inqtiiries of others — the spot designated is the only one on the Sierns, where they are to be 

 found. But the home of the tree, and where they are to be found in preat numbers, is on 

 the western slope of the coast range of the mountains. They are found scattered over an 

 extent of country, for more than two hundred miles north of San Francisco. On Eel river, 

 anil the Kliimath, tlicy exist in great numbers and much larger than those described by Mr. 

 Lobb, on the Stauislau. They arc found there thirty feet in diameter. A company of men 

 cut one down (a small one), for a bridge; it w.'is fallen across an impassable stream. It 

 formed a bridge on which three mules packed could cross abreast, and was of sufficient width 

 for a wagon bridge. The Indians frequently cut into them through the sap, and l>y burning 

 excavate a hole large enough for a large family. A gentleman in whose word I have the most 

 implicit confidence, said a party of seven men slept in one and that he turned a pole fifteen 

 feet around in the hollow as high as his head horizontally, and this was one of the smallest 

 sized trees. But sir, I will not tell what I have the best reason to believe, and know to be 

 the truth about the size of some of these monarchs of the forest. The great object of my 

 writing, is to enter a remonstrance to the name given by the "John Bull" whom you 

 recognize as the discoverer. The tree has been for two years known by the name you 

 suggest " Washingtonia Gigantea," in California. A year since, a computation of the 

 amount of inch lumber in the largest tree that Lobb described, was made by a Yankee, and 

 that was the name then given. 



I protest against the alteration by any admirer of the " Iron Duke" or any other foreigner. 

 Yours respectfully, M. Jewktt. 



American Association for the Advancement of Science. — The meeting of this Associa- 

 tion will be held this year at Providence, Rhode Island, commencing on the 16th of August. 

 This is a most important institution — a yearly reunion of our most distinguished professors in 

 every branch of science. The papers read at the previous meetings have been highly credita- 

 ble to the nation, and a great deal of scientific information has been freely dispensed. It 

 appears by the circular before us that the funds of the society are nearly exhausted, and that 

 tliere is not money enough in the treasury, unless arrears arc paid up, to meet the expenses of 

 another year. We trust that so valuable a society will not be allowed to die out for the want 

 of a few hundred dollars. 



Hartley Coleridge once being asked which of Wordsworth productions he considered the 

 prettiest very promptly replied, "His daughter Dora." 



EriPOGON Gmelixi. — Our practical Botanists should keep a good look out for novelties in their 

 respective districts. In the immediate neighborhood of the longest settled localities much of 

 value to science may be discovered. Even in little and densely populated England, which one 

 would think explored to every square inch of its surface, new plants are occasionally met 

 with. The above plant, a pretty little orchid, supposed heretofore to be indigenous to the 

 continent of Europe only, has recently been discovered there by a lady botanist. P. 



Amelanchier Botrtapium. — It is much to be regretted that this very beautiful shrub or 

 small tree should be so seldom seen in our ornamental plantations. As the "Snowy Mespilus" 

 it figures largely in the catalogues we receive from European nurserymen ; but the writer has 

 not met with it yet in one of our own. Passing the garden of an old Dutch farmer this 

 spring, before the last March wind had scarcely finished blowing I much enjoyed the sight of 

 a splendid specimen thirty or forty feet high, its flowers forming a complete " shower of 

 snow." I saw the same bush again in the end of June. Then it was as thickly studded with 

 brilliant red berries, as it had been with flowers before, and the myriads of those happy ad- 

 juncts to a "garden life" — the birds — showed that they at least knew how to appreciate the 

 tree by the merry twitter they kept up in and around it. P. 



