CHARLES CARDALE BABINGTON. 263 



Supplement to Ewjluh Botdinj [Ohjceria Borreri ])ab., t. 27i)7), 

 the first and last plates of which were accompanied by text from 

 his pen. The first, Glijceria Borreri (t. 2727, issued 1837), had 

 been previously detected by Borrcr, and Babington named it "after 

 its discoverer, as a slight acknowledgment of the many favours 

 received from him." The figure had been drawn by Sowerby as far 

 back as 1829, and is marked by him " Glyceria species nova ?" : 

 Hooker, 'however, notes on the drawing, "I cannot make this a new 

 species " : there are also notes in Borrer's and Babington's writing. 

 The last, Anacharis Alsinastrum (t. 2993), was not published until 

 1865. This plant, as is well known, shortly after its introduction 

 to the Cambridge Botanic Gardens, made its escape through a 

 waste pipe, found its way into the Cam, and in 1852 impeded 

 navigation and threatened to injure the drainage of the fen country. 

 The plant was styled by some humorous undergraduate Babiwjtonia, 

 to which some uucomplimentary epithet — diaboUca, pcstifora, or 

 damnosa — was added. It is unnecessary to say that Babington was 

 in no way directly responsible for the introduction, and the name 

 does not find any place in the Index Kewensis, although it certainly 

 has some claims to inclusion. The genus named in his honour by 

 Lindley {Bot. Reg. 1842, t. 10) is now by common consent referred 

 to Ba.ckea, so that no distinct generic type is associated with him, 

 although A triplex Bahingtonii commemorates his early critical work 

 at a difficult genus. 



It was in 1846 that the "Synopsis of British Rubi" — the fore- 

 runner of the important book issued in 1869 — appeared in the 

 Annals and Mni/azine of Natural History. It was reprinted in 

 pamphlet form, and gave an impetus to the study of this trouble- 

 some group, the effects of which are by no means expended. The 

 later work, The British Uuhi, was printed at the cost of the University 

 Press, and was to have been accompanied by a volume of plates by 

 Mr, J. W. Salter. Some of these were completed and printed off, 

 and are extremely beautiful ; but the work was arrested by Salter's 

 death, and has not since been proceeded with. The acquisition of 

 Genevier's great Uubus herbarium enabled Babington to pursue the 

 study of this, his favourite group, with the assistance of a large 

 series of French types : he had for many years been preparing a 

 new edition of the liuhi, in which the comparison of our English 

 plants with these would have doubtless suggested interesting con- 

 clusions. In 1851 he was elected F.R.S. 



In 1860 Babington published his Flora of Camhridi/eshire — an 

 excellent book, to which may be largely attributed the historical 

 treatment which prevails in our best local floras. 



On the death of Prof. Henslow, on May 16th, 1861, it seemed 

 obvious that Babington would be his successor, and in less than a 

 month he was appointed to the post. He at once set to work to 

 improve the Herbarium, which was in an unsatisfactory condition ; 

 additions were steadily made, both to it and to the library, some of 

 them, such as Genevier's Paibi, at Babington's expense. His own 

 time was so much occupied, as ho states in the Museum Eeport for 

 1881, in examining plants for other people, that the work of in- 



