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BOTANICAL NEWS. 191 
BOTANICAL NEWS. 
-. Ata meeting of the Council of the Royal Hortieultural Society, held 15th 
April, 1864, memorials and letters from various botanists were read, remonstra- 
ting against the possible effects of the prizes as leading to the extirpation of 
the number of plants in the collections need not be numerous, and should not 
exceed in any case 200. (2.) That the presence of rare plants in the collec- 
tions is not desired, and will not in any way enhance the competitor's prospects 
of success ; and (3.) That each plant should be prepared, showing various 
stages of development, from its embryo to its fruiting, displaying at each stage 
its structure. In this form the prizes m may be of use, and we are g 
the objections felt to them in their — form, are now removed. It may 
be hoped that local societies will take a hint from the Horticultural Society, 
and give up the prizes that they are E er at in which the number 
and rarity of the specimens are taken into aceoun 
On the 13th of May, Dr. Seemann returned rm Venezuela, where he has 
resembling the Welsh steam coal im appearance, and valued in London at 30s, 
per ton. _ left England on the 2nd of February, and touching at St. Thomas, 
a Guaira on the 20th of the same month. Thence he proceeded to 
Caracas, es Cabello, Aie and the river coim visiting on his 
homeward route Curagao and St. T 
Mr. Spruce, the t of dn South American travellers, writes to us 
from Peru that he has at last made up his mind to return to "Europe by the 
We regret to have to announce the death of Mr. Crüger, Superintendent of 
the Botanie Gardens, Trinidad, ane took place on the 25t ry. Mr. 
Crüger succeeded Mr. Purdie, the botanical collector in New Granada, and is 
principally known by his paces and morphological peas communicated 
to the Bot. meee Mr. Presto has been appointed to the v 
ity has befallen Mr. J. G. Baker, of ‘Thirsk. Dang thenight of of 
work on ‘ North Yorkshire’ shared the same fate. Mr. Baker was just in the 
of that on North 
Yorkshire 
Failing eyesight, probably caused by working too much by gaslight le i - 
duced Mr. John Smith, Curator of the Botanie Gardens at Kew, fo 
