ROX 



R O X 



Thefe occupy the fummit of a bold eminence, which riles 

 from the plain, near the junftion of the Tweed and the Te- 

 viot. This fortrefs, in ancjent times, was of great ftrength, 

 and was accounted the moit important ftrong-hold on the 

 Scottifh borders. It was environed by a deep ditch, which 

 could be rilled at pleafure by the garrifon with the waters 

 of the Teviot, and over which a drawbridge was thrown. 

 Interior to the ditch was a wall, of which only a few frag- 

 ments are Handing, but enough to atteft its prodigious 

 thicknefs and folidity. Roxburgh caftle, Pennant informs 

 us, in his Tour in Scotland, was anciently called Marchidon, 

 Marchmont, or the Hill on the Marches. The name of its 

 founder is unknown, as is the period of its ereftion. The 

 earlieft mention of it in hiftory occurs in 1 132, when a 

 treaty of peace i ; . ftated to have been concluded here, be- 

 tween king Stephen of England and king David I. of Scot- 

 land. In 1174, after king William the Lion was made a 

 prifoncr by the Englifh, this caiUe, with four others, was 

 delivered up to king Henry II. as a fecurity for his royal 

 hoftage doing homage for his crown on his releafe from 

 captivity. The fucceiTor of Henry reftored it to the Scots, 

 but it was again taken by king Edward I. in 1296. It 

 was recovered doubtlefs by king Robert I., but appears to 

 have been foon after pofl'etTed by the Englifh, as it is recorded 

 to have been furprifed, in 1342, by fir Alexander Ramfay, 

 who was appointed governor ; an honour which the envious 

 Douglas did not allow him to enjoy long. The Scots 

 again loft this fortrefs in the reign of Edward III., who 

 twice celebrated his birth-day here. After this period it 

 was taken and retaken feveral times ; but the moft diftin- 

 guifhed iiege was that by king James II., when it was cap- 

 tured by the Scots : though, previous to the victory, the 

 king was killed by the burfting of a piece of ordnance. A 

 hollow tree is faid to ftand on the fpot where the monarch 

 fell, on the north fide of the Tweed, and at a (hort diftance 

 below Fleur's houfe. The queen, who was with the army 

 when this event took place, obferving that the foldiers were 

 difheartened, and that the commanders were difpofed to raife 

 the fiege, ufed every exertion to excite their courage ; and, 

 among other things, told them, that though their king had 

 fallen, he was but one man, and that (he would loon give 

 them another king, her fon, James III., who next day ar- 

 rived in the camp, and was crowned at Kelfo, in the 7th 

 year of his age. This heroic and well-timed addrefs pro- 

 duced the defired effect; the fpirits of the whole army were 

 roufed, and the attack having been renewed with redoubled 

 ardour, the garrifon furrendered in a few days. From that 

 period the caftle has remained in ruins, though it was in 

 tome degree repaired by the lord protestor, Somerfet, in the 

 reign of Edward VI. of England. 



The parilh of Roxburgh extends eight miles in length, 

 and about four in breadth. The general appearance is flat 

 and Moping, and the foil is generally a rich loam, well calcu- 

 lated, either for the growth of wheat, or for the turnip huf- 

 bandry. According to the parliamentary returns of 181 1, 

 it contains 225 houfes, and 946 inhabitants. The Statiftical 

 Account of Scotland, by fir John Sinclair, bart. vol. x. 

 1797. Pennant's Tour in Scotland, vol. iii. 4to. 1779. 

 Beauties of Scotland, vol. ii. Svo. 1805. 



ROXBURGHIA, in Botany, received that name, at the 

 fuggeftioa of the right honourable fir Jofeph Banks, from 

 the pen of the late Mr. Dryander, in juft commemoration of 

 the difcoverer of this genus, Dr. William Roxburgh, F.L.S., 

 member of the Afiatic Society. The refearches of this in- 

 defatigable and enthuliaftic obferver of nature, among the 

 botanical treafures of Hindooftan, and his liberal communi- 

 cations to his friends at home, have added very extenfively 



to our knowledge of Indian plants. The Eaft India Com- 

 pany have publifhed his Coromandel Plants in a ftyle worthy 

 of the materials. From the remote fituation of the author, 

 many genera and fpecies were left by him for the determi- 

 nation of his learned editor, to whom all the fources of lite- 

 rary information i:i Europe were open. But as the name of 

 this editor is entirely kept out of fight, a French writer, 

 DeTheis, has been led into the miftake of charging Dr. Rox- 

 burgh with the unexampled arrogance of dedicating a genus 

 to his own honour. No man can be further, than our 

 candid and unailuming friend, from fuch prefumption, and 

 we feel it a duty to wipe away the unmerited reproach. — 

 Dryand. in Rex. Coromand. v. t. 29. Willd. Sp. PI. 

