From Charles Pickering1   9 January 1850

Metia, or Aurora Island. being elevated, its Flora is not restricted to those few plants, which everywhere in the Pacific occupy the low coral islands.— Metia, has the same plants as the neighbouring island of Taheiti.

I have not at hand the specimens collected at Metia— And the following list is transcribed from my Journal, written up a few weeks after our visit, in September, 1839.

The plants marked “(bis)” had been observed on the low coral islands, prior to our arrival at Metia

C. P. 2

I observe now on reviewing the above List, that the Coral-island and other maritime and submaritime plants being excepted, the remainder are nearly all introduced plants—brought by the natives either accidentally, or for the purposes of cultivation.3

C. P. Boston, Jan. 9th. 1850.

1
Pickering was chief zoologist of the United States Exploring Expedition (1838–42) under the command of Charles Wilkes. The list was evidently sent to CD at James Dwight Dana’s request, see letter to J. D. Dana, 5 December [1849].
2
The signature is followed by a list of seventy-three species of plants. Ten species are marked ‘(bis)’.
3
The final paragraph follows the list. CD referred to this letter in letter to J. D. Dana, 24 February [1850].

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-1289,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-1289