me year, having finished his studies at the London
University with great distinction, he sailed from England for India,
which was destined to be the scene of his future labours. He arrived at
Madras on the 24th of September, and immediately received his appointment
as Assistant-Surgeon in the service of the East India Company.

"His first appointment in India was to the coast of Tenasserim; but in
the year 1835 he was attached to the Bengal Presidency, and was selected
to form one of a deputation, consisting of Dr. Wallich and himself as
botanists, and Mr. MacClelland as geologist, to visit and inspect the Tea-
forests (as they were called) of Assam, and to make researches in the
natural history of that almost unexplored district.

"This mission was for Mr. Griffith the commencement of a series of
journeys in pursuit of botanical knowledge, embracing nearly the whole
extent of the East India Company's extra-peninsular possessions, and
adding large collections, in every branch of natural history, but
especially botany, to those which, under the auspices of the Indian
Government, had previously been formed. He next, under the directions of
Capt. Jenkins, the Commissioner, pushed his investigations to the utmost
eastern limit of the Company's territory, traversing the hitherto
unexplored tracts in the neighbourhood of the Mishmee mountains which lie
between Suddiya and Ava. Of the splendid collection of insects formed
during this part of his tour some account has been given by Mr. Hope in
the Transactions of the Entomological Society and in the eighteenth
volume of our own Transactions.

"His collection of plants was also largely increased on this remarkable
journey, which was followed by a still more perilous expedition,
commenced in February of the following year, from Assam through the
Burmese dominions to Ava, and down the Irrawadi to Rangoon, in the course
of which he was reported to have been assassinated. The hardships
through which he passed during the journey and his excessive application
produced, soon after his arrival in Calcutta, a severe attack of fever:
on his recovery from which he was appointed Surgeon to the Embassy to
Bootan, then about to depart under the charge of the late Major
Pemberton. He took this opportunity of revisiting the Khasiya Hills,
among which he formed a most extensive collection; and having joined
Major Pemberton at Goalpara, traversed with him above 400 miles of the
Bootan coun