21 
THE NEW DIRECTOR OF KEW. 
(WITH PORTRAIT.) 
Ir is with feelings of unmixed pleasure that we record the 
appointment of Lieut.-Colonel David Prain to the directorate of 
Kew Gardens. For man years it has peg ee Pia ie the 0h 
speak. It may be noted, however, that his appointment as Director 
of the Botanical Survey of India and Superintendent of the Calcutta 
Gardens was preceded by poy curatorship of Calcutta Herbarium, 
which dates from 1887; so that he has had experience in each 
Sore of the work now ee tohim. His numerous and ima 
e two Hookers and Bentham, under whom Kew aittained the 
position which has since been occupied by Berlin as the chief centre 
of systematic work. In some respects, indeed, Dr. Prain has an 
advantage over his illustrious predecessors in that he attaches 
greater _gre than they did to what may be called the 
historical and literary side of systematic botany, and in his readi- 
ness to consult the National Herbarium, the neglect of which to 
some extent lessened the value of so important a work as the 
Genera Plantarum of Bentham and Hooker. 
It must not, of course, be inferred from what has been said that 
the output of Se oaspemee gi ork from Kew during the last twenty 
years has been wanting sitter in quantity or in quality. This is 
shown by the important Cape and Tropical African Piceh since 
their revival in 1896 and 1897 respectively ; these are largely the 
work of the Kew staff, who have also contributed the descriptions to 
the Botanical Magazine and the Icones Plantarum, and have pub- 
tany ; indee 
list of how publications, it can handy be si that Sir W. 
Dyer’s contributions to science ve been 
expected from a man of his eadoutend patord Pee: This no doubt 