 v. 2. 321. Ait. Hort. Kew. v. 2. 347. Sm. Exot. Bot. 

 v. 1. III. — Chfs and order, Tetrandria Monogynia (Oelan- 

 dria; in Hort. Kew.) Nat. Ord. Sarmentacet, Linn. 

 Afparngi, Jull'. 



Gen. Ch. Cal. none, unlets the corolla be taken for fuch. 

 Cor. Petals four, inferior, lanceolate, equal, ribbed, coloured 

 chiefly on the upper fide, permanent. Stam. Filaments 

 four, oppofite to the petals, and nearly as long, awl-thaped, 

 flefhy, with a double cell at their inner fide, near the bafe ; 

 anthers two-lobed, oblong, lodged in the cells of the fila- 

 ments, and each crowned with a limple lanceolate appen- 

 dage, much Ihorter than the naked lummit of the filaments. 

 Pi/l. Germen fuperior, fmall, feflile, ovate ; ftyle none ; 

 itigma roundifh. Peric. Capfule of one cell, with two con- 

 cave valves. Seeds numerous, erecL cylindrical, furrowed, 

 each fupported on a ftalk clothed with little veficles. 



Eff. Ch. Petals four, fpreading. Filaments lanceolate, 

 keeled, bearing the anthers on their infide, near the bafe, 

 crowned with an appendage. Capfule fuperior, of one cell, 

 with two valves, and many leeds. 



I. R. virid'i flora. Green-flowered Roxburghia. Sm. 

 Exot. Bot. v. 1. 111. t. 57. (R. edoriofoides ; Dryand. in 

 Ait. Hort. Kew. v. 2. 348. Roxb. Coromand. v. 1. 29. 

 t. 32 ? R. gloriofa ; Curt. Mag. t. 1500. Ubium poly- 

 poides album; Rumph. Amb. v. 6. book 9. 364. t. 129.) 

 — Native of low nioift woods and thickets in the valleys of 

 Hindooftan and Amboyna, flowering in the cold feafon. 

 Roots being fent by Dr. Roxburgh to the late lady Amelia 

 Hume, they bore flowers in April 1 805, for the firft time 

 in Europe. Each root confifts of many oblong flethy knobs. 

 The film climbs fpirally to the height of many feet, without 

 tendrils, and is branched, angular, fmooth and leafy. Lower 

 leaves alternate to the height of five feet, the reft oppolite ; 

 all fpreading, on fmooth, channelled footftalh, ovate or 

 partly heart-lhaped, pointed, entire, fmooth, thin and pli- 

 able, with about feven or nine ribs, and innumerable line 

 tranlverfe veins. Stipulas none. Flotver-Jlalis axillary, foli- 

 tary, (horter than the leaves, fmooth, deflexed, racemofe, 

 each bearing two, three, or four flowers. Bradeas lanceo- 

 late, folitary, under each partial ftalk. Flowers afcending, 

 large, fetid like corrupted water, or the Stinking Morel. 

 (See Phallus.) Petals near two inches long, coriaceous, 

 green, with purplifh ribs, elpecially on the upper (ide. Sta- 

 mens violet in the lower part ; their points green. The 

 pollen, confilting of highly polilhed globules, falls to the 

 bottom of the flower, rolling about like quickfilver. 



The figure given by Dr. Roxburgh differs from our 

 plant, in having much {mzWer Jlowers with tawny petals, and 

 yellow anthers. He thinks it likely that there may be more 

 than one fpecies of this genus, which he did not diftinguilh 

 in India. Rumphius defcribes two, his Ubium polypoides 

 album and nigrum. The former feems belt to agree with our 

 plant, except that his figure has folitary Jlo-wers. He fays its 

 Jlems extend to the length of 100 fathoms, and that the 



roots, 



