1861.] ADDRESS OF THE EDITOR. 3 



hopes of the future^ and hereby eudeavoiiring to remove hin- 

 drances to the enlargement of our knowledge and to the enjoy- 

 ment of the pleasures of botanical science and correspondence. 

 As we are about to co-operate for another period, we should divest 

 ourselves as much as possible of personal feelings and sectarian 

 tendencies, which are so embarrassing and prejudicial in all un- 

 dertakings. 



In our brief notice of the past year's proceedings, we assign 

 the first place to the few botanical works that have come under 

 our notice. If there be any others which are not here, our apology 

 to our readers is, that the authors did not seek our opinion ; and 

 as we believe that counsel is impertinent or intrusive when it is 

 not asked for, we abstain from criticism when we are not desired 

 to exercise this part of our function. 



The first book on our list is entitled, ' Sketches of the Natural 

 History of Brighton,' which was reviewed with some detail in 

 our j\Iay number. This work, though not exclusively botanical, is 

 an important acquisition to our stock of local botanical literature. 

 The botany was drawn up by one who is well acquainted with 

 the subject, and it may be relied on as a fair contribution to our 

 knowledge. It will be a nucleus for more extensive researches, 

 and it may be amended and enlarged in subsequent editions. 



The Rev. T. F. Ravenshaw's work, 'The New List of the 

 Flowering Plants and Ferns growing wild in the county of De- 

 von,' contains several hundred species hitherto to be found only 

 in several detached publications or in private memoranda. 



Besides these works, there was published early in this year a 

 complete Flora of the parish of Harrow, in a local newspaper. 

 As a nearly entire reprint of this appeared in our number for 

 April, we need not do mure here than merely notice it as the only 

 modern catalogue of Middlesex plants in print, and as a founda- 

 tion for an entire and complete Flora of the most important of 

 the metropolitan counties. 



Another county Flora, by the learned author of the ' Manual 

 of British Botany/ has also been issued since the spring of the 

 past year. A review of this comprehensive work will shortly 

 appear. 



The ' Visitor's Guide to the Isle of Wight,' only announced in 

 our pages, contains a succinct account of the botany of the island, 

 drawn up by one of our contributors. A notice of this work is 



