138 BANCROFT ON THE HOG-GUM TREE OF JAMAICA. 



accuracy the botanical characters of his tree, and he accord- 

 ingly gave a description of these, and assigned them to a new 

 genus, Metopium {Rhus 3Iefopium of Linnaeus,) at page 177 

 of his Civil and Natural History of Jamaica, first published 

 in 1756, and a figure also in his 13th plate. Upon the faith 

 of these authorities, another historian of this island, Mr 

 Long, at page 723, volume iii. of his History of Jamaica, 

 1774, and indeed almost every other person, including the 

 celebrated M. De Candolle, (page 67, vol. ii. of his Prodro- 

 mus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis,) has since been 

 led to consider the Rhus Metopium as the Jamaica Hog-Gum 

 tree; and the error would very probably have continued 

 much longer if a botanist of great merit, Dr Bertero of Pied- 

 mont, who visited this island for a short lime in 1821, had not 

 had his curiosity accidentally excited to ascertain which was 

 really the tree. He happened to speak of the Hog-gum in 

 the presence of Mr Higson, who then said that he lately had 

 occasion to make the search, and had discovered that the 

 Ehus 3Ietopium of Brown, was not the tree which produced 

 it, and, on finding Dr Bertero perfectly incredulous, he of- 

 fered to show him the tree in its native mountains. The 

 offer was accepted, Mr Higson's assertion verified, and a bo- 

 tanical description of the tree, and of its flowers, was drawn 

 up in Latin by Dr Bertero, of which he gave a copy to Mr 

 Higson ; but the season being yet too early, no fruit was 

 found, and the description was necessarily incomplete in that 

 important respect. Mr Higson's affairs having afterwards 

 called him into New Grenada, he was shipwrecked in the bay 

 of Buenaventura, and, among various papers damaged by the 

 salt-water, was the description just mentioned, many portions 

 of which are entirely obliterated. Since Mr Higson's re- 

 turn, he has watched the fructification of the Hog-Gum tree, 

 and has occasionally favoured me with fresh specimens of its 

 flowers, ripe fruit, &c. ; and from these, as well as from the 

 remains of Dr Bertero's paper, which is now before me, I 

 shall presently detail its botanical characters. 



I may previously mention, however, that I am enabled also 



