66 Botanical Society of Edinburgh. ** It was a delightful change of climate we made in six days' sail from Britain, landing on a quay here, with a border in which bananas were nourishing, with lofty bushes of heliotrope covered with blossoms, and geraniums in full flower ; an avenue of young Phytolacca dioica, and other symptoms of a warm climate. The first crop of peas we find is over, beans are now in perfection, strawberries in fruit, sweet roses in blossom. The wild plants are coming forward rapidly ; the limestone hills are covered with the beautiful 7m Sisyrinchium and sambucina, though the latter is not so abundant ; Ophrys vespifera or lutea, arachnites and Orchis morio, several Antirrhinums, Cistuses, the delicate Ulex australis, several Rutas, Cerinthe aspera, or a variety with purple blossoms striped with white (that I got in Italy and Greece was tinged with yellow) ; several species of Calendula ; Bellis annua, sylvestris and perennis, the last the least common ; the beautiful Narcissus Bulbocodium, Ornithogalum wmbellatum, Vinca major in great profusion and beauty ; Cynoglossum, Lupinus, Illecebrum Paronychia, Arum Arisarum and maculatum (or one which comes very near it), Aristolochia longa, Asphodelus ramosus and fistulosus, Owalis tuberosus and corniculatus. Genista triacanthos, Anemone ranuncu-hides, and many other plants are now in perfection, as is the deli-cate annual fern, Gymnogramma leptophylla. In the hedges, Rubus fruticosus, Smilax nigra and aspera are abundant, the two latter in fruit ; Ficaria ranunculoides is very large ; Urtica membranacea and urens, both abundant. I have not observed any other species of this genus. One of the most showy plants in the gardens at present is Ant holy za cethiopica, which grows in large beds in damp shady situ-ations; Calla cethiopica is also in great abundance and very fine. Palms, bamboos, Dracana Draco, and other tropical plants, also flourish in the open air." In a subsequent letter to Dr. Neill, Mr. Trevelyan gives a full list of the plants in flower on 28th March. In this letter Mr. Trevelyan writes — "The Cynomorium coccineum, formerly known in medicine under the name of fungus melitensis, is a very common plant, very showy, and in great abundance on the roots of the shrubby Cistus. I hear that a company has been formed in Spain for the cultivation of the sugar-cane. Many things might be cultivated, were it not for the indolence and unenterprising nature of the people. No railroad has been commenced or determined on, and scarcely any improve-ments are going on in the country." 3. Dr. Balfour read a letter which he had received from Dr. Cleg-horn, a Fellow of the Society, dated Teerthully, 27th March, in which he states that since the end of October he had made a tour through the north-western division of Mysore, and collected a great number of interesting plants, especially in the western Ghats. Coloured drawings of most of them had been executed by a native (Mahratta) draughtsman who accompanied him. Specimens of many of the plants he purposes to send to the herbarium of the University of Edinburgh under the charge of the Botanical Society. 4. Dr. Balfour also read a letter from Dr. H. Giraud, also an ac-tive member of the Society, dated Bombay, 26th February. In this
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