COLONIAL FLORAS. 2G3 



collectors to others, or wait till they were better explored by settlers 

 or travellers. In the matter of authorship it was proposed, that the 

 authors should be paid at a uniform rate, according to the amount of 

 work contained in the Flora undertaken ; the remuneration to include 

 all expenses of authorship and correcting the press, and to be paid on 

 the publication of each volume. Lastly, with regard to publication, 

 after consulting some of the most eminent London publishers, it was 

 found that no one would undertake to issue and advertise the series 

 at a cheap rate, except a sale of at least 100 copies were guaranteed 

 on the day of publication ; and it was therefore proposed that these 

 should be subscribed for by Government, for its own use, under the 

 conditions that the selling price to the public did not exceed 20s a 

 volume of 500 Svo. pages, containing about 1000 to 1200 species of 

 plants. It will be observed that, under these terms, the author and 

 publisher are entirely independent, each responsible to Government 

 alone, and that complication of pecuniary interests is avoided, which 

 has proved fatal to various publications patronized by Government. 



The above calculations were irrespective of illustrations ; these 

 however, of a plain useful character, might be issued independently of 

 the letterpress, at a cheap rate, in Svo. provided they were executed 

 in outline lithograph ; they would cost about 20s each, for artist's 

 work, to Government, and be sold at l\d each, without loss to the 

 publisher, who would provide printing, paper, binding, &c. It was 

 proposed that 50 such should accompany each volume, or be sold 

 separately at the option of the purchaser. 



Then followed a list of the Colonies, with the probable number of 

 flowering plants they contain, which are nearly as follows : 



1. South Africa, including Natal, 12,000 species (now publishing 



by Drs. Harvey and Sonder, under the auspices of the Colo- 

 nial Government.) 



2. Australia, including Tasmania . . . 8000 



3. British North America, (Canada, Newfoundland, 



Nova Scotia, and British Columbia) . . 3000 



4. West Indian Islands (now publishing by Dr. Grisebach) 2500 



5. New Zealand .... 1000 

 G. Ceylon ..... 2500 

 7. Hong-Kong (published by Mr. Bentham) . . 1000 



*8. Mauritius and the Seychelles . . . 1000 



*9. British Guiana .... 2500 



*10. Honduras .... 1500? 



*I1. "West African Colonies \ . . 2000 



*12. Ionian Islands, Malta, Gibraltar . ) 1500 



13. Ascension, St. Helena and Tristan d'Acunha J 150 



(Heligoland, the Falkland Islands, and Labuan were not included.) 

 These could easily be comprised in thirty 8vo. volumes of about 

 500 pages each, and the total cost to Government would be only 

 £150. per volume, without plates, and £200. with plates, exclusive 

 of the purchase of copies for its own use ; the price to tlie public 

 vol. i.— jr. n. r. 2 m 



