Abstract
A GENERAL account of the Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta, has been given by Biswas1, and some of the detailed incidents connected with the formation of the Garden are also available in the published papers by Anderson2and King3. The Calcutta Garden is perhaps one of the oldest gardens in Asia, and it is not generally realized that it was established by the Honourable East India Company as early as 1787, essentially for the purpose of increasing the commercial riches of the Company, and not for the advancement of botanical knowledge in India and elsewhere. It was cleverly planned by an army officer, and the proposal was so attractive to the directors of the Company that they readily agreed to the establishment of such a garden. The detailed correspondence on the subject is preserved among the old records of the East India Company. This was made available to me through the courtesy of the Keeper of Records, India Office, London. Some of these letters have been published both by Anderson2 and King3, and it is not intended, therefore, to re-publish them here. The remainder of the letters afford other valuable and interesting information, and the purpose of this note is to reveal some of the lesser known facts regarding the origin and development of this garden.
Article PDF
References
Biswas, K., "150th Anniversary Volume of the Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta", 2–12 (1942).
Anderson, T., J. Agric. Hort. Soc. India, N.S., 1, 169 (1869).
King, G., Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. Calcutta., 4, Pt. 1, i–xi (1893).
Roxburgh, W., "Hortus Bengalensis", 2 (1814).
Roxburgh, W., "Flora Indica", 2, 629 (1832).
This date is given as January 1, 1786, by Biswas (l.e. 2). This is probably a printer‘s error.
An idea of the present-day cost can be formed from the amount spent in 1944–45, which was Rs. 1, 20,928.
At that time Ceylon was under the Dutch Government.
Biswas' statement on this point is contradictory (l.c. 2). King says (l.c. 3) that this site was selected by Roxburgh and not by Kyd himself, as stated by Biswas.
Robert, P. E., "Historical Geography of the British Dependencies", 7, India, Pt. 1 (1916).
King, l.c., iii.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
CHATTERJEE, D. Early History of the Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta. Nature 161, 362–364 (1948). https://doi.org/10.1038/161362a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/161362a0