14, Mr. Fortune's Chinese collections,
B. From countries to the west and north of India.
1. Very complete collections made by Russian botanists in
Siberia, the Altai, North China, Dahuria, and indeed in the
whole of the Russian possessions in Asia, chiefly from Lcde-
bour, Prescott, Bunge, Turczaninow, Fischer, Meyer, etc. etc.
2. Karelin and Kirilow's Soongarian and Alatau plants.
3. Szovitz's North Persian and Caspian plants.
4. Aucher-Eloy's complete collections from various parts of
Persia, Asia Minor, Arabia, and the Levant.
5. Colonel Chesney;s Euphrates plants,
6. Mr. Loftus's small collection from Assyria.
7. Kotschy^s very extensive and beautiful North and South
Persian collections, chiefly named by M. Boissicr, and hence
of very great value*
8. Asia Minor and Kurdistan plants from various collectors.
To these very ample materials already existing in this coun-
try have to be added our own collections, which we estimate
at about 8000 species (including Cryptogamic plants), and an
immense number of duplicates. Many of the species were
gathered in numerous localities, so that we have it in our
power to compare specimens from a great diversity of climates
and soils. They may be divided into five groups:—
1. Dr. Thomson's collections made in the plains of North-
west India, between 1842 and 1847, chiefly in llohilkawl,
Lodiana, and the "Punjab, which amount to tfbout 1000 species*
2. Dr. Thomson's Himalayan collections, partly collected in
Kumaon and Garhwal during short visits to these provinces
in 1844 and 1845, but mainly consisting of the herbarium
collected during a Government mission in the north-west Hi-
malaya and Tibet, in 1847,1848,1849, in the course of which
he visited, in 1847, Simla, Kanawer, Piti; and in 1848 Kash-
mir and the Panjab Himalaya, Ladak, and the Karakoram
Pass. The summer of 1849 he spent at Simla and Ladak.
These amouat to rather more than 2500 species.