22 
ducted tour through the Royal Botanic Gardens was provided, 
with an al fresco luncheon for visiting delegates. A special ex- 
hibition of Linneana was arranged at the rooms of the Linnean 
Society, Burlington House, London. 
The Fourth International Botanical Congress held at Ccr- 
nell University, Ithaca, New York, in 1925 had charged the 
1930 Congress with the difficult and complicated task of re- 
vising the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. This 
was unquestionably the most important single project that 
came before the Congress. The International committee, under 
the leadership of Dr. John Briquet of Geneva, had carefully as- 
sembled and collated the data that were to be presented for dis- 
cussions, these data being supplemented by a 200 page docu- 
ment consisting of proposals by British botanists. The “Re- 
cueil synoptique” and “Avis prealable,” prepared by Dr. Briquet 
and his colleagues, contained all of the suggested modifications 
of the International Code that had been submitted by botanists 
from all countries; in parallel columns were given the original 
text of the 1905 and 1910 rules, together with the suggested 
changes, and with the recommendation of the international com- 
mittee. 
With these carefully and critically prepared documents, the 
Section on Nomenclature, under the chairmanship of E. D. 
Merrill, proceeded to a consideration of details. Practically all 
of the recommendations of the cen tral committee were approved 
there being at times a very lively discussion from the floor. As 
discussions, amendments, motions etc., were in English, French, 
and German it was by no means an easy task to follow all details, 
although important items were interpreted by the several sec- 
retaries, Dr. Harms of Berlin in German and Dr. Briquet of 
Geneva in French. During the first two days progress was rel- 
atively slow; but real progress was made on the third day by 
disposing of all the minor matters on a single motion, thus leav- 
ing time to consider the few really important, and more oF less 
controversial items. The proposed amendments of the Inter- 
national Code had to do largely with unifying, as far as possible, 
the divergencies in this code and the so-called American Code. 
Few formal votes were taken, most of the motions, after dis- 
cussion, being disposed of by show of hands. In reference t° 
important controversial matters the proportions of the vote 3 
