PREFACE. 



IN presenting the following work to the public, the author 

 trusts that he has, at least in part, supplied, what has long 

 been considered a desideratum a Systematic Account of the 

 Plants of Jamaica. Hitherto the student of the Botany of 

 this Island has been obliged to resort for information to the 

 voluminous writings of Sloane, Browne, Jacquin, Plumier, 

 Swartz, Cavanilles, Vahl, &c., many of which are rare* and 

 with difficulty procured, especially in a situation so distant 

 from Europe. The only work easily accessible, was the 

 Hortus Jamaicensis of Mr Lunan, a compilation which 

 must have been found very useful to every one who has 

 endeavoured to become acquainted with Jamaica Botany. 

 But while I acknowledge readily my obligations, especially 

 during the early period of my study, to that work, I must 

 state, that scarcely one-half of the plants at present known 

 to be indigenous to the Island are noticed in it, and that 

 the descriptions are in general defective, and not a few 

 erroneous. To supply these deficiencies, has been my 

 endeavour in the present undertaking. 



In the arrangement of this work the Natural System has 

 been adopted. By it the various members composing the 

 Vegetable Kingdom are arranged according to the order 

 which Nature herself appears to have followed. By it the 

 genera are collected and disposed in groups, not from any 

 relation existing in respect to any one particular class of 



