generally received appellations, an acquaintance with which must often prove useful to persons ignorant of botany and even to those commencing the study of that fascinating science, at a distance from books of reference and other assistance.
It must be borne in mind that many plants are spread over the whole of the Peninsula and are common to provinces where the dialects in use differ as much from each other as do French and Spanish and Portuguese and Italian. It cannot be matter of surprise therefore to find a different, though perhaps a cognate name, attached to the same object in each. Even within the range of one dialect, the same name will be pronounced differently by the educated and the ignorant, and this, owing to the greater diversity of races in India, occurs to a greater degree here, than is found in more civilized countries. Such differences of pronunciation and of local use, exist to a very considerable extent even in our own country, between the people of different counties and still more between those of England and Scotland, Wales and Ireland. But this is no reason why such words should be neglected. If their identification secured no other purpose, it would at least prove useful to the philologist. Few of the names now brought together, exist in the best dictionaries at all, and many of those that do find place in them, are erroneously explained.
On this ground alone, the formation of such lists as that non- submitted, is deserving of encouragement.
To the merchant, to the officers of the Department of Public Works and the Railway, to European settlers engaged in agriculture or trade and to the traveller whose time is limited,* the aid afforded by such a manual cannot be slight.
several. In like manner, Carey attributes the occurrence of the mistakes so often found in the vernacular names assigned to plants, to the fact of their having been taken down from the mouths of natives, by persons more or less ignorant of the language or dialect spoken. But neither does he propose to discard them altogether, rather he agrees with Wallich that they should be lidded whenever there is reason to believe them to be correct.—Flor. Ind. Ed. Care//. II. 99, 415, noies.
- " And in this founde wee oftimes muche trouble and vexation, with moreover losses, bolhe of precious tyme and lucre. Fyrste, thatt wee coulde never aske in I Indian tongues for suche herbes, or fruités, woodes, barkes, or gummee, as wee
