96 
§ 101. Letter from Prof. I. H. Hall—The Syrian Protestant 
College is on high, rocky ground, about a mile from the centre of 
Beirut, just opposite the point of rocks that juts farthest north into 
the sea on Ras Beirut. Beirut lies on a jog in the coast, so that the 
city generally, and the front of the college in particular, look out on 
the sea towards the north. I hear the noise of the sea continually, 
as I sitin my room. To the west, the coast bends southward just 
by the observatory, and we have a splendid sweep of sea view in 
that direction also. The college grounds are full of flowers—a real 
wild botanic garden, with a very great number of species, of which 
I cannot give even a catalogue just now; and all winter we have a 
succession of flowers. The most showy things out at present are 
the Ranunculus Asiaticus, a splendid crimson-scarlet flower, from 2 
to 34 inches in diameter, the flaming poppy, and a beautiful wild 
pink gladiolus with wide grass-like leaves, that grows in the stand- 
ing corn. The most delicate and beautiful Cyclamen Aleppicum— 
of which more another time—is just going out of flower. I can only 
mention the ferns this time. We have four ferns on the college 
grounds: the Adiantum Capillus-Veneris, the Asplenium Ceterach, 
the Cheilanthes fragrans (or odora), and a Polypodium which I have 
not found in sufficient quantities to make out. They all grow in 
crevices in the rocks. The first mentioned has an Arabic name 
which signifies “dweller in the pits ””—7. ¢., in the beers. This will 
not surprise one who has seen this fern growing in the Roman baths, 
or in the deep places at Pompeii. Indeed, the best locality for it 
on the college grounds was inside of the recesses of a nest of old 
Phoenician tombs which were brought to light in excavating for 
the foundations of the main college building, of whieh tombs the 
fern immediately took possession. However, the locality was de- 
stroyed a few weeks ago, as the tombs had to be blown up and 
filled in for sanitary reasons. In this last mentioned process, how- 
ever, another deer was brought to light; for, like all the hill-sides of 
the region, Ras Beirut is riddled with old tombs, the entrances and 
steps to many of which are visible without any excavation. The 
Asplenium Ceterach grows deep in the crevices of the rocks, much 
after the manner of A, pinnatifidum. It also grows in the stone 
walls all about Beirut. The Cheilanthes is scarce; but on the 
Greek island of Sira, behind the town, I found it in abundance, along 
with Nothochlaena lanuginosa. In the town, ferns from the moun- 
tains are cultivated with more or less success, but the ferns of the 
region are not numerous. 
Berrut, Syria, April 6, 1876. 
Errata.—§ 92, 1, 1, read «T. S. Bréfdegee”; 1.7, read “Welgsia”; 1. 15, 
read “D. Lavferi” ; 1. 30, read ‘‘G. calyptpata” ; page 90, l. 5, read “A. minu- 
tisskffum” ; 1. 8, read ‘*Steregdon”. 
Terms—One Dollar per annum beginning with the January number, 12 cents for postage. 
For the Botanicat Directory 30 cents. Supplement to Directory, 10 cents. Vols. I-V., with 
index, and photograph of Dr. Torrey, $3.75. Copies of Constitution and By-Laws of the Club, 
25 cents. Address, Wm. H. Leaaert, 224, HE. Tenth Street, New York, Money Orders on 
Station D., P.O., N. ¥. All subscriptions or orders filled only on receipt of the money. 
The Club ar regularly the last Tuesday of the month in the Herbarium, Columbia College, 
Rat. e's “sy to 
at 71g P.M. are attend. Dr. THURBER, the President of the Club 
be found at 245 Broadway, é Sitend 
