[January, 1863.] 385 



BELGIAN BOTANY. 



Three Days' Botanizing among the Dunes of West Flanders 

 [Belgium) . 



A few details concerning the flora of a sea-coast opposite to 

 that of England will not be uninteresting to the readers of the 

 * Phytologist.' It is the result of what I saw and observed in an 

 excursion with the Botanical Society of Belgium, at the begin- 

 ning of July, along the Belgian coast. 



First of all, be it known that a Botanical Society has been quite 

 recently founded here, wliich, at its opening meeting, decided 

 that its first reunion extraordinaire should take place at Nieu- 

 port, and that it should be followed by an extensive botanical 

 tour. The Society having obtained from the Ministre des Tra- 

 vaux publics railway tickets at reduced prices, the president sent 

 several to the Horticultural Institution of Ghent, which liberal 

 action urged our lionourable and esteemed director, Mr. Van 

 Houtte, to permit me and several comrades to join the scientific 

 expedition in question. I took advantage, much more willingly, 

 of this opportunity of visiting the borders of the North Sea, 

 when I knew that our professor of botany, M. Crepin, was to be 

 of the party ; for I felt convinced that, having him for our guide, 

 our researches would be well directed, and that we should amass 

 an abundant collection of interesting species. 



On the 5th of July, when we set out for Ostend, where the 

 members of the Society and amateurs who had accepted the in- 

 vitation were to assemble, and to start from thence to Nieuport, 

 botanizing en route, those of our future companions who had 

 preceded us were waiting on the platform for our arrival ; 

 amongst them was the president, M. B. Dumortier, a name well 

 known in the scientific world, and who welcomed the new ar- 

 rivals with his accustomed urbanity. 



Loaded with our equipage, presses, and vasculuras, we passed 

 through Ostend, and astonished the natives by the variety and 

 originality of our costume and equipments. 1 have reasons for 

 believing that the inhabitants of Ostend will long preserve the 

 memory of our strange appearance among them, so uidike that 

 of the sea-bathing population who resort thither at this period of 

 the year. 



N. S. VOL. VI. 3 D 



