5 



27 



• 



Extract of Letter addressed to Dr. Hooker by John Horne, Esq., 



Mauritius 



Mauritius 



[Read February 4, 1875.] 



I returned from the Seychelles on 1st October last, after spending 

 three months there. During that time I visited Mahe (the principal 

 island of the group), Praslin, Silhouette, Eelicite, La Digue, Aux 

 Fregates, St. Anne, Aux Cerfs, and was prevented from landing 

 at Marie Anne, a small isle about a mile from Eelicite, in conse- 

 quence of a rough sea and because the boat could not be detained. 

 Isle Curieuse I visited on a former occasion. All these islands I 

 travelled over, and searched carefully and minutely, visiting every 

 locality where a new or rare plant could be found, and never allow- 

 ing my thoughts to deceive me. I can assure you I worked very 

 hard, knocking up the men that were with me as guides several 

 times, but enjoyed my work very much, and considerably improved 

 my health and strength notwithstanding fatigues and frequent 

 wettings. I collected about three hundred species, some of which 

 I may have gathered on the previous tour ; but the bulk of them 

 1 had not seen before. I have the specimens separated into their 

 natural orders as nearly as I can make them out here ; and I 

 hope to be able to send the largest portion of them to you by 

 the next mail, with notes relating to each. I doubt really if many 

 of them will be new ; but, as you remarked, many may prove to 

 be geographically interesting. 



Without minutely considering this subject, I may remark 

 that the Seychelles' flora has more affinities to the floras of Ma- 

 dagascar, East Africa, South of India, Malay islands, and Poly- 

 nesia or Oceania than to those of either Mauritius or Bour- 

 bon. I have yet to discover a genus or even a species which 

 is only found in the Seychelles and the two last-named places. 

 That representatives of the same genera and species are common 

 in Mauritius, the Seychelles, and Bourbon is not to be gain- 

 said ; but such plants have a much wider range, and are com- 

 mon in several other countries. On the other hand, the 

 greatest portion of the Seychelles' genera and species are plants 

 common to all or, in many instances, to one or another of the 

 four first-named places. For example, I may quote for S. India 

 Campnoxpcrma zcylanicum, which is one of the commonest trees in 



