UNCLE IN ENGLAND. 187 



uncle, Mr. Lumley, and my cousins, rode, ex- 

 cept Frederick, who came in the carriage with 

 the ladies. The grounds and woods are exten- 

 sive ; but the gardens, stove, and conservatory, 

 are remarkably fine, and were our chief object. 

 Few private gardens have such a collection of the 

 palm tribe, and of South American plants. I saw 

 many of my old Brazilian friends ; and moreover 

 many plants and trees from Brazil, and the neigh- 

 bouring countries, of which I was quite ignorant. 

 The house where the palms are kept was built 

 on purpose for them, of an uncommon height ; 



and Lord S has endeavoured to arrange the 



numerous specimens, as well as he could, ac- 

 cording to Humboldt's division of the tribe : 

 the first, those which grow in dry places or 

 inland plains, such as the fan- palm ; secondly, 

 those on the sea coast, as the cocoa-nut, &c. ; 

 next, the palms which flourish at the elevation 

 of 1400 to 3000 yards above the sea, and which 

 were unknown till Humboldt's visit to the Andes; 

 and, fourthly, those of fresh-water marshes, as 

 the Mauritia palm. This is the sago-tree of South 

 America ; it extends along the swamps as far in- 

 land as the sources of the Oroonoko, and supplies 

 the inhabitants with flour. In the season of the 

 inundations, these clumps of mauritia appear as 

 if rising from the bosom of the waters. They 

 serve as habitations for a tribe of wretched 

 Indians ; and as they grow in great abundance 



