THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 25 



lines from Lindley, Bentham and others of the foremost in 

 phytology. As an instance of the keen circumspectness and 

 tender solicitude, with which Alphonse de Candolle watched over 

 the scientific welfare of others, it may here be stated, that when 

 one of the Melbourne illustrated works on plants approached its 

 close, he entirely on his own impulse and sole accord, without 

 the slightest knowledge of the author and utterly unsought, 

 addressed himself to the authorities here in terms of appreciation, 

 which by the weight of his mastership could not fail to exercise a 

 beneficial influence for future efforts on this side of the world. 

 That such a man earns the admiration of all the workers in his 

 or in kindred fields, was a triumphant sequence. Homage was 

 paid him from all parts of the world. English science honoured 

 him with the foreign fellowship of the Royal Society. An 

 extensive Australian genus of plants of delicate loveliness bears 

 his name. Few mortals can ever rank with the De Candolles on 

 their own paths of science, indeed very few ! Their glorious 

 acquisitions were for rural wealth, for industrial gain, for higher 

 education, for joyful recreation, for elevating contemplations, and 

 above all for solemn religious interpretations ! Such then must 

 ever tend to exercise in their own way an incalculable influence 

 on the well-being of the whole world of mortals ! 



The following is the letter mentioned above : — 



Geneve, 17 Mm^s, 1893. 



Mon cher collegue,- — Je profite d'un bon moment pour vous 

 adresser quelques lignes. Mais je suis dans un si mauvais etat 

 de sante depuis six mois, qu'il m'a fallu abandonner toutes les 

 occupations. Une attaque d'influenza a ete une veritable 

 maladie d'un jnois et ensuite a succ^de une extreme faiblesse, 

 qui ne pent guere se corriger k mon age. Je tiens cependant k 

 vous remercier des " Candolleaceous Plants" fasc. I, que j'ai 

 regu au mois de Decembre. Ces plantes sont fort bien dessinees, 

 et leur variete dans un genre si naturel est remarquable. 



Votre portrait montre, que vous etes toujours bien portant. 

 Vous vivez dans un climat salubre, et il faut esperer, que cela 

 vous maintiendra longtemps dans de bonnes conditions. 



Le prochain volume de nos Monographies sera de M. Vesque 

 sur les Guttiferes. On en commence I'impression. II y aura 

 beaucoup de details anatomiques comme dans les memoires de 

 M. John Briquet sur les Labiees, mais c'est ecrit en latin. 



Recevez, mon cher collegue, I'expression de mes sentiments 

 les plus devoues. 



Alph. de Candolle. 



In Sir William Hooker's "Journal of Botany," IV, 229, is 

 published a letter by Alphonse de Candolle to Mr. Bentham, in 

 the French language, announcing with the saddest of expressions 

 the death of his illustrious father, now 52 years ago. 



