180 



Monday, December 2, 1878. 



Meeting this evening at 7.30 p. m. The President 

 in the chair. Records of preceding meeting read. Do- 

 nations and correspondence announced. 



Mr. Charles Derby gave an account of the flora of 

 the Sandwich Islands, alluding more especially to the 

 palms. Of these he specified the Cocos nucifera, Areca 

 catechu, Caryota nrens, Caryota sobolifera, Arenga sac- 

 charifera, Arenga obtnsifolia, Pritchardii martii, Pritchar- 

 dii gandichandii, Livistonia anstralis, Livistonia subglo- 

 bosa, Sago vitiensis, etc., mentioning some of the uses in 

 the economy of life that the inhabitants of these islands 

 derive from this source. 



Mr. Derby said that the royal palm was introduced 

 some forty years since into the Islands by Rev. D. Judd, 

 the missionary. He brought the seed from Havana. 

 This palm grows to the height of some one hundred and 

 seventy-five feet and is a strikingly beautiful tree. 



There are many fine specimens on the Island of the 

 rattan {Calamus rotang) that grows rapidly, a single 

 plant often running some seven hundred feet in length. 



This subject was discussed by Dr. George A. Per- 

 kins, who spoke of the palms growing at Cape Palmas 

 on the western coast of Africa, and by Mr. C. Cooke of 

 those on the eastern coast of Africa, Zanzibar, both of 

 these gentlemen having resided several years in these 

 respective localities, and having devoted much attention 

 to the study of natural history. 



