92 BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 
Victoria Regia. 
We have long ago recorded the successful introduction of the Victo- 
ria regia to Trinidad, and we now learn, from a little brochure printed 
and circulated by the Hon. Edward Chitty, of Kingston, Jamaica, that 
that gentleman has had the gratification of rearing the plant from seed 
and flowering it in his own garden. A very full account is given of the 
mode of treating the plant, and of the progress of development; and 
the author is at some pains to combat a statement made in Chambers’s 
Edinburgh Journal, vol. xiv., viz. “ that it is well known to cultivators 
of the Victoria in this country (Great Britain) that it will not succeed 
in an atmosphere within the influence of the sea-breeze."—We confess 
ourselves sceptical as to the fact of any experiments having been made 
with it in England “ within the influence of the sea-breeze.” Be that 
as it may, Mr. Chitty finds the sea-breeze to have no injurious effect in 
his garden, which is certainly within its influence. That gentleman 
has only seen the accounts of this queen of aquatics published in the 
* Botanical Magazine’ (before the plant had flowered anywhere in cul- 
tivation), and in Chambers’s Journal: so that he has dwelt more on 
the vegetation and growth of it than he would probably have done, had 
he seen the statements given by Paxton in the ‘ Gardeners’ Chronicle,’ 
etc., and by ourselves in the description from the /iving plants. His ob- 
servations on the “spontaneous motion of the flower and flower-stalk,” 
first detected by Paxton, are worthy of notice. On the 8th of Septem- 
ber, at 6 a.m., he found the apex of the flower as it was the previous 
evening, pointing to the north-west. As it rose more above the 
water, it was seen gradually at the same time to wheel round by the 
west and south, and north to west again; the peduncle, be it ob- 
served, was several inches longer than was necessary to elevate the 
flower to the surface of the water. It had now a spiral twist. On the 
same day, at half-past 3 P.M., the flower was pointing north-west, and 
was resting against the last new leaf, which was to the south of it. 
While inspecting it in that position, it suddenly and quickly wheeled 
round the quarter of a circle, namely from north-west to north-east. 
On the following day, Dr. M‘Nab also being present, the movement 
was seen again, and it was clearly observed that “the flower rolled 
itself as a ball upon an axis,” in this case from north-east to north. A 
second flower, while in bud, pointed due north, and suddenly to the 
