90 



there is a very considerable number of which the geographical limits are 

 clearly defined. Thus the genera of New Holland are in most cases un- 

 known beyond that vast island ; the same may be said of North and South 

 America, and the Cape of Good Hope ; and there are between 14 

 and 15 genera unknown beyond the limits of Europe and the neighbour- 

 ing borders of Asia and Africa. About 92 genera out of 280 are what are 

 called sporadic, or dispersed over different and widely separated regions, 

 such as Tephrosia, Acacia, Glycine, and Sophora. The species are found 

 more or less in every part of the known world, with the exception, perhaps, 

 of the island of Tristan d'Acugna and St. Helena, neither of which do 

 they inhabit ; but they are distributed in extremely unequal proportions ; 

 in general they diminish sensibly in approaching the pole, especially the 

 Rectembrise, which are unknown in northern regions. This will be apparent 

 from the following table : — 



Curvembr. Rectembr. 



Europe, with the exception of the Mediterranean 184 . 



Siberia •• 128 1 



United States 167 1« 



China, Japan, and Cochinchina C4 IS 



Levant 247 3 



Basin of the Mediterranean 4C6 2 



Canaries 21 



Arabia and Egypt 78 9 



Mexico 90 (52 



West Indies 134 87 



East Indies 330 122 



Equinoctial America 246 359 



Equinoctial Africa 81 49 



New Holland 154 ^b 



Isles of Southern Africa 29 13 



South America beyond the tropics 18 11 



Cape of Good Hope 334 19 



South Sea Islands 11 2 



This distribution, if condensed, will give the following results: — 



Equinoctial zone 910 C92 



Beyond the tropics to the north 1277 •■ 35 



south 417 107 



Properties. This order is not only among the most extensive that 

 are known, but also one of the most important to man, with reference to 

 the objects either of ornament, of utility, or of nutriment, which it com- 

 prehends. When we reflect that the Cercis, which renders the gardens of 

 Turkey resplendent with its myriads of purple flowers ; the Acacia, not less 

 valued for its airy foliage and elegant blossoms than for its hard and durable 

 wood ; the Braziletto, Logwood, and Rosewoods of commerce ; the Laburnum ; 

 the classical Cytisus ; the F'urze and the Broom, both the pride of the 

 otherwise dreary hpaths of Europe; the Bean, the Pea, the Vetch, the 

 Clove, the Trefoil, the Lucerne, all staple articles of culture by the farmer, 

 are all species of Leguminosa? ; and that the Gums Arabic and Kino, and 

 various precious medicinal drugs, not to mention Indigo, the most useful 

 of all dyes, are products of other species, — it will be perceived that it would 

 be difficult to point out an order with greater claims upon the attention. 

 It would be in vain to attempt to enumerate all its useful plants or products, 

 in lieu of which I shall speak of the most remarkable, and of those which 

 are least known. 



The beauty of Dr. VVallich's Amherstia nobilis, a large tree bearing 

 pendulous racemes of deep scarlet flowers, is uneqflalled in the vegetable 

 kingdom. The general character of the order is to be eminently wholc- 

 soniie; but there are some singular exceptions to this. The seeds of Lathyrus 



