20 Mr. Brown, on the Proteaceae of Jussieu. 
Dr. Smith, in the 4th vol. of the Society’s Transactions, and 
others are in the present paper submitted to the consideration of 
botanists. : 
The general description and definition of the order will be most 
advantageously placed at the head of its systematic arrange- 
ment; before entering upon which, I shall offer some remarks 
on its geographical distribution, and likewise on such modi- 
fications of structure in the different organs as appear to be of 
the greatest importance in indicating or characterizing genera. 
. The geography of plants being as yet in its infancy, the 
smallest addition to our knowledge of a subject which promises 
to become of considerable importance, will probably be received 
with indulgence; and in this persuasion I venture to make the 
following observations on the order before us. In the first place, 
it is remarkable that the PRorEACEZ are almost entirely confined 
to the southern hemisphere. This observation originated with 
Mr. Dryander, and the few exceptions hitherto known to it, 
occur considerably within the tropic. "The fact is the more de- 
serving of notice, as their diffusion is very extensive in the 
southern hemisphere, not merely in latitude and longitude, but 
also in elevation; for they are not only found to exist in all the 
great southern continents, but seem to be generally, though very 
unequally, spread over their different regions: they have been 
observed also in the larger islands of New Zealand and New 
Caledonia; but hitherto neither in any of the lesser ones, nor in 
Madagascar. As in America, they have been found in Terra del 
Fuego, in Chili, Perü, and even Guiana, it is reasonable to 
conclude that the intermediate regions are not entirely destitute 
of them. But with respect to this continent, it may be observed, 
that the number of species seems to be com paratively small, their 
organization but little varied; and further, that they have a 
is much 
