THE MAGAZINE 



OF 



NATURAL HISTORY. 



MARCH, 1829. 



Art. I. An Account of Mr. Needhams original Discovery of the 

 Action of the Potlen of Plants ; tvith Observations on the supposed 

 Existence of active Molecules in Mineral Substances* By Robert 

 Bakewell, Esq, 



Sir, 



The accounts which have been recently published on the 

 action of the pollen of plants, and particularly Mr. Robert 

 Brown*s observations on this subject, and on the general exist- 

 ence of active molecules in organic and inorganic matter, have 

 excited much attention among the naturalists of our own 

 country, and on the Continent. 



After my return from Hampshire in October last, I put my 

 microscopes in requisition, to examine some of the extra- 

 ordinary phenomena described by Mr, Brown, The season 

 being far advanced, my garden did not furnish many species 

 of flowers, but sufficient to confirm some of the facts stated 

 by Mr, Brown, and to present others, not less curious, which 

 are not described by him. While engaged in amusing myself 

 with these microscopic researches, I found, behind a neglected 

 corner of my book-shelves, an octavo volume, uncut, entitled, 

 An Account of some Microscopic Discoveries. These discoveries 

 are detailed, under different heads, in the titlepage: among 

 others are, " Observations on the Farina foecundans of Plants, 

 with a new discovery and description of the action of those 

 minute bodies analogous to that of the calmar's milt-vessels, 

 and an examination of the pistil, uterus, and stamina of several 

 flowers, with an attempt to show how the seed is impreg- 

 nated," The work was published in 1745, and is signed 

 T, N, On perusing it, I find that the author was Mr, Need- 

 ham, to whom Mr, Brown refers, as having obscurely seen 

 the motion of the particles of pollen, I suppose Mr. Brown 

 had not met with this volume, which I believe is scarce ; for 



Vol. IL — No. 6. b 



