No. 129.] 513 



American, 1 Dane. It is painful to say that the greater part of 

 these travelling botanists die in their dangerous explorations, 

 Twenty-two are named between 1811 and 1844, some by murder, 

 and some by disease of a frightful character. Antoine Petit was 

 devoured by a crocodile, in the river Nile. Cunningham, of the 

 Sidney Botanic Garden, of New Holland, was massacred by sava- 

 ges, Banks and Wallis were drowned in the Oregon, Douglas fell 

 into a pit prepared tor wild cattle, and met a frightful death. 



The library and museum of Delessert has 6,000 volumes, which 

 contain 4,350 works, by 2,500 different authors, 



[Rerue Hortioole, Paris, 1861. Translations by H. Meigs.] 



Onion of Nocera. — This is a small white onion extremely early 

 in its growth. Mr. Audot brought the seeds from Italy in 1840. 

 Sowed by the side of our earliest white onion, it grows almost as 

 rapidly as a radish, and is a bulb when it has but three or four 

 small leaves. We believe we recognize in this the true little 

 white onion of Florence, which we formerly had and lost long 

 ago. This is a very pretty variety, excellent for pickles or ra- 

 gouts, but unfortunately too difficult to keep here in France. 

 They make much use of it in Naples, and it is chiefly cultivated 

 at Nocera, a little village near Mount Vesuvius , from thence Mr. 

 Audot brought the seed. 



[Annales de la Societe Centrale d'Horticulture, Paris, 1851.] 



Gardens of Kew. — One of the most interesting objects to an 

 amateur of the garden is (without exception) the gardens of Kew. 

 Nothing is more worthy of fixing our attention than its beautiful 

 situation and vegetable riches. It has for a long time enjoyed a 

 justly high reputation. 



About the middle of the seventeenth century, on the spot where 

 the garden now is, stood the country seat and vast park belonging 

 to Sir Robert Bennett, His only daughter married Lord Capel, 

 and brought him an immense fortune. Their daughter and heir- 

 ess. Lady Elizabeth Capel, married M. Molyneux, then private 

 secretary of the Prince of Wales. Molyneux was a great astrono- 

 mer and of great learning, and made at this seat sorne important 

 discoveries among fixed stars with an instrument of his own in- 



[Assembly, No. 129.1 33 



