116 Transactions of the Society. 



Corallines, Tubular Corallines, Keratopbyta (Gorgonia), and Alcyonia 

 are Hydrozoa ; tbe Celliferous Corallines and Escbara are Polyzoa ; 

 while tbe Articulated Corallines and tbe Englisb Corals are Vege- 

 tables. Ellis detected tbe pores of tbe conceptacles in tbe Articulated 

 Corallines, tbe modern genera Corallina and Jania, and interpreted 

 tbein as tbe cells in which the animal lived. It is unfortunate that, 

 in separating the different groups, the name Corallina, whicb suggests 

 animal affinities, has been retained for tbe group that belong to the 

 vegetable kingdom. The English Corals are Nullipores. On this 

 essay rests the fame of Ellis. He had in contemplation a greater 

 work on Corallines, and had prepared a series of plates for illustration, 

 but be died before the work was ready for the press. Dr. Colander 

 prepared descriptions of the species, but before bis work was com- 

 pleted he suddenly died in 1782, and the volume was not published 

 until 1786. 



The value of Ellis's work on tbe Corallines was recognised by tbe 

 Royal Society, and for it he received from them the Copley medal in 

 1768. 



But Ellis did not confine himself to these marine animals. He 

 communicated twenty-four papers to the lioyal Society, which were 

 published in the Philosophical Transactions, and one to the Academy 

 of Sciences at Upsala. 



His position as King's agent for the American colonies gave him 

 excellent opportunities for obtaining specimens, and urged him to 

 secure the introduction into them of useful plants, and the transmis- 

 sion of their products into Britain. He was appointed agent for 

 West Florida in 1764, and for Dominica in 1770. He gave much 

 attention to the transmission of seeds in conditions that would 

 preserve their vitality. He began by coating them with gums, var- 

 nishes, and paints, but as the result of many experiments be found 

 that a coating of beeswax and then completely investing them in 

 molten wax produced the best results. 



He was very anxious to introduce the tea-plant into Britain. It 

 was thought it might grow freely here, and he was convinced that it 

 would be a great gain if it could be carried alive to Florida and tbe 

 other southern States. He sought out plants that would yield 

 useful textile fibres. 



Ellis had an extensive correspondence with Dr. Alexander Garden, 

 and from him received many new plants and animals, and transmitted 

 many to Linnaeus. 



Among his many friends may be included Dr. Stephen Hales, 

 Peter Collinson, John Fothergill, Daniel C. Solander, Eichard Warner, 

 and George D. Ehret. But he had relations with men who through 

 jealousy were far from friendly to him. Microscopes have greatly 

 improved in these hundred and fifty years, but men's tempers appear 

 to have been little altered. Philip Miller, tbe well-known Superin- 

 tendent of the garden at Chelsea of the Apothecaries' Company, and 



