504 BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 
late dreadful earthquake, is literally a heap of ruins. After 
landing the mail, we proceeded, the country preserving its 
luxuriant aspect, to the western extremity. The morning of 
the 13th brought us in sight of Cuba, and we reached 
St. Jago de Cuba at nine o'clock, a.m. Vegetation appeared 
to be suffering from the continued dry weather; during our 
stay of three hours, the thermometer stood at 94° in the 
shade, at eleven, A.M. We sailed from St. Jago and reached 
Kingston, Jamaica, early on the 14th, after a passage of 
twenty-eight days of fine weather. The lofty mountains of 
the interior have a very imposing effect, on entering the bar- 
.bour of Kingston; the town itself is built nearly on a level 
with the sea, and offers nothing remarkable in its ap- 
pearance. 
After a few days' preparation for my excursion, in which I 
was kindly assisted by Dr. Macfadyen, to whom I carried a 
letter of introduction from Sir W. J. Hooker, and who gene- 
rously invited me to consider his house my home whenever 
my duties should call. me in Kingston, and to make that the 
dépót for my plants, etc., thus setting my mind quite at rest 
on that score, I left Kingston on the 19th for the Port 
Royal Mountains. -I was accompanied by Mr. Hartweg 
Botanical Collector for the Horticultural Society of London, 
who was on his way to, England, and felt desirous of making 
the most of his few days’ stay in Jamaica. Passing through 
the plain of Liguanea, which is completely overrun with 
Mimosa tortuosa and M. juliflera (which often prove ! 
to cattle from eating the seeds), Guaiacum officinale, co 
with its rich blue flowers and yellow fruit, contrasted beau- 
tifully with its dark green foliage, and seemed to bear the 
arid plains with impunity. Cereus Peruvianus and 
are used for making fences in the following manner. A row | 
of Bromelia Pinguin is planted on.a raised bank, about four 
feet in height; the sides are sloped to an angle of about 
60 degrees, against which are placed pieces of the above 
Cereus, about five feet in length, which generally send up 
shoots from the bottom, and make at once a formi 
