14 BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 
BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 
Journal of a BorANICAL Mission to the West INDIES in 
1843-4, by WirrrAM Purpte, Collector for the Royal 
Botanic Gardens of Kew. 
(Continued from p. 533, Vol. III.) 
We reached Fairy Hill, a good deal fatigued, the day 
having been very hot, thermometer at noon 90°. 
Friday, 21st. July.—We left Fairy Hill for Bath, by the 
same route; there being no other road over the mountains. 
In pastures, near Fairy Hill, I found a species of Arum, which 
the Negroes call Jumbe Coco, from a supposition that it is 
the food of Duppy, a spirit or ghost, believed to haunt 
Jamaica, and of which the Negroes stand in great dread. 
They rarely go to the woods without a trumpet, consisting 
of a large marine shell, perforated at one end, with which 
they contrive to make a most unpleasant noise, and by blow- 
ing it occasionally, they think they succeed in keeping 
this terrible personage at a respectful distance. To the 
astonishment of some negroes who were passing and whom 
nothing could induce to touch the plant, I gathered several 
specimens. One remarkable feature of the scenery of the 
North side of the Island consists in the entire absence of Cacti, 
which are so numerous on the south. As we approached 
Port Antonio, I observed a few solitary plants of Opuntia 
communis, probably introduced from the southern side. We 
reached Golden Vale by five o'clock p.m., having felt the 
heat very oppressive, from the concentrated rays of the sun 
on the coast, for the mountains had been visited with thunder 
and rain the whole day, as was evident on our crossing the - 
Rio Grande, already much swollen. We slept at Golden 
Vale, intending to reach Bath the next evening. . 
Saturday, 22nd July.—The night had been a dreadful one 
of thunder, lightning and rain, which rendered it very doubt- 
ful as to our being able to cross the river, which was, by this 
time, rolling at a tremendous rate, carrying immense entire 
trees on its angry surface. This prevented our starting - 
