the life of william carey-第71章

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　schoolboys　when　they　went　out　into　the　world；　and　the　young　civilians　of　Fort　William　College；　enriched　his　collections。　　To　Jabez；　his　son　in　Amboyna；　we　find　him　thus　writing：〃I　have　already　informed　you　of　the　luckless　fate　of　all　the　animals　you　have　sent。　　I　know　of　no　remedy　for　the　living　animals　dying；　but　by　a　little　attention　to　packing　them　you　may　send　skins　of　birds　and　animals　of　every　kind；　and　also　seeds　and　roots。　　I　lately　received　a　parcel　of　seeds　from　Moore　（a　large　boy　who；　you　may　remember；　was　at　school　when　the　printing…office　was　burnt）；　every　one　of　which　bids　fair　to　grow。　He　is　in　some　of　the　Malay　islands。　　After　all　you　have　greatly　contributed　to　the　enlargement　of　my　collection。〃

〃17th　September　1816。I　approve　much　of　Bencoolen　as　a　place　for　your　future　labours；　unless　you　should　rather　choose　the　island　of　Borneo。。。The　English　may　send　a　Resident　thither　after　a　time。　　I　mention　this　from　a　conversation　I　had　some　months　ago　on　the　subject　with　Lord　Moira；　who　told　me　that　there　is　a　large　body　of　Chinese　on　that　island。〃　　They　〃applied　to　the　late　Lieut。…Governor　of　Java；　requesting　that　an　English　Resident　may　be　sent　to　govern　them；　and　offering　to　be　at　the　whole　expense　of　his　salary　and　government。　　The　Borneo　business　may　come　to　nothing；　but　if　it　should　succeed　it　would　be　a　glorious　opening　for　the　Gospel　in　that　large　island。　　Sumatra；　however；　is　larger　than　any　one　man　could　occupy。〃　　As　we　read　this　we　see　the　Serampore　apostle's　hope　fulfilled　after　a　different　fashion；　in　Rajah　Brooke's　settlement　at　Sarawak；　in　the　charter　of　the　North　Borneo　Company；　in　the　opening　up　of　New　Guinea　and　in　the　civilisation　of　the　Philippines　by　the　United　States　of　America。

To　Roxburgh　and　his　Danish　successor　Wallich；　to　Voigt　who　succeeded　Wallich　in　Serampore；　and　hundreds　of　correspondents　in　India　and　Germany；　Great　Britain　and　America；　Carey　did　many　a　service　in　sending　plants　andwhat　was　a　greater　sacrifice　for　so　busy　a　manwriting　letters。　　What　he　did　for　the　Hortus　Bengalensis　may　stand　for　all。

When；　in　1814；　Dr。　Roxburgh　was　sent　to　sea　almost　dying；　Dr。　Carey　edited　and　printed　at　his　own　press　that　now　very　rare　volume；　the　Hortus　Bengalensis；　or　a　Catalogue　of　the　Plants　of　the　Honourable　East　India　Company's　Botanic　Garden　in　Calcutta。　　Carey's　introduction　of　twelve　large　pages　is　perhaps　his　most　characteristic　writing　on　a　scientific　subject。　　His　genuine　friendliness　and　humility　shine　forth　in　the　testimony　he　bears　to　the　abilities；　zeal；　and　success　of　the　great　botanist　who；　in　twenty　years；　had　created　a　collection　of　3200　species。　　Of　these　3000　at　least　had　been　given　by　the　European　residents　in　India；　himself　most　largely　of　all。　　Having　shown　in　detail　the　utility　of　botanical　gardens；　especially　in　all　the　foreign　settlements　of　Great　Britain；　he　declared　that　only　a　beginning　had　been　made　in　observing　and　cataloguing　the　stock　of　Asiatic　productions。　　He　urged　English　residents　all　over　India　to　set　apart　a　small　plot　for　the　reception　of　the　plants　of　their　neighbourhood；　and　when　riding　about　the　country　to　mark　plants；　which　their　servants　could　bring　on　to　the　nursery；　getting　them　to　write　the　native　name　of　each。　He　desiderated　gardens　at　Hurdwar；　Delhi；　Dacca；　and　Sylhet；　where　plants　that　will　not　live　at　Calcutta　might　prosper；　a　suggestion　which　was　afterwards　carried　out　by　the　Government　in　establishing　a　garden　at　Saharanpoor；　in　a　Sub…Himalayan　region；　which　has　been　successfully　directed　by　Royle；　Falconer；　and　Jameson。

On　Dr。　Roxburgh's　death　in　1815　Dr。　Carey　waited　to　see　whether　an　English　botanist　would　publish　the　fruit　of　thirty　years'　labour　of　his　friend　in　the　description　of　more　than　2000　plants；　natives　of　Eastern　Asia。　At　his　own　risk　he　then；　in　1820；　undertook　this　publication；　or　the　Flora　Indica；　placing　on　the　title…page；　〃All　Thy　works　praise　Thee；　O　LordDavid。〃　　When　the　Roxburgh　MSS。　were　made　over　to　the　library　of　the　Botanic　Garden　at　Calcutta；　the　fourth　and　final　volume　appeared　with　this　note　regarding　the　new　edition：〃The　work　was　printed　from　MSS。　in　the　possession　of　Dr。　Carey；　and　it　was　carried　through　the　press　when　he　was　labouring　under　the　debility　of　great　age。。。The　advanced　age　of　Dr。　Carey　did　not　admit　of　any　longer　delay。〃

