Cheeseman. — Botanical Nomenclature. 447 



Pounamu] by Current Basin. High and mountainous in all its 

 extent, the coasts are sombre, escarped, and savage on the west, 

 which looks out on Tasman Bay ; but its aspect is much softer 

 on the side of Admiralty Bay ; there are even some very pleasant 

 sites there. The island is twenty miles from north to south, 

 and something under eight from east to west. The officers of 

 the " Astrolabe," impressed with the desire to perpetuate the 

 memory of their captain, wished his name to be attached to that 

 part of the discoveries of the voyage, and he did not think it 

 well to refuse that mark of esteem on the part of his brave com- 

 panions. The name of D'Urville Island therefore will remain 

 until the epoch when we shall learn the name it has already re- 

 ceived from its inhabitants. [D'Urville Island is known to the 

 Maoris as Rangi-toto ; but even now, eighty years after the 

 French captain's visit, it is better known by the name given 

 it by his officers. The observation made by the celebrated 

 French explorer in the last sentence quoted shows how fully he 

 recognised the propriety of retaining the Native name of places, 

 and is in keeping with the broad-minded views expressed all 

 through his narrative.] 



We may leave the " Astrolabe " here, to follow at a later 

 period the interesting account of her stay at Tologa Bay and 

 Auckland. 



Art. XLI. — Notes on Botanical Nomenclature ; ivith Remarks 

 on the Ru/,es adopted by the International Botanical Congress 

 of Vienna. 



By T. F. Cheeseman, F.L.S., F.Z.S., Curator of the Auckland 



Museum. 



[Read before the Auckland Institute, 28th August, 1907.] 



At the present time all competent authorities recognise that 

 natural science can make no satisfactory progress without a 

 definite system of nomenclature, applicable to all countries, and 

 available for the use of all workers. Names in the vernacular 

 of any country, though convenient enough for local purposes, 

 have the fatal defect of being, as a rule, mtelligible in that 

 country alone, and, in addition, are often ambiguous and uncer- 

 tain in their application. It can be taken as an established 

 fact, therefore, that in examining the species of any flora or 

 fauna, for any purpose whatever, technical names must be 

 employed if it is desired to fix the species under observation 



