Page:Journal of botany, British and foreign, Volume 9 (1871).djvu/348

 320 BOTANICAL NEWS.

best known from his connection with the Eoynl Botanic Society. When this was founded in 1839 Mr. Sowerby was appointed secretary, and he held the office till within a year or two of his death. He strove to render the Gardens usefvd as well as attractive; and teachers of botany in the medical schools of London have good reason to be orateful to him for the attention he paid to their wants, the main snpply of illustiative specimens being derived from the Eegent's Park Gardens. Mr. Sowerby inherited his father's artistic skill, and it is to his pencil that we owe most of the plates of the ' Supplement to English Botany.' He also wrote a few of the descriptions in vols. i. and ii. When this Avas commenced in 1829, Mr. Sowerby was connected with his brother, Mr. C. E. Sowerby, in the proprietorship. The death of the latter in IS-tS brought the third volume to a premature close, but in conjunction with the late Mr. .7. W. Salter, Mr. Sowerby brought out volume iv. and a fragment (six numbers) of volume v., the last part of which appeared so recently as June, 18G5. The original drawings of all these plates, with the exception of those of the fifth volume, were in 1862 secured for the Botanical Department of the Britisii Museum, which already possessed the drawings made for the original edition of ' English Botany,' by James Sowerby.

A great desideratum is shortly to be supplied. Considerable progress has, we hear, been made in the printing of a second edition of Pritzel's indispensable 'Thesaurus Literaturae Botanicse,' now twenty years old.

The vacancjf in the Botanical Department of the Britisii Museum, caused by the promotion of Mr. Carruthers, has been filled by the ap- pointment of Mr. James Britten, late assistant in the Royal Herbarium, Kew.

We direct our readers' attention to the ' Herbier de la Flore Francaise,' by MM. Cusin and Aiisberque, a magnificent work, illustrated with folio plates by a process of nature-printing. Seven volumes are printed, and it is expected that thirteen more will be required to complete the book. Mr. Hardwicke, 192, Piccadilly, the agent in this country, has copies of the published volumes, and will take subscribers' names.

Dr. Bretschneider, Physician to the Russian Legation at Pekin, has reprinted as a separate pamphlet his papers in the ' Christian Recorder ' (a missionary journal) " On the Study and A^alue of Chinese Botanical Works." Though the author modestly says that he is neitlier a botanist nor a sinologue, his papers contain much valuable material for a history of the officinal and economic plants of China. The pamphlet is illustrated with facsimiles of eight rough but characteristic Cliinese woodcuts from the Chi-wu-miug-shi-tii-kao, the most recent Chinese botanical treatise; a list of sixty-one books on the subject is added.

The garden of the Royal Horticultural Society at Ciiiswick, which it was feared would have to be entirely given iip on the expiration of the lease, is to be maintained, though in a much contracted form. Only about one-third of the grounds are retained, including all the fruit-houses; the fine Arboretum, including many probably almost unique trees, and the wilderness have been given up. The portion now retained will no doubt be more satisfactorily kept up, the whole garden being beyond the Society's powers of support.

Communications have been received from: — W. Carruthers, J. Renny, Dr. Braithwaite, Rev. E. B. Penfold, S. Kiu'z, W. Sowerby, J. Britten, Professor Thiselton Dyer, J. Bagnall, Rev. H. N. EUaconibe, Hon. J. L. Warren, etc.

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