Exchanges and correspondence are constantly maintained between Kew and the numerous botanic gardens which exist in British dependencies. This constant intercommunication is, on the one hand, indispensable to the maintenance and perfection of the Kew collections, on the other hand, it is of great advantage in facilitating the exchange from one garden to another of the vegetable products of different parts of the Empire. I am anxious, however, to see the botanic gardens establish to a greater extent than at present a chain of independent interchanges, which would increase their own usefulness and enormously facilitate the work which is done at Kew. We have attempted, for example, to send plants to Fiji, but with but little success, on account of the great distance. Any particular plant could, however, be established in Ceylon with moderate difficulty; from thence it could be sent to Singapore, and so on to Brisbane and Sydney, and finally to Fiji. At each successive stage, in case of a failure, the difficulty of renewing the attempt would be much smaller than if it were necessary to start afresh from Kew.

I am the more led to make these remarks from having had my attention repeatedly drawn by applications made to Kew from residents in the colonies to the fact that some of the most important functions of a Colonial botanic garden, are often apt to be lost sight of. Such institutions are obviously likely in most cases sooner or later to develop into the pleasure grounds of the towns and cities near which they are situated. But without disparaging their public usefulness in this respect, it is important that their primary function of promoting the botanical interests of their respective colonies should not be forgotten. That there is some risk of this happening I can only assume from the constant applications made direct to Kew for information, seeds, or plants which it is clearly the business of the botanic garden of the applicants' colony either to supply or procure.

This leads to another point. No colonial garden can discharge its functions efficiently if the superintendent does not occasionally make journeys with a view to discovering new and interesting plants for the purpose of interchange with other establishments. But the demands made upon his time often prevent the superintendent attending to this part of his duty, which is so important in keeping up an imperial system of exchange, besides promoting the interest of the garden under his charge, and varying the monotony of a life of unintelligent routine. I am afraid that this is sometimes overlooked by the local governments and managers; one superintendent is tied by meteorological observations, another by growing vegetables for sale. In every case where some obstacle of this kind is allowed to override the legitimate freedom of action of the superintendent, I am convinced the interests of his establishment suffer in a variety of ways, and that the policy is a short-sighted one.

Bengal Cinchona Plantation.—

On the application of the Government of India, Robert Pantling was recommended from the Royal Gar- page 25 dens as a gardener for the Sikkim Cinchona plantations, and has proceeded to Calcutta.

Demerara Botanic Garden.—

The Government of British Guiana have for some time had under consideration the establishment of a botanic garden near the town of Georgetown. I am glad to say that this is now in a fair way of being accomplished. With the permission of the Government of Trinidad, Mr. Prestoe, the Government botanist of that colony, visited British Guiana during the month of September, for the purpose of deciding on a site and furnishing a plan.

Mr. Prestoe writes to me:—The country for miles on the seaboard is one dead level, and this unpleasant feature has been intensified by almost complete denudation in favour of sugar-cane culture. Along the coast the destruction of the 'Cuneda' trees is costing thousands of pounds for artificial breakwaters, to prevent the indefinite encroachment of the sea on the estates. 40,000l. was spent in two years by one company alone for a sea-wall, consisting of hardened mud and bastions, and another large proprietor has spent about 80,000l. in about the same time.

"The dead level operates fatally against the realisation of any design for really beautiful grounds that should, of course, be comprised in in any public gardens, except at enormous expense and prolonged delay, and thus the Guiana gardens will ever be under a great disadvantage. I trust, however, to be able to modify this disadvantage by the formation of a large ornamental lake. The parcel of land available for the gardens, &c. is about 140 acres, and in shape is a parallelogram. Almost the only large trees for miles round are a few Erythrinas, originally planted as an avenue across the ground, and but for these—fortunately a very good and striking feature—the ground is an open flat. The gardens will therefore be a new work in every particular. Extensive drainage works will, of course, be necessary, and the authorities are even prepared to effect it by steampump, if found necessary.

"The Lamaba fresh water canal (of 21 miles length) bounds the future gardens on the north side at an elevation of 4 or 5 feet, so that there will be a ready water supply for dry weather, which is sometimes excessively severe.

"In the design for the garden I intend to make provision for the cultivation of native timber and other economic trees as one of the most important features, with the double effect of familiarising colonists with the features and uses of the components of their vast forests, and furnishing material for study in connexion with forest conservancy, and especially to meet the great requirement of reafforesting the immense tracts of seaboard lands which have been and still are being abandoned for sugar cultivation."

Jamaica.—

Mr. Robert Thompson, Superintendent of the Botanic Gardens (in charge of the Cinchona plantations), has retired upon pension. The botanical establishments in the island are likely to be reorganised, with a view to making them more useful, and so opening up new industries. There seems no reason why the West Indies should not enter upon a new course of prosperity if they would endeavour to grow fruits and vegetables commanding a comparatively high price in the United States, instead of staple commodities like sugar, which there appears to be great difficulty in making remunerative.

Singapore.—

I regret to have to record the sudden death of G. Smith, whose appointment from the page 26 Royal Gardens as assistant to the Superintendent of the Botanic Gardens, Singapore, was noted in the last Report (p. 21).