THE FIRST RUSSIAN BOTANIST. 37 



Island ; but I was much struck with the uniformity of the briars of 

 the neighbourhood of Archangel and other parts of Northern Russia ; 

 and the specimens of these which I brought home are typical liosa 

 acicularis of Lindley, which is of course quite unlike Salmon's 

 description, but, though belonging to the li. alpina section, is not 

 unlike R. cinnamoinea in several particulars. 



After the first mention of this rose follows the account of the 

 still abundant Veratncm album, which furnished the clue to the 

 authorship; and then this mention of Prunus Padus, the "tschere- 

 mucha" of Russia: — 



"They have littill trees that they make hoops of, which the 

 luglishe say they be wilde cheryes, but I cannot believe it. It is 

 of that kind, but is like a chery in leafe, and beareth a bery less 

 than our scarbis, bery somewhat blackishe, but was not ripe 

 at my being theare ; the wood is wondrous pliant, and if a twig 

 chance to tuche the ground it will take roote, as I have seen in 

 many places. I took up of them in July, an brought them over 

 a plant or two, which I hope will growe ; for all the unfit season of 

 the yeare they be very willing to grow. Now for the abundance of 

 hoopes that there is mad, I may imagine, for our coopers, for the 

 great caske of caveare, and the Fleming, Hollanders, and Ham- 

 burgers, and Russes, spend such abundance, yet our people bring 

 them away for the hooping of the cask in Greenland ; and by the 

 report of the coopers, they be the best hoops in the world, for they 

 say, in a whole day they break not on." 



Then follows one of the chief signs of careful observation in the 

 record : — 



"In the contrie, as 5 parts is woods and unprofitable grounds, 

 I have seen 4 sorts of fir trees an birch trees of great bignes, whiche 

 in the spring tyme they make incistion for the juice to driuke, 

 which they saye is a fine coole kind of drink, which lasteth the most 

 part of May and the beginning of June." 



Hamel suggests the four conifers to have been Pinus sijlvestris, 

 Picea obovata Ledeb. (= Abies obovata Ruprecht), Larix sibirica 

 Ledeb. [= Abies Ledebourii Ruprecht = Lrtn'a; Archangelica Laws, 

 ex Steud.), and Abies sibirica. 



Tradescant records but few things from hearsay ; but he does 

 add: — 



" By report they have most sorts of trees that we have in 

 Ingland, up in the contrie, both oake, elm and ashe, aple, peare 

 and cheryes ; but the fruit les, and not so pleasant. This have bin 

 tould me, and amongst the rest of a plant that growethe upon the 

 Volga, whiche they call God's tree, whose leaves be much lik to 

 fennell; but the report is, is pasing sweet and of great vertue." 



This last-named plant Hamel explains to bo Artemisia Abro- 

 tamwi, which is known in Russian as "Boshige derewe," i. e., 

 God's tree. 



Returning to matters within his personal knowledge, the 

 narrator continues : — 



" I have seene shrubs of divers kinds, as Ribes, or as we call 

 them currants, white, red, and black, far greatter than ever I have 



