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CHAT. XI. NEW AND BEAUTIFUL PLANTS. 307 up or down the most difficult places, it required at times, during this part of the journey, the whole eight bearers to keep the palanquin upright, and to prevent the 'whole of us from being precipitated down the steep declivity before us, or over the precipice on our side. I had walked over two hollows, had ascended and descended two of the highest ridges we had passed during the day, and had seen much that was new amongst the vegetable produc tions of the country. There were, however, only few orchids, but amongst them was an angrsecum new to me, with bright yellow flowers. I obtained one or two specimens, which I gave to a young chief, who considerately offered to carry them for me; but when we reached the end of the journey I found that, deeming them of no particular value, he had thrown them away on the road. I saw a number of ferns and lyco podiums in the hollows, but only obtained one or two fronds of a species somewhat resembling Adiantum trapeziforme. I noticed some beautiful small variegated plants growing in the damp places at the roots of the forest trees, bearing claret- coloured leaves, veined with gold, like those of echites, though the plant was not shrubby. As we arrived at our halting-place rather early, and the weather was fair, I could not refrain from going into the adja cent dells in search of plants. A species of justicia covered much of the ground, which greatly resembled one of the kinds cultivated in England, though the flower was scarcely so good. The only rarities I met with was a new lycopodium, some what resembling L. umbromm, but larger, and a pretty creeping fern. In passing over a part of the country, where the gigantic heath was abundant, I observed before me a large heap, as much as one or two cart loads, of withered branches lying in the middle of the way, and I noticed that each of the bearers, as he approached the place, plucked a large branch, or pulled