190 NOTICES OF BOOKS. 
viz..—I. The Antarctic Frora. II. The Fiona or NEW Zza- 
LAND. III. The FLora or Van DiemMen’s LAND, or the Tas- 
MANIAN FLORA. The first portion was completed in a surprisingly 
short space of time, considering the care and pains bestowed upon 
it and the number of new plants, in 2 vols. 4to, with 198 plates, and 
a map of the Polar regions. The second portion has been delayed in 
consequence of the author’s mission to Eastern Himalaya, but it is now 
commenced with great spirit; and when we think of the rapidly in- 
creasing population of our colony of New Zealand, and that there is no 
distinct work giving any account of the vegetable products of a British 
territory extending through thirteen degrees of longitude (and, alas! 
the same may be said of all our colonies—there is no “ Flora” of any 
one of them!) it must be conceded that such a work has been a great 
desideratum ; and it is intended for the settler as well as for the pro- 
fessed botanist. It is accompanied by admirable plates (coloured or 
uncoloured), and the author dwells much on the useful properties of 
the New Zealand plants. The Cowdie, or New Zealand Pine, for 
example, is pre-eminent among timbers in the construction of masts for 
the navy; and the consumption of New Zealand Flax is very great. 
The present Part, occupying eighty pages, extends as far as Suxifrageæ. 
Of the plates, twenty in number, we need say no more than that they 
are in Mr. Fitch’s best style. 
Wieut: Icones Plantarum Indie Orientalis. 4 thick 4to volumes, and 
1 Fase. of Vol. V. 1762 plates. Madras. 
In 1840, in the second volume of the < Journal of Botany,’ p. 175, 
we noticed the first five numbers of this work, and at the same time 
detailed at length the great difficulties attending the preparing the 
plates, and especially lithographing them in India. We then said, “It 
is no small merit of this work, that the labour of printing the greater 
proportion of these plates has been undertaken by Dr. Wight himself. 
These plates are really excellent, especially those of the latter numbers.” 
Excellent indeed they were, but far inferior to those that have since 
appeared ; in fact, those in the last two vols. may claim to rank along 
with those put forth by most European artists; and when we consider 
their extreme cheapness (about 214. for each quarto plate is their price 
in India), we know not any work that can vie with it in execution. 
