20 BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 
sun, and about 90 feet in height, it is an introduced plant 
and very rare in the Island. I reached Twickenham Park, and 
was kindly received for the night by Alex. Finlay, Esq. 
Thursday, 10th August.—Off early in the morning, for the 
interior of St. John's ; about five miles of the plains brought 
me to the gently undulated Red Hills of that name. Two 
small ponds by the road-side were full of Pistia, a singular 
little aquatic plant; its seeds are sessile at the base of the 
leaves, and enclosed in a little transparent bag, not unlike a 
nest of Chigres well advanced, (an annoying companion, I 
am now but too familiar with). 'The vegetation of the Red 
Hills is principally shrubby, and I obtained several plants in 
flower on isolated rocks ; near Lloyd's estate grew Portlandia 
grandiflora in abundance, and larger than I had before seen 
it; this plant delights in rocks destitute of soil, and preserves 
an astonishingly vigorous growth, attaining 20 feet in height, 
and displaying its large bell-shaped and fragrant flowers most 
profusely. I next came to an extensive negro settlement, 
apparently of recent date; the houses were more commo- 
dious and comfortable than these poor creatures’ dwellings 
generally are; a bed is a luxury they do not know, and their 
little hut consists of but one apartment with the fire in the 
middle, the door and palm-thatched roof serving as an out- 
let to the smoke. Four sticks set in the ground, with cross- 
pieces, gridiron fashion, form their bed, and from custom 
they consider this all that is necessary. My servant is per- 
fectly satisfied to lie on the floor, in the same apartment 
with myself, without the luxury of one feather or blanket, 
and he appears to sleep as sound as I do. The summit of a 
hill afforded a fine view of Lloyd's and Retreat estates, the 
Sugar Canes occupying a rich valley in the bosom of the 
gently undulated hills of St. John's. On Logwood fences I 
found Limodorum funale, and L. filiforme (a singular little — 
Orchidaceous plant), also Oncidium pumilum and the beau- - 
tiful Janthe pallida in great plenty. Oncidium Cartha- 
ginense was so abundant as to threaten the destruction of the — 
fences, producing its beautiful panicles in the utmost profu- 
