153 REVIEWS. [Mf^y, 



Fries^ it grows wild plentifully in tracts of country where the 

 former of those species does not occur. In the vicinity of Thirsk, 

 what is probably the same grows intermingled with those species 

 in the osier-grounds ; but in our neighbourhood I have not seen 

 it in flower. Upon the Continent, S. undulata is a plant of Scan- 

 dinavia, Russia, Germany, Holland, Belgium, and France." 



He announced that the distribution of the proceeds of the col- 

 lecting-season of 1858 was in a forward state of progress, and 

 that the Report for this year was nearly ready for circulation. 



A Life of Linnaus. By Miss Brightwell, of Norwich, 

 London : Yan Voorst, 1858. 



We are glad to welcome this contribution to our knowledge of 

 a great naturalist, '' the mighty spirit of his day," and we do so 

 the more readily, because we feel disappointed that some of the 

 members of the Linnsean Society have not given us a full and 

 complete life of him. They have possession of his collection of 

 plants, correspondence, and other works, Avhich show that he, 

 like Solomon, spake of plants, from the Cedar-tree that is in Le- 

 banon, even unto the Hyssop that springeth out of the wallj but 

 we regret to say that these valuable remains are kept almost as 

 a sealed book in the archives of the Society. The Linnsean So- 

 ciety was instituted in the year 1788, and incorporated on the 

 26th of March, 1802, and they have honoured themselves with 

 his name, but have not honoured him with a biography. We do 

 not of course consider the articles in Rees' Cyclopaedia, written by 

 Sir J. E. Smith, worthy of the name ; and although Dr. Matou 

 did something excellent in its way, we may fairly ask why no- 

 thing more has been done by the Fellows of that learned Society. 

 It cannot be that because Linnseus was a Swede, a foreigner, 

 that this tardy justice has not been offered to his memory, — he 

 belongs, to Humanity. He is a cosmopolitan in the strictest 

 sense of this term. Linnseus was born in the year 1707 and died 

 in the year 1778, having lived 70 years, 7 months, and 7 days. 



Aristotle is generally, but erroneously, considered the founder 

 of the Science of Botany ; it has also been cultivated by kings. 



