Batema?i's Orc/iidacece. 509 



in the Floral Cabinet .■ for example, the Cattley« LoddigeszV, in 

 that work ; but in Mr. Bateman's publication the plates are 

 more than three times the size of those in the Floral Cabineti 

 being 2 ft. 6 in. long, by 1 ft. 10 in. broad. They are drawn on 

 stone, and each is coloured with the same care and high finish 

 as if it were an original drawing. 



The titlepage has a border composed of Mexican ornaments, 

 chiefly taken from antiquities in the British Museum, and from 

 the splendid work of Lord Kingsborough, got up for His Lord- 

 ship by our friend M. Aiglio, and of which only a very few copies 

 were printed, and sold at one hundred guineas each. One 

 thousand guineas a copy would not have repaid His Lordship, 

 who ruined himself by this work, and died some time ago in 

 prison. At the bottom of Mr. Bateman's titlepage, are five 

 mountains in perspective rising from the sea, which are the arms 

 of Guatemala ; and at the top is an opuntia growing out of a 

 rock, also rising from the sea, and surmounted by an eagle with 

 expanded wings, holding a serpent with its beak and claws; 

 which, our author informs us, are the arms of Mexico. 



The introduction commences with the words "A few general 

 remarks ;" and respecting the initial letter A, the author has 

 the following note : — " The initial letter is formed by the arms of 

 Guatemala. The five mountains denote the five mountain- 

 ous states into which that kingdom is divided : they are sur- 

 mounted by a rainbow, under which is seen the ' cap of liberty.' 

 We had intended the device to have served for an 'O;' but, 

 when we came to collect our ideas, we could find none which 

 began with that letter, so we were constrained to make it stand 

 for an 'A,' for which, fortunately enough, it does equally 

 well. The same arms (but without the 'cap of liberty') appear 

 at the base of our frontispiece, at the top of which are placed an 

 eagle and cactus, the arms of Mexico. The ornaments which 

 make up the rest of the device are taken from Mexican monu- 

 ments in the British Museum, or from the splendid work of 

 Loi'd Kingsbury. We must except, however, the flower, which 

 is seen in the centre of a square compartment on either side : 

 this is the celebrated ^ Fior dc Lince^ of Hernandez, from whose 

 work it is borrowed. That Mr. Brandard, who has the merit 

 of having drawn the design, has accomplished his task with 

 admirable skill, no one, we trust, will be disposed to deny." 



In his introduction, the author notices the great extent of the 

 species of this order, which was not even suspected till within 

 the last few years ; though orchideous epiphytes are mentioned 

 in the following terms by Rumphius, in his chapter on the 

 the Angrsecums in the Herbarium Amboi?iense. Flis chapter 

 opens with the following passage : — "Now come we to describe 

 a noble family of plants, which is remarkable for having always 



