Notes on the Cape of Good Hope, by a Bengali. Calcutta, 1847.

THE author of these "Notes" seems to be " a man of incredible facility, facile action, facile elocution, facile thought." He has a word and an ear for every one-and a "jot" for every object painted upon the " optical retina" of his body and mind. In his work there is much useful truth, but not without an intermixture of error. He seems to have fallen in with a certain clique at the Cape-and as is generally the case, to have imbibed their prejudices, spoken their language and adopted their system. His antipathy to vital religion, and to earnest, right-minded, laborious, religious men, is unmistakeable. In spite, however, of these blemishes, we must do our author the justice of commending his Notes" to the attentive consideration of that portion of the Indian community, who are about to seek renovation of health and spirits in a country, "the

climate of which, though sometimes from the rapidity of its changes trying and disagreeable, is upon the whole exceedingly equable. The thermometer never in the hottest weather, in the vicinity of Cape Town, rises above 76° or 80°, and the sun is never too hot for expo'sure" (we would qualify this assertion by adding, 'with an umbrella;') "while in the winter months there is no frost, and the rain never overwhelming or constant." He says truly, "that the Cape climate appears good (particularly good, we should say,) for DYSPEPTIC complaints, fever, and hepatitis, but bad for complaints of the lungs.' Here we would warn any Indian with a tendency, even incipient, to a pulmonary affection, on no account to try the Cape. rarity of the air, and sudden changes of temperature,' rapidly hasten the disease to a fatal termination. We have no hesitation in saying that the author's appendix is invaluable. For a married family, and a few children, from £300 to £350 per annum, should cover every expense incurred by house-keeping, servants, and an equipage: a bachelor can live well, and keep his horse for £15 to £20 per mensem.

• The

The author gives a graphic description of the Cape Dutch Farmer. They are a remarkably fine, handsome, almost gigantic race: 'with Saxon features, and perhaps rather too high shoulders for complete symmetry. They are universally stout, lusty, hale men, with whom it is evident that constant exposure to the open air, animal food, and a bracing, clear, equable climate, agree well. They are exceedingly keen and over-reaching in their bargains, and careful of their gains; but, as 70 years ago, so they are still satisfied, if not pleased, with a dull monotonous life, and have no taste whatever for intellectual pleasure, and mental improvements. They display the apathy of their European progenitors without their industry When addressing you, the Cape Dutchman invariably straddles his legs, and sticks his thumbs into the arms of his waistcoat. He never gesticulates." But, if the male animal

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never gesticulates, the female can do so with right good will-and we have seen instances, in which, in loudness of tone, depth of expression, and vigour of action, the Dutch farmeress equalled, if not surpassed, the Bengali of the bazar. "The Dutch farmer's dress is very uniform, leather trowsers, called crackers," a straw hat

with a green veil (for the sand-flies across the sands,) and a low round drab duffle jacket with coarse ill-shaped brogues, and no stockings." The author of these notes seems to have very qualified friendly feelings for Missions and Missionary work. He says that the Moravians alone " appear to cultivate mechanical labours and home manufactures. This sect alone teaches its proselytes the useful arts. The Wesleyan mission has however done much good, and is besides unpretending. There is just now a French Protestant Mission under a M. Arboussy, of whose labours report speaks highly." Well so far but alas, "The London Dissenting" Missionary Societya sect styling themselves Independents, has no claim whatever upon his sympathy; it positively exasperates his Indian bile. A Society which for years struggled hard with despotism and colonial mismanagement, and at length triumphed in a signal manner,-a Society which put forth all its strength to burst the shackles of the slave and to give him the right of the freeman, and had the delight of seeing its exertions crowned with complete success,-a Society where pastor talked, and wrote and argued and acted, on behalf of his oppressed and calumniated fellow-men-who felt that it was not an abuse of his spiritual duties and pursuits to make dauntless and unsparing war upon a system so diametrically opposed to all that is generally held to be good and true, and who was abundantly blessed in his deeds. This is the Society, this is the man, the noble, the truehearted man, whose names stand any thing but high upon the roll of our author. We ourselves can bear testimony to the great amount of good achieved by the Missionaries of various denominations in the Cape Colony, to the holiness and activity of the men engaged in the glorious work of evangelizing the heathen;-to their freedom from political bias and party prejudice-to their earnest desire to elevate the inhabitants of the land in every way,—aye, and not only to inculcate but practically to enforce the scripture mandate-that" if any do not work neither shall he eat." But we must not exceed our limits-and we close these brief remarks with heartily thanking the author for the large amount of useful information which he has communicated to the Indian public.

