Linncean Society. 223 



The first eight books of this work now published treat of lines si- 

 tuated in the same plane. The second Part, as announced by the 

 author, will contain the geometry of planes and solids ; with an Ap- 

 pendix, and Notes on the Symmetrical Polyedrons of Legendre. 



XXXVII. Proceedings of Learned Societies. 



LINN^EAN SOCIETY. 



Feb. 5. — T> EAD some account of the Botany of the provinces lately 

 AV ceded by the Burmese to the Honourable the East India 

 Company ; with a description of two new genera of plants : in a letter 

 to H.T. Colebrooke, Esq., F.R.S. & L.S. &c. By Nathaniel Wallich, 

 M.D.F.L.S. F.RS. E. &c. Superintendent of the Botanic Garden at 

 Calcutta. The author states that his botanical treasures are most ex- 

 tensive 3 the number of species having long ago surpassed 2000; and 

 that he has never seen any vegetable production equal to his Am- 

 herstia nobilis when in full bloom. It surpasses all the Indian plants. 



Amherstia. Diadelphia Decandria — Nat. Ord. Leguminosse. The 

 flowers of this splendid tree are disposed in pyramidal pendulous clus- 

 ters 2 feet long, and 10 inches broad at the base. Leaves \\ foot 

 long, with 8 or 10 pair of oblong pointed pinnae, which are from 8 

 to 10 inches long, and of a peculiarly delicate glaucous hue. The 

 racemes are scarlet. The petals are furnished at the apex with a 

 broad yellow spot, having a tubular calyx : and the genus is evidently 

 allied to Heterostemon of Desfontaines. 



Dr. Wallich has at length found the Varnish-tree of the Burmese, 

 which he constitutes a new genus, and calls it Melanorrhcea ; Poly- 

 andria Monogyniaj Anacardise, Brown. — Also another singular plant, 

 which he calls Phytocrene gigantea, allied to Araliacese. The trunk is 

 as thick as a man's thigh, and when divided affords a large quantity 

 of a limpid, tasteless, and very wholesome water. 



Feb. 19. — Read a description of a curious Fungus belonging to the 

 Gastromycous order, found nearWrexham by J.T. Bowman, Esq. F.L.S. 

 on decaying oak branches stript of bark. In its earliest stages it is 

 globular : afterwards, from the expansion of the filaments, the spo- 

 rules are exposed, and the sporangium becomes rugged and broken ; 

 from the ripening of the seeds the peridium bursts, and the filaments 

 being set at liberty acquire first a horizontal and then a more erect 

 position, resembling the branches of a palm-tree. 



At the above meetings were also read some portions of a paper by 

 J. E. Bicheno, Esq. F.R.S. Sec. L.S. entitled "Remarks on the Flora 

 of Great Britain, as connected with Geography and Geology." 



The Author in this paper, instead of attempting to connect plants 

 with particular temperatures, as most authors who have treated the 

 subject have done before, endeavours to show the relation which ve- 

 getables have to Geographical and Geological structure. He regards 

 England as the most favourable place to commence such remarks, 

 because of the intimate knowledge we have of its stratification, and 

 also of the stations of all our plants. 



In order to assist our inquiries he thinks it necessary to reject all 



those 



