41 



are to be expected is not known; but supposing the whole 

 number of genera known to Dr. Endlicher to be 8000, it may 

 be supposed that the work will be brought to a close in seven 

 or eight more parts, or in about a year and a half. The 

 period of its completion will form an era in the history of 

 systematical Botany. Independently of its great importance 

 on account of the singular skill and care with which it is 

 written, it possesses an additional value in consequence of 

 the numerous references to books in which descriptions and 

 figures of the genera may be found. 



Simultaneously with this great work the same indefati- 

 gable author is publishing an Iconographia Generum plan- 

 tarum, or illustrations of the genera described by him. It 

 appears in 4to. or folio parts, with uncoloured figures exe- 

 cuted in outline by artists of the highest eminence. Seven 

 parts have now appeared, and the number of the last plate is 

 84. Independently of the other important materials of 

 which Dr. Endlicher is able to avail himself for this work, he 

 has access to the beautiful series of drawings of New Holland 

 plants, executed by Mr. Ferdinand Bauer during Flinders's 

 expedition, and bought by the Austrian government upon his 

 death. The originals are somewhere in this country, but 

 where deposited I am not at present able to state. It is well 

 , known that in 1813 an attempt was made by Mr. Bauer to 

 publish them in this country, but no effectual support was 

 aff'orded him by either the men of science or the government 

 of the day ; and although the plates were engraved with his 

 own hand, and with exquisite skill, the publication never 

 proceeded beyond three numbers. It is impossible not to 

 feel it a national disgrace that such valuable materials, col- 

 lected at the cost of the English government, should only 

 make their appearance nearly thirty years after their acqui- 

 sition, and then by the energy and zeal of a learned foreigner. 



A Flora of North America, Sfc. ^c. by John Torrey and Asa Gray, vol. i. 

 part ii. See page 5 of this volume. 



The second part of this valuable work has reached Eng- 

 land. It proceeds from Caryophylleae to the middle of 

 Leguminosae, in the order of DeCandolle's arrangement, and 

 like its predecessor, exhibits equal care and talent in the 

 determination and definition of the genera and species. It 

 is rich in new species from California and Oregon, collected 



