From G. A. W. Arnott 13 December 1834

My Dear Sir,

When I had the pleasure of seeing you in Edinburgh you were so good as say that there were still a few of M^r Vachell's plants (duplicates of them I mean) not yet distributed, and that so far as they went you would make a selection for me. Although generally speaking there may be few among them that I do not already possess - thanks to D^r Hooker - yet there may prove to be some highly interesting.

But what I now write you about, is not so much about these, as about the rariones - even about those specimens so scarce that you could not give D^r Hooker a specimen.

D^r Hooker and I in going on with the Bot^y of Beechy's voyage, have let slip through our hands the whole of the Chinese Collection after Asclepiadeae. They had been packed up with the already described ones, by mistake, and sent to the Admiralty, and ere we discovered the error, the whole had been sent to be divided between Brown and Lambert. We are therefore to finish the Chinese part from our own materials.

Whilst doing this I suggested to D^r Hooker that we should introduce Nees von Esenbeck's descriptions of the Cyperaceae and Gramineae, especially as he had sent me the manuscript to do with as I thought fit. The synopsis of the Cyperaceae I have already published in Wight's contributions, but I intend to add the detailed descriptions in the Bot^y of Beechy's voy. One or two of M^r Vachell's (sent by M^r Lindley) I however find wanting in my manuscript. I presume that M^r Lindley has descriptions of these and have therefore written to him for them, in case Nees v. Esenbeck may not send me them in time - for I have also written to him for them. Perhaps it is even possible that M^r Lindley may have sent therest to you - if so I shall here add the n^os and names of which I have no characters, hoping that if you are the possessor of the rest, you will be so kind as to send me Nees's descriptions: they are

• 39/c. Gahnia tristis (I wish also the Gen. char. & the place of the genus)
• 39/b. Lepidosperma chinensis (I wish D^o)
• 59. Cladium chinense NvE. (His new Gen. char. if there be one)
• 72. Kyllingia nana
• 60. Rhynchospora triflora (probably R. chinensis of Wight's contributions)
• 66. Carex ramosa (probably C. valida of D^o)
• 67. Cyperus bromoides (probably C. canescens of D^o)
• 56.[crossed out] Fuirena umbellata (probably F. pentagona of D^o)
• 56. Eragrostis cylindrica
• 36. Pogonathum refractum (I consider this the same as P. polystachyon which I have from China)
• 48. Penicillaria chinensis
• X Paspalus chinensis (for this there seems to be no number, but some letter: it is the only species of Paspalus in the collection)

To aid me I have before me D^r Hooker's collection of M^r Vachell's plants received from you. There are some or I may say nearly all the above wanting, although I have no doubt but most of them occur among the plants sent to D^r Hooker by M^r Millett, also at present lying before me. Now as I would wish to add to Nees' descriptions to the species D^r Hooker has of these orders, it would be very important to see specimens of all that D^r Hooker has not of Vachell's. If [illeg.] any of them you may not, as I said at the beginning of this letter, have duplicates, but perhaps you could find out some way of letting me see as soon as possible the following no^s.

• 36. Pogonatherum refractum
• X 41.a Andropogon caesius
• 41.b Andropogon hamatialis } Dr Hooker has the greatest abundance of one or other of these perhaps both, but I cannot distinguish them by characters.
• X 44. Panicum colonum β.
• 46.? Anthistina coudata - (I suspect there is a mistake about this n^o: in Mr Lindley's list there is another 46, which is also in D^r Hooker's set & is Heteropogon contortus, or rather H. polystachyum)
• 47.b Neoselinum lodiculare
• 48. Penicillaria chinensis
• X 51. Andropogon Bladhii
• 52. Homoeathemum chinense (I wish much to see this!)
• 56. Eragrostis cylindrica
• X 58. Leptochloa filiformis
• 60. Rhynchospora triflora
• X 64. Cyperus difformis
• 66. Carex ramosa W.
• 72. Kyllingia nana
• X 73.c Cyperus compressus

Those marked (X) I have specimens of before me promised by Nees v. Esenbeck although not from China - so that I am not very anxious about them - but the others I wish much to see.

I may mention that among Lindley's numbers are all from all from 35 to 73 inclusive, with the exception of 55, 61, 69 so that I can't make out to which the false n^o "46" mentioned above belongs. I have taken the liberty of mentioning to you what I wish to see - but at the same time I do not know how I am to see them. To be of any use, it must be quickly as D^r Hooker and I must go to press immediately, and we are nearly ready with all from Rubiaceae to the end of the Corollifloraea and little remains to be done ere we get to the Gramineae & Cyperaceae. If the specimens I wish to see were not glued down, the difficulty might be overcome by your finding a way to send them to me for inspection - but if they be glued down you might not perhaps wish to trust them out of Cambridge.

I hope that you are not yet wearying to have more of Wight's plants. I do not see how I, being short assistance can commence the redistribution till spring. I shudder at the labour. Wight's next cat. is already made up to about 2030 & includes the Acanthaceae but I have not enough for another sheet. I hope you receive the last 3 sheets. May I beg you to remember me to Mr Babington. I received his Flora Bathiana.

Yours truly

G. Walker Arnott

[p.s.] I perceive that Mr Lindley had some Gramineae & Cyperacaea lettered not numbered: they are b, c, d, e, f, h - so that a and g are wanting. If you could procure a frank, and enclose in it a spike of 36, 41.b, 47.b, 48, 52, 56, 66, and 72 - it might suit my present purpose - as although Horses and cattle admire the straw & leaves the inflorescence alone is valuable to botanists. These fragments would enable me to determine if they were among Millet's plants from China.