xii THE HISTORY OF THE BOTANICAL MAGAZINE 
to India, and I would refer to his Himalayan Journals for 
the main results of his explorations; but, from ‘a horti- 
cultural standpoint, the discovery and introduction into 
English gardens of the numerous and gorgeous Sikkim 
Rhododendrons was certainly one of his greatest achieve- 
ments. Out of forty-three species he collected, thirty were 
considered new to botanists, and most of the others were 
yet unknown to horticulturists. It is true that several 
North Indian species had been previously discovered and 
introduced by Dr. Wallich and others. The first in the 
Magazine is a white variety of R. arboreum (pl. 3290), 
which flowered in 1831 in a conservatory in the garden of 
Robert Baxter, Esq., of Dee Hills, Chester. This was 
followed by R. campanulatum (pl. 3759), in 1840, flowered 
by Dickson, of Chester; and in 1848 there appeared a 
figure of the only South Indian species (or variety of 
arboreum), i.e., nilagiricum, if correctly so named, of which 
there is some doubt. In 1853 the magnificent R. Dal- 
housiw was figured (pl. 4718) from a plant flowered by 
John Laing at Dysart House, Kirkealdy, the Earl of 
Rosslyn’s seat. This is one of the handsomest of the Indian 
Rhododendrons, and its flowers, like those of R. Maddeni, 
are highly fragrant. By imarching a shoot of a young 
seedling of R. Dalhousie on a vigorous plant of R. ponticum, 
Mr. Laing succeeded in obtaining flowers of the former in 
so short a period as three years from the time the seed was 
sown. R. Maddeni was figured from a plant cultivated at 
Kew in 1854. In 1856 R. blandfordizflorum, R. Camel- 
lieeflorum, R. Edgeworthii, R. campanulatum var. Wallichii, 
R. Falconeri, and R. Hookeri were figured in the Magazine, 
besides two or three Malayan species. Every succeeding 
year, for some time after this, added to the number of Hima- 
layan Rhododendrons flowering in Great Britain. The most 
noteworthy one that appeared in the Magazine in 1857 was 
the very beautiful and distinct R. Thomsoni (pl. 4997) ; 
one of the hardiest of the Indian species. The next volume 
contains portraits of R. argenteum and R. Aucklandii; 
and in 1859 there appeared, among others, the gorgeous 
R. Nuttallii (pl. 5146), whose delicate white and pink 
flowers are 6 inches across, and unequalled in size by those 
of any other species. Several handsome Malayan species 
have since been illustrated in the Magazine; and I ma 
conclude this paragraph with the interesting fact in the 
distribution of plants that a true Rhododendron has 
recently been detected in the mountains of Queensland, 
Australia. 
