Foreign Notices: — Belgium. 54,7 



according to that system has, therefore, been prefixed ; thus, it is hoped, com- 

 bining to a considerable extent the advantages of both methods. 



" In describing the genera and species in the body of the work, I have 

 adopted pretty much the characters of Sir W. J. Hooker, as given by him in 

 his excellent British Flora, it being the book I principally consulted in the 

 examination of my specimens, from which I have also taken the etymologies 

 of the generic names. 



" The second, and not least valuable, part of the work contains the Orders 

 Musci, Hepaticae, and Lichenes, by Dr. Taylor (the well-known coadjutor 

 of Sir W. J. Hooker in the Muscologia Britannica), who, of all the botanists 

 of Ireland, was best qualified for the task. It will be seen that he has added 

 a new genus (Hydrophila) in the order Hepaticae, and in the order Li- 

 chenes a good many hitherto undescribed species, six of which appear in the 

 Addenda. 



" W. H. Harvey, Esq., the well-known algologist (before his departure to 

 the Cape of Good Hope), kindly undertook to describe the J'lgae. This he 

 accomplished from the examination of a full collection in my possession, chiefly 

 formed by the late amiable and accomplished Miss Hutchins ; a lady who, for 

 many years, was unremitting in her investigation of the botany of the south of 

 Ireland. To these he has added his own numerous discoveries, and those of 

 other botanists, whose names are mentioned ; and since his departure I have 

 been fortunate enough to add nine species new to Ireland, communicated by 

 several botanical friends, as will appear in that portion of the work. 



" Dublin, May 10. 1836." 



MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



Art. I. Foreign Notices. 



BELGIUM. 



Brussels, Sept. 1835. — In the park at Lacken are many fine trees of Ca- 

 tdlpa, which flower and seed abundantly. There is only one specimen of 

 Cedrus Libani in the whole park ; and I did not observe another in the neigh- 

 bourhood : it is, indeed, a scarce tree in Belgium. This tree is about 30 ft. 

 in height, and about 18 in. in diameter 1ft. from the ground; but it is evi- 

 dently in the last stage of decay. I am informed that it was almost killed by 

 the frost in 1814, which extended into the ground to the depth of 4^ ft. At 

 that period Lacken may almost be said to have been without a master, the 

 French having had something else to think about ; and the usual precaution 

 of mulching the ground over its roots had been that year neglected. It 

 recovered partly ; but, for want (so says my informer) of the same precaution 

 being taken in some cold winters since, it has again become sickly. 



The finest trees in the park are Populus alba, P. nigra, P. dilatata, and P. 

 monilifera. The specimens of the two latter are the largest I ever saw. I am 

 afraid of giving you wrong dimensions, as I write only from memory ; but will 

 endeavour to give you the correct sizes as soon as possible. 



jSalix vitellina and the weeping willow attain a large size here. I may here 

 remark incidentally that in Scotland I never saw the latter prosper in any 

 situation, although we are not accustomed to such cold winters there as they 

 are in Belgium ; but the summers are too cold to ripen the wood properly. 



There are some pretty good specimens of larch in the park of the Due 

 d'Aremberg, at Enghien. The father of the present duke planted them first 

 in Flanders, when he was advanced in years j and, from my observation, it 

 would appear that it was long after before any one followed so good an 

 example ; for I remarked none anywhere nearly so large. Upon the whole, 

 the larch is still scarce in Belgium ; neither can the Belgians be persuaded to 

 plant it, although they plant the Scotch pine pretty extensively, and with a 



