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BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 



Thursday, April Sth, 1847. — Dr. Greville, President, in the chair. 



Donations of botanical works were announced from M. Barneoud, 

 Paris ;^ Professor Morren, Liege; and Mr. Chas. C. Babington, 

 Cambridge. And specimens from Professor Balfour, Mr. Babington, 

 Mr. T. J. Syme, and Dr. Carpenter, London ; and Mr. Hamburgh, Isle 

 of Wight. 



The following communications were read : 



1. Description of an East Indian palm, Areca triandra, of Roxburgh, 

 by Dr. Balfour. The plant has recently flowered in the Botanic 

 Garden ; and cut specimens of the spadix, spatha and leaves, with a 

 drawing and dissections of the flowers, were exhibited. 



2. Notes of a botanical trip to the Isle of Wight, in August and 

 September, 1846, with remarks on the geographical distribution of the 

 British Flora, by Dr. Balfour, After giving a general description of 

 the geological features of those parts of the island which he had 

 visited, Dr. B. enumerated some of the rarer plants found by him 

 near Yarmouth, the Needles, Ventnor, Ryde, and Newport : among 

 these were some of the rarer species of Rubi, Calamintha sylvatica, 

 Cyperus longus, Matthiola incana, Orobanche barbata. Inula Heleni- 

 um, Spartina stricta, Dianthus prolifer, Melampyrum arvense ; re- 

 markable specimens of Campanula glomerata, about an inch high ; 

 Agrostis setacea, Calamagrostis lauceolata, Tamarix anglica ; Hiera- 

 cium inuloides, &c., &c. Dr. Balfour next alluded to the nature of 

 the plants found in the island in a geographical point of view, as be- 

 longing to Professor E. Forbes's Devon Flora and Norman Type ; and 

 illustrated his remarks by a set of specimens, so arranged as to show 

 at one view the various Floi'as of Great Britain and Ireland. 



Dr. Balfour afterwards read extracts from a letter from Mr. N. B. 

 Ward, of London, giving a short account of the successful mode in 

 which he has been cultivating the rarer ferns, Jungermannise, and 

 mosses in his plant cases. 



The following members were elected : A. F. Adam, Esq. ; Stanhope 

 Templeman Speer, Esq.; John Duncanson, Esq.; Robert Nasmyth, 

 Jun., Esq. ; and R. S. Cid de Bivar, Esq. ; and Mr. W. M'lvor and 

 Mr. John Laing, were elected associates of the Society. 



Thursday, May \Mh, 1847. — Dr. Greville, President, in the chair. 



Donations of botanical works were announced from M. A. De Can- 

 dolle, Geneva; Hon. G. Cunninghame, Mauritius; and G. Munby, 



