Btj Joseph Clare, Esq. 537 



with abundance of flowers, and they ripened a great quantity 

 of seeds. These plants, though left every winter in the open 

 air, have since continued to bear abundantly. Professor 

 Bergamaschi, of the University of Pavia,had for several years 

 in the Botanic garden of that city, a plant of the American 

 Nelumbium luteum, which, though it did just live from year 

 to year, never flowered, till the tub becoming leaky, he was 

 forced to turn a pipe of running water over it ; the plant then 

 sent up flowers, and it ripened many seeds in that same year. 



There is a great variety of Nelumbiums in China, and if 

 their cultivation should succeed in England, probably many 

 of these will be imported, since the seeds can be easily trans- 

 ported, and they will keep good very many years. The late 

 Mr. Lee told me, that they had vegetated with him after 

 having been kept forty years. In England they must have 

 the heat of glass ; but I think it very possible that, at some 

 future time, hybrids may be obtained from them and our own 

 beautiful Nymphaea alba or Nymphaea odorata, Nymphaea 

 cserulea, or others which seed freely in this climate, the two 

 first in the open air. 



That frugal and industrious people the Chinese, have 

 always diligently cultivated Nelumbiums. They spread over 

 all their lakes and rivers ; and the swamps, which will bear 

 nothing else, are covered with them. The leaves, which 

 are three feet broad, are gathered for fuel, the nuts are more 

 delicate than the Filbert, and the roots, which are long, and 

 as thick as a man's arm, are eaten with sugar ; they have 

 the taste of an almond. It having been proved that they 

 will flourish in the open air in the south of Europe, at some 

 future period perhaps the seeds may be as common in our 



