STBAWEEEBIES. 201 



fellows, but a distinguished foreigner, born of an aristo- 

 cratic race, and arriving in Prance in 1712 in full-blown 

 honours, and with the additional eclat of having survived 

 a long and perilous voyage. The introducer was a most 

 appropriately-named M. Erezier, an engineer who had 

 been sent to America by the King of France, and who had 

 been particularly struck, when in Chili, with the beauty of 

 the strawberries cultivated at the foot of the Cordilleras, 

 which, he said, usually equalled a walnut, and often even a 

 hen's egg, in size. He determined to make an attempt 

 at least to take some of these plants with him when he 

 returned to Europe, and five roots were accordingly se- 

 lected ; but, alas ! there were at that time no ingenious 

 Wardian cases in which such delicate passengers could 

 fi^td a safe and easy berth when on a voyage, and during 

 six weary months, and a passage through the torrid zone, 

 fresh water was a limited treasure not to be lightly spent 

 in quenching any less than human thirst, so that the poor 

 parched Fragarias would soon have perished had not the 

 kind supercargo taken pity on them, and allowed M. 

 Erezier a few precious drops daily as an extra allowance 

 to bestow upon his plants. On their arrival, two of the 

 rescued five were presented to their preserver, as a meed 

 of gratitude from the owner : of these the fate remained 

 unknown ; but of the three which were landed with M. 

 Erezier at Marseilles, one was sent to the Minister, 

 Souzy, of which also no record remains, and another 

 given to Jussieu, and planted by him ; but bearing only 

 female, or enclusively pistilliferous blossoms, and this 

 peculiarity not being then fully understood, its flowers 

 were left "withering on the virgin stem," and the 

 unappreciated plant soon died. But the fifth of this 

 little family of pilgrims still remained in M. Erezier's 

 own hands, and destiny, stern sometimes to strawberries 

 as to men, sated perhaps with its four victims, spared 

 the last of the race, the Ulysses of a fragarian Odyssey, 

 and when planted by its owner at Brest, where he resided, 

 it blossomed and bore and multiplied prodigiously, and 

 was introduced thence to other parts of Europe, besides 

 establishing itself throughout the west coast of Erance, 



