al History,' edited jointly by Mr. MacClelland and
himself. Of these it may be sufficient at present to refer to his memoir
"On _Azolla_ and _Salvinia_," two very remarkable plants which he has
most elaborately illustrated, and in relation to which he has entered
into some very curious speculations; and his still unfinished monograph
of "The Palms of British India," which promises to be a highly important
contribution to our knowledge of a group hitherto almost a sealed book to
European Botanists.

"But the great object of his life, that for which all his other labours
were but a preparation, was the publication of a General Scientific Flora
of India, a task of immense extent, labour and importance. To the
acquisition of materials for this task, in the shape of collections,
dissections, drawings and descriptions, made under the most favourable
circumstances, he had devoted twelve years of unremitted exertion. His
own collections, (not including those formed in Cabool and the
neighbouring countries) he estimated at 2500 species from the Khasiya
Hills, 2000 from the Tenasserim provinces, 1000 from the province of
Assam, 1200 from the Himalaya range in the Mishmee country, 1700 from the
same great range in the country of Bootan, 1000 from the neighbourhood of
Calcutta, and 1200 from the Naga Hills at the extreme east of Upper
Assam, from the valley of Hookhoong, the district of Mogam, and from the
tract of the Irrawadi between Mogam and Ava. Even after making large
deductions from the sum-total of these numbers on account of the forms
common to two or more of the collections, the amount of materials thus
brought together by one man must be regarded as enormous. The time was
approaching when he believed that he could render these vast collections
subservient to the great end which he had in view. He had some time
since issued an invitation to many eminent botanists in Europe to
co-operate with him in the elaboration of particular families; and he
purposed after a few years' additional residence in India to return to
England with all his materials, and to occupy himself in giving to the
world the results of his unwearied labours. But this purpose was not
destined to be fulfilled, his collections have passed by his directions
into the hands of the East India Company, and there can be no doubt, from
the well-known liberality of the Directors, which this Society in
particular has so often experienced, that they will be so