114 



NA TURE 



Yj une I J 



1876 



form an important item in the exports from the country. 

 The cocoa-nut thrives very well in the Seychelles, and 

 plantations exist from the sandy beaches up the slopes of 

 the mountains to elevations of from 1,000 to 1,500 feet. 

 Tobacco was formerly much cultivated, and was of very 

 fine quality, but the imposition of a tax on tobacco seems 

 to have stopped the cultivation, and Mr. Home says 

 " the value of the tobacco grown would scarcely suffice to 

 pay the tax, independently of the return which might be 

 expected for their labour." Sugar-cane is cultivated to a 

 small extent to make rum, but although the canes are 

 magnificent, the yield of sugar is small and unremunera- 

 tive. Cotton also grows remarkably well, but the cultiva- 

 tion has died out since the abolition of slavery, owing to 

 the want of labour during the picking season. The 

 chocolate plant grows freely on waste lands, and its 

 culture is progressing. Vanilla has been planted in 

 several places, and these plantations will shortly be 

 bearing. 



Maize and rice are but little cultivated, although in 

 some places two crops of the latter might be obtained each 

 year. 



Spices, as cloves, cinnamon, nutmegs, allspice, and 

 pepper thrive well. Clove trees are abundant and attain 

 a height of 40 to 50 feet. The islanders gather the cloves 

 in a reckless and extravagant manner, often felling the 

 trees when the cloves might be reached by a bamboo ladder. 

 The cinnamon is the bitter cinnamon, and is comparatively 

 worthless. The nutmeg and allspice trees were introduced 

 in 1 87 1, and here thrive well. Pepper {Piper nigrum) 

 is abundant, climbing over the granite boulders like ivy, 

 and much might be made of it if a few Chinamen or Malays 

 were introduced. Vegetables are very scarce, chiefly from 

 the indolence or indifference of the inhabitants. Manioc 

 and sweet potato are abundant, but yams are very little 

 cultivated. The inhabitants obtain most of their food 

 from the Colocasia esculenta. Arrowroot has been planted, 

 and ginger, turmeric, and cardamoms might be easily cul- 

 tivated. Mr. Home recommends the rearing of silk- 

 worms and the cultivation of coffee. Mulberry-trees 

 grow very readily, and coffee seems formerly to have been 

 cultivated. The only drawback seems to be the want of 

 labour. Pine-apples are abundant but of inferior quality, 

 while oranges are common and excellent. Limes and 

 bigarades are not uncommon, and lime-juice was formerly 

 manufactured to some extent. Other tropical fruits, as 

 anonas, bread-fruit, &c., are common. 



During Mr. Home's two visits he collected about 400 

 species of plants. About half that number are plants 

 inhabiting all tropical countries, the greater portion of 

 the other half will tind congeners in Madagascar, Eastern 

 Tropical Africa, Southern India, the Malay, Polynesian, 

 or Oceanic Islands. The Flora of the Seychelles has no 

 affinity to that of the Mauritius, and Mr. Home con- 

 siders that the relations to the Flora of Madagascar 

 will be important from the similarity of geological 

 formation and climate. He also thinks that the Sey- 

 chelles Flora will have much in common with that 

 of Eastern Tropical Africa. Mr. Home's specimens 

 have been sent to Kew, and will doubtless be de- 

 scribed in the forthcoming Flora of Mauritius and the 

 Seychelles. The Flora seems small, but vegetation is in 

 many places scarce, owing to the occurrence of fires and 

 from the ravages caused by the reckless felling of trees. 

 Much of the ground is covered with dry Palm and Pan- 

 danus leaves, which easily take fire. The fire-tracks are 

 readily distinguished by the age of the trees and shrubs 

 now found growing on them. 



