More than a century ago Kaempfer and Thunberg made known to botanists the existence in Japan and China of the beautiful Azalea indica, which had been cultivated there in gardens for many years and was represented by numerous varieties, twenty-one being enumerated by Kaempfer. Mr. W. Anderson, curator of the Chelsea Botanic Garden, obtained a plant in August, 1810, from China, the only one of several that were sent in the same ship, all the others having died on the voyage, the passage being greatly prolonged owing to the stormy weather experienced when rounding the Cape of Good Hope; an example of the difficulty attending the introduction of plants when only sailing vessels were at command. Mr. Anderson appears to have been successful in the culture and propagation of this plant, as several years later he described his practice in the Transactions of the London Horticultural Society. Then, and for a long time afterwards, however, Azalea indica was only increased by layers, a method also employed for some years in raising stocks when grafting was adopted.

According to the second edition of Aiton's "Hortus Kewensis," the first plants were introduced by the Directors of the East India Company two years before this, but I have found no other mention of the circumstance.

Plants increased in numbers but slowly, and writing in 1812, Dr. John Sims in describing the first one figured in the "Botanical Magazine," plate 1480, said; "This is a very rare plant which has been anxiously sought for by cultivators of curious and scarce exotics. We believe there are not above three or four individuals of it in the country, and of these only the one in the collection of James Vere, Esq., from which our drawing was taken, has as yet flowered." The gardener to the gentleman named, who resided at Kensington Gore, Mr. D. Blake, grew the plant very successfully, and was one of the first who forced the Azalea, for on February 16th, 1819, a specimen was exhibited at one of the London Horticultural Society's meetings "upwards of six feet high and in full bloom." The variety figured had one medium sized single deep red flower, giving a very poor idea of the attractions that were to be afterwards developed.

In 1819 two other varieties were introduced from China, by Barr & Brookes, nurserymen at Balls Pond, through his collector, Mr. Poole, one known as purpurea plena, the other as indica alba, both considered valuable additions at that time, and which may be still found in some collections. In the following ten years several other forms were introduced, some being described as species, but all closely allied to A. indica, such as aurantiaca in 1822, phoenicea and variegata in 1824; lateritia was introduced about the same time by a Mr. Mc-Kelligan, and in 1830 Danielsiana, with others, was brought over by Capt. Daniels to Mr. Tate of Sloane street, Chelsea. - Abridged from Journal of Horticiclture.