8 



Mr. G. E. Dennes, Secretary, read the Report of the Council, from 

 which it appeared that thirteen new members had been elected since 

 the last anniversary, the Society now including two hundred and 

 fifty-five members. The distributions of British and foreign plants 

 had been carried on regularly and numerously, and many valuable 

 parcels had been received recently, as the result of exertions made 

 by members during the past summer. The Council had requested 

 Mr. Hewett C. Watson and the Secretary to prepare a third edition 

 of the 'London Catalogue of British Plants,' a copy of which, in 

 proof, was laid on the table. The Report was unanimously adopted, 

 after which a ballot toot place for the Council, when the chairman 

 was re-elected, and he nominated J. Miers, Esq., F.R.S., and A. 

 Henfrey, Esq., F.L.S., Vice-Presidents. Mr. R. Hudson, F.R.S., Dr. 

 Mateer, and Dr. Palmer were elected new members of the Council. 

 Mr. J. Reynolds, Mr. G. E. Dennes, and Mr. T. Moore were re-elected 

 Treasurer, Secretary and Librarian. 



Mr. A. Henfrey, V.P., read a brief report on the progress of botany 

 and botanical literature during the year 1850, to the following effect. 

 " The present year has not been signalized by any remarkable dis- 

 covery, in publication, in the department of physiological botany. 

 Many interesting papers have appeared on various subjects in the 

 journals, contributing to increase our knowledge of development, and 

 of the characters of the elementary structures; but the phenomena of 

 cell-formation still presents a wide field for investigation. The third 

 German edition of Schleiden's ' Principles of Scientific Botany ' has 

 been completed, and offers one point worthy of note, namely, the 

 author's continued assertion of the truth of his original view of fertili- 

 zation in the phanerogamia, in opposition to almost all recent 

 observers. A new edition of Dr. Asa Gray's useful ' Manual ' has 

 also been published. In the department of systematic botany much 

 more activity has been displayed, so far as publication is a criterion. 

 In addition to the numerous fragmentary notices in the botanical 

 journals, many important separate works have appeared. A fifth 

 volume of Kunth's ' Enumeratio Plantarum ' has made its appearance 

 since his death. Prof. Unger has published a synopsis of all known 

 fossil plants. Mr. Woods has brought out the European Flora, on 

 which he has been so long engaged. Several local European floras 

 have been presented to the world, among which may be noticed 

 Meyer's ' Flora of Hanover,' the completion of Fries's ' Sumraa Vege- 

 tabilium,' and the commencement of a new illustrated work, called 

 ' Plantae Scandinavise,' by Mr. Anderson. Of new editions we have 



