296 CHARLES CARDALE BABINGTON. [184S 



viz., take the specific name for the typical plant, and give what 

 names you please to the others. Lowe's paper was read in 1830, 

 and published very soon after, but I cannot tell the exact month -^ 

 the fern is given as a species. Bree's note was in 1831, in which 

 the plant is named as a variety, and said to be perhaps a distinct 

 species, but he does not name it as a species. Bree made it a species 

 first in the " Phytologist " (p. 773), thus many years after Lowe's 

 name, " Haec omnia — millibus (not nullibus) exemplaribus stabilita 

 sunt." I should say that Mr. Lowe does not "purposely and 

 advisedly " include two plants ; he only notices a status, not even 

 varietas, caused by a more shady place of growth. Newman 

 may say what he pleases, but he has manifestly wished to keep 

 his pet name of recurva for the fern, and so sees all the arguments, 

 that he can force to his side, and not those tending to the other 

 view. I shall of course adopt foenisecii as the name, when I reprint 

 my Manual, as being the oldest specific name belonging to the plant. 

 I shall also use spinulosum and dilatatum for the same reason, not- 

 withstanding Mr. Newman's protest. In doing so, I think that I 

 have your opinion with me. — Believe me, yours very truly, Charles 

 C. Babington. 



To Professor J. H. Balfour, M.D. 



St. John's College, Cambridge, June 2, 1846. 



Dear Balfour, — 1 have sent by this post a copy of my " Synopsis 

 of Rubi," directed to Maclagan. Your class is most wonderful, and 

 I congratulate you very sincerely upon it. It is probable that you 

 will have a very large party to Clova, and I rather doubt if Newbould 

 will be able to stand it. He is one of those singular cases of con- 

 stitutionally nervous persons who never even suspects that he can 

 do anything as well as any other person in company, and indeed 

 has not the slightest idea of his own powers. If your party is very 

 large, you had better dissuade him from going when you see him at 

 Edinburgh, and put him upon some other plan. He is a very nice 

 and very excellent fellow, but one that requires to be taken under 

 the charge of some person who has influence over him, such as you 

 would have, if in a small party, for he has a high opinion of you. 

 When I expected to be in the north myself, I intended to have 

 taken care of him in all respects, as he has no idea of fighting his 

 own way. If you hear of any nice person going in any other 

 direction, I should recommend you to let Newbould know of it, and 

 can recommend him strongly as a companion. He is a inost accurate 

 botanist. (Direct to him at Sharrow Bank, Sheffield.) You will 

 have seen that we are trying to get money for our new Botanical 

 Garden, and hard work it is to move our people, who have no idea 

 of botany being of any use. It seems, however, that we have made 

 some impression upon their fears, and so shall probably, in the end, 



