562 



NATURE 



{April 14, 1 88 7 



warmer countries ; and one is found in the extreme south 

 of America. But some further particulars of their distri- 

 bution may be interesting. The forms in Europe are 

 numerous, and the number of species to which tliey may 

 be referred varies from twenty to nearly forty, according 

 to the views of different botanists. They are most 

 numerous in the Alps, where they constitute one of the 

 most charming features of the vegetation. In Asia, too, 

 the genus is generally diffused, though by far the greatest 

 concentration of species is in the mountains of Northern 

 India, where upwards of fifty species occur, some 

 of them ascending almost to the altitudinal limits of 

 flowering plants. Quite recently Mr. Franchet has de- 

 scribed a dozen new species from Eastern Tibet and the 

 Chinese province of Yunnan ; and Eastern China and 

 Japan possess their peculiar species ; one at least of the 

 latter {P. japonica) being now common in English 

 gardens. An isolated species, the gigantic Pniniila 

 imperialis, inhabits the mountains of Java, and the genus 

 is represented in South-Western Asia, in Arabia, even to 

 the neighbourhood of Aden, by P. verticillata, the same 

 species recurring in Abyssinia ; yet none apparently is 

 found in the mountains of Morocco. In America the 

 distribution of the genus is peculiar, no species having 

 been found in Eastern North America south of Canada, 

 while in the western and central regions three or four 

 endemic species inhabit New Mexico, Arizona, and 

 California, though in the last-named country the genus 

 does not extend south of the Yosemite Valley, where the 

 charming Priiiuda sitfffutescens is at home. The latest 

 discovery is a new species in the Santa Rita iNIountains, 

 riear the Mexican boundary. Altogether, nine species 

 are now known from North America, five of which, those 

 in the Arctic regions, are also natives either of Europe 

 or Asia, or both. But the most remarkable fact in the 

 distribution of the genus Primula is the presence of a 

 species in the extreme south of South America — a species 

 so closely allied to the northern P. farinosa, which is 

 common to Europe, Asia, and North America, that it 

 has been alternately held as a variety of it and an inde- 

 pendent species. When writing his " Flora Antarctica," 

 Sir Joseph Hooker could find no character whereby to 

 distinguish the South American primrose as an indepen- 

 dent species ; but in his recent " Flora of British India'' 

 he states that it differs in having large granulate seeds. 

 On the other hand, Dr. Asa Gray (" Synoptical Flora of 

 North America ") treats it as the same as P. farinosa; 

 yet it is probable that he did not examine the South 

 American plant, although he includes South America 

 in the range of P. farinosa, therefore it can hardly be 

 cited as an expression of opinion on the subject. The 

 plant is common in Fuegia and the Falkland Islands. 

 Even admitting that it is sufficiently distinct to be ad- 

 mitted as a species, the genetic connection with P. 

 farinosa is so close that as a phenomenon in distribution 

 the question is immaterial. The southern limit of 

 P. farinosa in North America, so far as known, is 

 Colorado ; therefore there is a break of nearly 90° of 

 latitude. 



The greatest diversity is exhibited by the Asiatic species, 

 alike in stature, foliage, and floral structure. In a com- 

 paratively restricted region of the Himalayas grow the 

 moss-like species, scarcely an inch high, including the 

 flower, such as P. minutissima, and the tall P. siic/ciinensis, 

 with an umbel of twenty to thirty delicate yellow flowers 

 on a scape 2 to 3 feet high. Between these extremes 

 there are all sizes and several distinct types of foliage. 

 Thejavan species alluded to above is perhaps the largest 

 of the genus, having whorl above whorl of golden flowers, 

 though it is closely approached by the beautiful and many- 

 coloured P. japonica. 



The recent novelties from Tibet and Western China 

 include some of the most distinct and peculiar forms of 

 the genus, but none of them is in cultivation. 



There are many other interesting things connected with 

 primroses, but I have perhaps already covered too much 

 space. I may add, however, that by far the richest collec- 

 tion of living species was contributed to the show by the 

 Royal Gardens, Kew — a collection largely brought 

 together by Mr. G. C. Churchill, part author of the well- 

 known book on the Dolomite Mountains, and cultivated 

 by Mr. Dewar. It contained about fifty species, besides 

 many hybrids and seminal varieties. 



The report from which some of the foregoing particulars 

 were extracted forms a part of the seventh volume of the 

 Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society. 



W. BOTTING Hemsley 



ON THE ESTAPUSHA/EA'T OF THE ROMAN 

 DOMINION IN SOUTH-EAST BRITAIN 



BEFORE entering upon the matter which I have stated 

 as the subject of this paper, I think it will be well to 

 premise three notes : (i) on the general authority for the 

 accuracy of the history ; (2) on the geography of the 

 approaching coasts of Gaul and Britain ; (3) on the 

 pronunciation of names delivered to us in the spelling of 

 the Greek language. 



(i) The account of the invasions which I adopt is that of 

 Dion Cassius. His history, in general, is orderly and full. 

 He appears to have been a man of rank, and doubtless 

 had command of State documents. He seems to have 

 been well acquainted with every movement in the Courts 

 of several successive Emperors. He has carefully ex- 

 plained why he was unable to continue his Roman history 

 beyond the timeof Severus with due accuracy. The time 

 of the invasion of Britain was about 170 years before the 

 composition of his history — an interval almost equal to 

 the length of our Hanoverian dynasty ; and his account of 

 the wars in Britain may claim to be considered as trust- 

 worthy as our histories of the campaigns of Marlborongh. 



(2) In regard to the geography, it is to be observed that 

 the coast-tract in the north of France, apparently from 

 the mouth of the Seine to the mouth of the Scheldt, is 

 called rciXaria (Galatia). This name occurs at least twice, 

 in separate books of Dion. By Ptolemy it is called 

 KfAroyoAaTtrt BeX-ytKjy. 



(3) The English writers who have given any attention 

 to this history have had, I believe, no knowledge of the 

 pronunciation of the Greek words. Mitford, however, in 

 his " History of Greece," had pointed out some of its 

 peculiarities. The difficulty is now greatly removed by 

 the publication, at Boston, U.S., of the "Grammar of 

 Modern Greek," by E. A. Sophocles. I extract the 

 substance of his notes which apply best to the present 

 purpose : — 



/3 is the English 7', or sometimes bh. 



8 is the English hard th, as in that, those. 



6 is the English soft th, as in tliin, thorn. 



fxT! is the English />. 



v8 or vT is the English d. 



I. is the English tv, as in seen. 



ov is the English 00, as in soo/i. 



There is no reason to think that the pronunciation has 

 changed for many centuries. In the Byzantine Greek 

 histories of the Crusades, there are many opportunies of 

 making comparisons of the Greek and the Latin names of 

 places and persons, which appear to follow the same rules 

 as at the present time. 



Thus, the name given by Dion to the lady who com- 

 manded the Britons in their grand movement against the 

 Romans is spelt by him BowSoCiKa. Interpreted by the 

 list of equivalents just given, it becomes in English letters 

 and sounds, Voo-doo-eeka ; and this I believe to be the 

 true rendering of the name. Still, I dare not depart 

 from the established custom ; and I shall therefore 

 (unwillingly) adhere to the long-used English spelling, 

 " Boadicea.'' 



