Notices respecting New Books, 26S 



one, the nature of the substance itself renders it very difficult 

 to determine, while the want of a sufficient supply has prevented 

 me from obtaining any proof that it is really a hydrate. 

 Durham, Feb. 5, 1838. 



XLIII. Notices respecting New Books. 



The Flora of Jamaica, by James Macfadyen. Vol. I., containing 

 RANUNcuLACEiE — Leguminos^. London, 1837. 8vo. 



A Systematic account of the plants of this interesting island has 

 long been wanting, and we are happy to find that the author has 

 so well supplied this deficiency. All we formerly knew of the plants of 

 this fertile region was scattered through the various and voluminous 

 works of Sloane, Browne, Plumier, Swartz, and many others, and 

 the only work of easy access, which could be of any comparative 

 use to those interested in the Flora of this island, was the Hor- 

 tun JamaicensiSf of Mr. Lunan, which according to Mr. Macfadyen's 

 statement "scarcely comprised one half of the plants at present known 

 to be indigenous to the island." A long residence has enabled the 

 author to visit a considerable portion of the island, and he has thus 

 had the opportunity of carefully studying the floras of the several dis- 

 tricts, and of paying great attention to most of the plants in their va- 

 rious states of growth. The arrangement adopted is the natural sy- 

 stem, which is undoubtedly the best suited, as such natural families 

 combine individuals not only related to one another by coincident 

 peculiarities of form and structure, but also by their medicinal pro- 

 perties. This, however, being not so well adapted for the tyro in 

 botany, the author intends to give at the end of the natural system an 

 arrangement of the genera according to the artificial system of Lin- 

 naeus, in order to facilitate the progress of the young student. In 

 the arrangement of the orders, the author has followed that of De 

 Candolle as laid down in his Prodromus Systematis Universalis Regni 

 Vegetabilis, as also for the definition of the genera. For the descrip- 

 tions of the orders the works of Lindley and Richard have carefully 

 been consulted. The author has also greatly added to the value of 

 the work by his details of the history, medicinal properties, and gene- 

 ral uses to which the various vegetable products of Jamaica are 

 applied. We have selected one passage, the space to which we are 

 limited not allowing of more, which will no doubt be of some interest 

 to our readers. 



"In the cultivation of the Indigo plant (Indigofera tinctoria), the 

 best time, for ploughing or preparing the land, is immediately after the 

 October rains. It has been found that sowing broad-cast succeeds bet- 

 ter than in drills. A bushel of seed will plant from six to eight acres. 

 In the course of a few days the young plants come up ; soon after 

 which they ought to be cleaned and moulded. As the plant grows 

 wild in river courses and in dry gravelly situations, a soil of a similar 

 character is found the best adapted for its cultivation. The rains 

 ought also to be light and seasonable, and it is of importance that 



