303 



are beginning to blossom. Now tbe great mullein or hag-taper (Verbascuni Thapsus) 

 shows its " flannel leaves " and lofty spike of yellow flowers in perfection, like a huge 

 torch in the dusk of evening ; and others of the same species flash gloriously by way- 

 sides or gardens. In certain spots the tall dyer's weed (Reseda luteola) is very con- 

 spicuous, and the starry scabious (Scabiosa arvensis) lifts its flowers of regal purple 

 high in air. The little centaury (Chironia Centaurea) named from Chiron the cen- 

 taur, about this time adorns many a bank with its bright pink flowers ; and the hedges 

 are over-run with the ramping fumitory, the brilliant violet clusters of the tufted vetch 

 (Vicia Cracca), the pink flowers of the everlasting pea (Lathyrus sylvestris), and the 

 conspicuous white bells of the great convolvulus (Convolvulus sepiura). — Id. 



Art. LXXX. — Proceedings of Societies. 



BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 



July 14, 1842. — This Society held its last meeting for the season in the Botanic 

 Garden, Professor Graham in the chair. Various donations were presented to the her- 

 barium and library : — from Mr. Loudon, plants collected in the South Sea Islands by 

 the late Mr. Corson, surgeon ; from Miss Ferguson, seeds collected by her father in 

 Sierra Leone; a box of plants from the Mediterranean, collected by Edward Forbes, 

 Esq., and volumes of important works from Dr. Muller of Emmei*wick, on the Rhine, 

 David Steuart, Esq., Edinburgh, and the Leopoldine Academy of Breslau. Thanks 

 were ordered to be returned to the several donors, and Dr. Muller was unanimously 

 elected a foreign member of the Society. 



The corresponding Secretary read a statement of the plants which had been con- 

 tributed during the season, amounting, on a rough estimate, to 5,000 species, and 

 25,000 specimens, many of which are rare and otherwise interesting, and he expressed 

 his gratification in being enabled to say that they were generally much better preserv- 

 ed than the contributions of former years. 



Professor Graham next exhibited to the Society a number of rare and beautiful 

 plants which had recently come into flower in the green-houses ; most of the gentle- 

 men present thereafter accompanied the professor in a walk through the garden and 

 greenhouses, and particularly to inspect a magnificent specimen of Caryota urens, 

 which was a few days ago removed from the large green-house to the open border at 

 the north end of the range. This magnificent palm was raised in the garden from 

 seed brought from Calcutta about twenty-seven years ago, and has now attained a 

 height of above forty-five feet, which rendered its removal necessary, as the house 

 could no longer contain it. It is still comparatively uninjured, but will doubtless soon 

 fall a victim to the cold and rough weather of our climate. The public should there- 

 fore not miss this rare opportunity of seeing a tropical palm growing luxuriantly in a 

 Scottish garden — especially as it is much the finest specimen of the kind in Britain, 

 if not in Europe. The heaths and many other green-house plants are at present in a 

 beautiful stale, and well worthy of a visit, — nor could the garden generally exhibit a 

 more agreeable aspect than it now does. 



The various papers on the list were deferred till next session. — From ' The Edin- 

 hurgh Evening Post and Scottish Standard,^ Saturday, July 16, 1842. 



