5 
Research Institute, Kepong; the Kebun Raya Bogar; the Rijksherbarium, 
Leiden; the Arnold Arboretum; H3E. the British Ambassador to Laos—Lord 
Talbot de Malahide and his successor Mr. L. G. Holliday; Mr. G. H. Pickles— 
a member of the 1955-6 Oxford University Expedition to Sarawak; 
Mr. E. F. Allen and Dr. J. Dore of the Federation of Malaya’s Agricultural 
Department; Mr. J. A. le Doux of Kota Tinggi; Mrs. B. E. G. Allen; and 
Professor H. B. Gilliland. Many gaps in the collection have been filled by 
these specimens exchanged and donated and they are most useful to the staff 
engaged on the revision of individual families. 
22. The number of herbarium duplicates distributed from the Gardens 
to other scientific institutions was the highest for many years, namely 5,397 
specimens, compared with 2,167 in 1955. Many of these were collected by 
the Director in Sarawak. The following are the institutions to which material 
was sent:—the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; the British Museum; the 
Edinburgh Royal Botanic Garden; the Rijksherbarium, Leiden; the Museum 
National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris; the Arnold Arboretum, U.S.A.; the 
National Museum, Manila; the Forestry Departments of Bangkok and North 
Borneo; the Forest Research Institutes of Kepong and Dehra Dun; the 
Departments of Agriculture of Bangkok and Brisbane; the Sarawak Museum 
and the Marine Biological Station, Anglesey. Sorting began towards the end 
of the year of the very large number of duplicates of specimens collected 
over the past thirty years by the Gardens’ staff, but which had not been 
named specifically at the time. Wherever possible these are now being 
named, except for undescribed species, and they will be distributed to other 
herbaria on an exchange basis in 1957. 
23. A total of 4,525 specimens was sent on loan to the authors of 
Flora Malesiana at Kew, Leiden and Bogor, as against 4,903 in 1955. Many 
specimens which had been on loan previously were returned correctly an¬ 
notated, thus enhancing considerably their practical value. The number of 
specimens received on loan by the Herbarium staff was 577 and came from 
the Herbaria of Bogor, Stockholm, Uppsala and Leiden, to whom our thanks 
are due. They consisted of palms for Dr. Furtado and Myristicaceae for Mr. 
Sinclair. Arrangements were made to borrow specimens of Myristicaceae from 
other leading world herbaria and these will arrive in 1957. 
24. In addition to the above exchange and loans, living plants, seeds 
and spirit material were sent at the request of botanists in other countries 
for special study. The fullest co-operation continued with the Botany Depart¬ 
ment of the University of Malaya and much material was provided for class- 
work and research. 
(iii) CURRENT RESEARCH 
25. Mr. Sinclair, Keeper of the Herbarium, continued his study of 
Malayan Myristicaceae. As a result of his studies at the herbaria of Florence, 
Munich, Geneva, Leiden, Kew, the British Museum and Edinburgh during 
vacation leave, he gained much information which was not available in 
Singapore and was able to make many additions and corrections to his 
original manuscript. The Directors of these herbaria are thanked for their 
generous help and hospitality to Mr. Sinclair, who benefited greatly from 
their advice and discussions. Special thanks are due to Professor C. G. G. J. 
van Steenis of Leiden, the founder and editor of the Flora Malesiana. Mr. 
Sinclair extended his study to the Myristicaceae of the whole of the Malaysian 
region. Opportunity was also taken to determine other plants which it had 
been impossible to name satisfactorily in Singapore. 
26. Dr. Furtado, Botanist, continued his study of Malaysian palms. He 
also sorted and named large collections of plants from Borneo and New 
