71 



CATALOGUE RAISONNE. 



Supplement to English Botany. By Messrs. J. D. C. and C. D. 

 SowERBY. London. In Monthly Numbers. Nos. I — VII. 



The English Botany, carried on for a long series of years by the united ex- 

 ertions of the late Sir James Edward Smith and 3Ir. Sowerby, arrived at its 

 termination about fifteen years ago. This admirable work stands even 

 yet unrivalled among undertakings of a similar description ; for it is the 

 only one which attained its object of giving a coloured representation of 

 every native plant, (exclusive of the Fungi.) British botanists have not, 

 however, been idle since the last volume of that work closed. Many new 

 phffinogamous, and still more cryptogamous plants have been discovered, 

 and a supplement was become highly desirable. It is true, that in the 

 Scottish Cryptogamic Flora of Dr. Greville, about one hundred of the 

 newly added Musci and Algts have been figured ; but that work could not 

 publish the whole, and its very plan excluded the phaenogamous species. 

 Under these circumstances, therefore, we rejoice to see a supplement to the 

 English Botany in progress, conducted by the sons of the late Mr. Sower- 

 by, with the able assistance of Dr. Hooker, Mr. Borrer, and other na- 

 turalists. The names of these gentlemen are a guarantee for every thing 

 we could wish in the descriptive department. We wish we could as 

 heartily praise the execution of the illustrations, which are, for the most 

 part, both in point of engraving and colouring, of an inferior order. Such 

 plates as t. 2616, {Woodsia ilvensis), and t. 2627, {Grimmia saa^icola), 

 in particular, the public have a right to complain of. 



In regard to the interesting plants which have already found a place in 

 the pages of the Supplement, we have not space to enter upon any discus- 

 sion. We are truly glad to find that Mr. Borrer has taken up the diffi- 

 cult genera Salix, Rubus, and Rosa ; several have been figured, and we 

 trust he will be able to throw some light on subjects which hitherto have 

 existed in what may be called " darkness visible." By the way, in No. 

 7. there is a plate of Rubus macrophyllus, from " woods, thickets, and 

 hedges," in Sussex. By some oversight. Professor Lindley's Synopsis 

 of the British Flora, where the plant is first described as native, is not 

 quoted. Mr. Lindley's station is " hedges in North Wales." It ap- 

 pears to be more frequent in Scotland, especially in Dumfrieshire, where 

 Sir William Jardine, Bart, detected it four years ago ; and in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Edinburgh, where Dr. Greville found it in the course of the 

 same year. 



Des Gros Blocs de Roches, ^c. On the large Boulders which 

 are found scattered over Formations of very different Characters. 

 By Count G. Rasoumovsky. — An7i. des Sciences Naturelles, Oct. 

 1629. 



From an examination of the boulders scattered over the plains of Northern 

 Europe, the author thinks that it is necessary to admit the existence of 

 two or of several currents, unequal in mass and in lengtli ; and further con- 

 cludes that, by the same violent revolution which gave birth to them, the 

 waters that covered the high mountains at that period were driven in 

 different and often opposite directions ; to different and more or less con- 

 siderable distances ; in variable quantities ; and with various degrees of 

 force, of inclination, and rapidity. 



