Lawson has found out at last that the writing on the paper Thiselton-Dyer sent him is that of Mr [J.M.] Gleeson, curator of the Agri-Horticultural Gardens in Madras [Chennai]. Next week Lawson hopes to send some seeds of the Commelinaceae, which he thinks Thiselton-Dyer will like to grow at RBG Kew. Lawson thinks they are very hard to make out satisfactorily from the descriptions given in C.B. Clarke's monograph, arising no doubt from the specimens losing many of their important characters when dried. Lawson has just begun naming and arranging the Madras herbarium and finds it will be a much longer job than he had anticipated. This spring he is sending out a native he has been training to collect and preserve specimens to the mountains of Travancore. He will accompany Mr [Thomas Fulton] Bourdillon who has been recently appointed Conservator of Forests and who is constantly travelling through very wild and almost unknown districts. Lawson has also just started a native artist who he thinks will turn out to be a good draughtsman, although he still requires much training having no idea of accurate botanical drawing. Lawson does not know when he will be able to visit England as some matters have popped up in connection with the sale of Cinchona bark. Until the matter is sorted he will not be able to leave India. He was much disappointed by this at first as he wanted to go home this winter to see his elderly father. The delay will, however, enable him to complete the arrangement of all the herbaria now under his charge and make a better selection of his incertae for taking home than he would otherwise. Lawson has just heard from Trimen that he has returned to Ceylon [Sri Lanka]. Lawson asks to be remembered to Mrs Thiselton-Dyer, Sir Joseph and Lady Hooker and to Oliver, Baker et cetera. Page 1 of 4.