28 Dr Hooker oji a Botanical Society in Germany for 



scribing to twice or thrice that amount will receive plants in 

 proportion, and will have more of the rarest kinds, of which 

 only a few may have been gathered. The directors bind 

 themselves to the continuance of the establishment for five 

 years to come. 



With a view to give greater weight and respectability to 

 the institution, which is called the Travelling Union, the 

 previously established society at Stuttgard, entitled the 

 ** Central Prefecture of the Rural Society of Wurtemberg^'' 

 has allowed it to constitute a part of the society ; and to it 

 communications are to be addressed, free of expence, in 

 German, " Centralstelle der landwirthshaftlichen Vereins, 

 in Stuttgard,'''* If such communications be attended with 

 difficulty to the botanists of this country, the writer of this 

 article will readily be the means of forwarding them, as will a 

 gentleman in London, whose active services in promoting 

 the cause of science both in Great Britain and on the Conti- 

 nent, are known to almost every naturalist, " Johii Hunne- 

 mann, Esq. 9, Queen Street, SohoJ'' Through the same chan- 

 nels the annual returns can be received. 



To those who reside at a great distance, the question will 

 naturally arise, " what security have we, not being able to 

 look into the affairs of the society, that we shall have our fair 

 portion of the plants discovered?" To this I can only say, 

 that the principal promoters and directors of the establish- 

 ment are men of the most honourable mindS;, and holding 

 public situations ; and what is still more to the purpose, that, 

 being entitled to two shares in the produce of the first excur- 

 sion, I am actually in possession of a collection, which, for 

 the number, rarity, and beauty of the specimens, has much 

 exceeded my most sanguine expectations, and such as, but for 

 this valuable institution, no money could have purchased ; all 

 are correctly named with printed labels. The Cryptogamic 

 plants, especially the mosses, are equally rare and well pre- 

 served with the Phaenogamous plants. The estimate, judg- 

 ing from the first collection, was, that each member would 

 receive 200 species for a single annual subscription ; but I 

 calculate from appearance, for I have not counted mine, that 

 the number exceeds that proportion. 



