328 BOTANICAL NEWS. 
Indeed, up to the day of his death his publications were progressing as busily 
as ever, and the first part had appeared of a new work, the ' Synopsis FiKcum,' 
for the continuation of ^hich extensive preparations had been made, Kot 
content with publishing himself, he was always forward in obtaining for others 
botanical employment. Besides numberless appointments given to young and 
rising gardeners and botanists, he procured the publication of the results of 
many scientific expeditions and missions, and latterly, after many years' strenu- 
ous exertion, he induced almost all our Indian and Colonial Crovernnients to 
employ botanists upon the publication of their Floras. In person Sir William 
Hooker was tall and good-looking, with a peculiarly erect and agile gait, which 
he retained to the end of his life. He died art Kcw, of a disease of the throat, 
on the 12th of August, having just completed his eightieth year. His widow 
survives him ; and he leaves one son, the present Director of the Eoyal 
Gardens, and two daughters. 
The thirty-fifth meeting of the British Association was held last month at 
Birmingham. There is but little in the way of botany to report from it, and 
the few papers that were read were of Uttle importance. Mr. Hicrn gave a 
notice of " Ranunculus radians^ Rev., as a British plant." He discovered it in 
June, 1864, at Silverdale, in Yorkshire. Professor Babington, in the last edition 
of his ' Manual,' considers it as a form of i2. trichoplii/lhts with floating leaves, but 
at the meeting of the Association he said the arguments for and against the plant 
being considered as a species were about equal. Dr. Cleghom read a paper on 
** The Deodar Forests of the Western Himalaya," which are becoming of more 
importance from the demand for the wood in the construction of railways. 
Dr. Hinds read a paper on *' A Monstrosity of the Eose," and exliibited speci- 
mens; and Mr. E. J. Lowe one on "The Propagation of Ferns by Means of 
Spores." In the geological section one or two papers were read on palajonto- 
logical botany, viz. Dr. Dawson on " The Post-phocene Plants of Canada," and 
on *' The Successive Palaeozoic Floras in Eastern North America ;" and Mr. 
Mitchell on " Unrecorded Leaf-forms from the Pipe Clay bed of Alum Bay, 
Tale of Wight." The Association made a grant of £20 to Mr. Mitchell to 
enable him to prosecute his inquii'ies into these plants. 
The fortieth meeting of German Naturahsts and Physicians was held at 
Hanover on the 18th of September and following days. The botanical section 
was well attended, and we hope to give a summary of its proceedings in our 
next issue. For the next place of meeting, Frankfort-on-the-Maine has been 
chosen . 
Mr. W. Mudd, now Curator of the Botanic Gardens, Cambridge, is pre- 
paring a monograph of the British species of Cladonia. 
Mr. Thomas Moore has just published a small volume, entitled ' The Ele- 
ments of Botany, for FamiUes and Schools.' 
Lindley and Moore's 'Treasury of Botany,' forming a companion volume to 
Maunder's ^jTreasm^ of Knowledge,' the publication of which has been so long 
delayed, is now announced to be ready. 