The New Indian Gardener, and Guide to the Successful Culture of the Kitchen and Fruit Garden. By G. T. F. S. Barlow Speede, M. A. and H. S.

A REALLY good work upon the delightful art of horticulture setting forth the practice most suitable to the climate of India, has long been

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a desideratum in our local literature; and, without intending any disparagement of Mr. Barlow Speede's labours, we fear that it is likely long to continue so. The progress of gardening, like that of all other practical and experimental arts, is dependent upon the accumulated experience of many observers, and is necessarily slow. But this consideration should in no wise discourage us when we have, in the great improvement of our market vegetables within the last twenty years, the evidence of the great things which care and skill have effected already, and a reasonable ground of assurance that similar efforts will be crowned with equal rewards henceforward.

Mr. Speede's work commences with an introductory chapter upon the structure of plants, and the functions of their various organs; an extensive and deeply interesting subject, with which it is desirable that every horticulturist should be more or less familiar, but one which can scarcely be handled with advantage in the few pages devoted to it by the author. What little he has said, however, is so superficial, and abounds in so much that is obsolete or erroneous, that we cannot refrain from wishing that Mr. Speede had eschewed the matter altogether. A very little reading and a very little care would, no doubt, have enabled him to avoid many of the errors into which he has fallen; but these have been but too evidently wanting, as a cursory glance at the theoretical part of his work will sufficiently testify. Thus, in describing the process of germination (page 6), he speaks of the connection of the young plant with the cotyledons, of the ascent of the latter, their change of hue, and other properties, as if this were the process of germination and growth common to all vegetable forms, instead of being that of one only of the three great primary groups, the dicotyledons. Again, in speaking of the roots of plants, Mr. S. observes, "although their formation is involved in obscurity, it is apparent that it arises from the elaboration of organisable matter by the leaves, and it is clear that their formation is promoted by the descending sap; whence if a ring of bark be removed from a branch, and the wound be wrapped round with wet clay, moss, or tow, as in Chinese grafting, the roots will invariably be projected from the upper lip of the wound;" and, in describing the trunks or stems of plants, he states that "when fully formed the stem of every plant comprises the following parts: 1. Wood, the older part called the heart wood, and the newer the alburnum; 2. Bark, the inner part being called liber; 3. Pith, the centre channel conveying the ascending sap; 4. Medullary rays, connecting this last with the bark or rind, and keeping up a communication between the centre and the circumference of the stem." Now, passing over Mr. Speede's notions of the functions of the pith and of the medullary rays, these re marks, so far from being applicable to plants generally, hold good only with regard to the exogenous class, as every tyro in botany should know, and are therefore eminently calculated to mislead the uninstructed reader.

In treating of the properties of leaves, Mr. Speede is at some pains to show how their subservience to the perspiration of plants may be established by experiment, and slightly touches upon their faculty of decomposing carbonic acid when exposed to the sun's rays; but to their grand function of absorbing carbon from the atmosphere, and of supplying from that source the whole of this essential element to the growing plant, Mr. Speede makes no allusion whatever. Indeed it is sufficiently apparent that he is himself wholly misinformed upon the subject; for he speaks (page 40) of the supply of carbon being derived from humin absorbed by the roots; a theory which will be seen to be quite untenable when we reflect that the most luxuriant vegetation is often seen on soils nearly or altogether destitute of humin, as on the alluvial deposits of the Ganges, or on newly cultivated volcanic soils; and that all soils instead of diminishing, go on augmenting their stock of humin, from the growth and decay of the vegetation they support, as in the great forests of America and elsewhere.

