encouragement of the growth of new and important agricul- 

 tural products, exotic vegetables, and tropical plants." 

 Such a document as this affords the best evidence of the care 

 with which the American government attends to whatever 

 may increase its resources, or contribute to the w^elfare of its 

 people. It is noticed here partly for the intrinsic value of 

 the information it contains, and partly because it may serve 

 to shew to other governments that Botany leads to something 

 of more practical importance than collecting dried speci- 

 mens, or writing technical descriptions of species ; both very 

 useful things in their way, but not the most likely to inte- 

 rest those who have the charge of public affairs. 



It appears that while Dr. Perrine was consul at Cam- 

 peachy and Tabasco, he was officially instructed, by a circular 

 from the United States Treasury, to aid the desire of the 

 general government to introduce into the United States all 

 such foreign trees and plants, of whatever nature, as might 

 give promise, under proper cultivation, of flourishing and 

 becoming useful. In obedience to these instructions. Dr. 

 Perrine devoted his time and funds to enquiring into the 

 resources of the provinces where he was stationed, and thus 

 was led to acquire a knowledge of many very valuable facts, 

 notwithstandino^ the extreme reluctance of the inhabitants to 

 give Europeans any information concerning the natural pro- 

 ductions of their country. Many useful plants and seeds 

 were sent home from time to time ; and, upon his return, 

 the memorialist applied for the grant of a township in East 

 Florida, south of 26° N. L. in which his experiments could 

 be conducted ; and Congress acceded to his prayer. The 

 Americans are therefore about to commence a grand experi- 

 ment upon improving their almost uninhabited and worthless 

 southern territories, of which they have between eighteen 

 and twenty millions of acres : and from the energ;v and o^ood 

 sense of Dr. Perrine, it could hardly have been intrusted to 

 more able hands. In one part of his memorial there is the 

 following passage, which deserves attention from those who 

 are interested in tropical improvements. " Many valuable 

 vegetables of the tropics do actually propagate themselves in 

 the worst soils and situations, in the sun and in the shade, 

 where they arrive either by accident or design ; and for other 

 profitable plants of the tropics, which require human skill 

 and care, moisture is the equivalent to manure. Tropical 



