1849] BOTANICAL CORRESPONDENCE. 309 



large and successful meeting. As for Ipswich, Henslow informs 

 me that they would have no objection to put off their meeting until 

 1851, as they will not be easily ready before that time. A com- 

 munication then with Mr. Ransom would probably arrange that 

 part of the difficulty if your men took it in hand. Henslow has 

 the best means of knowing the views of Ipswich. On the matter 

 of the Duke and Brewster there is far more difficulty, as I think 

 that Brewster would not withdraw in favour of the Duke, as would 

 be the best way for the good of the Association. Neither can the 

 Association aflfbrd to lose Sabine as Secretary. I do not know 

 what to advise in this matter. Sabine has himself caused much 

 of the difficulty by acting prematurely in the election of a President. 

 Your party has also committed an error in not communicating with 

 the London men sooner, and then even at last doing it through 

 Murchison (who holds no office in the Association) in place of 

 Sabine or Phillips. My idea, and that of Sedgwick, is that the 

 order of future meetings should be: Edinburgh in 1850; Ipswich 

 in 1851 ; Belfast (from which there is an invitation, I hear) in 1852 ; 

 and perhaps Aberdeen (if Brand is right in saying that an invitation 

 will be sent from that city) in 1853. I hope that you will succeed 

 in having the next meeting at Edinburgh. — Yours truly, Charles 

 C. Babington. 



What about the " Botanical Society Catalogue " ? 



To the same. 



St. John's College, Cambkidge, June 9, 1849. 



Dear Balfour, — I have been expecting to have some account of 

 the progress of the draft of the new "Catalogue of Plants" for 

 some time. There has been lots of time to get a transcript of what 

 was requisite; indeed, I rather wish now that I had got it done 

 here. There will be many points concerning the nomenclature that 

 I cannot satisfactorily settle away from home, as I shall probably 

 have to consult books and specimens about them. Let me know 

 how the matter stands, as I am only waiting here for a letter which 

 will probably remove my quarters to Bath or the lower part of 

 Somersetshire for a month. I am much pleased with the "Manual 

 of Botany," and so, I learn, is Henslow. He and I have recom- 

 mended it, and I think that a few copies of it have been sold here. 

 It came out too late for this place — at least, the first copies that 

 came here were too late. Henslow only got his on the day on 

 which he concluded his lectures. I wish that you had not adopted 

 Jussieu's name for figure 250 (page 161), for that figure certainly does 

 not represent the true Cerastium tetrandrum, but in all probability is a 

 representation of C. atrovirens. I shall make note of anything that 

 strikes me in the book, and communicate it to you, as I presume that 

 that is what you would wish. I was much pleased to learn recently that 



