BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 293 
the Sth Volume, are prepared, and the descriptions in the 
press ; so that that part may shortly be expected. 
De Canpozze’s Prodromus, Vol. IX. 
The publication of this important work, so long interrupted 
by the illness and lamented death of the elder De Candolle, 
is now proceeding under the direction of his son with great 
regularity. The arrival in the country of the 8th vol. was 
announced in our number for May of last year, and since 
then (February of the present year) the ninth volume has 
also reached us. From the forward state of the manuscript 
of some of the rest, and the assistance secured by Pro- 
fessor Alphonse De Candolle for several remaining Orders 
of plants, we may confidently expect the appearance of at 
least one volume in every year, and thus, ere long, we may 
hope to see completed this the first general “SPECIES 
PLANTARUM” undertaken according to the natural system. 
The parts recently published, with all the merits of ar- 
rangement and completeness as to species and references 
given to the preceding ones by the methodical mind and the 
excellent mechanical arrangements of the elder De Candolle, 
show also a continuation of that gradual improvement in 
scientific detail which may be traced from the first to the latter 
volumes. When the work was originally commenced, it was 
merely intended as a brief summary of the known species, for 
the purpose of facilitating their arrangement in the natural 
series; whilst detailed descriptions and synonyms were re- 
served for a Systema Vegetabilium on a larger scale which the 
author had commenced ; and generalobservations on points 
of structure, affinity, &c., were intended to be published in 
a series of detached memoirs. But as he gradually found 
himself obliged to relinquish the hope of continuing the larger 
work, he devoted more time and space to the Prodromus; 
and becoming gradually aware that the efforts of a single 
man could make but slow progress in the elucidation of the 
total number of plants known, (now above 100,000 species), 
he accepted the offers of several friends to undertake 
