Page:Journal of botany, British and foreign, Volume 34 (1896).djvu/45

 Rh , and his philosophic views of the affinities of plants, he did more than any one else to improve and establish the natural system of plants. He was painfully careful for accuracy in all his work. It was pointed out by a reviewer, who knew more of the language than the substance of the work, that some inaccuracies in the Latinity were to be found in the volume. This led Brown to withdraw the volume after only a very few copies had been sold. He carefully corrected the called-in copies, neatly scraping out and correcting the very trifling errors. Henceforth copies of the Prodromus could be had only as a gift from the author; but in Germany two reprints were issued to meet the foreign demand for the work. The manuscripts of this great work and of the portion never published are preserved in the Library of the Botanical Department of the British Museum. The Prodromus and some of his separate memoirs led Humboldt to bestow on Brown the title, which has been universally accepted, of "Botanicorum facile princeps, Britanniarum gloria et ornamentum."

I cannot, in this place, ask you to listen to a review of the life work of Robert Brown. His published works laid the foundation for subsequent workers. His investigations into the minute anatomy and physiology of the flower, his elaborate expositions of remarkable plants, his scientific bases for the classification of Mosses, Ferns, Grasses, and other groups of plants, and his lucid treatment of the geographical distribution of plants, indicate some of the important directions in which he advanced the science of Botany.

In 1811 Mr. Brown was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. Sir Joseph Banks bequeathed his herbarium and library to the British Museum, but reserved to Mr. Brown the free use of both as long as he lived. Mr. Brown, after negotiations with the Trustees, transferred in 1827 the collections to them, and was appointed Keeper. He was President of the Linnean Society from 1849 till 1853; was a Fellow of the principal scientific societies of the world, and had the degree of D.C.L. conferred on him by the University of Oxford.

PLANTS OF WEST GLOUCESTER AND MONMOUTH.

the past season a few more species not recorded from v.-c. 34 and 35 have been found in the Wye Valley district, as well as some interesting varieties and hybrids. Several of these were discovered by the Rev. E. S. Marshall during a short visit here in June last. The Rubi have been submitted to the Rev. W. Moyle Rogers, and the Willows to the Rev. E. F. Linton.

Ranunculus triphyllus (Hiern). 35. Broadwell, near Chepstow. — R. radians Revel. 34. Ponds, Tidenham. — R. acris L., var. Boræanus (Jord.). 34. Tuttshill and Woolaston.

Polygala oxyptera Reich. 34. Brookweir, Marshall.