316 Forbes' s Journal of a Horticultural Tour. 



made of the present publication reaching beyond INIontrose ; yet frequent 

 references are made to situations still farther to the south ; and an expecta- 

 tion has sometimes been indulged, that, with the aid of a little supplementary 

 matter, which, on various accounts, it may be founil necessary to give at the 

 conclusion, this Flora will be found to suit any part of the east of Scotland 

 northward of Dundee." 



The work seems to be executed with considerable care, 

 though we think it might have been rendered much more en- 

 tertaining, if, for example, the Flora of Bcr'wick-npou-Tweed 

 had been taken as a model. Comparing the article i^raxinus in 

 the two Floras (p. 4. of the former, and p. 5. of the latter), it 

 will be found that Dr. Johnson has given a most interesting 

 paragraph, which we could almost be tempted to quote ; but 

 Dr. JNIurray dismisses the tree with a very few lines. He may, 

 perhaps, say, that Dr. Johnson, having reaped the field, has left 

 him only the gleanings of the subject ; but this will not suffice 

 to us as an excuse. The more that has been written on any 

 subject, the more abundant is the store of materials from which 

 to produce something better than what has hitherto been done. 

 Surely, something might have been said of the dimensions that 

 the tree attains in the east of Scotland ; and some notice taken 

 of the remarkable specimens. At Gordon Castle, for example, 

 according to the Return Paper filled up for the Arboretum 

 JBritannicurriy the ash attains the height of 82 ft. ; at Mont- 

 boddo, there is a tree, 14-0 years planted, which is 70 ft. high; 

 and at Darnawa Castle there is a remarkable ash tree, of which 

 a drawing, by Mr, Steven, of Elgin, has been kindly sent us 

 by William M'Leod, Esq., of which we have given an en- 

 graving in the work referred to. There are several other re- 

 markable ash trees in the east of Scotland, which, independently 

 of Dr. Murray's local knowledge and correspondence, he might 

 have found described in Sir Thomas Dick Lauder's Account of 

 the Moray Floods^ and other works. It would certainly have 

 been better to have devoted an additional paragraph or two to 

 important plants like the ash, than to have given so many 

 habitats of plants of comparatively little consequence. We 

 hope Dr. Murray will profit from this hint for the future parts 

 of the work ; and, when it comes to a second edition, which we 

 sincerely hope it soon will, we trust he will arrange it according 

 to the natural system. 



AuT. II. Journal of a Horticultural Tour through Germany, Bel- 

 gium, and Part of France, in the Autumn of 1835. To which is 

 added, a Catalogue of the different Species of Cactece in the Gardens 

 at IVoburn Abbey. By James Forbes, A.L.S., Corresponding Mem- 



