1876] BOTANICAL CORRESPONDENCE. 375 



To J. F. DuTHiE, Esq., Director of the Botanical Garden, 

 SaJiaranpur, N. India. 



Cambridge, April 22, 1876. 

 Dear Duthie, — I congratulate you upon the Indian appointment. 

 I believe that it is a very good one. It is, however, a disappoint- 

 ment to me, as I had hoped that we might have had you here : 

 especially now that there is a great probability that the post will be 

 constituted very soon. I must look out for some one else, but it 

 would have been so nice to have had an old friend to work with me. 

 When do you start ? When that is settled let me know, as I may 

 be able to give you some introduction to some one in that part of 

 India. — Believe me to be, very truly yours, Charles C. Babington. 



To James Backhouse, Esq. 



Cambridge, June 6, 1876. 

 My dear friend, — I think that your Viola is the plant which 

 probably ought to be called lancifolia (Thore), although the lactea 

 (Sm.) is a form of the same variety or species. The colour of the 

 original lactea is a rare state of the plant, and the rooting stems 

 represented in " English Botany " are, I think, certainly incorrect. 

 These forms of V. canina are very difficult to arrange under any 

 definite names, as the leaves and flowers vary very considerably. 

 The nomenclature in books is most confused. I hope that the V. are- 

 naria is not gone from Teesdale, but suppose that, happily, a man who 

 lately could not find it only did not find the right place. He failed 

 also in finding the Polygala uliginosa. It is well to keep the exact 

 spots private in this extirpating age. V. stagnina, which we feared 

 was lost, has been seen abundantly about twelve miles from here 

 lately.^Yours very truly, Charles C. Babington. 



To Arthur Bennett, Esq., Croydon. 



Cambridge, June 9, 1876. 



Dear Sir, — I do think it probable that you found the Chara* 

 flexilis and syncarpa from what you now tell me, I am glad to learn 

 that the Arthrolobium has been again found in Scilly. It is often 

 very difficult to find, even where it is growing. I shall be always 

 happy to help you in any way that I can. — Yours truly, Charles 

 C. Babington. 



To James Backhouse, Esq. 



Cambridge, June 19, 1876. 



My dear friend, — My specimens of Pinguicula leptoceras are not 

 good, and I have failed in seeing the points of difference noticed in 

 authors. Grenier considered it more near to grandiflora than mdgaris. 

 I think that as you have the living plants, it must fall to you to 

 work out the distinctive characters. But I incline to the opinion 



* See "Manual" Nitella. 



