22G Dr. Scouleu on the Introduction of the Potato into Scotland. 



office of Vice-President. Mr. Kamsay and Mr. King were requested to 

 scrutinize the votes; which having been done, it was found that the elec- 

 tion was in favour of Mr. William Cockey. 



Mr. James Bryce stated his views respecting " The Dispersion of 

 Granite Boulders in the South Highlands, iu reply to a late paper by the 

 President of the Geological Society." 



The following paper was read : — 



XXVII. — Notes on the fntroduction of the Potato into Scotland. By 

 John Scoulek, M.D., LL.D., F.L.S. 



[Communicated by William Gourlie, Esq.] 



The following notes respecting the progress of the culture of the 

 Potato, although very incomplete, will, I trust, be of some interest to 

 the Society. It is a common but certainly a most erroneous opinion, that 

 the potato was first introduced into Ireland by Sir W. Raleigh, and that 

 from thence it was disseminated over the rest of Europe, under the name 

 of the Virginian potato. The following remarks will, however, exhibit 

 the fallacy of this opinion. The different esculent roots, the produce of 

 America, were confounded by the older writers, and thus it is often 

 difficult to ascertain the particular species they intended to describe ; in 

 consulting their works we must distinguish between the [Helianthus 

 ttiberosus), Canada potato or Artichoke, the Batata or sweet potato, and 

 the papa or true potato. Bearing this distinction in mind, we may state 

 that there is no evidence of a satisfactory kind that the true potato was 

 a native of North America; we find no notice of it in the early history of 

 Virginia, although the first colonists often sufiered from famine, and con- 

 sequently had a deep interest in ascertaining what were the resources of 

 the country. In like manner, although we have copious information of 

 every thing relating to Mexico, in the narratives of the conquerors, we 

 never find the potato mentioned. As respects Peru and Quito the case 

 is very dififerent, and we have early and authentic information respecting 

 the potato. In the work of Cieca de Leon, published in 1554, the culture 

 of the potato is described, be expressly distinguishes the "batatas dulces'' 

 or sweet potatoes from the true potato, called by the Peruvians papa, 

 and he informs us that in the more elevated regions of the Andes, 

 where the maize did not ripen, the papa or potato was an important 

 article of food. Whatever opinion we may form respecting the native 

 country of the potato, it is certain that the merit of importing it into 

 Europe does not belong to Raleigh. As a convincing proof that the 

 potato was cultivated in Europe previous to the voyage of Raleigh we 

 may, with Parmentier, quote the evidence of Clusius, in his work entitled 

 Ranorum Plantarum Historia, and printed in the year IGOl. Clusius 

 informs us that in the year 1586, the potato was iu common use in Italy, 

 not only as food for men but also for cattle. Raleigh returned from his 

 voyage in the year 1585. In addition to this evidence we may cite that 

 of Matthiolus, which is equally explicit. In his edition of Dioscorides, 



