Miscellaneous. 211 



figure in Mr. HassalVs Plates Ixxxv. or Ixxxvi. that is not taken from 

 the Annals. 



Mr. Hassall alleges that he has made a sufficient acknowledgement in 

 having stated in his work that " several of the figures of this family, 

 especially certain of the genera Euastrum and Cosmarium, are taken 

 from those of Jenner and Ralfs." Now, with regard to Cosmarium, 

 all the figures, thirty -four in number, are copied from the ' Annals,' 

 while in Goniocystis, including Arthrodesmus, there are fifty-one 

 figures, all copies, without a single original. 



Neither space nor inclination allows the detail of further instances, 

 but an examination of the work has confirmed the editors in the con- 

 viction that Mr. Hassall has by no means made a full and fair avowal 

 of the extent of his obligations to others. 



The opinion expressed in the review upon comparative specific 

 characters is confidently left to the judgement of naturalists. 



Mr. Hassall's statement that " it would have been easy for him, 

 had he thought proper to do so, to have abstained from quoting Mr. 

 Ralfs altogether," when he had helped himself so freely to his figures, 

 needs no comment. 



It may be right to state that Mr. Jenner's labours were not coupled 

 with those of Mr. Ralfs in the review, owing to his not having pub- 

 lished upon these tribes. Mr. Jenner's researches are well-known 

 to and most highly appreciated by the reviewer. Mr. Jenner would 

 be the last to take credit to himself for the labours of another, as 

 may be seen in his ' Flora of Tunbridge,' pp. 178, 188, 192, 200. 



hassall's " BRITISH FRESHWATER ALG^E." 



To the Editors of the Annals of Natural History. 



Gentlemen, — In Mr. Hassall's letter in your February number, 

 in answer to your reviewer of his * British Freshwater Algae,' my 

 name is used, in the allusions to Mr. Ralfs's papers on the Desmi- 

 diecBy in such a manner as I am afraid might mislead the public ; I 

 am induced, therefore, to beg the insertion of a few lines in your 

 next number. 



Those papers were written solely by Mr. Ralfs, and I must dis- 

 claim any praise at his expense ; since my having assisted him in his 

 observations, or given the outlines of some of the figures, could not 

 make me the author. 



No one has been more ready, nor more careful to give another 

 credit for what was due to him than Mr. Ralfs has been ; but what 

 little I have done has been for my own amusement, and from love 

 of natural history. It has alForded me the greatest pleasure, as 

 well as instruction, to have a person so faithful in investigation, so 

 acute and accurate in observation, and so perspicuous, simple and 

 concise in definition to correspond with, and 1 am pleased with the 

 opportunity now afforded me to state that at first, most of my know- 

 ledge of this interesting, curious and very beautiful tribe of plants 

 was obtained through his kindness, and also that it is my intention 

 to render Mr. Ralfs every assistance in my power in bringing out his 



