340 



invitation ! I want to talk to you about many 

 tilings. Imprimis, I want to know your Canna, ; 

 for I wish to write a paper on the species of Sci- 

 ta?nine<p, following you as your humble squire, 

 " haud passibus acquis ; " and it is highly desirable 

 I should not be distanced out of sight of my leader 

 at the very first steps of my course. If you cannot 

 help me to specimens, figures, or synonyms of your 

 species of Cannes made out of C. indica, I must 

 leave that section, and write only on true Scitami- 

 necB, which I should not much regret, as I have 

 some difficult new plants of the Canna section. 



I this day sent a botanico-physiologieal paper to 

 the Linnsean Society, on the germination of seeds, 

 disproving the vilellus of Gsertner, which seems to 

 me only a subterraneous cotyledon, and correcting 

 many things respecting monocotyledonous plants, 

 so called, as the quakers say. I like it better than 

 many things I have done ; but whether the half- 

 dozen people who can judge of it will like it as 

 well, may be doubtful. Do you agree with my rule 

 about shall and ivill in the Atheneeum for Octo- 

 ber* ? 



I hope very soon to send you my Introduction to 

 Botany, on which I shall most earnestly request 



* In reply to the inquiry in this letter concerning the use of 

 shall and will, Mr. Roscoe tells Sir James that he has read with 

 great pleasure his grammatical paper, and is much inclined to 

 agree with him. " Of this," he says, "I am sure that it has thrown 

 more light on the subject than anything I have before met with ; 

 and till a greater prophet arises, you may reckon on me as one 

 of your disciples." 



