154 Retrospective Criticism. 



Art. IV. Retrospective Criticism, 



Errata. — In the February number, p. 64, eleven lines from the 

 bottom, for "J. D. Williams," read J. D. VV. Williams." In our last 

 number, p. 97, thirteen lines from the top, for "Auguste St. Hilloise," 

 read "Auj^uste St. Hilliare." 



Victoria regulis Schomburgh. — We have observed that this splendid 

 neio plant is identical with the Eurvale amazonica of Popppiir, whi<'h 

 this botanist discovered in the river Maranon, and described in a letter 

 dated from that stream, March, 1832. A fuller drscri[)tion is civen 'by 

 him in No. 757 of V. Froriep's Notizen aus dem Geb: d. Nat. v. Heil- 

 kunde, 1832. " Leaves orbiculate, peltate, dichotomously nerved, 

 warty above and cellular underneath. Stem none. Entire plant, ex- 

 cept petals, thickly clothed with sharp spines," &,c. &c. — Mag. Nat. 

 Hist., 1837, p. 606. 



One sj)ecies of Euryale is described by Loudon as indigenous to In- 

 dia, viz. E. ferox, which, he tells us, is easily cultivated in the stoves. 

 It may be confidently hoped that our American species can be natural- 

 ized, by introduction into the lagunes and ponds of the Southern states, 

 and add a new ornament to the superb flora of North America. With 

 the iVym|)hae\a and iVuphar of the North, and with the Neliimbium lu- 

 teum of the Middle States, the Eury^le of the Maranon would shine 

 quite as conspicuously as if it were bearing the regal synonym of \ic- 

 toria reiralis ! ! ! — J. L. R. 



Horticulture in Nexo York. — Mr. Editor: In your Magazine for Jan- 

 uary, pages 4 and 5, you say that " New York has improved less in 

 the science of horticulture than her sister cities, particularly Boston 

 and Philadelphia," and that ''she cannot indeed lie said to have ever 

 trkei so much interest in gardening as" the above-mentioned cities. 

 Now, sir, we ought to esteem those our best friends, \\ ho kindly and 

 faithfully tell us our faults; reformation cannot lie ex])ected in individ- 

 uals, nor communities, unless some person or persons point out to them 

 their defects; for it is much to be regretted that we are too often insen- 

 sible to them ourselves; we therefore thank you very kindly for your 

 faithfulness in pointing out to us our deficiencies in the science of horti- 

 culture, as compared with Boston and Philadelphia; for I must confess 

 some of us had the vanity to imagine that we were moving along in a 

 very steady and progressive manner, and were much pleased with the 

 growing taste manifested by our citizens in all the hranclics of the sci- 

 ence. Our vegetables and fruits, we thought, were much improved, 

 and we were delighted to see several sfilendid conservatories, gniperies 

 and green-houses sfiringing up around us during the jiast year; not on- 

 ly so, but we had prided ourselves much on recent acquisitions of neve 

 and rare plants to our collections. I had thought myself very fortu- 

 nate in this respect. I had raised from seed several new and beautiful 

 verbenas, Nierembergia filicaulis, and another spe(;ies, which, I 

 thought, surpassed all others I had seen, (Mr. Buist has had bolh spe- 

 cies from me,) and also a numiier of other new and rare jilants olitain- 

 ('i\ from seed imported from Mr. Tweed ie, Brazil, and frcm Mexico. 

 I likewise thought I had made great additions to my former list of roses, 

 and had likewise raised from seed a very fine rose warratah camellia; 

 and my neighbor, Mr. Floy, also thoug-ht that he had been very suc- 

 cessful in his seedling camellias, one in particular, which he has named 

 Washingtoni, which is very large, regular, and double, of a light red 

 or ro*e color. Mr. Thorburn and Mr. Boll also thou'dit that they had 



