325 



Obsfrvations on Botany, ^c. 



[Oct. 



since it is found in several places to the eastward ? This question 

 we cannot answer, for much as has been said and written concern- 

 ing these m<^nnt.uns, we havt- yet much to learn regard in«j!; their 

 natural history, wliich is very imperfectly known. Unfortunately 

 our i;:norance is Jiot confined to these mountains, but ext<'n(ls to 

 those of the whole country. The Cnear mountains are represented, 

 by all who have had an o^jpoitunity of visiting^ them, as covered 

 with luxurient vea,etation to the top, and some of their higher peaks 

 attain an elevation of about 4000 fet l. From this ran^e, two or 

 three hundred miles in length, we are acquainted with only a few 

 luiudred plants, most of them from specimens only, broUj>ht to Dr. 

 Roxburgh by his plant collectors. The Flora of Salem and Bara- 

 mahl is even less known to us than that. From the Malabar moun- 

 tains supposed, and we believe rightly, to possess the richest Flora 

 in the world, and formini:^ a range 700 miles in length, we have 

 scarcely 1000 species, and many of these even, are only known to 

 us through the figures of the Hortus Malabaricus published 200 

 years ago. The Madura and Tinevelly range are, we believe, with 

 the exception of the outskirts, altogether unexplored. Such being 

 our ignorance of the vegetable productions of our mountain ranges, 

 we will not be surprised to learn, at some future period, that we 

 have been advocating the introduction of trees, that are already 

 natives of the country. 



We must now proceed to the last subject we intend touching 

 iipon; — the application of the Jussieuan method of arrangement to 

 the elucidation of Botanical Geography ; — and hope that our 

 readers will favour us with their attention a few minutes longer as 

 the subject is both curious and useful. It has been already menti- 

 oned that plants of the same natural order agree in having similar 

 external characters, and internal structure and properties, they also 

 affect similar soils and climates, and can be grafted on each other. 

 Botanists availing themselves of these facts, have recently founded 

 on them, that branch of the science called Geography of Plants : 

 but as this " department embraces the consideration of the consti- 

 tution of the atmosphere, and the geological structure of all parts of 

 the globe, and the specific effects of particular climate and soil up- 

 on vegetation, all points upon which we can Scarcely be said to 

 know any thing," it has not yet made great progress. These points, 

 the discussion of which we cannot now enter upon, are all more or 

 less fully treated by Mr Royle, we therefore pass them over, 

 referring to him for information regarding them. 



According to Jussieu's method all plants are divided into three 



