FINE ARTS. 1G9 



An Account of the Phormium Te?iai\ or Neirv Zealand Flax. Print- 

 ed on Paper, made from its leaves By John Murray, F.S.A., 

 F.L.S., &c. London : Renshaw. 



In a former number of The Analyst, we alluded to the introduc- 

 tion of Phormium tenax into this country, as a substitute for Hemp, 

 and of the employment of the fibre of this plant in the manufacture 

 of paper. We are happy to see that Mr. Murray is persevering 

 in his praiseworthy exertions to call the attention of Government 

 to the advantages which would result from an importation of Phor- 

 viium tenax from New Zealand, and its cultivation in our colonies 

 and islands. Our extract must be confined to the derivation of the 



" The generic name of Phormium is derived from the Greek, tpo^ot, a 

 basket, descriptive of the use to which it is sometimes applied by the natives; 

 while its specific appellative seems to be characteristic or the tenacity of the 

 fibre. There are two kinds of this plant, and they certainly appear to be 

 sufficiently marked to merit the recognition of different species. In one of 

 these species, the flowers are smaller and their aggregations more nume- 

 rous than in the other. In the one, moreover, the colour of the flower is yel- 

 low, while in the other it is deep red. 



The Phormium tenax has been successfully reared in different 

 parts of the United Kingdom, and Mr. Murray states he has culti- 

 vated it on the west coast of Scotland, along the verge of the sea, 

 where the plants have withstood the ordeal of seven winters, with- 

 out the slightest protection whatever. 



Mr. Murray's observations in his Postscript, on the materials 

 employed in the manufacture of cheap f paper, are worthy serious 

 consideration. In corroboration of his statement, we could instance 

 a work now in the course of publication, the paper of which is so 

 perfectly rotten that the leaves even now require to be turned over 

 with the utmost care ; long before the work is completed the parts 

 which first issued from the press will be crumbled to powder. 



FINE ARTS. 



Finden's Ports and Harbours of Great Britain, with Views of the 

 most remarkable Headlands^ Bays, and Fishing Stations on the 

 Coast. Parts I. and II. London : Charles Tilt. 



In a country so eminently maritime as England, and in an age 

 rife with illustrative works on all and every subject, we might al- 

 most wonder that a publication like the present had not long ago 

 been commenced, but now that it is undertaken in so excellent a 



VOL. V. NO. XVII. Y 



