OCTOBER. 477 



the sea, occupying a mountain spur overhanging the steep 

 forest-clad gorge of the great Runjeet river, 5000 feet below, 

 and descending in steep jungly slopes on either hand. 

 " Through these forests he had caused the natives to cut 

 paths, directing all their operations with all the taste and 

 judgment of an experienced and skilful landscape gardener. 

 These openings led through the tangled jungle and wound 

 amongst tall trunks of giant timber trees, which were clothed 

 with climbing palms, wild vines, Poihos, Hodgsonia, and 

 Ipomcca, and laden with masses of orchids and ferns, sud- 

 denly emerging on eminences commanding views of 200 

 miles of snowy mountains, rising range behind range in daz- 

 zling beauty, and again descending by zigzags to cascades 

 fringed with ferns and mosses, and leading thence along the 

 margins of rippling streams, overshadowed by tree ferns, bam- 

 boos, and wild plantains." Surely this must be a scene in 

 fairy land ! In such retreats were collected the materials out 

 of which has been made the selection of drawings now laid 

 before the public ; aided, however, by Dr. Hooker's own 

 sketches, and reduced to an artistic form by the inimitable 

 pencil of Mr. Fitch. Of the merit of the plates it is difficult 

 indeed to speak too highly. Undoubtedly they are the finest 

 that have ever yet been prepared by any English artist ; nor 

 are they in any degree inferior to the drawings of the cele- 

 brated Austrian, Bauers. For this reason we observe with 

 much satisfaction in the subscription list the •' Library, Marl- 

 borough House." 



The high price of the work unfortunately places it far 

 beyond the reach of many purchasers. We shall therefore 

 be doing our readers a real service by bringing before them a 

 short account of such of the plants as appear to possess the 

 greatest horticultural interest. Passing by the tropical Hodg- 

 sonia hcteroclita, a prodigious cucurbit, with slender climbing 

 stems 100 feet long, and gigantic flowers, every petal of 

 which terminates in half a dozen corkscrews exceeding the 

 span of any man's fingers, we arrive at the following account 

 of a hardy tree of such magnificent beauty that even the 

 Victoria lily is eclipsed in its presence. 