His　first　public　attempt　at　agricultural　reform　was　made　in　the　paper　which　he　contributed　to　the　Transactions　of　the　Bengal　Asiatic　Society；　and　which　appeared　in　1811　in　the　tenth　volume　of　the　Asiatic　Researches。　　In　the　space　of　an　ordinary　Quarterly　Review　article　he　describes　the　〃State　of　Agriculture　in　the　District　of　Dinapoor；〃　and　urges　improvements　such　as　only　the　officials；　settlers；　and　Government　could　begin。　　The　soils；　the　〃extremely　poor〃　people；　their　〃proportionally　simple　and　wretched　farming　utensils；〃　the　cattle；　the　primitive　irrigation　alluded　to　in　Deuteronomy　as　〃watering　with　the　foot；〃　and　the　modes　of　ploughing　and　reaping；　are　rapidly　sketched　and　illustrated　by　lithographed　figures　drawn　to　scale。　　In　greater　detail　the　principal　crops　are　treated。　　The　staple　crop　of　rice　in　its　many　varieties　and　harvests　at　different　seasons　is　lucidly　brought　before　the　Government；　in　language　which　it　would　have　been　well　to　remember　or　reproduce　in　the　subsequent　avoidable　famines　of　Orissa　and　North　Bihar。　　Indigo　is　set　before　us　with　the　skill　of　one　who　had　grown　and　manufactured　it　for　years。　　The　hemp　and　jute　plants　are　enlarged　on　in　language　which　unconsciously　anticipates　the　vast　and　enriching　development　given　to　the　latter　as　an　export　and　a　local　manufacture　since　the　Crimean　War。　An　account　of　the　oil…seeds　and　the　faulty　mode　of　expressing　the　oil；　which　made　Indian　linseed　oil　unfit　for　painting；　is　followed　by　remarks　on　the　cultivation　of　wheat；　to　which　subsequent　events　have　given　great　importance。　　Though　many　parts；　even　of　Dinapoor；　were　fit　for　the　growth　of　wheat　and　barley；　the　natives　produced　only　a　dark　variety　from　bad　seed。　〃For　the　purpose　of　making　a　trial　I　sowed　Patna　wheat　on　a　large　quantity　of　land　in　the　year　1798；　the　flour　produced　from　which　was　of　a　very　good　quality。〃　　The　pulses；　tobacco；　the　egg…plant；　the　capsicums；　the　cucumbers；　the　arum　roots；　turmeric；　ginger；　and　sugar…cane；　all　pass　in　review　in　a　style　which　the　non…scientific　reader　may　enjoy　and　the　expert　must　appreciate。　　Improvements　in　method　and　the　introduction　of　the　best　kinds　of　plants　and　vegetables　are　suggested；　notwithstanding　〃the　poverty；　prejudices；　and　indolence　of　the　natives。〃

This　paper　is　most　remarkable；　however；　for　the　true　note　which　its　writer　was　the　first　to　strike　on　the　subject　of　forestry。　　If　we　reflect　that　it　was　not　till　1846　that　the　Government　made　the　first　attempt　at　forest　conservancy；　in　order　to　preserve　the　timber　of　Malabar　for　the　Bombay　dockyard；　and　not　till　the　conquest　of　Pegu；　in　1855；　that　the　Marquis　of　Dalhousie　was　led　by　the　Friend　of　India　to　appoint　Dietrich　Brandis　of　Bonn　to　care　for　the　forests　of　Burma；　and　Dr。　Cleghorn　for　those　of　South　India；　we　shall　appreciate　the　wise　foresight　of　the　missionary…scholar；　who；　having　first　made　his　own　park　a　model　of　forest　teaching；　wrote　such　words　as　these　early　in　the　century：〃The　cultivation　of　timber　has　hitherto；　I　believe；　been　wholly　neglected。　　Several　sorts　have　been　planted。。。all　over　Bengal；　and　would　soon　furnish　a　very　large　share　of　the　timber　used　in　the　country。　　The　sissoo；　the　Andaman　redwood；　the　teak；　the　mahogany；　the　satin…wood；　the　chikrasi；　the　toona；　and　the　sirisha　should　be　principally　chosen。　　The　planting　of　these　trees　single；　at　the　distance　of　a　furlong　from　each　other；　would　do　no　injury　to　the　crops　of　corn；　but　would；　by　cooling　the　atmosphere；　rather　be　advantageous。　　In　many　places　spots　now　unproductive　would　be　improved　by　clumps　or　small　plantations　of　timber；　under　which　ginger　and　turmeric　might　be　cultivated　to　great　advantage。　　In　some　situations　saul。。。would　prosper。　　Indeed　the　improvements　that　might　be　made　in　this　country　by　the　planting　of　timber　can　scarcely　be　calculated。　　Teak　is　at　present　brought　from　the　Burman　dominions。。。The　French　naturalists　have　already　begun　to　turn　their　attention　to　t