The palms of the Seychelles are very interesting. The 

 first is the Coco-de-Mer or Double Cocoa-nut. It abounds 

 at Praslin, in a ravine, the highest trees measuring from 

 80 to 90 feet. The tree growing near the Government 

 House at Port Victoria has flowered for the first time at 

 about its thirty-fourth year. The other native palms of 



the Seychelles are all spiny, viz., a species of Areca, 

 Stevensonia gramiifolia, Verschaffeltia splendida, the 

 " Latanier Haubaum" and another undescribed species. 

 Areca rubra (?), Hyphcune sp., and Latania rubra or 

 Borbonica, have probably been introduced. 



Articles, as hats, &c., of almost infinite variety are 

 made from the young leaves of the Coco-de-Mer. The 

 leaves of Stevensonia are used for thatch, and the split 

 stems of Verschaffeltia splendida make excellent pali- 

 sades. Ropes are made from the leaves of Curctcligo 

 Sec/ieltarum, and fibre for cordage is got from Paritium 

 tiliaceum. The fibre of Fourcroya gigantea (recently in- 

 troduced) is made into fishing lines. The gum copal of 

 Madagascar is got from Hymencea verrucosa, a rare tree 

 in the Seychelles. 



Many useful timber trees are met with. The chief are 

 the following : — 



" Capucin," a species 01 Sideroxylon. 

 "Takamaka" {C alophyllum inophyllum). 

 " Bois de Fer," a species of Dipterocarpecc. 

 " Gayac " {A/selia bijuga). 

 " Badamier" {Terminalia baaaniia). 

 " Bois de Natte " {Imbricaria petiolaris). 

 " Bois Marde," a species of Goviphandra. 

 " Bois Rouge " ( Wormia fetrugined). 

 " Bois de Table " {//criteria littoralis). 

 " Sandal," a species of RubiacccE. 

 " Bois Montagne" {Campatwspermum Zeylamcum). 

 " C^dre " {Casuarina equisetifolia). 

 Mr. Home carefully describes the uses of these timber 

 trees. 



The ordeal nut of Madagascar ( Tanghinia veneni/era) 

 is met with in the Seychelles. It is a small tree about 

 twenty feet in height, with large clusters of pretty white 

 flowers having a pink centre. 



Pigs are fed on the boiled roots of the Colocasia 

 macrorhiza ; all parts of the plant are poisonous if un- 

 boiled. 



Pitcher plants, Pandani, and species of Loranthus are 

 common ; Ferns are tolerably numerous, and include the 

 Cyathea Sechellarum, Angiopteris evecta, &c. 



Mr. Home recommends the Government to purchase 

 the Coco-de-Mer ravine, to prevent the destruction of the 

 trees, and he very properly adds, that " the destruction of 

 the trees would be an outrage on science and a disgrace 

 to civilisation." 



Trees seem to be felled quite indiscriminately — a por- 

 tion of the tree selected, the rest left to rot — so that now 

 good trees are only to be found in the most inaccessible 

 parts of the mountains. We trust that Mr. Home's report 

 will not be overlooked by the authorities ; otherwise we 

 may soon expect to hear that the Seychelles are merely 

 barren rocks and every trace of vegetation gone. 



W. R. M'Nab 



THE LOAN COLLECTION CONFERENCES 

 SECTION— PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, &c. 

 Opening Address by the President, John Evans, F.R.S. 

 In opening the Conferences in connection with this 

 Section of the Loan Exhibition of Scientific Apparatus, 

 it will probably be expected that I should say a i&'ff words, 

 if only by way of explanation, of the class of subjects that 

 come within our range, which indeed are neither few nor 

 unimportant. Let me first take the general list of subjects 

 which have on the present occasion been grouped to- 

 gether, and which may be said to constitute our domain. 

 These are Meteorology, Geography, Geology and Mining, 

 Mmeralogy, Crystallography, &c. Some of these subjects 

 might no doubt with almost equal propriety have been 

 assigned to other sections. Meteorology might for 

 instance have been classed under the head of Physics 

 and Mineralogy would not have been altogether alien to 



