IOR/P/11/54 13 Apr 1826 No 18

Extract from the Proceedings of the Right Honourable the Governor General in Council in the Military Department, under date the 28th March 1826.

Letter to Lieutenant Colonel Casement, Secretary to Government in the Military Department, from G. Proctor, Secretary of the Medical Board, 25 Jun 1825

refers to enclosed letter from the Honourable Company's Apothecary, to be submitted to the Governor General [see below]

this letter advocates the establishment of a Medical Garden as a branch of the Dispensary Department, and recommends the Titty Ghur Estate as an ideal location for the proposed garden

while recognising that this proposal does not make any reference to the regulations that the [Medical] Board is preparing to submit to the Government regarding the Dispensary, they argue that it would yield important public benefits

Copy of letter to G. Proctor from C. Abel, Apothecary, countersigned by G. Proctor, 15 Jun 1825 [enclosure relating to above letter]

suggests to the [Medical] Board the advantages behind finding some means of providing it with supplies of many vegetable drugs, through some other medium apart from the common Bazars or the European Druggists, specifically the idea of cultivating a piece of ground as a Physical Garden [Medical Garden]

this could supply drugs, which are currently purchased at an extravagant rate and of impaired quality

it could also be used for the testing/development of substitutes for foreign vegetable remedies and for the production of opium

the letter recommends the Titty Ghur Estate as an ideal site for the proposed garden, and that the Government should not relinquish this Estate as currently proposed

Letter to the Secretary of the Medical Board from William Casement, Council Chamber, 15 Jul 1825

explains that the Governor General is of the opinion that Titty Ghur is too far from Calcutta, as it would be impractical for the Apothecary to superintend the Medical Garden with reference to the Dispensary Regulations

as a result, the Governor General inquires if part of the Botanical Garden can be used instead

To Lieutenant Colonel Casement, Secretary to Government in the Military Department, from J. Adam, Secretary of the Medical Board, 23 Feb 1826

informs Casement that Wallich has been consulted about the suggestion of creating the Medical Garden as part of the Botanical Garden at Calcutta

Wallich thinks that it should be possible, and all that will be required is a few more servants and supplies

the Board recommends Wallich be allowed to draw on half of the money he suggests in order to implement these changes

also recommends the creation of a small number of supplementary Medical Gardens in favourable locations, to be placed under the direction of other Superintendents

To the Secretary of the Medical Board from William Casement, Secretary to Government in the Military Department, 3 Mar 1826

passes on request by the Governor General to be informed as to the quantity of ground to be alloted to the Medical Garden, and also inquires whether or not the people required for its cultivation cannot be furnished from the existing staff of the Botanical Garden

To Lieutenant Colonel Casement, Secretary to Government in the Military Department, from J. Adam, Secretary of the Medical Board, 14 Mar 1826

the Board would observe that the exact quantity of land required for the proposed Medical Garden cannot be ascertained, and also passing on a statement from Wallich saying that the staff which he currently has are working to full capacity, and that extra staff would be required for the proposed Medical Garden

as a result, the Board suggests that if necessary half of the required new staff be granted in the mean time and the second half in the future if the experiment turns out to be a success

To the Secretary of the Medical Board from William Casement, Secretary to Government in the Military Department, 28 Mar 1826

the Governor General grants the required new land at the Botanical Garden for the proposed Medical Garden, along with the first half of the proposed new set of staff

As a result of the above correspondence, it was ordered that

that a copy of the above correspondence relating to the establishment of a Medical Garden be recorded in the General Department for information and any further orders that may be necessary [signed by William Casement, Secretary to Government in the Military Department]

that a copy of the foregoing extract be transmitted to the Superintendent of the Botanic Garden and to the Civil Auditor respectively for their information and guidance