304 CHARLES CARDALE BABINGTON. [1847 



again take the first place in all points as it always has done in some. 

 You had better exercise your own judgment about the paper on the 

 reproduction of Cryptogamic plants, and if it is, in your opinion, 

 worthy of the "Annals," send it direct to Taylor for publication. It 

 is a subject upon which you can form a far better judgment than I 

 am able to do. It is not unlikely that an abstract would be all that 

 is desirable. Could not its author be persuaded to reduce its length, 

 and bring it within moderate limits, that is, if you think it ought 

 to be reduced ? I trust that Duncan will be successful in his canvass 

 for the Clinical Surgery Chair. Remember me to all friends, such 

 as Brand, Goodsir, Parnell, Maclagan, etc., and believe me to be, 

 very truly yours, Charles C. Babington. 



I am now at work at a second Supplement to the " Synopsis of 

 Rubi," which will come before the Society in due time. 



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



St. John's College, Cambridge, Bee. 25, 1847. 

 Dear Balfour, — A happy Christmas to you, as we say in England. 

 I am much obliged by your kindness in sending the specimens of 

 Serpicula. I will write to Pamplin immediately to send them to me. 

 My paper is in Taylor's hands, and will be in the February number, 

 but will, of course, admit of correction in the proof. I have 

 obtained a flower of the Leigh Park plant recently, and believe it 

 to be Anacliaris Nuttallii. It seems to differ from the flower of my 

 A. Alsinastrum, in some minute respects, but it is very difficult to 

 expand such small and tender flowers sufficiently, to tell their form 

 accurately. The plate of my plant is in preparation, and will, I 

 hope, be ready to accompany the paper. The specimens, and also 

 the remains of the Vallisneria, shall be soon returned as you direct. 

 I should greatly like to have a set of duplicates from the Swedish 

 botanists' packets as soon as Evans has time to select them, and will 

 gladly pay the Society for them, at the rate fixed. I particularly 

 want the Scandinavian " Rubi " and " Hieracia." As I have collected 

 the materials for another paper on "Rubi," these are now desirable 

 to me in a peculiar manner. I would wish to delay its completion 

 until I see the Swedish plants, as some of mine may prove the same, 

 and also, I should wish to be able to say certainly, from examining 

 specimens, that our other species are identical with theirs. I am 

 glad that you have got a set of Leighton's fasciculus plants. It is a 

 more valuable set than Bloxam's in many respects, more especially 

 from most of them being typical, which Bloxam's are not. The 

 specimens themselves are not always so good as I could have Avished, 

 owing to the late season at which they were gathered. There have 

 been several new plants added to our Flora since the publication of 

 the Manual. I add a list of them, as far as my memory goes, which 

 you can mention to the Society if you think it desirable. Of 

 " Rubi " there are several, but these I omit at present. — Believe me. 

 Yours very truly, Charles C. Babington. 



