153 
say, that if my account had been published twenty years 
prior to M. Delile’s, still, if it was really M. Bojer's wish 
that the name Joliffea should be retained in preference to 
any other, his wishes ought most assuredly to be fulfilled. 
It will be seen, by a note appended to my descrip- 
tion of Telfairia pedata, t. 2256 and 2257, that my account 
and name were printed, though not published, when I re- | 
ceived M. Bojer’s description of Joliffea, and that I 
retained the name Telfairia, * trusting that he would concur 
with me in dedicating it to his patron and friend." 
I was, indeed, not in the least aware that Joliffea was so 
called in compliment to a person; but no sooner did I find 
that it was published in France, under the last-mentioned 
appellation, which it had received in honour of the captain 
of the vessel who brought it to the Isle of France, than 
I immediately wrote to M. Bojer, begging him to say 
which name, under all these circumstances, should attach to 
the plant, and assuring him that I should adopt, with 
pleasure, whichever he preferred. 
His reply came in a letter, dated February 23, 1829, and 
is as follows :— Now allow me, my dear Sir, to touch on 
the essential point of your letter, respecting the Cucurbita- 
ceous plant. I know that a paper of mine, sent to. my 
inestimable correspondent, Professor Delile, at Montpellier, 
is a copy of the same I sent to you, with a drawing under 
the name of Joliffea ; but I never heard what M. Delile had 
done with it. Now I am happy to say, that if it depends 
upon me which appellation is to be retained, I prefer com- 
memorating the name of a man, whose knowledge, love of 
science, and universal benevolence of character, entitle him 
to the distinction. Such a man is our excellent friend, Mr. 
Telfair; and I shall be very much obliged to you, to do all 
that is necessary to prevent any change of the name 
Telfairia, I shall write to M. Delile on the same subject.” 
It now only remains for me to state that the following 
description, and the accompanying drawings are copied from 
those lately communicated by Professor Bojer; and that the 
history of the introduction of this plant to; the Mauritius, is 
