The Gulf Stream

NOTWITHSTANDING the mistakes in the botanic names in Mr. Groom's letter, forwarded to you by Mr. Gray, there is no difficulty in identifying the leguminous seeds alluded to. There are several different kinds which are certainly brought by the Gulf Stream from the West Indian Islands, and the countries round the Gulf of Mexico, as the plants producing them are common in Jamaica, Honduras, Guiana, &c. They comprise the horse-eye bean (Mucuna urens), the sword-bean (Entada gigalobiuni), the Mimosa scandens, Linn., E. Pursœtha (M. scandens, Roxb.), and the antidote cacoon (Feuillea scandens). They are sometimes drifted on shore in the seed-pod, but usually the seed alone.