has prepare 
entire satisfactio 
65 
ema of the Botany of Godman and Salvin’s ‘ Biologia Centrali- 
ericana.’ Such a catalogue would embody descriptions of all 
undescribed species of which material is available, and references 
would be intercalated ae their proper place. The report would 
our present Lharicte of the Chinese Flora 
Paging Se ae of the vegetation of China is an iriiperate” 
rational attempt at generalisation with regard to 
the distrib aon of the plants of the Palearctic region. 
“The application ts acceded to : a Committee was appointed 
consisting of Mr. J. Ball, Mr. Carruthers, Mr. Thiselton-Dyer, 
and Prof. Oliver, and a ie of £200 was placed at its rear 
“The first meeting of the Committee was held at the Royal 
Society on eg 7, 1884. The following sg is extracted 
from the Minu 
made considerable progress in cataloguing the Chinese plants 
preserved in the Herbaria of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 
and of the British Museum, and that he was actively engaged in 
arranging his material.’ 
“Mr. Forbes attended, by oe the next meeting of the 
Committee on February 14 following. He offered very liberally 
to co-operate il :. and it was agreed to employ Mr. Hemsley 
to carry on the 
At eaaaguent meetings ihe form in which the Catalogue 
should be drawn up w ttled, and in 1885 the Chairman 
Mr. John Ball, ge hy on ite behalf the following letter to 
the President of the Linnean Society :— 
“‘1() Southwell Gardens, London, S.W. 
13 May, 1885. 
* SIR, 
“A Committee consisting of Mr. Ball, Professor Oliver, 
Mr. Carruthers, and Mr. Thi selton- Dyer, was appointed last year 
by the Government Grant Committee of the Royal Society to 
draw upa Report on our present knowledge of the Flora of China. 
“The Committee i since been joined, at its invitation, by 
Mr. Forbes, F.L.S., who has most liberally offered his perso 
assistance, and iced e its disposal his valuable and extensive 
manuscript collections and notes. 
“The Committee has further engaged the services of Mr. 
Hemsley, F.L.S., to co-operate in drawing, up the Report, and he 
red a aims dealing with the Ranunculacew to its 
“The Committee now finds itself in a position to press on the 
work with considerable despatch, and feels confident that, by 
affording for the first time a comprehensive view of the vege- 
tation of one of the most interesting of existing botanical regions, 
