1081 



appeared this year, but certainly not in abundance (Phytol. 617). The 

 old walls of Sherard's garden have been lately repaired, and the inter- 

 stices cemented and otherwise fdled up, to the probable eventual de- 

 struction of our plant. Linaria pui^jurea will doubtless in time be 

 well established at Eltham : I could have collected upwards of a 

 wheelbarrow load in July, all self sown about walls and wastes. 

 Oxalis Acetosella, &. purpurea occurs, but very small and sparingly, 

 in the woods near the Castle, towards Shooter's-hill. — fd. 



511. Note on Asplenium fontanum. I was rather disappointed to 

 find that the author of the ' History of the British Ferns' has not no- 

 ticed Asplenium fontanum in the new edition of his work. On the 

 19th of last month I had the pleasure of receiving from Henry Shep- 

 herd, of the Liverpool Botanic Gardens, a single frond of a wild spe- 

 cimen, found by himself in the year 1826, on the rocks above Matlock. 

 Silvanus Thompaon ; Friends' School, York, Hth month o, 1844. 



512. Note on Mr. Gibnoti's Paper on Carices. Although I fully 

 agree with Mr. Gibson's observation on the value of scientific contro- 

 versy (Phytol. 1038), when conducted in a proper spirit, and solely 

 with a view to elicit truth, yet, as I see no utility in prolonging the 

 discussion on the disputed Carices, unless some new facts could be 

 advanced on either side of the question, 1 have not the slightest in- 

 tention of replying to that gentleman's criticisms. But as 1 have 

 been unfortunate enough to call forth some severe observations rela- 

 tive to the share which two of my esteemed correspondents have had 

 in the matter under discussion, I deem it my duty to take up the cud- 

 gels in their behalf, and in one instance to expose something very like 

 a mistake, to give it no harsher name, into which Mr. G. appears to 

 have fallen. In the first place, in justice to Mr. Sidebotham, I must 

 beg to state, that all the specimens of the di.sputed Carex which 1 

 have received from that gentleman, perfectly agree with those subse- 

 quently forwarded by Dr. Wood. And further, that in the course of 

 my correspondence with Mr. S., I have not once had occasion to ac- 

 cuse him of carelessness or negligence in naming the specimens of 

 plants with which he has favoured me. The mistake which he can- 

 didly confessed to Mr. Gibson, is one which any of us might have run 

 into ; and having been acknowledged in the confidence of a private 

 letter, that confidence certainly ought not to have been violated. In 

 the second place, with regard to the discovery of Carex paradoxa in 

 Yorkshire, quoting Mr. Gibson's own word.s, I may remark, that what 

 he has " said on the subject, would, 1 think, have been much better 

 if it had been correct." Wishing to see when and by whom Mr. 



