Magazine of Botany. , 351 



numerous and accessible, to enable very many of the admirers 

 of the vegetable creation to do themselves the pleasure of be- 

 coming acquainted with this portion of it. The case has been 

 different in relation to the cryptogamic portion of the British 

 flora ; for the works published on it have hitherto been writ- 

 ten in the Latin language, or, if in English, as in the case of 

 English Botany, have been too expensive to be generally pos- 

 sessed. The present half-volume, happily, now alters this case 

 in relation to all of the Cryptogamia except the funguses ; and 

 the succeeding half- volume in which these are to be described, 

 it is stated in the preface to the present half, " will be pub- 

 lished with all the speed consistent with careful execution." 



On the merits in the details of the execution of the half- 

 volume now before me, I will frankly declare myself incom- 

 petent to speak ; and this, because I have for years past post- 

 poned the examination of the plants it describes on the very 

 account of the non-existence of such an intelligible introduc- 

 tion to an acquaintance with them. " The work then is writ- 

 ten intelligibly and clearly ?" It is : and I think it is also 

 written with a careful regard to accuracy. I may state that I 

 have taken a collection of thirty-two named species of moss 

 (most kindly given to me by an amiable botanist), and com- 

 pared each of them with the generic and specific characters 

 ascribed to me same names in the book, and that they have 

 corresponded satisfactorily in every instance. The inference, 

 then, is fair, that the mosses are clearly and faithfully de- 

 scribed ; and hence the assumption is natural, that the plants 

 of the remaining orders are described in like manner. 



Bennie, James, M.A., Professor of Natural History, King's 

 College, London, aided by some of the most eminent 

 Botanists of Europe : The Magazine of Botany ; the first 

 Number containing 8 coloured figures of the most rare and 

 valuable specimens of plants and flowers, executed by 

 eminent artists, and correctly coloured; also 16 quarto 

 pages of closely printed letterpress, in double columns, 

 consisting entirely of original articles. London, 1833. 

 l5. a Number. 



This is the fourth Gardener's Magazine which has been 

 commenced since our work appeared, and it may be con- 

 sidered as an additional evidence of the interest which the 

 public take in gardening subjects. We do not think it ne- 

 cessary to give an opinion of the merits of the work. Let 

 the public purchase it, and judge for themselves. We can 

 only refer them to what we have stated, in a former volume 



