22P NOTICES OF BOOKS. 



have again transpired to arouse this Society from its state of inactivity. 

 Just as the Great Exhibition in London, 1851, under the patronage of 

 Prince Albert, was the cause of awakening and infusing new life and 

 vigour into some of the almost defunct Art-Societies of Britain, which 

 had been in existence nearly a century before, so the forthcoming Paris 

 Exhibition has been the means of calling into activity, and awakening 

 from^ its slumbers, the Society of Arts in Jamaica."—" If for the Great 

 Exhibition in London of 1851, a box of arrow-root from Montserrat, 

 a solitary fish-pot, made by a black labourer in St. Kitts,— a specimen 

 of seaside grapes from Barbadoes,— a box of Indian meal or maize 

 from British Guiana,— a few physic-nuts from Demerara,— Cashew and 

 Prickly Pear from the Bahamas,— starch and Cocoa-nut oil from Trini- 

 dad,— ornamental woods, numbering 225 specimens, from Cuba,— and 

 a small piece of fossil-wood, sent by Governor Higginson, from Antigua, 

 —if these were gladly admitted to the Great Exhibition, and much 

 curiosity excited concerning them, why should not Jamaica, which 

 abounds in every one of these, and thousands more equally valuable 

 and equally objects of curiosity and interest,— why should not Jamaica 

 do justice to herself, and take the high place assigned her by Provi- 

 dence in the productive industry of the worid?" Such were the ho- 

 nourable motives which induced Jamaica to rouse herself from a lethargy 

 into which she was thrown by circumstances, which brought her to the 

 brink of ruin ; and, led on by their exceUent Governor, Sir Henry 

 Barkly, a committee of some of the most able and patriotic gentlemen 

 of the island were formed, a collection of the useful products of the 

 island was sent to the Great Paris Exhibition in 1856, such as was 

 second to few in that wonderful " Exposition des Produits de I'lndus- 

 trie de toutes les Nations," and the Transactions of the Jamaica Society 

 of Arts, now under consideration, were commenced, and has continued 

 a regular monthly publication ever since. 



The Editor of this Journal has been called upon to draw up a Ee- 

 port for Government upon the Collection above alluded to, as far as 

 regarded vegetable, and especially native, products; and it is a no less 

 agreeable task to notice some of the contents of the volume before us, 

 abounding as it does in subjects connected with economic botany, some 

 extracted from other works, but the majority of them original treatises, 

 irequently indeed anonymous. Generally each number has two or more 

 pages devoted to iutiuductory n.atter, showing the importance, -in a 



