this wonderful prodaction. The former was only known in the portfolio of the ' London Botanical Society \ where 

 we believe the original drawing, made by Sk R. Schomburgk, is deposited, along with a letter* addressed to that 

 body, and pubhshed by Mr. Gray in the 22nd vol. of the ' Magazine of Zoology and Botany (Edinburgh, 1838, 

 p. 440.)'; also by the twenty-five copies of the beautiful, but unpublished plates of Dr. Lindley, above mentioned; 

 to which we must add a splendid private delineation of the plant, of the natural size, placed in the alcove of a green- 

 house at Chiswick, which has more than once been thrown open to public view by the noble proprietor, on the days 

 of the Horticultural Society's fetes ; while, with regard to specimens, actually none existed, save the imperfect 

 ones already alluded to, which have been presented by the Geographical Society of London to Dr. Lindley. 



But before proceeding to speak of the fortunate circumstances which gave us possession of specimens, and 

 with them the power of representing this noble plant, it is only right to mention what the French botanists have 

 written upon the subject. Dr. Lindley's excellent description was the means of directing their attention to those 

 specimens especially which had been sent to Paris by M. D'Orbigny from Corrientes. In the 13th volume of 

 the Annales des Sciences Naturellcs (1840), M. Guillemin has published his ' Observations sux les Genres Himjale 

 et Victoria', but he throws no new light whatever upon the subject ; nor could it be expected, from the condition 

 of the specimens in the Museum of Paris. Nor would he probably have criticised the view taken of the genus 

 by Dr. Lindley as he has done, had he been acquainted with the article on Victoria regia^ above quoted, in the 

 miscellaneous matter of the Botanical Register, vol.24, p.9. This notice by M. Guillemin is, however, followed 

 in the same volume by a more interesting but popular account of Victoria, by M. A. D'Orbigny, who claims to 

 himself the priority of discovery ; while, strangely enough, he alludes at the same time to TIaenke (who travelled 

 about 1801), and then to Bonpland, as the first persons to meet with this splendid aquatic. Our readers will be 

 glad to peruse his own words, which we here give, translated from the ' Annales ', only omitting a little expression 

 of vexation that a botanist belonging to another country should have the privilege of first laying a scientific deserip- - 

 tion of this gorgeous plant before the world. 



" If there exist in the Animal Kingdom creatures, whose size, compared with our own, commands admiration 



\ 



by their enormous stature ; if we also gaze with wonder on the giants of the Vegetable Kingdom, we may well 

 take especial pleasure in surveying any peculiarly wonderful species of those genera of plants whicli are akeady 

 known to us only in more moderate dimensions. I shall endeavour to express not only my o-wn feelings, but those 

 of M.M. Bonpland and Haenke, for we were all alike struck with profound emotion, on beholding the two species 

 of Victoria which form the subject of this note. 



" Por eight months I had been investigating, in all directions, the province of Corrientes, when, early in 

 1827, descending the river Parana, in a frail Pirogue, I arrived at a part of this majestic stream, where, though 

 more than 900 miles distant from its junction with the Rio Plata, its breadth yet nearly attained a league. The 

 surrounding scenery was in keeping with this splendid river ; all was on a grand and imposing scale, and being 

 myself only accompanied by two Guaran'i Indians, I silently contemplated the wild and lovely view around 

 me ; and I must confess that, amid all this watery waste, I longed for some vegetation on which my eye might 

 rest ; and longed In vain ! 



"Ere long, reaching a place called the Arroyo do San Jose, I obsen'ed that the marshes on either side the 

 river were bordered with a green and floating surface ; and the Guarams told me that they called the plant in 



question " Yrupe ' , literally water-platter : from y, water, and rupe, a dish. Its general aspect reminded me of 

 our Nenuphar, belonging to the family NympJiaacecs. Nearly a mile of water was overspread with huge round 

 margined leaves, among which shone, sprinkled here and there, the magnificent flowers, white and pink, scenting 

 the air with their deUcious fragrance. I hastened to load my Pirogue with leaves, flowers and fruits : each leaf, 

 itself as heavy as a man could carry, floats on the water by means of the air-cells contained in its thick pro- 

 jecting innumerable nerves, and is beset, like the flower-stalks and fruit, with long spines. The ripe fruit is full 

 of roundish -black seeds, white and mealy within. 



*' When I reached Corrientes, I hastened to make a drawing of this lovely Water-Lily, and to show my prize 

 to the inhabitauts ; and they informed me that the seed is a valuable article of food, which, being eaten roasted 

 like maize, has caused the plant to be called Water-Maize (* Mais del Agua '). I afterwards heard from an intimate 

 friend of M. Bonpland, the companion and fellow-labourer of the famous Humboldt, that having visited accidentally, 



* Under the title of " Dr. llobt. H. Schomburgk's description of Victoria Regina, Gray ": but unaccompanied by any botanical definition. 

 Dr. Lindley's specific name is "regia" and tliis appears to liave been published in a very early number of the "Botanical Register for 1838 '; 

 while ilj'. Gray's name " Regina " is given in a later number of the ' Magazine of Natural History ' for the same year. 



