304 Retrospective Criticism, 



and derivations introduced, as you propose, at the end of the volume, will 

 be of the greatest utility and advantage, for the purpose of ready reference 

 at any time it may be required. — B. Coventry ^ July 12. 



Having received several letters on this subject, all highly approving of 

 the plan which we have hitherto adopted, we intend persevering in that 

 plan. — Cond. 



Ignis Fatiius. — If I may be allowed to remark on the review of Mur- 

 ray's Researches, Sec. (p. 156.), I would observe that I can certify the exist- 

 ence of the ignis fatuus, and also that it appears " as a glow of lambent 

 flame." Two of these phenomena made their appearance on the evening of 

 the 26th of October, 1825, on board the Sandwich packet, on our passage 

 from the West Indies to England, when about 200 miles north of the Ba- 

 hamas, and remained, one at the spindle of each mast-head, for about two 

 hours ; the atmosphere being in a very unsettled state, with rain and light- 

 ning. The one at the main-mast-head was rather brighter than the other, 

 and, before disappearing, occasionally passed up and down the upper part of 

 the mast, but never entirely disengaging itself, notwithstanding the heavy 

 motion of the vessel. 



On " the luminosity of the sea" I would just say, that its appearance pre- 

 vious to a storm is a very old observation amongst sailors. It is, however, 

 I think, without foundation, as it is to be seen, more or less, all the year 

 round, in the Carribean sea, where there are no storms but in the hurricane 

 months. In the hand it has a kind of mucous feel. — W. H., E. N., Yeovil. 

 Atigust 3. 



The Spider. — The remarks on the spider, in the review of Murray's 

 Researches (p. 157.), were peculiarly interesting to me, as I have often held 

 a leaf in my hand, to which a spider had fixed his line, and have seen the 

 spider floating in the wind, at a great distance, and returning again with 

 surprising velocity. It has often gone to so great a distance, that I have 

 . thought the line had broken, and yet he returned again upon this singu- 

 larly strong and delicate web. One day last week I amused myself for more 

 than an hour in observing the proceedings of a little spider, whose bag of 

 eggs had been removed and restored. I do not feel quite sure as to the 

 species, but, if I can ascertain that, I think it would make an interesting 

 paragraph, to detail what I then observed. — A. A. 



'Hie late Mr. Soiverby. — At p. 198., 1 have observed that some well- 

 meaning friend, desirous of doing a service to the memory of my lamented 

 father, in claiming for him his share of the honour due for the execution of 

 that national work the English Botany, has rather overshot the mark : Mr. 

 Sowerby was not the author of any part of the text of English Botany 

 (erroneously called English Flora). The work owed its origin to the cir- 

 cumstance of Mr. Sowerby having made a number of sketches of plants, to 

 be introduced in the foregrounds of landscapes, which he was in the habit 

 of painting from nature. These sketches were shown to various botanical 

 friends, at whose suggestion the work was begun, with the valuable assist- 

 of Sir J. E. Smith ; and the only descriptions that were not written by that 

 gentleman, were supplied by the late Dr. Shaw. In addition to the praise 

 due to Mr. Sowerby, for the excellence of the drawings and engravings in 

 that work, some portion is due to him for the spirit of enterprise with 

 which he carried it on ; for, although he had to depend upon portrait-paint- 

 ing for the capital required, he still industriously and steadily pursued his 

 expensive project, until it began to remunerate him (which was not for 

 several years), and he finally brought up a numerous family to enjoy its pro- 

 fits, and lament the loss of one of the best of parents. I remain. Sir, &c. — 

 J". D. C. Sowerby. Mmeum, Mead-Place, Westminster Road, Aug. 11. 1828. 



