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The
dilapidated
Roxburgh
Building
and
the
herbarium
(storehouse
of
dried
plant),
that
boasted
one
of
the
richest
collection
of
plant
specimens
anywhere,
and
the
library
in
front
of
it
in
a
restricted
area
of
the
Indian
Botanic
Garden
in
Shibpur,
which
went
to
ruin
after
they
were
abandoned
in
the
1970s,
but
unless
urgent
measures
are
taken
to
restore
both
the
heritage
buildings
will
fall
to
pieces.
The
sprawling
garden
on
the
banks
of
the
Hoogly
opposite
Metiabruz
was
founded
by
Colonel
Robert
Kid
in
1787,
and
William
Roxburgh
was
its
first
salaried
superintendent
between
1793-1884.
The
building
named
after
him
was
constructed
around1794,
and
although
initially
it
served
as
Roxburgh’s
residence,
he
subsequently
constructed
a
plant
house
and
the
library
in
the
dilapidated
house
opposite
it.
Roxburgh
was
a
pioneer
in
botanical
studies
in
India
and
he
has
written
“Flora
Indica”,
once
the
bible
for
botanists
studying
Indian
flora.
Little
is
known
about
the
early
life
of
Robert
Kyd.
He
was
born
at
Forfarshire
may
have
studied
medicine
at
Edinburgh.
He
joined
the
Bengal
Engineers
as
an
ensign
in
1764.
He
become
a
lieutenant
a
year
later,
a
captain
on
3rd
April,1768
major
on
29th
May,1780,
and
lieutenant-colonel
by
7th
December
,1782.He
was
then
made
a
Secretary
to
the
Military
Department
of
inspection
in
Bengal
and
continued
in
that
post
until
his
death.
Kyd
was
interested
in
horticulture
and
owned
a
private
garden
in
Shalimer
near
howrah.
He
proposed
the
idea
of
a
botanic
garden
to
the
then
Governor
General
Sir
John
Macpherson,
who
passed
on
the
idea
to
the
Court
of
Directors
of
the
East
India
Company.
His
idea
was
that
it
should
help
in
finding
alternate
sources
of
food
to
prevent
famines
and
to
identify
plants
that
might
be
commercially
useful.
The
plan
was
approved
on
31st
July
1787
and
Kyd
was
made
an
honorary
Superintendent.
Kyd
made
a
request
in
his
will
that
he
be
buried
without
any
religious
ceremony
in
the
botanical
garden
that
he
founded,
but
was
instead
in
South
Park
Street
Cemetry.
Much
development
in
Botany
took
place
during
British
Empire
in
India.
Linnean
system
of
“Binomial
nomenclature”
was
introduced
only
in
1778
by
the
natural
historian
engaged
with
the
British
East
India
Company.
During
this
period,
botanical
gardens
were
being
founded
in
every
significant
city
in
India
to
study
the
natural
history
of
plants.
Many
botanists
and
surveyors
were
recruited
by
East
India
Company
to
report
and
record
Indian
flora.
One
such
botanist
of
this
period
and
the
founding
father
of
Indian
botany
by
his
contemporaries
was
William
Roxburgh.
William
Roxburgh
was
born
on
June
29th
1751.
He
matriculated
at
Edinburgh
University
in
1771-72
to
study
surgery
under
Dr.
Alexender
Monro.
Further
he
was
also
the
student
of
Dr.
John
Hope,
professor
of
botany
and
“Materia-medica”
.John
Hope
was
the
curator
of
the
Edinburgh
botanical
garden
as
well
an
experimental
physiologist.
Roxburgh
reached
Chennai
in
1776
as
an
assistant
surgeon
in
the
East
India
Company’s
Madras
General
Hospital.
At
Chennai
he
turned
his
attention
to
botany.
For
the
period
1776-1793
he
worked
at
Coromandel
Coast,
during
this
period
he
also
met
Johann
Gerhard
Konig
(who
introduced
binomial
nomenclature
in
India).
In
1789
he
was
appointed
as
natural
historian
of
East
India
Company.
He
moved
to
Kolkata
to
be
the
superintendent
of
the
Boanic
Garden,
the
present
Indian
Botanical
Garden
at
Shibpur,
Howrah.
He
was
instrumental
in
introducing
many
plant
and
species
to
India
and
simultaneously
he
sent
many
species
to
Kew,
London.
His
voluminous
work,
“Flora
Indica”
was
published
after
his
death.
Roxburgh
left
for
England
from
Kolkata
in
1813
at
the
age
of
62
spending
some
37
years
in
India.
He
died
at
Edinburgh
in
1815.
Dr.
William
Roxburgh
was
a
botanist
who
made
immense
contribution
to
the
study
of
Indian
botany
and
is
regarded
as
manyas
the
father
of
Indian
botany.
He
was
also
interested
in
meteorological
impacts
on
droughts
and
famine,
and
therefore,
recommended
for
food
tree
plantation
in
the
countryside
and
in
public
land.
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