Bibliographical Notices. 53 



February 1837 to March 1838,' by Professor Graham, as President; 

 a practice which it is proposed to continue annually, and which will 

 prove most useful, tending to carry on the members from year to 

 year with the progress of their science, and by comparison to excite 

 them to continued exertion. 



From the General Report we learn that Her Majesty the Queen 

 has been graciously pleased to become patron to the Society, thereby 

 giving a sanction to its conduct and proceedings, which must prove 

 of the utmost consequence. Another important event is the propo- 

 sal on the part of the Society for a union of their herbarium with 

 that belonging to the University : this has been favourably entertained 

 by the patrons and the senate, and the arrangements for effecting 

 the desired union are said to be nearly completed. The first edition 

 of the Society's Catalogue of British Plants being nearly disposed of, 

 a second is in preparation. A diploma and seal have been completed, 

 and may now be had by members on application to the Treasurer or 

 Secretary. The number of members of different classes belonging 

 to the Society at the date of this report is 199. Specimens from 

 the herbarium have been distributed during the past year to 95 pub- 

 lic bodies or members. 



The first volume has appeared of a 'Flora of Jamaica, or a De- 

 scription of the Plants of that Island, arranged according to the Na- 

 tural Orders ; with an Appendix, containing an Enumeration of the 

 Genera according to the Linnsean system, and an Essay on the Geo- 

 graphical Distribution of the Species.' By James Macfadyen, M.D., 

 F.L.S. Dr. Macfadyen was appointed some years ago to the charge 

 of the Government Botanic Garden at Kingston in Jamaica, where 

 he acquitted himself to the great satisfaction of the country, until 

 the dissolution of that valuable establishment ; since which event 

 he has devoted what time he could spare from the duties of an ex- 

 tensive medical practice to the collecting materials for the Flora in 

 question, which has long been a desideratum in the botanical world. 

 " As for my own share of the labour," Dr. Macfadyen remarks in 

 the Preface, " I may be allowed to state, that it has occupied a great 

 portion of my leisure during a residence of upwards of twelve years 

 in the island. I have carefully examined the characters of every 

 plant within my reach, and compared my own descriptions with 

 those of preceding botanists. I have visited a considerable portion 

 of the island, so that I have had opportunities of studying the pecu- 

 liarities of the Flora of each district. The nature also of my occu- 

 pation, as a medical practitioner in the country, has been of some 



