jf^^f Becent Disccwery of Gold Mines 



Discovered by Dr. F. Buchanan, growing in woods near rivulets, in tJppcr 

 Nepal, where it is known by the name of Dai Swa. The root is creeping, 

 but much thicker and more tuberous than in P. quadrifolia. Stem a foot 

 or more in height, brownish, thrice the thickness of that of P. quadrifolia, 

 crowned like that with a whorl of leaves, in a similar spreading position, 

 but about twice as numerous, and much narrower, being elliptic-lanceolate, 

 taper-pointed, triple-ribbed j each supported on a short purplish stalk. 

 Flower-stalk much shorter than that of P. quadrifolia, but the flower i^ 

 larger, of the same green colour. Its calyx leaves and petals are usually 

 5, with ten stamens ; but sometimes only 4 with 8 stamens ; or even 3 

 with 6. The styles, as well as the cells of the germen, always agree in 

 number with the petals ; but the former are combined by a thick columnar 

 base, which character, added to his not having seen the ripe fruit, caused 

 Dr. Buchanan to doubt of the genus. The habit and rest of the charac- 

 ters, however, leave no scruple in our mind ; but it is very possible tl^a^ 

 what Linnajus, in the European species, calls styles, may be almost wholly 

 stigmas, for they are downy all along their upper side, and the Nepal 

 plant will then be found to differ merely in having the style more elon- 

 gated." 



Sprengel, in his Sy sterna Vegetabilium (vol. ii. p. 261.), registers the 

 following species of Paris : — 



** 1. P. quadrif61ia Linn. Leaves 4, in a whorl, sepals linear, exceeding 

 the petals in length. Inhabits the shady woods of Europe. 



" 2. P. verticillata Bieberstein, Leaves 8, in a whorl, sepals lanceolate^ 

 thrice as long as the petals. Inhabits the east of Siberia and Nepal, 

 [Synonyme:] P. polyphylla of ^Sm^/z. 



" 3. P. incompleta Bieberstein. Leaves about 10, in a whorl, sepals 

 lanceolate, nerved; petals none; anthers not lengthened out at their tips. 

 Inhabits Armenia and Iberia. [Synonymes :] P. apetala and Deraiddvia 

 poly phylla [both of ] ^o^maww." • • tr 



This quotation from Sprengel informs us of the existence of at le^ft 

 two species of Paris, which individually produce a whorl of about 9 leaved; 

 ibad' should Sprengel, in his haste, have wrongly identified Bieberstein's P. 

 verticillata from the east of Siberia, with Smith's P. polyphylla from Nepal, 

 then three species will be known which severally produce a whorl of 

 about nine leaves. 



Has any one, by night or by day,' o!)^e^ed the flower of Paris qua<]h^ 

 fdlia to be fragrant ? Its green colour suggests the likelihood of its bei^ 

 fragrant, as does the fact that the flower of Trillium discolor Wray^ a 

 species native to Georgia in America, and figured in Curtis's Botanical 

 Magazine^ t. 3097., is described to exhale an odour resembling that of the 

 blossoms of the American allspice (Calycanthus floridus). These are fra- 

 grant, indeed ; for when numerously expanded, in the sunny days of July, 

 their usual time of flowering, they diffuse a copious volume of delicious and 

 aromatic odour, capable of perfuming the surrounding air for many yards, 



32fiv B T370 ^^nq o ) .ifj.i ^ ?.sonBrhR bnn ^^'S* 



^fib bn£ Aooi 3aoo[ lo gaaeiiin lii w Jtjviiip, bnr. hnB^'\o laoixo 



hafnisj States of America. By Robert Bakewell, Esq. ^^ 



fo Sir, ' 



^^'The discovery of native gold in some of the southern provinces 

 of the United States in North America lias not hitherto excited 

 much attention in Europe, though the quantity obtained has 



