424 Linnean Society. [May 24, 



men have laboured more assiduously for the promotion of botanical 

 science, and especially of Vegetable Physiology. During more than 

 half a century he contributed largely to our knowledge on some of 

 the most obscure and important points of vegetable anatomy ; and 

 although many of his theoretical views have been justly controverted, 

 his precepts and his example have given a powerful impulse to the 

 prosecution of microscopical researches into vegetable structure. His 

 first publication was an Introductory Lecture to a Botanical course 

 delivered by him in 1801, entitled " Influence de I'Histoire Naturelle 

 sur la Civilisation." He next furnished the preliminary volumes to 

 the Botanical division of Sonnini's Edition of BufFon, which were 

 separately published under the title of " Traite d'Anatomie et de 

 Physiologic Vegetale," 2 vols. 8vo, Paris, 1802. This essay imme- 

 diately created a great sensation in the botanical world, and led to 

 the proposal by the Royal Society of Gottingen, in 1805, of the 

 celebrated question on the Vessels of Plants, which brought into the 

 field as competitors for the prize. Link, Rudolphi and Treviranus. In 

 1808, Mirbel published at the Hague " Exposition et Defense de ma 

 Theorie de I'Organisation Vegetale," with a German translation 

 revised by Dr. Bilderdyk, with the view of still further explaining 

 his theory, which he believed to have been misunderstood both by 

 the propounders of the question and by the competitors for the 

 prize; and in 1815, after his return to Paris, he gave a stiU more 

 full and comprehensive exposition in his ' Elemens de Physiologic 

 Vegetale et de Botanique,' 3 vols. 8vo. It would extend this notice 

 far beyond its necessary limits to attempt to give even a list of the 

 numerous papers contributed by him to the ' Annales ' and ' Me- 

 moires du Museum,' to the ' Annales des Sciences Naturelles,' and 

 to other scientific publications. A brief notice of some of the more 

 important will be sufficient to show how extensive was the field of 

 his research. The series commences with a " Precis d'un M^moire 

 sur I'Organisation Vegetale," in the 5th volume of the ' Annales du 

 Museum,' which is followed by a memoir " Sur les fluides contenus 

 dans les Vegetaux," in the 7th, and another entitled " Nouveaux 

 Recherches sur les caracteres anatomiques qui distinguent les Plantes 

 Monocotyledon es des Plantes Dicotyledones," in the 13th. After 

 these come a series of observations on the germination of various 

 plants and families of plants, in the same volume. Next we have, 

 in the 15th volume, " Considerations sur la maniere d'etudier I'His- 

 toire Naturelle des Vegetaux, servant d'lntroduction a un travail 

 Anatomique, Physiologique et Botanique sur la famille des Labiees," 

 the anatomical and physiological portions of which follow. In the 



