No. 1219.] 407 



wrote more tiian t\ro thousand years ago. The correctness of his 

 knowledge of botany at that day, as compared with modern dis- 

 <coTeries and improvements on the subject, is wonderful. He 

 may be said lo have originated the classification of plants; this 

 has been greatly multiplied, extended, and improved upon by 

 modern naturalists. In his knowledge of the organization of 

 plants, their roots, stem?, leaves and branches — the use of each 

 of these and their functions, the sexes of plants, he is truly great 

 and original. We talk of the discoperies of moderns in science, 

 they must certainly be credited, f ^r many, but not all, nor per- 

 haps half. The moderns have improved much what the an- 

 cients originated and discovered ; and in most of these they are 

 •only entitled to the credit of good imitators and ingenious im- 

 prove!^. 



The article on Hungary is very appropriate at this time, when 

 we expect every hour the great leader of the late patriotic struo-- 

 gle to land upon our soil. Tlie liistory of sucli a country, ancient 

 and modern, its rise, progress and improvements, its qualifications 

 for further advanctment and change in its political and munxipal 

 governments, is highly interesting and important, not only to us 

 but the world 



The Secretary desires that the errors of these reports be attri- 

 buted to him, fur there is some difficulty in doing justice to 

 learned speakers, who are frequently ra]dd in elocution. 



Mr. AddingtonD.Fiye exhibitedapiece of pine wood which had 



been part of an elevator of grain, at a mill in Greenbush. The 



inner surface presents the appearance of the sancJy i^ottom over 



which a stream of wafer hasjjassed with some veLicitv, the depth 



of the hollows being very considerable. The ripplin? cunent of 



grain gives almost exactly the effect of water rivulets on sand 



* If 



Mr. Frye exhibited an elegant volume, entitled " Algolooy " 

 by Charles F. Durant of Jei*sey City. This work is composed of 

 the seaweeds (algee) of the bay and harb;»r of New-York selected 

 by Mr. Durant, and impressed on the pages of liis work in a 

 beautiful style. The members of the Club were unanimous in 

 this <'pinion,and that in this compaiatively new branch of obser- 

 vation Mr. Durant deserves very high commendation. 



