NOTE ON THE FLORAS OF MR. FORBES, 469 



republished as if they had resulted from Mr. Forbes's own 

 individual investigations. But it must be obvious enough 

 that the mere repetition of an arrangement previously 

 before the public, whether disguised or undisguised, could 

 add nothing to existing knowledge respecting the distribu- 

 tion of plants in this country. Nor would a variation of 

 that arrangement be likely to conduce to the advance of 

 scientific knowledge, unless made by a competently in- 

 formed botanist, and in such manner as to render it more 

 exactly accordant with the truths of nature. Such a result, 

 it is confidently believed, Mr. Forbes's individual know- 

 ledge of the distribution of British plants was very far fi-om 

 adequate to realize ;* for, whatever may be his scientific 

 merits in other respects, that gentleman's repute, as a 

 botanist, is more academical than personal. Moreover, 

 no real knowledge of vegetable geography was indicated 

 in the reports. They conveyed only generalities, vaguely 

 expressed, without the mention of a single plant in ex^ 

 ample of any of the so-called ' floras.' And the pervading 

 character of the whole communication, as reported, was 

 that of a hasty and untried fancy, for support of which the 

 propounder intended to find his facts at some after time. 



Since the Cambridge meeting of the British Association 

 Mr. Forbes has printed a second essay on the same sub- 

 ject ; and which, it is understood, will be published in a 

 volume connected with the Geological Survey. This time, 

 there is so great a show of evidence adduced in seeming 

 support of the hypothesis, that it will doubtless appear 

 very plausible in the eyes of those persons (not botanists) 

 to whom the ipse dixit of its proposer is a sufficient war- 

 ranty for the accuracy of his facts. This time, also, Mr. 

 Forbes does refer to the previously published geographico- 

 botanical arrangement of the ' Remarks ; ' although his 

 passing allusions thereto are conveyed in terms which 



