this de nt are now prosecuted. To 
him we owe the proposal for sending M. 
— .. Mertens on the expedition round the world, 
which was executed by the corvette, the 
Séniavine, under the command of Capt. 
Liitke. Though the Academy has had to 
regret the death of this Naturalist, shortly 
after his return, yet the botanical collec- 
tions, which were sent home by him, are 
not, therefore, lost to the world. All the 
s have been published; and the 
plants of Sitka, a Russian Colony on the 
North-West Coast of America, have been 
described in the Academy’s Memoirs, and 
furnish a general idea of the vegetation in 
that interesting part of our possessions. We 
are in momentary expectation of a little 
— Flora of the Isles of Bonim-Sima, whose 
vegetation is hitherto utterly unknown. The 
scientific expedition, despatched by the 
Academy, in 1829, to Elborous, has fur- 
— nished M. Mayer with an opportunity to 
-institute botanical researches in this inter- 
esting part of Caucasus, and to prolong 
them as far as the Caspian Sea. He also 
saw Bakou, and visited the Mountains of 
Talüsch; communicating, on his return, 
_ Such a detailed account of this journey, as 
. fully proved the success with which his 
.. mission had been executed. Another bo- 
: tanical enterprize, organized by the 
. demy, has proved equally interesting «d 
useful; it is that of Dr. Bunge, now Pro- 
fessor of Botany, at Kasan, who accompa- 
nied the Ecclesiastical Mission to Pekin, 
and brought home a beautiful collection of 
new and rare plants. His important dis- 
: Sertation on the vegetables of those coun- 
dition to China, it was deemed advisable 
.to combine another, the object of which 
y new ones that will form a valuable 
PROGRESS OF BOTANY IN RUSSIA. 
. which have powerfully contributed to pro- — 
I have already stated that the hadat 
charges itself with the continuation of Ba- 
ron Bieberstein’s beautiful work on rare 
Caucasian Plants, and also proposes to 
carry on Pallas’s Flora Rossica; but, I 
must further state, that there is a project 
in contemplation for publishing a Prodro- 
mus of the Russian Flora, for which the 
aid of our most eminent Naturalists is en- 
gaged by the Academy, under whose aus- 
pices it will appear. 
The rich botanical stores of Brazil, re- 
ceived from M. Langsdorff, when a Mem- 
ber of the Academy, have already furnished 
materials for many of its printed Memoirs, 
Trinius has described all the Graminee of 
this collection, and the author of the pre- 
sent Essay commenced his botanical career 
by writing a Monograph of the genus Eri- 
ocaulon, by describing several new species 
of Bauhinia and Paulletia, and revising 
the genus Lacis. Among the most recent 
and eminent publications on Botany, the 
Flora Altaica of Professor Ledebour, at 
Dorpat claims a distinguished place. This 
Flora displays to view the striking produc- 
tions of the Altaic chain of mountains, and 
contains no fewer than one thousand six 
hundred and twenty-six species of plants,- 
natives of that remarkable part of the Rus- 
sian dominions. The work, forming four 
octavo volumes, possesses scientific me- 
rit of the highest order, both as 
the numerous novelties which it presents, 
and the admirable execution of its various 
parts. The diagnoses of the genera and 
species are executed with great talent and 
extraordinary precision, and give a high 
idea of the present state of science in our 
country. The folio work, with coloured — . 
engravings, is beautifully executed, and 
will be shortly completed. 
I have already had occasion to speak of 
Professor Ledebour's able assistants, M. M. 
Bunge and Mayer, the worthy pupils of 
this eminent Professor. 
It would occupy me too long a time to 
notice all the elementary works on Botany 
which have been published in Russia, and 
mote the study of this charming science. 
4 
