OSH IN MEMORY OF MARIANNE NORTH. 



ferns, and other lovely things. We returned over the downs on 

 the other side of the mountains, and found all the finest Proteas, 

 most gorgeous, though nearly out of bloom ; also Sparaxia pulcher- 

 rima, pink bells waving in the wind on nearly invisible stalks. 

 This house is quite perfect quarters— farm-house and hotel com- 

 bined — with the kindest people, who treat one like an old friend. 

 It is quite solitary, with open flowery country all round, and deep 

 cracks in the table-land filled with the richest tangled forest. The 

 sides of these ' kloofs ' are so steep that one hardly sees them till 

 one reaches the very edge, and they are haunted by huge baboons ; 

 and a leopard was caught lately a few miles off. I am warned to 

 be careful ; what that means exactly I do not know ! so I only go 

 as far as my strength allows me. One can but die once ; anyhow, 

 it does not much matter to me. I leave this on Monday for a few 

 days amongst the spekbooms (Portulacaria afra) and possible 

 elephants. I then go up the Zunrberg, and on to Grahainstown, 

 the Catberg, King, Queen, and East Loudon, and again back and 

 to Knyssa Forest, and hope to get back to the Cape in February to 

 see the great Disa and summer flowers on the mountain and paint 

 some landscapes, with the silver forests. It was too cold when I 

 was there before. After that I shall go straight to Natal. I shall 

 not be home as soon as I thought, unless I get ill, but shall want 

 a new room at least to put all the work in." 



Miss North succeeded in accomplishing the journeys and the 

 paintings she alludes to in the foregoing letter, and returned to 

 England in the spring of 1883, though further enfeebled by an 

 attack of fever. However, after a few months' comparative repose, 

 this courageous lady proceeded to the Seychelles, where she painted 

 the peculiar palms, screw-pines, and other characteristic plants. 

 In the meantime she had set the builders to work on a new wing to 

 the gallery at Kew, to receive the new paintings. 



I will now pass on to Miss North's last travels, — her journey to 

 Chili in the autumn of 1884. She had painted the Brazilian 

 Araucaria in its home, and the Australian Bunya bnnya, and she 

 wished to paint the Chilian Araucaria. In a characteristic letter, 

 which appeared in the 'Pall Mall Gazette' in March, 1885, she 

 thus describes her visit : — 



" Soon after reaching the first Araucarias we found ourselves 

 surrounded by them, and all other trees gave way to them, though 

 the ground was still gay with purple peas and orange orchids, and 

 many tiny flowers, whose names I did not know, and which I had 

 not time to paint. Such flowers, when picked, die almost directly. 

 Many hills and the valleys between were covered with old trees, 

 over some miles of space, and there are few specimens to be found 

 outside their forest. I saw none over 100 feet high or 20 feet in 

 circumference, and, strange to say, they seemed all very old or very 

 young. I saw none of those noble specimens of middle age we have 

 in some English parks, with their lower branches resting on the 

 ground. They had not become flat-topped, like those in Brazil, 

 but were slightly domed, like those of Queensland, and their shiny 

 leaves glittered in the sunshine, while their trunks and branches 



