254 



NA TURB 



{Jan. 28, 1875 



interest, in every healthy form of human activity. Few men 

 liave been more loved than Charles Kinssley, and the wide 

 influence of his example and teaching has been undoubtedly for 

 good. 



The death is announced of M. d'Omalius d'llalloy, the well- 

 luiown veteran Belgian geologist, as having taken jilace on 

 the 15th inst., at the age of ninety-two years. M. d'llalloy was 

 born at Lit'ge on February 16, 1783. He was a member of the 

 Royal Academy of lirusseN, of which he was president in 1850, 

 t'oriesponding Member of the French Academy of Science, and 

 Member of the Geological Society of Taris. He was author of 

 a large number of scientific works ; among others, " Elements 

 de Geologic". (1831), "Introduction a la Geologic " (1833), 

 " Precis elementaire de Geologic" (1843), "Abrege de Geologie" 

 (1S53), besides numerous memoirs in the Journal ties Mines, the 

 Journal lie P/iysii/ue, the Annilfs des Mines, the M^moires of the 

 French Geological Society, and the Bulletin of the Belgian 

 Academy. 



With regard to the Transit of Venus, the following telegram, 

 dated Aden, Jan. 21, has been received :—" Ingress and egress 

 well observed from three stations in Rodrigues ; nine Janssen 

 plates; fifty- eight sun-pictures. Observers, Neate, Iloggan, 

 Wharton." 



A GENTLEM.\N whose name is unknown has made a gift of 

 10,000/. for the promotion of university education among the 

 working classes of Nottingham. 



At the recent meeting of Convocation of the University of 

 London, a resolution was unanimously carried, " That in the 

 opinion of Convocation it is desirable that a special examina- 

 tion be instituted in this Universi y in the subjects which 

 relate to public health." It was stated that there is every 

 probability of the Senate giving force to the resolution by the 

 establishment of an examination of the character indicated. 



A COURSE of six lectures' on scientific subjects, in the Town 

 Hall, Stratford, was commenced on Monday by Mr. J. Norman 

 Lockyer, F.R.S., whose subject was the " General Principles of 

 Spectrum Analysis." The hall, we believe, was crowded with an 

 attentive and intelligent audience, largely composed, apparently, 

 of people belonging to the working classes. Mr. Lockyer 

 lectures on the same subject next Monday, and on the two 

 succeeding Mondays Dr. Martin Duncan, F.R.S., lectures on 

 "Mountain-making" and on " Coral Islands." On Mondays, 

 March I and S, Dr. Carpenter, F.R.S. , will lecture on " Deep- 

 sea Researches." The lectures are given in connection with the 

 Gilchrist Educational Trust. 



The Council of the Royal Horticultural Society have recently 

 instituted a series of fortnightly lectures on Wednesday evenings, 

 at eight o'clock, intended especially for lliose Fellows and their 

 Iriends whose engagements prevent their attendance at the 

 Wednesday afternoon meetings, and for the instruction of their 

 gardeners. The first lecture of the series was delivered by Prof. 

 Dyer, on the Growth of Ferns from Spores, which was followed 

 by one last evening by Mr. A. W. Bennett, on the Fertilisation 

 of Flowers by means of Insects. 



Few papers of greater interest to botanical students have 

 recently issued from the press than Mr. Benlham's treatise on 

 the recent progress of systematic botany, read at the Belfast 

 meeting of the British Association, and which, but for untoward 

 circumstances, would have formed the address to the Linnean 

 Society at the Anniversary Meeting in May last. Commencing 

 with a review of the history of systematic botany from the time 

 of Linna;us, and of the gradual introduction of the natural 

 sy,i;m, he then considers the principal works in this branch of 

 science recently published, or now in progress, under the follow- 



ing heads:— (i) Ordincs Plnnlaruin, or general cxposilions of 

 the orders and .sub-orders constituting the vegetable kingdom ; 

 (2) Genera P/anlarum, or systematic descriptions of all the 

 genera constituting the vegetable kingdom; (3) S/'ccics Plan- 

 laruin, or systematic enumeration and descriptions of all known 

 species ; (4) Monographs of orders and genera ; (5) Floras, or 

 histories of the plants of particular countries or districts ; and 

 (6) .Specilic descriptions, detailed or miscellaneous. The prac- 

 tical advice of this veteran systematist to compilers of works of 

 this description should be carefully studied by all botanical 

 writers. 



A NEW French weekly scientific periodical has issued its first 

 number under the patronage of a Standing Committee of the 

 French Geographical Society. It is edited by M. Herz, one of 

 the staff of the Journal Officiil. It is called the Exploratcur, and 

 is i)ublished for the purpose of promoting the cause of geogra- 

 phical exiiloration among the French. One of its first objects 

 is to send trustworthy travellers into the .Sahara, where M. 

 Dourncau-Dupre and others were murdered a few months ago. 

 The Exploratcur is opening, at present, a private subscription 

 on behalf of M. Largeau, who is desirous of trying his chances 

 in the same region. Some native pioneers have been also sent 

 out, and arc expected shortly to transmit valuable intelligence 

 from the central Sahara. 



A TARCEL of dried plants has recently been received at Kew 

 from the Samoan Islands, sent by the Rev. Mr. I'owell. Some 

 novelties may be expected from this region, as it is still very little 

 explored. 



Prof. Dyer's article on the Tree Aloes of South Africa, 

 recently published in this journal, having elicited ntinierous 

 in^iuiries respecting this curious genus, it may be interesting to 

 some of our readers to know that several line species are in 

 llower at the present time in the Succulent House at Kew. 



Tree FERNS'are nearly all of elegant and pleasing habit, and 

 one deserving these epithets in a high degree is Cyalhea insignis, 

 a native of Jamaica and other West Indian islands. A magni- 

 ficent specimen of this species recently attracted admiration 

 in the tropical conservatory at Kew. It has fronds upwards of 

 twelve feet In length, the stipes or stalks ot which are densely 

 clothed with long glossy scales. 



About fifty new genera were added to the fkjra of Australia 

 during the year ending with the appearance of Baron Mueller's 

 last report, many of them of great interest in phytogeography. 

 The following are a few of the more interesting : — Corynoearpus, 

 Carmichalia, Ilex, Lagerstrcemia, Agrimonia, Embothrium 

 (§ Oreocallis), Ulmus (g Microptelea), Monea, Areca, and 

 Wolffia. 



Passing through the greenhouse containing the collection 

 of succulent plants at Kew the other day, a correspondent 

 was much struck with the flowers of a plant he had pre- 

 viously taken to be an ivy. The resemblance in foliage and 

 habit is indeed so strong that a botanist might easily mistake it 

 for a species of that genus, unless, of course, it was minutely 

 examined. It is a native of South Africa, and is referred to the 

 familiar genus Senecio, S. macroglossus being its name. The 

 yellow llov\er-heads are large and showy, the ray-florets being 

 few and broad. A figure of it, we are informed, will shortly be 

 publiblied in the Bolanical Magazine. This plant has been 

 introduced into St. Helena, where it bears the name of Ground 

 Ivy, as may be learned from the label attached to a specimen in 

 the Kew Herbarium, sent from thence by Mr. Melliss. Severaj 

 other South African species of the same genus present equally 

 interesting peculiarities. 



Boxwonn, the wood of Buxus scinj<t'i~jircns, which is almost 

 exclusively used fur the best kinds of wood-engraving, has been 



