THERO. SANSK. A presbyter. THESAURUS ZEYLAN1CUS, a botanical work by John, or the elder, Burmann, published in 1737, with 110 plates, containing figures of 155 plants, which are generally very characteristic and well executed. Bunnann's work appears to have been principally drawn up from speciniens collected by Dr. Paul Hermann, who was sent out to Ceylon in 1670, and remained till 1677, at the expense of the Dutch East India Com pany, for the purpose of describing all the plants and spices growing in that island. Hermann's Museum Zeylanicum was first published in 1717, although it appears to have been written many years before. Besides the plants of Ceylon, it contains many species collected at the Cape of Good Hope, unfortunately not distinguished from tho others, a circumstance which afterwards led Linnmus into the error of considering them all natives of the east. Hermann's herbarium had been lost upwards of half a century, until chalice threw it into the hands of 31. Gunther (apothecary
to the king of Denmark), who sent it to Limueus, requesting him to examine it, and affix the names to tho plants throughout the collection. Its great value, from the collector having been so eminent a man, induced Linnfeus to examine the whole with much attention, and be was thereby enabled to forni many now genera and settle many doubt ful species. He published the result of his labours under the title of Flom Zeylaniest, sistens plantas Indicas Zeylonas quas olim 1670-1677, lectse f uere a Paulo Hermann°, Professore Botanic°, Loydensi; demum post 70 anus ab A. Gunther°, Pharmacopaso Hafniensi, orbi redittm (1Iolm. 1747, 8vo, pp. 254, tab. 4). In an appendix, the now genem are concisely given by themselves, I copied from an academical dissertation published under Linnaeus' presidency, by C. M. Dassow, Wight's Prodromus, p. 9.