PLANTS OF THE SANDWICH ISLANDS COLLECTED BY JAMES MACRAE HAWAIIAN PLANT STUDIES 77 Harold St. John Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii, Box 6037, USA. James Macrae was a Scottish horticulturist, plant collector, and botanist, but his origin and parentage are unknown. In 1823 he was on the staff of the Botanic Garden at St. Vincent, West Indies. From 1824-1826 he was botanist on H.M.S. Blonde, a frigate of 46 guns, under Capt . George Anson, Lord Byron. From 1827-1830 he was superintendent of the Ceylon Botanic Garden, and he died in Ceylon in June 1830. The BOnde was detailed to carry to Honolulu the bodies of the young Hawaiian king and queen, Liholiho and Kamamalu. While on a visit to the Court of St. James, they had both contracted measles and died of it. Among the crew were Andrew Bloxam, naturalist, and James Macrae, botanist. Bloxam' s diary has been published, but in it there are but few and insignificant mentions of plants. The Blonde sailed on Sept. 28, 1824 from Spithead, and her route is here stated briefly: Oct. 18-23, Madeira; Nov. 27-Dec. 18, Rio de Janeiro; Dec. 24-Jan. 1, 1825, Santa Catharina, Brasil; Feb. 4-March 5, Valparaiso, where several of the crew and passengers caught small pox and died of it; March 14-17, Callao; March 2 5-April 2, Galapagos Islands; May 3-July 18, Hawaiian Islands; Aug. 1, Starbuck Island; Aug. 8, Mauke Island of the Cook Islands; Sept. 4, passed Juan Fernandez; Sept. 6, Valparaiso; Sept. 29, Talcahuana (Concepcion) , Chili; Oct. 13, Valparaiso: Dec. 5, Coquimbo, Chili; Dec. 29, doubled Cape Horn; Jan. 23-28, 1826, St. Helena; March 15, arrived at Spithead, after a voyage of 17 month, 15 days. Macrae was an industrious plant collector. On May 13, 182 5, with Bloxam, he tramped up Nuuanu Valley, Oahu to the Pali, descended to the Kaneohe lowland, and slept in a hut. On the 14th 307
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