Africa, West Indies, Aus/ralia. 93 



three months for its growth, reap the harvest, and proceed onward. The 

 Fellahs, or fixed cultivators, are the objects of their most profound contempt, 

 and an alliance with them is considered as involving the deepest ignominy." 

 (Ed. Rev., Sept. 1828.) 



AFRICA. 



Ancient Agriculture and Horticidture. — M. Champollion, now in Egypt, 

 has sent home a number of dravv'ings, copied from the tombs. Among these 

 are the following : — Tilling the ground v/ith oxen, or by hand ; sowing ; 

 treading the ground by rams, and not by hogs, as Herodotus says ; five sorts 

 of ploughs ; the use of the pickaxe ; the reaping of wheat ; the gathering of 

 flax ; the putting these two kinds of plants into sheaves ; the carrying to the 

 mill, the threshing, measm'ing, storing in the granaries ; two drawings of 

 large granaries on different plans ; the flax carried by asses ; a number of 

 other agricultural operations, among them the gathering of the lotus, the 

 culture of the vine ; the vintage, its carrying home ; two presses, one worked 

 by the hand, and the other by mechanism ; the putting the wine into bottles 

 or jars, carrying it to the cellar, &c. &c. Horticulture : the gathering of 

 figs, &c. ; cultivation of the onion, irrigation, &c. The whole with explana- 

 tory hieroglyphic inscriptions : also, the intendant of the country-house, the 

 secretaries, &c. (Le Globe.) 



WEST INDIES. 

 Bath Gardens, Jamaica, St. Thomas in the East, Oct. 1. 1830. — The 

 curator, wishing anxiously to improve the state of the botanic gardens of 

 the Bath of St. Thomas the Apostle, will be most grateful to all those pub- 

 lic-spirited persons and botanical amateurs who will favour him with new 

 or rare plants or seeds, &c. ; and he will always readily supply such other 

 plants in exchange as the gardens possess, which can be spared. Any thing 

 addressed to the care of the Jamaica Society, Kingston ; Messrs. E. Tay- 

 lor and Co., Morant Bay ; or Samuel Wyndowe, Esq., Port Morant, on 

 due advice, will meet every attention and punctual return. The object is 

 to make these gardens a kind of central depot between the old and new 

 worlds, for many of the articles of commerce, for which we now pay great 

 prices ; but which might not only be produced, but grown to such an extent 

 as to admit of then* exportation. Possessing hills and valleys of different 

 temperatures, from 50° to 100°, plants coming from almost every country 

 in the world may be grown to perfection in this island. Trusting our 

 objects will meet with your approbation, I remain. Sir, &c. — Thomas 

 Higson. 



AUSTRALIA. 



New Zealand. — We lately (Vol. VI. p. 486.) made some observations 

 on the eligibility of this island as a fitter place for emigration than Sydney 

 or the Swan River ; and we are happy to find our observations more than 

 confirmed by a paper in the Morning Chronicle of October 23. 1830. New 

 Zealand is there stated to be more an agricultural than a pastoral country. 

 The climate is said to be temperate, the surface hilly, with numerous abrupt 

 ridges abounding in fine timber, and a series of the richest valleys, pro- 

 ducing Indian corn and wheat, without a risk of failure from either cold or 

 hot blighting winds. Potatoes, carrots, turnips, and every other species of 

 culinary vegetable, the missionaries found to grow as luxuriantly as in Bri- 

 tain. " The Church of England missionaries, all men of liberal education, 

 speak in raptures of the scenerj', the climate, the productiveness of the 

 soil, and of the mental capabilities of its yet rude inhabitants ; " and they 

 declare that all that is wanting to render the island highly civilised and 

 flourishing is the establishment of a regular government by some civilised 

 power, and the diffusion of education, (See the excellent article in the 



