Botany. y t r, 



and Dr de Kay. the latter one of the most zealous cultivators of Natural 

 History at New York, but wlio now devotes himself almost entirely to 

 zoology. A day was devoted to an excursion to the Military Academy at 

 West Point, on the river Hudson, in order to see Dr Torry, who has been 

 recently appointed Professor of Chemistry and Mineralogy to that insti- 

 tution, and who is working, besides his Flora of the midland counties of 

 the United States, at a compendium of the same, and is, moreover, col- 

 lecting materials for a complete North American Flora. 



Dr Richardson and Mr Drummond (who is especially charged with the 

 collecting of plants) had already, notwithstanding the early season of the 

 year, been very successful in their botanical pursuits. 



Of the Orchideous plants, indeed, the flowering season was already past, 

 but they found many species, and the beautiful Calypso borealis (Ameri- 

 cana, Br.) in great abundance. The Violets, the Raspberries, and the 

 Currants occupied much of their attention, and seemed to have been 

 very imperfectly described by authors. The Ranunculus rhomboideus, 

 first detected and described by Goldie, and the Primula pusillu of the 

 same author, which certainly comes very near to Michaux's Primula mis- 

 tassinica, were in flower. Mr Drummond was much pleased at finding 

 the Juncus arcticus and the Orthotrichum Ludwigii, two plants of which 

 he had been, a short time previously, the discoverer in Scotland. 



As to mosses, they were, as may be supposed, in a high state of perfec- 

 tion. Bryum roseum, Neekera pennata, Dicranum glaucum, Fontinalis ca- 

 pillacea, and several other fine species, have been collected with abundant 

 fructification, together with very many individuals of the genus Leslcea, 

 several of which appeared to have been hitherto unnoticed by botanists. 



At Penetanguishene, Dr Richardson found a gentleman who was much 

 occupied with botany, Mr Tod, assistant-surgeon to a small naval esta- 

 blishment at that place. Encouraged by the well known zeal and enthu- 

 siasm of our valued friend and correspondent, it is to be hoped that he will 

 be led to investigate thoroughly the botany of that interesting part of 

 North America. 



On the 24th of April the whole of the officers of the expedition were to 

 be assembled, and they were to proceed, on the following day, in the pro- 

 secution of their voyage. 



19. Plantes rares du Jardin de Geneve, par Aug. Pyramus De Candolle, 

 <5fC. This beautiful work, of which we have just received the first Livraison 

 from the hands of its estimable author, merits the attention of every lover 

 of botany, no less as coming from the pen of one of the most profound bo- 

 tanists that exist, than on account of the circumstances which gave rise to it. 



Driven by religious persecution from the Botanical Garden at Montpel- 

 lier, and from the chair of that university, which he had filled with so 

 much honour to himself and to his adopted country, Professor De Can- 

 dolle returned to his native city, Geneva, when a professorship of Natural 

 History was constituted for him in 1817, and the formation of a garden 

 contemplated. The establishment of the Botanic Garden was facilitated 

 by a circumstance, unfortunate, indeed, in itself, namely, the distressed 



