594 Miscellaneous. 



of the visitors having been read, several donations to the Library, Herbarium, 

 and Museum were announced, and thanks ordered to be returned. A paper was 

 then read by H. A. Meeson, Esq. on the formation of wood, in which he advo- 

 cated the theory of Du Petit Thouars. Some discussion having taken place, the 

 President dissolved the meeting. 



Dec. 15th — J. E. Gray, Esq. F. R. S., President, in the Chair — The minutes 

 of the last meeting having been read and confirmed, and the names of the visitors 

 introduced announced, the secretary read the list of donations to the Library, 

 Herbarium, &c. 



A paper was read by the Secretary from Dr Macintyre, F. L. S. on the Flora of 

 Warley in Essex, the summary of which was, 10 genera, and 23 species of ferns 

 were found in that vicinity : that the monocotyledonous plants amounted to 65 

 genera and 1 36 species ; dicotyledonous to 265 genera and 542 species, exclusive of 

 the Salices. Some localities of the rarer plants about Dover, Kent, as stated in 

 Watson's New Botanist's Guide, were confirmed by Mr G. E. Dennes. After 

 some discussion had taken place, the president announced the next meeting of 

 this Society would take place on 5th January 1837, when a paper would be read 

 by the curator, Daniel Cooper, Esq. on the distribution of the localities of plants 

 in Battersea Fields, giving a map or plan indicative of their particular localities. 



Jan. 5 J. E. Gray, Esq. President in the Chair. After the visitors' names 



and the minutes of last meeting had been read and confirmed, and the dona- 

 tions announced, a Memoir was read by the Curator, Daniel Cooper, Esq on the 

 distribution of plants in a well known and rich locality in the neighbourhood of 

 London, " Battersea Fields," accompanied with a map or plan exhibiting (on the 

 scale of 2 feet to a mile) the particular localities of the rarer species. To this 

 gentleman practical botanists are indebted for this novel idea, which will prove of 

 essential service to the Field Botanist Mr Cooper stated at the conclusion of his 

 paper, that when the various railroads now in contemplation have been executed, 

 the localities in the neighbourhood of London will in a great measure be overturn- 

 ed and obliterated ; and it was his opinion that the Members of the Society should 

 work together in order to arrive at the greatest accuracy, and produce plans similar 

 to that before them, so that at a future period, when railroads and such like public- 

 undertakings have demolished our richest localities in the neighbourhood of this 

 extensive metropolis, we shall possess at least a plan to show our descendants 

 that such plants did exist at a stone's throw from London. He also stated that 

 he hoped that the rough sketch now before them, as an example, would be fol- 

 lowed up by the Members, so that, in the course of a few seasons, we may pos- 

 sess plans exhibiting the distribution of plants throughout England, Wales, and 

 Scotland, or in whatsoever direction the working members may be called. On the 

 result of the number of species found in this locality, Mr Cooper made the fol- 

 lowing remarks. Of the 104 natural orders of British Flowering Plants men- 

 tioned in the 1st ed. of Lindley's Synopsis, 61 are found in this locality. Of 

 the 503 genera, 214 are here distributed ; and lastly, out of the 1500 estimated 

 species, 406 are here found dispersed ; thus, in this piece of ground which 

 measures one mile and a half in length, and one mile in breadth, we have more than 

 one half of the British natural orders, as 61 to 104, not quite half the genera, 

 in the ratio of 214 to 503, and rather better than one-fourth the species, in the 

 ratio of 406 to 1.500. 



