President's Address. 191 



in the study of botany is interesting. During the extended 

 travels of the Benthams, the lad one morning took up a 

 copy of De Candolle's French Flora, which his mother, 

 herself a remarkable woman, daughter of Dr Fordyce and 

 friend of Aiton of Kew, had purchased. He marched off 

 at once into the back yard of the inn, where they were 

 staying, and plucked the first plant he found, and spent 

 the morning in determining its species by the aid of his new 

 guide. It was a sufiiciently difficult task for a beginner, 

 the species being a Salvia, but it was successfully accom- 

 plished, and thenceforward the lad worked out every flower 

 he came across without any tuition, but simply as a 

 pleasant recreation. Thus began in 1817= the life work 

 which only ended sixty-six years afterwards, when the 

 great Genera Flantarum of Bentham and Hooker was 

 completed. Few are aware that the Horticultural Society 

 grew into prosperity under Bentham's management from 

 1829 to 1840, with Lindley as assistant secretary. 

 Bentham started and carried to perfect success the 

 Exhibitions which became famous as the Chiswick fetes, 

 and established the Society in a financial position, whicli 

 it has not maintained in late years. At tliat time the 

 Society was doing good service by sending out collectors 

 to different countries, and introducing, publishing, and 

 drawing the new plants they brought home. In the work 

 of description Bentham took his full share, and especially 

 described and illustrated the plants brought home by 

 Douglas and Hartwig. When at Kew, in connection 

 with Sir W. J. Hooker, and later with Sir Joseph Hooker, 

 he took a distinguished part in preparing the series of 

 colonial Floras (initiated by Sir William Hooker). The 

 Flora of Hongkong, and that of the Niger, together 

 with his extended labours in connection with the Brazilian 

 Flora, were the prelude to Mr Bentham's engagement for 

 about twenty years in elaborating the enormous Flora of 

 Australia, on the completion of which Mr Bentham 

 received in 1878 the companionship of the Order of St 

 Michael and St George. No sooner, however, was the 

 Australian Flora, with its 2000 species, well started than 

 a vaster work was urged upon him in conjunction w^ith Sir 

 Joseph Hooker, viz., the examination and revision of the 



