1841.] Linnean Society. 121 



domestic happiness to Her Majesty and Your Royal Highness, and 

 as a pledge of the permanence of Her Majesty's illustrious House. 

 That Her Majesty and Your P^oyal Highness may long enjoy every 

 blessing that can attend the married state, is our most earnest 

 prayer." 



The Secretary announced to the Society, that since its last meet- 

 ing it had sustained a severe loss by the death of its Librarian, Pro- 

 fessor Don, which took place at the Society's House on the 8th 

 instant. 



Read an extract of a letter from William Griffith, Esq., F.L.S., 

 to R. H. Solly, Esq., F.L.S., dated Serampore, the 11th of October 

 1841, containing the following observations : — 



" In Santalum the ovulum consists of a nucleus and an embryo- 

 sac, prolonged both beyond the apex and base of the nucleus ; the 

 albumen and embryo are developed in the exserted part above the 

 septum ; the mass of the embryo is developed directly from the ve- 

 sicle, which is the termination of a pollen tube ; the seed (albumen) 

 has no other proper covering than the incorporated upper separable 

 part of the embryo-sac. 



" In Osyris the ovulum is reduced to a nucleus and an embryonary 

 sac, prolonged exactly in the same directions as in Santalum, but not 

 to such a degree anteriorly ; this anterior portion resembling exactly 

 the unchanged part of the sac of Santalum below the septum. The 

 albumen and embryo are formed outside the sac, and are absolutely 

 naked, or whatever covering they may have did not enter into the 

 composition of the ovulum." 



Mr. Griffith adds, " I have lately looked at Isoetes capsularis, 

 Roxb. ; it is an instructive plant, for it shows that botanists are 

 mistaken in their suj)position as to the male. In Roxburgh's plant 

 the contents of the sporangium are sometimes of two sorts, but both 

 have the same origin, both are precisely similarly constituted, except 

 perhaps as to contents ; and the largest of these, the males of authors, 

 become afterwards Uke the others, but larger. There can be no doubt 

 that in all these plants the true sporules or seeds are those produced 

 by division of an original simple cell or its contents. Isoetes and 

 Azolla prove too a thing of some importance, that the dissimilar 

 organs which have so puzzled botanists may have a similar origin. 

 The true male of Isoetes will probably turn out to be the oblong, 

 cordate, fleshy laminae above the female. On the male my observa- 

 tions were stopped by indisposition. As a male it is certainly ano- 



No. XIV. — Proceedings of the Linnean Society. 



