THE GREAT OCEAN. SG/j 



the species Eucalyptus seems to be confined to 

 New Holland. Of the New Holland ibim of" 

 leafless acacias, one kind is found in the Mauritius, 

 and one in Cochin-China. In the Sandwich islands 

 such a one is the pride of the forests, and the prin- 

 cipal tree. The Santalum (Sanders-tree) an In- 

 dian genus, to which Brown has discovered five 

 new species in New Holland, is found in the Fidje 

 and Sandwich islands. 



We confine ourselves here to these few features. 

 The predominant families of plants in Lu9on are 

 the Urticea'^ the Legum'mosco of various forms, 

 the Contortce and Rubiacecc. We counted twelve 

 species of palms, and there may be some others, 

 but they are only subordinate. Nipa remains hid 

 in the morasses ; other dwarf species in the obscurity 

 of the woods of fig-trees ; and only the cocoa-tree, 

 which, where it is planted, forms fine woods, answers 

 the expectation which this kind of plant excites.* 

 The most beautiful of grasses, the bamboo-cane, of 

 w^hich there are several species already character- 

 ized by Loureiro (Flora Cochiii-Chinensis)^ gives 

 the landscape a peculiar and pleasing character. 



This rich Flora seems to become more scanty in 

 the islands of the Great Ocean, from the west to- 

 wards the east. The palms vanish first, except 

 the cocoa, which seems to belong to the lower 

 islands, and overshades the Penrhyns, for instance, 



* On the beautifully verdant shores of Gaspar and Sunda 

 Straits, also, we no where found the palm species predominant. 



