240 
Descriptions of some new Genera and Species of Plants, collected in the 
Island of Hong-Kong by Capt. J. G. Champion, 95th Regt. ; dy the 
late GEORGE GARDNER, Esq., F.L.S., Superintendent of the Royal 
Botanic Gardens, Ceylon. 
[It is a melancholy yet grateful task to be permitted to edit the last 
MS. prepared by Mr. Gardner for the Journal of Botany, and which 
was received by the editor almost at the same moment with the unex- 
cted announcement of his death. It will serve as an additional 
testimony to the loss which Science has sustained by his being thus 
called away from the scene of his labours.]—W. J 
During a residence of several years in Ceylon, Os Champion took 
a deep interest in its vegetable productions; and I am indebted to 
him for valuable contributions to my Herbarium from the southern 
portions, in particular, of the island. Having early in 1847 removed 
with his regiment to Hong-Kong, he immediately began the investi- 
gation of its Flora, with what success the present paper will show. 
At two different times I received small collections from him, chiefly 
consisting of what he considered either new or little known plants, 
and being himself necessarily without either a working botanical 
library, or a general Herbarium for reference, I have undertaken, at 
his request, to determine his collections for him, and to describe 
such species as I may consider to be either new or not sufficiently well 
described. 
He describes the island as being much richer in vegetation than 
had hitherto been generally supposed ; and as several of the wooded 
valleys and ravines have not yet been visited by him, it is very pro- 
bable that many interesting species may yet reward his researches 
Of the three new genera which I have established from. his volléctióné 
one, belonging to the Natural Order Hamamelidacez, is perhaps the most 
remarkable; and, in determining its characters and affinities, I have 
been led to undertake a review of the whole order, so far as my mate- 
rials at hand would permit; and the result is that I have been induced 
to refer to it no less than three natural orders, which hitherto have been 
considered very distinct families. My reasons for doing this are fully 
stated under the article referred to; but whether they may meet the 
approbation of those best able to judge, of course remains to be seen. 
For some years Orders have been multiplied to an extent far beyond 
