Nov. 1902. Flora of the Island of St. Croix — Millspaugh. 447 



this same title, but in much shorter form, and so far as natural 

 history is concerned, only in the nature of a sketch. However, in 

 1656 he visited the still unknown islands and wrote the present exten- 

 sive work. Volumes I, III and IV contain a history, from authentic 

 sources, of the islands St. Christopher, where the governor of the 

 French Antilles resided, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Croix, Marie 

 Galante, which is accompanied by a map, and also of La Tortue, St. 

 Martin, St. Bartholemy, Saintes, S. Lucia and Grenada. 



Volume II contains the natural history of the islands. A concise 

 description of the same follows a section with numerous extracts 

 from the travels of the author, ebb and flow, meteorological observa- 

 tions, and remarks on the minerals. The greater part of the volume 

 is given over to the plants, animals, and the inhabitants. Concern- 

 ing the botanical part, he assures us that he has written nothing 

 except that which was vouched for b}^ his own hands, eyes, and taste, 

 and, in fact, his unusually good description and passable illustrations 

 have received proper recognition from his successors. The plants 

 are presented with only the French vernacular names. For the most 

 part it is the fruit trees and useful woods of the Lesser Antilles that 

 are here for the first time described. The plates give reduced 

 pictures of some of their habitats. The work has been much used 

 and pirated from by later authors. 



1694-1705. Lab. Vov. — Jean-Baptiste Laijat: Nouveau voyage 

 aux isles de I'Amerique contenant I'histoire naturelle de ces pays, 

 I'originem les moeurs, la religion et le gouvernement des habitans 

 anciens et modernes, les guerres et les evenemens singuliers qui 

 y sont arrivez pendant le long sejour que I'auteur y a fait, le com- 

 merce et le manufactures qui y sont etablies, et les moyens de les 

 augmenter. Avec une description exacte et curieuse de toutes 

 ces isles. Ouvrage entichi de plus de cent cartes, plans et figures 

 en tailles-douces. Paris, 1722, 6 vol. 12° (Bibl. reg. Monac). — 

 Editio: La Haye, 1724, 6 vol. 12° (Bibl. reg. Berol. ). — Editio in 

 quarto: La Haye, 1724, 2 vol. 4'^ (Bibl. reg. Berol.). — Nouvelle 

 edition augmentee considerablement et enrichie de figures en 

 tailles-douces. Paris, 1742, 8 vols. 12° (Bibl. reg. Monac). — 

 Translated into the German from the latest Paris edition by 

 Georg. Frederich Casimir Schad; with necessary notes, complete 

 index, many maps, plans and other engravings. Nurnberg, 1782- 

 88, 7 vols. 8vo (Bibl. reg. Monac). — Extat praeterea (ex Schad 

 in praefatio) editio. Paris, 1738, 6 vol. i2mo. 

 Father Labat of the Dominicans was active on the islands of 

 Martinique and Guadeloupe, first as a priest and later as Superior and 

 Vice-Prefect, and in his travels also became more or less intimately 

 acquainted with Grenada, Becquia, Barbados, St. Vincent, S. Lucia, 

 Dominica, Saintes, St. Christopher, St. Eustach, St. Bartholemy, 

 Saba, St. Martin, St. Thomas, St. Croix, Crab Island and San Dom- 

 ingo. His experiences and keen observations of the land, people, ani- 

 mals, plants, culture, industry, etc. , are arranged chronologically in the 

 form of a journal of travel. They materially increased the knowledge of 



