Miscellan ies* 1 6 3 



have looked, for the derivation, no further than the Dictionnaire 

 Etymologique of De Theis, who says, "Cette plante croit en Mary- 

 Land, dans le voisinage de la ville de Baltimore," De Theis prob- 

 ably derived his curious exposition etymologique from the remark of 

 Willdenow; "Habitat in Marilandia, ad urbem Baltimore." If the 

 Professor had consulted Rees' Cyclopoedia, he might have seen that 

 the plant was "so named by Linnaeus, in honor of F. C. lord Balti- 

 more, proprietor of Maryland, in North America." As to its grow- 

 ing "in the neighborhood" of Baltimore, Pursh says, "I have never 

 seen this plant in any part of the United States, and suppose it to be 

 only an inhabitant of Vera Cruz ;" and Mr. Nut tall adds, " Proba- 

 bly, as Mr. Pursh remarks, not indigenous to the United States." 

 Dr. Torrey, in his Compendium of the Plants "hitherto found in 

 the United States, north of the Potomac," does not mention the 

 Baltimora. Mr. Elliott does not notice it among the plants of the 

 Southern States ; and Eaton's Manual says, " it is doubtful whether 

 this grows north of the West India islands." So that the Professor's 

 elucidation of the Baltimora, has not added much to our former 

 stock of light on that subject. 



4. Chart of Long Island Sound, surveyed in the years 1828, 29 

 and 30, by Edmund Blunt, published and sold by E. &, G. W. Blum 

 154 Water street, New York. 



The Messrs. Blunt, father and sons may be considered as bene- 

 factors to their country. While our government, though drawing 

 the main portion of its revenues from commerce, has done, compara- 

 tively, little towards determining the character of our coast, these 

 gentlemen have come forward, and at great expense as well as labor, 

 have endeavored to supply the desideratum. The harbors of Port- 

 land, Portsmouth, Newburyport, Squam, Newport, New York, 

 Georgetown, Charleston and Savannah, the Bahama bank and ad- 



joining keys, the Nantucket shoal, &c. have been surveyed either 

 wholly or in part at their expense. Information of other places has 

 been industriously sought, from the manuscripts of the Navy Depart- 

 ment, or wherever else it was to be found, and the result has been 

 books and charts which are of invaluable service on our stormy and 

 dangerous coast. We notice these labors with the more earnestness, 

 as they seem not to have been sufficiently appreciated by the public : 

 their worth is felt among scenes of appalling interest, but these 

 scenes are far removed from our eye ; the persons also who feel it. 



