investigating the laws of vegetable deve- 
lopment. These laws, when fully ascer- 
tained, will enable Man to add greatly to 
the advantages which he now draws from 
d vegetable world. e may appear 
wise in his generation," but Ae is not 
wise or beneficial to his race, who professes 
to scorn the cultivation of any department 
E "psu Science, even in its minor de- 
tea. In reference to this paragraph, I 
. cannot help expressing regret, that in a 
section expressly devoted to the natural 
geography of Britain, and in which pretty 
extensive sub-sections are given to Geolo- 
g tany, and Zoology, the subject of 
climate should be utterly passed by; as, 
m 
teorology, with reference to the earth ge- 
nerally. It seems strange that meteorolo- 
gical notices should have been omitted, 
while matters of secondery interest entered 
so largely into the plan of the work. What- 
ever the reason, the geographic Botanist 
will regret this defect in a work otherwise 
so valuable. 
hs ` 1432—1434. So far, indeed, as the cli- 
è mate may be guessed from the vegetation, 
we do find it illustrated in the botanical 
sub-sections; and with reference to some 
of the remarks on cultivated vegetation, as 
showing the climate of the Channel Isles 
and “extreme southern coast of England,” 
it may be added, that they will be found 
applicable, partially, to places rather more 
northward than is expressly stated. Thus, 
the orange ripens fruit against walls in 
North Devon, occasionally protected by 
: iung i 1n severe winters, though it is not 
ard, in gardens near the north coast of the 
‘same county. It also grows under the 
shelter of houses (not trained to their 
3) as " north as Anglesea,! and bears 
open air, walls, on the inland 
[nos of = Thames, where the winters 
are — e, Still, these 
iterra- 
F per s the le of Bate —Ep. 
Li 
ZR ES PEE NUUS SEU TS 
SOLEO EUR SEE tear ae 
REMARKS ON THE BOTANY 
OF BRITAIN. 
nean shrubs rather exist than flourish in 
ter, in the gardens of Surrey, though their 
roots survive ; as they do more northward. 
In sheltered situations, in Surrey, the stems 
of the Fuchsia and Oleander survive the 
winter. 
1436. On the Continent of Europe, in- 
land, vineyards are said to exist in a lati- 
tude corresponding to the south of Eng- 
an here seems little doubt that the 
south-eastern counties of England would 
produce grapes capable of being made into 
wine, but they could not be cultivated with : 
tables of British plants, it must be kept in 
mind, that not only in Gray’s Arrange- 
ment, but also in the English Flora, many 
Species are included, which have no admis- 
sible claim to be ranked with British plants. 
Most of such being plants of more southern 
or warmer climates, the arithmetical pro- 
portions are thereby made to represent a 
climate superior to that which actually cha- 
racterizes Britain. Instead of 1636 (Gray) 
or 1503 (Smith) species, it may be ques- | 
tioned whether twelve hundred perfectly 
distinguishable species are found native in | 
the British Isles, What is the consequence 
of this undue swelling of numbers? Set- 
ting aside its tendency to perplex botanical 
students, and to make philosophic Natu- | 
ralists turn in disgust from botanical (—— 
conceits?) let the reply be given in the 
words of Professor Henslow,—“ it is not - 
kt: much to say, that there are some gend 
aie beyond pm number which they 
really contain. In consequence of this, . 
than it ought to do, and this must lead to 
very erroneous conclusions respecting the 
laws which regulate the numerical distri- 
bution of species in different latitudes.” 
1449. Erica ciliaris is now known | 
