Page:Flora Hongkongensis.djvu/16

10* of many others in the hands of the late Dr. Walpers, who inserted them in the second and third volumes of his ‘Annales Botanices Systematicæ.’ Shortly afterwards (in 1851), being on a visit to this country, Dr. Hance entrusted the whole of his Hongkong herbarium to Dr. Berthold Seemann, who, as naturalist on board H. M. surveying-ship the Herald, had visited Hongkong in December, 1850, and himself made some collections there, and was then, on his return to England, about to publish the botanical results of that Expedition. Accordingly, at the close of Dr. Seemann's ‘Botany of the Voyage of H.M.S. Herald,’ we find a “Flora of the Island of Hongkong,” published in 1857, and containing an enumeration of 773 phænogamous plants and ferns, based chiefly upon Dr. Hance' s collections, and, in some Orders, confined to those and to Dr. Seemann's own, but in the generality of cases comprising also Mr. Hinds's and Col. Champion's plants. Since that period, I have received several valuable communications from Dr. Hance, either notes on species already enumerated, or specimens of others since found in the island, as well as many interesting species from Canton, Amoy, and other points of the Chinese coast, illustrative of the general botanical regions of which Hongkong forms a part. On Dr. Seemann's recent departure for the South Sea, he left Dr. Hance' s and his own original specimens which he had examined for his Elora (with the exception of orchids and ferns) at Kew, where he has liberally allowed me access to them for the purpose of identification and comparison.

The late, Government Surgeon at Hongkong, brought to this country in 1857 a very valuable set of Hongkong plants, including many that had escaped the notice of previous collectors. He allowed me to select specimens of all that appeared new or interesting, and I took notes of a few others which I then thought were very familiarly known species, but of which I have subsequently regretted I had not retained specimens for more exact comparison.

, of the United States, so well known for the beauty and excellence of the specimens distributed from his various botanical expeditions, was naturalist on board the U. S. ship the Vincennes, and other vessels forming the United States North Pacific Exploring Expedition, under the command first of Captain Ringgold and afterwards of Captain John Eodgers. During this cruise Mr. Wright staid at Hongkong from March to September, 1854, and from January to April, 1855, and has proved himself as zealous and active on this as on other occasions, for he brought away specimens of above 500 species, several of them of great interest, and not received from any other