941 



Ditto, No. 18, Jane, 1850. 



Extracts from Dr. J. D. Hooker's letters. Continued. 



Mr. Spruce's Voyage up the Amazon River. Extract from a letter. 



Botanical Information : Letter from Berthold Seemann. African 

 Oak or Teak (Oldfieldia Africana). 



Notices of Books : Thurmann's ' Essai Phytostatique du Jura.' 

 Cactese in Horto Dyckensi. 



Inquiry for the Celtic or other ancient names of the doubtfully na- 

 tive Trees and Shrubs. By Hewett C. Watson, Esq. 



Not previously aware of his arrival in England, for only a few 

 days' sojourn, I was agreeably surprized by a call here from Moos. 

 Alphonse De Candolle last week. In course of conversation relative 

 to some questions in geographical botany, he spoke of the desirability 

 of seeking out any evidence to be afforded by old Celtic names, in 

 support of the genuine British nativity of those plants, particularly 

 trees and conspicuous shrubs, which are now regarded with distrust. 

 The inquiry would be one of considerable interest, but attended with 

 difficulties. Sufficient acquaintance with Botany to prevent any con- 

 fusion between different species would be requisite, together with a 

 very ample knowledge of the old language or languages of our 

 islands. 



Hugh Davies's ' Welsh Botanology ' professes to give the old Bri- 

 tish or Welsh names of several hundred species occurring in Angle- 

 sea ; and the author adds also an Appendix to show " the British 

 generic names of those phaenogamous plants in ' Flora Britannica,' 

 which are not of spontaneous growth in Anglesey." But among the 

 plants of Anglesea, he includes the Beech and Chestnut; giving to 

 them the " British " names of Castanwydden and Ffawydden, pro- 

 bably both derived from the Latin, or Castanea and Fagus. In the 

 Appendix, too, the author has appropriated Welsh names to the 

 Stipa and Vella, the Eriocaulon and Holosteum, — plants very little 

 likely to have had any genuine Welsh names at all. Moreover, he 

 states expressly that he admitted British names such as evidently 

 were corruptions of the classic names, or taken from other languages. 

 And when we find the " British " name of Tiwlip entered for the tu- 

 lip, that of Pysen for the pea, that of Linnea for the Linna?a, there 



