322 Foreign Notices : — Africa. 



last summer, with many other fine bulbs from M. Szovitz, a very zealous 

 botanist and naturalist, who is at present employed to collect plants, bulbs, 

 and seeds in Persia, for the Imperial botanic garden. A few days ago, we 

 again received from him two large boxes of bulbs and different roots from 

 the same country j unfortunately many of them were spoiled by the sudden 

 frost of 28° Reaumur, 31° below Fahr., which we had a week ago ; but 

 still the greater part of them seem to be alive. I particularly noticed 

 amongst them J v rum orientale, /Vis paradoxa (similar in colour to iberica 

 and susiana) T^ris squalida, and several other undetermined ones ; Me- 

 rendera caucasica, Puschkiroa scilloides, several species of the J'llium tribe, 

 Crocus speciosus, Leontice vesicaria, a new species of Ixiolirion, 2/yacinthus 

 pallens and ciliatus, Amaryllis lutea, Eremurus spectabilis, Tulips, Gladio- 

 lus, Ornithogalum, &c. We already possess a fine collection of Persian 

 plants, which we raised last spring from seeds ; and the herbarium of the 

 garden museum is very much enriched by many scarce, new, and finely dried 

 specimens from the same quarter. Alexander von Humboldt, the cele- 

 brated naturalist, lately visited the garden, and was highly pleased to see 

 such a rich collection of scarce plants. — F. Faldermann. St. Petersburg/!, 

 January 7. 1830. (N. S.) 



Some hardy Varieties of Olive are said to be cultivated in the botanical 

 garden of Nikita, in the Crimea. How they came there is not mentioned ■; 

 but it is probable they have been raised from seeds ripened on the spot. — 

 F.F. January 1. 1830. 



\Allum Pomponium. — This plant is cultivated in Kamtschatka as the 

 potato is in Britain, and its bulbs laid up for winter store. They are called 

 Savannas by the natives, and when boiled taste exactly like a waxy potato. 

 We wish some gardener living in a peaty district in Ireland or Scotland 

 would try what could be done with them. — Cond. 



AFRICA. 



Cape Toivn, Cape of Good Hope, November 2. 1829. — Sir, An interest- 

 ing society, by the name of the " South African Institution," has been 

 established here. I send you two of our newspapers, which will give you a 

 brief account of their proceedings : we are, however, too poor to carry into 

 effect every object of the Institution; but it is highly necessary to the 

 improvement of the colony, of whose resources and value Europe is as yet 

 partially ignorant. A spirit of improvement is prevailing among us, but 

 the mass of the population from their confined education do not permit of 

 much domestic change as yet. That you may judge of the deplorable 

 state of husbandry which is practised here, I send you the copy of the 

 Calendar, originally written 130 years ago, and the proof sheets of a revi- 

 sion for the year 1830, which I have given, but I do not permit my name to 

 be attached to such an imperfect production. I am in hopes that a botanic 

 and experimental garden will be established in a short time. I shall give 

 you early notice the moment the establishment is formed. The wilful and 

 scandalous neglect of this colony by the British government has been con- 

 tinued in a most unparalleled degree, and that against their own interests. 

 The present governor, Sir Lowry Cole, gives general satisfaction ; but his 

 hands are tied in many respects, which may be ascribed to the reports of 

 the commissioners, who were misled by false evidence, and worse conclu- 

 sions while here j it would lead me too far into political discussions to 

 point out those misstatements, but I could do it, and completely and 

 effectually confound those persons, whose interested evidence was given 

 in expectation of individual reward or special favour from the late go- 

 vernor. 



I am happy to inform you that your various publications have a place in 

 the public library here, but as yet little attention has been paid to them ; 

 they would, however, claim attention, were you to give us some broad 