Passing on to the more practical parts of Mr. Speede's work, we come to his chapter upon manures and soils. In connection with this subject Mr. Speede had an excellent opportunity of diffusing some knowledge of the admirable modern researches which have thrown so much light upon a most interesting department of vegetable physiology. But here too, there is such evidence of haste and superficial information, that we cannot help again regretting that Mr. Speede has meddled with the subject at all. He is obviously ignorant of the laws which, as recent investigations have rendered all but certain, govern the nutrition of plants, and is unable to explain on any scientific ground why such a manure is indispensable for one plant, why unnecessary for another; but affirms, without knowing why, that decaying vegetable matter is good as containing much humin; fish, as abounding in gelatine; bones, because of their lime and oil; forgetting with regard to the last, that it is the phosphate of lime that constitutes their characteristic value as a manure! But enough upon this head. Speaking of the rotation of crops, Mr. Speede observes that there are few points in horticulture less thought of in this country, although none are more worthy of consideration. "It is well known," says he," that plants like animals do not appropriate all the food they take, but having the fit organs for separating what they find necessary, that which is useless is rejected; it is further known that besides the water and gases thrown off by the leaves, the roots also eject a sort of excremental slime, differing according to the various plants, but always injurious to those of a similar kind following on any ground; at the same time that the peculiar nutriment required for a particular plant must be weakened by the absorption of this refuse of the plant preceding it. Thus the slime of cabbages will injure cabbages, though harmless to peas, and in like manner with all others."-(Page 54.)

This specious theory, the invention we believe of De Candolle, will not stand the test of investigation. In the first place, the excre

tions of plants bear no analogy whatever to the rejections of animals; did they so, the excreting plant would be the first to suffer, and that in a much greater degree than its successor, as being in more intimate contact with the pernicious matter. But in the next place, the substance thus ejected must soon become completely decomposed and resolved into humin and other products of vegetable decay, and (were these indeed the food of plants) be thus rendered as suitable aliment as ever for the succeeding crop. But surely it is a much simpler and more obvious conclusion that one class of plants abstracts from the soil so much of some peculiar element essential from their nutriment as to leave insufficient for the sustenance of succeeding plants having the same appetites, though there may still be left ample for another class to which the element in question is less essential. And this, indeed, is found by experimental enquiry to be the true solution of the question. Hence crops making different demands upon the alimentary qualities of the soil alternate with each other advantageously, and the soil itself is exalted to recover its wasted energies in the interval. The investigation of this subject-what each plant demands, and what the soil is in a condition to give-forms the beginning and the end of Agricultural Chemistry, and great is the light already thrown upon it by the brilliant researches of Davy, Liebig, and their numerous disciples who have made this department of science a special pursuit.

As the necessity for a rotation of crops is thus founded upon the removal of some essential ingredient from the soil, it follows that in a well manured garden the practice should be unnecessary. And such, generally speaking, is the fertility of our gardens in this country, that this is really the case. When it is otherwise there will generally be found a deficiency of alkalies and phosphates, both of which may be supplied by the wood ashes of our cook-rooms; a manure the value of which is imperfectly understood, but may be inferred from the consideration that it contains, in varying proportions, all those earthy and alkaline constituents which vegetables derive from the soil, and by the removal of which the latter becomes exhausted; and that the restoration of these should restore also the original fertility of the soil. We trust that Mr. Speede will make himself familiar with this important subject, and in a future edition of his work substitute for the present flimsy and superficial sketch, a concise and luminous summary of what science has achieved for it.

The next forty or fifty pages of Mr. Speede's work are filled with a somewhat superfluous account of the various mechanical operations of digging, levelling, ridging, raking, scraping, weeding, sweeping, rolling, and so forth, with lithographic sketches of the instruments employed. Then follows a rather formidable catalogue of the animals noxious to the garden. Under the head janwur, are enumerated the hare, the fox, the jackal, the rat, the mouse, the musk-rat, the wild cat (surely this is not a graminivorous animal and might be encouraged as an antagonist to the rats and mice), the wild hog, and the