' ' ! S 



TUh: (;.iA'i)/-:\/:h-s momhi.y 



{/'*iy, 



•of small bright, various ri)lorod, i)i>i)[)ors. TIuMf 

 were lar<;e bundles of Purslane which is used as 

 a salad ; but even this, with us, pestiferous weed, 

 does not here jjrow with the luxuriance which so 

 annoy us in our northern irardens. 



There were larj,'e (juanties of .Sesuviuni pertu- 

 lacastruni covered wiih purplish llowers, which 

 seemed to be in <jreat tlemand as a pot-herb. Of 

 the squash family, which I expected to (indwell 

 represented, these was only a small, crooked, 

 rich sijuash, and a heap of little yellow i)unip- 

 kins. There were musk and watermelons, but 

 very poor, sudi as in Boston would not be thou<ihl 

 tit to bring to market. They are very inferior 

 in flavor, but are considered great delicacies. 



Large baskets of shrimps, both alive and 

 cooked, seemed to meet with ready sale ; long 

 strings of a small, dark colored turtle were 

 wailing for the epicures of Para ; negroes were 

 buying very unpleasant looking lish ; and in one 

 stall a huge alligator was being cut into sections 

 to suit customers. 



The fruit market was most attractive; oranges, 

 limes, and bananas, in any (juantity ; huge piles 

 of Plantains (Musa paradisiaca) which, although 

 palatable and often eaten raw, is far better 

 cooked, and is prepared in many vyays, all good ; 

 and bright fruits of various palms, including 

 huge baskets of Assai. 



Mangoes (Mangiferalndica) were seen at every 

 stand, but they are not a popular fruit, having 

 the reputation of causing fever, and a taste for 

 them must be acquired, as the Havor of sweet 

 resin or turpentine is not at first pleasant. The 

 fruit of the cocoa (Theobroma cacoa), the seeds 

 of which form the cocoa of commerce, is seen in 

 considerable quantites ; it is orange colored, 

 pentagonal, about nine inches long, and contains 

 numerous seeds, bedded in a white pulp : from 

 this pulp, mixed with water, an agreeable acid' 

 drink is prepared. Pineapples were delicious, 

 the whole pulp melts away in the mouth, and 

 one's only regret is that frequent indulgence in 

 pineapples is not considered prudent. Little 

 heaps of Sapodilla, S. achras, and of S. mam- 

 mosa, more properly Lucunia, attracted my at- 

 tention, but I was unable to discover an edible 

 quality to warrant the reputation they have ob- 

 tained ; they seemed to my uneducated taste 

 neither pleasant to the eye nor good for food ; 

 the seeds are shining brown, and very pretty. 

 Of the Alligator Pea or " Avocado" (Persea 

 gratissima) I can speak more favorably. The 

 fruit IS pear-shaped, about seven inches long 



with a (lark green or purph' skin; the pulp is 

 liiiii, liuttery,and is eaten with sugar, spice, lime 

 juice or pepper and salt. At first it is not un- 

 pleasant, and one soon becomes very fond of it. 

 Tiie Flower Market was jioorly stocked; a few 

 yellow chrysanthemums, some jierpetual roses, 

 bunches of jasmine, and some while pinks, com- 

 posed th»' assortment. A white pink was 

 od'ered me for twelve cents as very rare ; the 

 same money would have bought a peck measure 

 of Jasmine, or three dozen oranges. 



I must leave for another letter a description 

 of the gardens and orchards of iSenor Serreira, the 

 voyage up the Amazon, the trees, the climbers, 

 the llowers which fairly bewilder me by their 

 \ ariety and beauty ; the climate which is the 

 perfected of climates, neither too warm nor too 

 cold; the orchids of the Upper Amazon and 

 the yrand Victoria regia. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



EuROPKAN Notes, by the Editor. — No. 



11. — It is singular that with all the criticisms 

 indulged in on Kings and Queens and Nobles, 

 the world is largely indebted to them for very 

 much of which it is proud ; and this is espe- 

 cially true of the world in regard to some of the 

 finest monuments that have been dedicated to 

 rtowers and gardeniqg generallj'. The beautiful 

 gardens I have given the reader a brief glimpse 

 of — Le Jardin des Plantes — was in a great mea- 

 sure the idea of King Henry IV., who seems to 

 have been a ruler who was actuated by a sincere 

 desire to se«k above all the happiness and wel- 

 fare of his people. Mociuet, a French traveler 

 of that time, had brought a collection of foreign 

 plants on his return, which were cultivated in 

 the garden of the Louvre by the 5'oung lad who 

 exhibited a strong taste for gardening, and at 

 that early age he conceived the idea of drawing 

 the French people nearer to friendship and 

 brotherhood with foreign nations by the culture 

 of foreign flowers. The idea developed and 

 grew till these gardens were ultimately placed 

 on a permanent foundation by Louis XIII. 



Then there are the Royal Gardens at Kew; 

 but suppose we now leave France and take a 

 look at this famous establishment before bring- 

 ing the reader back to American shores. 



I had about written thus far when the morn- 

 ing's mail brings ray usual bag full, and opening 

 one of the book packages is a pretty volume in 

 green and gold. " Ilistoria Filicum, by John 



