BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 25 
rages so much higher than in Europe, the heat is not so 
oppressive as might be supposed, particularly at a slight 
elevation above the sea. 
Tuesday, 15th August.—On inquiry, I was informed that 
my plants had arrived from Bath by the Drogher, a small 
class of coasting boats, which keep up the communication 
between the different towns along the shore; there is no 
land-carriage for goods or luggage, except by special contract, 
which is notoriously expensive. The former mode of con- 
veyance is remarkable for nothing, except carelessness, and 
my experience does not disprove the charge ; for I found the 
plants in glass-cases, which I had carefully packed at Bath 
and disposed them in groups, some on the soil, but the 
. greater part beneath it. Part of the glass was brokèn and a 
few of the plants dead; indeed they must have been turned 
over several times, to have produced such an effect. One 
box of Orchidee was quite destroyed by rats, from the boards 
being broken. This induced me to refuse paying the freight ; 
a line of conduct, which, if repeated by other persons, 
would, I doubt not, bring them to a sense of their duty. 
As the steamer sailed next day, there was no time to lose, 
and fortunately I had spare cases with me to repair the 
damage. A few days were devoted to arranging my speci- 
mens and I then took my passage in the steamer Anglesea, 
for Port Henderson, about ten miles from Kingston and 
parallel with Port Royal. 
August 23rd.—Accompanied by my servant and a small 
quantity of paper, as I expected to return the next day, me 
left Kingston at 7 a.m., and after a cool and pleasant sail, 
landed at Port Henderson by 8 o'clock, just in time for 
breakfast. 'The harbour of Kingston has a very rich ap- 
pearance, and is on all sides beautifully fringed with groves 
of Mangrove. 'The bark, branches and leaves of this tree 
are chopped up together, and used with success in tanning 
leather, which is then considered equal to English. Beneath 
water, the roots are encrusted with oysters, and other shell- 
fish; so that by detaching about 6 feet in length of the 
