218 TODMORDEN BOTANICAL SOCIETY. [July , 



' new light ' thrown by the above gentlemen on the genus Or- 

 thotrichum, in regard to which discoveries, as our botanical 

 journals will have made patent to you, not only English but 

 foreign pens have been at work. 



".The various commendatory notices of our Society that have 

 appeared, from time to time, in the pages of the London jour- 

 nals, and especially the ' Phytologist,' must also be another 

 source of congratulation. 



" For the large gratuitous contributions of dried specimens of 

 plants made to the Society during the year, we owe much grati- 

 tude to the donors. Dr. Wood, of Manchester, and H. Boswell, 

 Esq., of Oxford, in especial, have presented to the Society what 

 must be considered most valuable acquisitions, in enlargement of 

 our hortus siccus. 



" The Editor of the ' Phytologist ' having resolved to publish 

 a List of all the Botanists (properly so called) in the kingdom, 

 some time ago appointed your Secretary to report for Lanca- 

 shire and Yorkshire, etc., and much correspondence, of course, 

 has been necessary. The List of Botanists above referred to, is 

 now in course of publication, and will no doubt shortly be in our 

 hands. 



" As to the matter of finance, we have some £30 of uncollected 

 subscriptions, and a balance in hand which will almost cover all 

 the outstanding accounts." 



After carefully reading the foregoing Report, it would be both 

 stingy and uncourteous to refrain from offering these persevering 

 men the humble meed of approbation at our disposal ; and to 

 wish, in Oriental phraseology, as the author of ' Haji Baba' taught 

 us long ago, " that their success may never be less." Their 

 financial statement affords a most favourable contrast with the 

 monetary accounts of more than one Society in which we formerly 

 took an active part. 



We only wish we had room for a more detailed account of the 

 interesting proceedings of the evening. Probably when the An- 

 nalist publishes or prints his history of the past year's excursions, 

 he will be so obliging as to send us a copy, from which we are 

 certain of gleaning some facts which will be both instructive and 

 pleasing to our readers. It is also a gratification to hear that 

 the Darwinian theory is exciting considerable attention, and that 



