— 115 — 



This mistake did not escape Mr. Bouton, for I find tlie 

 following note in the margin of liis copy of the Hortus Mauri- 

 tianus : — 



" Ce ne pent etre I'individu cultive en ville cliez Mr. 

 Hardy, puisque les feuilles sent pinnees." 



Nevertheless the Palm was destined to fall from one mis- 

 nomer into another, for it next appeared as the Juhaea s]?ec-> 

 tabilis " of Mr. Duncan's Catalogue of Plants in the Botanic 

 Garden of Mauritius, that being the name of a South Ameri- 

 can Palm the *' Coquito " or '' little cocoa-nut " of Chili, 

 brought to notice by Humboldt and Bonpland, with which it 

 really has no analogy whatever except in the fact of its 

 swollen stem. 



I have been at some pains to ascertain how this second 

 error arose, and was at first led to believe that the late Sir 

 "William Hooker was amenable for it, a letter of his to our 

 Secretary dated about se\en years ago existing, in which he 

 thanks him for sending specimens of the '* Juhaea spectahilis." 

 I do not think however that this implies more than a mere ac- 

 knowledgement of named specimens just ^received, and proba- 

 ly still unexamined and it is to be observed that Mr. Duncan's 

 catalogue, which was published in 1863, must have been at that 

 time drawn up, and consequently uninfluenced by this letter. 



Indeed, I learn from Mr. Bouton that the name had been 

 furnished by Mr. Herbst, a German Botanist who came hither 

 on a mission from the Brazilian Government 15 years ago, 

 and who imagined the tree alluded to as growing in Mr. 

 Hardy's garden in town, to be identical with the Chilian 

 Palm with which ho professed to be well acquainted. It was 

 on receiving a letter from Dr. Hooker in April last in which 

 he says the " Jubaea spectabilis must be a false name, however 

 " obtained, that Palm, which I have growing in the open air 

 *' and unprotected at Kew, being a native of Chili." " But 

 " we do want good drawings, descriptions and specimens of 

 " all your Palms, and Pandani," that I determined on visiting 

 Round Island at the next fl.owering season. 



I cannot flatter myself that the drawing I now produce 

 made from a sketch which I took on the spot, is a very faith- 



