VI PKEFACE. 



from the opposite continental shore of Florida, from which it is separated by 

 the Gulf-stream ; while Trinidad, lying almost contiguous to the delta of the 

 Orinoco, partakes of the flora of Venezuela and Guiana. Jamaica again, from 

 its mountainous character and more distant position, — most of the Leeward 

 islands from being wooded voloanos, — -and the majority of tlie Windward ones, 

 with a diy climate and a low calcareous soil, form three divisions of this 

 tropical archipelago, which show as many peculiarities. Thus the whole of 

 the British West Indies, as comprised in this Flora, may be divided into 

 five natural sections, each with a distinct botanical character, and including 

 the following islands, the geographical area of which is added according 

 to the American Almanac for 1858; and other sources. 



English 

 square miles. 



I. 27°-21° N. L. . Bahamas 5420 



21° Turk Islands . . . 400 



II. 19°-18° . . . Jamaica 5470 



III. Western Caribbean Islands (most Leeward, and 



including some of the Windward islands). 



18° Virgin Islands ... 140 



17° S. Kitts 70 



„ Nevis 30 



16° Montserrat .... 50 



15° Dominica 290 



14°-13° . . . S.Lucia 225 



13° S. Vincent 130 



12° Grenada and Grenadillos 155 



IV. Eastern Caribbean Islands (most Windward, 



and some Leeward islands) , 



18° Anguilla 30 



17° Barbuda 90 



„ Antigua 100 



13° Barbadoes. 170 



11° Tabago 190 



V. 10° Trinidad 2000 



Thus the territory comprised may be estimated as amounting to about 

 15,000 English square miles, or nearly twice as much as the area of Wales. 

 Haiti alone is nearly twice as large as the whole of the British West Indies ; 

 Cuba surpasses them almost three times, and this will account for the fact, 

 that, considerable as were the materials at my disposition, and great the 

 exertions of so many excellent collectors, the number of novelties in my Flora 

 is comparatively speaking small, while Cuba affords a daily increasing number 

 of unpublished species. Considering, at the same time, how neglected by 

 botanists Cuba has been, if we compare it with the standard works of men 

 like Jacquin and Swartz, the publications of whom, with regard to the West 

 Indies, were almost confined to the British possessions, it will appear pro- 

 bable, that by far the greatest part of the plants of our temtory consists of 

 old species, these indeed being the foundation of our scientific knowledge of 

 the flora of tropical America. 



To study these-primary species and their varieties (which have so often 

 been misunderstood, that their synonyms are far more ntimerous than their 

 numbers), to show that many of them range through the whole of tropical 



