81 



LOCALITIES OF SOME RARE PLANTS, 



Found by W. Wilson, Esq. of Warrington, chiefly among the 

 Breadalhane Mountains of Scotland, in the Summer of 1827. 



Periodical works destined to communicate information upon any 

 branch of science, besides possessing the advantage of distributino- 

 knowledge, have this still further recommendation, that they en- 

 courage its votaries to follow up the study more keenly, from the 

 opportunities such works afford of preventing their discoveries from 

 being lost to the world. In this respect the English Botany of the 

 late Sir J. E. Smith, — whose loss we little thought we should so soon 

 have to deplore, whilst transcribing for the press an article of the 

 present Number, wherein his character is so highly and deservedly 

 extolled by a learned foreigner, — the English Botany, we say, in this 

 respect did an incalculable deal of good : so much so, that, during 

 the course of its publication, that period may be reckoned the golden 

 &ra of British Botany. It is true that many contributors to that 

 book, like its highly-gifted Author, are now numbered with the dead ; 

 and we fear that in acuteness at discriminating species, and industry 

 in going in pursuit of them, there are some investigators, yet but few 

 recently come forward, who will bear a comparison with a Dickson, a 

 Goodenough, a Woodward, a Stackhouse, a Don, a Stuart, a Brodie : 

 whilst the labours of many of the surviving friends of British Botany 

 seem to have terminated with that publication. The spirit of Botany, 

 however, still lives with them, and is now and then called forth by 

 some interesting discovery ; and we can also yet make mention of 

 ardent admirers of the plants that belong to our happy islands, 



"Spreading o'er them wild and gay. 

 Blessing Spring and Summer's day," 



and among which, these naturalists have detected— for let it not be 

 supposed that our Flora is exhausted— some, which either from the 

 circumstance of their novelty or. their rarity deserve particular 

 notice. Even in a county so near to the metropolis of the king- 

 dom as Sussex, Mr. Borrer has discovered a most interesting ad- 

 dition, both as to species and genus, to the British Flora : the Isnarda 

 ;,aZ.«fm, which he found at Mayfield, in June 1827. The same 

 gentleman has been so good as to communicate to us the Phyteuma 



VOL. 1. ^ 



