383 



periodicals, being likewise still comraimicated to the one for British 

 Botany, by their respective authors. 



A periodical on this plan would of course be read by all British 

 Botanists ; and it would be kept on their book-shelves, as an indis- 

 pensible book of reference, a dictionary and history of the progress 

 of British Botany. The proprietor would be benefitted by the larger 

 circulation ; the purchaser would find his account in the complete- 

 ness and cheapness of the information conveyed in it ; and the con- 

 tributors would know that any useful information which they had to 

 give, would be pretty sure of meeting the eyes of those for whom it 

 was written ; and that, by no other channel could they so well insure 

 this important object. 



The next point is, where to find the periodical ; and fortunately this 

 appears within compass. We have now two monthly periodicals de- 

 voted W' holly to Botany. The " London Journal of Botany " has not 

 many articles on exclusively British Botany, though it affords excel- 

 lent means for circulating papers of wider general interest through 

 the botanical world. The ' Phytologist,' on the other hand, is almost 

 limited to British Botany, and might become quite so ; — it is pub- 

 lished at a small price — it does already receive the chief portion of 

 the most interesting papers on British Botany, and though not hither- 

 to the complete record and index suggested, it goes already so far 

 towards that desirable object, as to bring within prospect the possi- 

 bility and likelihood of its attainment. The additional space would 

 be gained by the easy and required process of pruning down those exu- 

 berant articles, whose purpose is little more than to say over again 

 matters previously on record and sufiiciently well understood. There 

 are perhaps few papers, even those of the poorest contributions among 

 the " rambles " and " visits " which do not include some facts or sug- 

 gestions which might be worthy of record, if cleared out from the 

 bushel of chaff within which the grains are hidden and lost. The 

 space so saved would be ready for the abstracts and references, and 

 notices of articles elsewhere printed, which are indispensable for mak- 

 ing the ' Phytologist' that full and complete register of British Botany 

 now so much needed. 



Hewett .C^ Watson, 



Thames Ditton, ^'C"i^^'' 



24 November, 1845. 



