20 Mr. Brown, on the Proteacea of Jussieu. 



Dr. Smith, in the 4th vol. of the Society's Transactions, and 

 others are in the present paper submitted to the consideration of 

 botanists. 



Tlie general description and definition of the order will be most 

 advantageously placed at the head of its systematic arrange- 

 ment; before entering upon which, I shall offer some remarks 

 on its geographical distribution, and likewise on such modi- 

 fications of structure in the different organs as appear to be of 

 the greatest importance in indicating or characterizing genera. 



The geograph}' of plants being as yet in its infancy,' the 

 smallest addition to our knowledge of a subject which promises 

 to become of considerable importance, will probably be received 

 with indulgence; and in this persuasion I venture to make the 

 following observations on the order before us. In the first place, 

 it is remarkable that the Proteace;e are almost entirely confined 

 to the southern hemisphere. This observation originated with 

 Mr. Dryander, and the 'few exceptions hitherto known to it, 

 occur considerably within the tropic. The fact is the more de- 

 serving of notice, as their diffusion is very extensive in the 

 southern hemisphere, not merely in latitude and longitude, but 

 also in elevation ; for they are not only found to exist in all the 

 great southern continents, but seem to be generally, though very 

 unequally, spread over their different regions : they have been 

 observed also in the larger islands of New Zealand and New 

 Caledonia; but hitherto neither in any of the lesser ones, nor iri 

 Madagascar. As in America, they have been found in Terra del 

 Fuego, in Chili, Peru, and even Guiana, it is reasonable to 

 conclude that the intermediate regions are not entirely destitute 

 of them. But with respect to this continent, it may be observed, 

 that the number of species seems to be comparatively small, their 

 organization but little varied ; and further, that they have a 



much 



