VOYAGE TO ST. THOMAS, ST. KITT's, ETC, 243 
My attention was chiefly directed to Cryptogamia; but, 
at first, I met with disappointment, all the islands I visited, 
except St. Kitt's, being too dry. In early times the woods 
were cut down, and the hills are now covered with worthless 
jungle. The stones are every where overgrown with lichens, 
but mostly such as cannot be separated from them. This 
also holds good with those growing on the stems of trees. 
Of Mosses I found only a Barbula, on damp stones ; a Grim- 
mia, like crispula; a Fissidens, very similar to viridulus ; and 
a Bartramia, something like Marchica; also an Anthoceros 
as yet unknown to me. Ferns, also, were less frequent than 
I had expected ; with much exertion, I only could detect ten 
Sorts ; amongst them an Acrostichum, probably aureum, but 
remarkable on account of its size, grows bracket-like, 
similar to Struthiopteris, in some of the Lagunes, its fertile 
fronds in the middle, are 10 to 12 feet high. It covers large 
Spaces, and forms extensive shrubberies. In Antigua, it 
EC in damp places, and beside streams, but not half so 
igh. 
But in St. Kitt’s, my expectations in this respect were far 
exceeded by reality; and I will attempt to describe a few 
excursions which I made there into the splendid tropical 
regions, : 
On the 10th of June, a lofty mountain, named New Bruns- 
wick, on which there is the so called pond, supplying the | 
Whole island with water, was to be ascended. Two friends — 
and a few negroes accompanied me. We went on horseback 
to a plantation called Boyd’s Fountain, and there put on our 
travelling clothes; namely, thin white jackets, &c. Even 
here, beautiful ferns were to be seen on damp walls. Soon 
afterwards, the road became so steep, that the horses would 
g0 no further, and we sent them back to the plantation. The 
mountain now was quite alpine, and we climbed upwards, on 
a narrow ridge, with deep valleys on each side. Now only I 
.  B0t acquainted with tropical nature, and hardly could trust - 
.  Wyeyes, when beholding giant ferns as large as palms, and : 
_ Arum and Calla-like plants as big as Bananas. Ferns pre- 
