still residing in South-western Africa. Joachim Monteiro, Esq., 

 of Loando, and C. J. N. Andersson, Esq., of Daman Land, we 

 are justified on that ground in giving it a place and a brief 

 notice in the 'Botanical Magazine,' and thus extending a know- 

 ledge of the subject (compiled wholly from the history and figures 

 in question) among many who may not have the opportunity of 

 consulting the Linnean Society's Transactions. As to the culti- 

 vating of this plant in our stoves, we despair of it altogether, as 

 much as we do of rearing the Rafiiexia Arnoldii. Climate, soil, 

 and native locality are all against success ; yet trials should be 

 made, and no doubt will be made, to raise it from seed, when- 

 ever opportunity may offer. 



Dr. Welwitsch found the plant in 1SG0 inhabiting the elevated 

 sandy plateau near Cape Negro, western tropical Africa, lat. 15 

 40' S. Mr. Thomas Baines, the able artist in Gregory's exploring 

 expedition across North Australia, and who accompanied Dr. 

 Livingstone on the Zambesi mission, while travelling the following 

 year in the Damara country, in lat. 2-1° or 25° S., and about 500 

 miles south of Cape Negro, was so struck with the appearance of 

 this same plant, that he made coloured drawings of it and others, 

 as illustrative of the vegetation of the country, and had the good- 

 ness to send them to me, accompanied by some cones ; but these 

 latter w r ere packed without being dried, and being a long time 

 en route to the Cape and to Europe (more than a year), and 

 being packed with the succulent leaves of a gigantic Aloe, they 

 arrived in a very decayed state. Happily, however, the cones 

 contained ripe seeds, which by hardening in alcohol enabled Dr. 

 Hooker to satisfy himself of their great similarity in development 

 and structure with those of Cycaclcce and Gnetacece. The native 

 name "Tumbo" was communicated both by Dr. Welwitsch and 

 Mr. Baines ; but as the same name is given to the gigantic Aloe 

 of the country, it is a generic rather than a specific name among 

 the aborigines : for to the branch of the cones Mr. Baines had 

 written, " called by the Hottentots ' Ghories,' and by the Damaras 

 * Nyanka-Hykamkop? ' As we were now in possession of speci- 

 mens, however imperfect, of this wonderful plant from Mr. Baines, 

 and very anxious that its discovery should be announced, Dr. 

 Hooker wrote to Dr. Welwitsch, reminding him of a request he 

 had made, that a full account of his discovery should appear in 

 the Linnean Transactions, and urging him either to make the 

 plant known himself to the scientific world, or to send his speci- 

 mens here for publication ; proposing at the same time that it 

 should be allowed to bear his name, and to be called WeU 

 witschia mirabilis. M. Monteiro (as already mentioned) also 

 sent us plants collected at Mossamedes (Little Fish Bay of the 

 English charts) in 1862. These were gathered during " a jour- 



