objca of fouling a colledor to North-Weft America. Many of the trees in that countr>- are reftrifted to
narrow limits; and it was thought probable that in the vaft unexplored countr}- Ijnng weft of the Rocky
Mountains many important difcoveries remained to be made. 11 ow juft thefe expectations were, was fliewn
afterwards by the difcoveries actually made by Jeffrey, by thofe of Murray, Beardfley, Lobb, Bridges,
Peebles, Parry, and other explorera The chief movers in effablifliing the Society were the late good
Lord Murray, Sir William Gibfon-Craig, and Mr George Patton of the Cairnics; and by their perfonal
mflucnce a body of fubfcrihers, about 350 in number, in a few months joined it. Of thefe many were from
England (among others II.R.H, the Prince Confort), but moft of them were landed proprietors in Scotland,
The funds fubfcribed by thefe gentlemen enabled them to fend out a colledor, and to keep him in
NortlvWefl America for tliree years. Their object was felt to be of that liberal and patriotic nature,
that fpccial facilities were extcndeil to them by various departments of Government, by the Hudfon's Bay
Company, and every public body with whom they came in contac5l
The Committee appointed as their colleÛor Mr John Jeffrey, a young gardener from Fifefhire, Iwrn,
we bclic\'c, on the eftate of Lochore, the maternal patrimony of the late Sir \\ alter Scott, and then employed
in the lùlinburgh Royal Botanic Garden, He had attracted the attention of Profeffor Balfour and Mr
Macnab, as well as of fome of the members of Committee who were in the habit of frequenting the garden,
by his zeal and intelligence, and had carried off the prixe offered to praclical gardeners for the beft collection
of dried plants made in the neighbouriiood of Edinburgh, Mr Jeffrey was apjiointed in the fpring of
1850, and left England in June of that year in one of the Hudfon's Bay Company's vcffels, bound for York
Factor)-, in Hudfon's Bay. On his arrival there he accompanied the Company's defpatch brigade, which
was then wont every year to crofs the continent in winter, and proved that he poffeffed at lealt one important
requifite of a collector, by the readinefs with which he bore, nay enjoyed, the hazards, the labours, and expofures
of this winter journey,' By this energetic courfe Mr Jeffrey fa\-cd a feafon. He was on his groun<l
in the fpring of 1851, iind for the whole of that year he devoted himfclf zealoufly to exploring and collecting.
Among the coniferous produce of his collections were Pimis Bank/iana, P. flexilis, Abies Pattoniana, A.
Dmiglajii, A. Menzicjii, and Picea lajiocarpa, befides many other interefting {)Iants,
In his fécond year, Jeffrey went further fouth, and fent home fupplics of feeds of Picea nobilis and P.
amahilis (Lambert's P. grandis), Pinus iuberculafa and P. coniorta: and, befides the very interefting P.
Balfouriana and Thuja Craigana, he then difcovere<I the fpecies of pine which wc arc now defcribing, which
was named by the Affociation after him, in recognition of his fen'ices. His collections in the fécond year, however,
fcarcely kept pace with thofe of the firft year; and in the third year a ver>' marked falling-off in the confignments,
accompanied by a total ceffation of correfpondence, led to his engagement being brought to a termination.
What became of Jeffrey afterwards is not known. He was laft heard of at San Fnmcifco, where, it
was faid, he had joined an .•\mcrican expedition to explore the (rila and Colorado. His fate will probably
ever remain a m\-fter)\ Had he ftill furvived, fome token of his exiftcnce mufl furely have reached his friends
in this country, or thofe who had previoufly met with him in his three years' explorations in Oregon, The
Hudfon's Bay Company's officers had been fo pleafed with him during the time he fpent in their territories,
that they were anxious to fecure his fervices after the Affociation had brought their engagement widi
him to a clofe ; and we believe they took fome trouble to find him out for that purpofe, but without fuccefs.
It has been surmifed that he had become enamoured of the life of the trapper, or " mountain boy," and had
probably loft his life at an early period in fome of the perils incidental to that adventurous occupation. Be
that as it may, the name of the prefent fpecies will foon be all that remains to call to mind his exiftence and
Ihort career,
Culture.—It is perfectly hardy, and alrc.adya confiderable number of young plants, raifed from the feeds
font by Jeffrey and from fubfequent iinportations, is to be found in this country.
Commercial Sfatiflics.—Price in 1855 for one-year feed lings 9s,, and for two-years, ijs, cach. In
1863, plants from 4 to 6 inches, 3s, 6d,; 12 to 18 inches, 7s. 6<L ; and 18 to 24 inches, los, 6d. each.
B B aaroe