38 ACCOUNTS, &C., OF THE BRITISH MUSEDM. 



TI. — To the Fossil SL'ri('.<;. 



7 species of new fossils from the Coal-measures of Belgium : presented by Professor 

 Crepin. 



A specimen of the Cone of Pinites kexagonus, from the Gault ; presented by J. S. 

 Gardner, Esq. 



A remarkably fine Cone of Lepidcklendroti, from the Cai-boniferous rockii near 

 Edinburgh : found by Ch. W. Peach, Esq. 



Specimens cf plants from the Inferior Oolite ; collected and presented by Ch. W. 

 Peach, Esq., Edinburgh, and J. W. Bodger, Esq., Peterborough. 



Specimens of Coal-measure plants, from West Calder ; presented by Messrs. Galletly 

 and Lumsden. 



4o sjiecimens of woods from the Red Crag. 



The arrangement of the original drawings of British plants by the elder Sowerby, 

 together with the engravings made from them, has been completed. Large additions have 

 been made during the year to the Herbarium of British Plants, Avhich has become the 

 most extensive and critically valuable public collection of our native flora, and is becoming 

 increasingly used by Britisli Botanists. 



A series of duplicate Mosses from the Ai-ctic regions were, by the authority of the Trus- 

 tees, ]n'e])arcd and placed in the hands of one of the Naturalists to the Arctic Expedition, 

 to guide liim in collecting "plants during the expedition. 



The number of visits paid during the year to the Herbarium for scientific inquiry 

 or research was 1,118. The following foreign botanists may be specified as having used 

 the Herbarium in prosecuting their various studies :■ — Professor Maximowicz of St. 

 Petersburg, for his Monographs of Rheum and Chri/Kosiileniuin ; Professor lieichenbach, 

 of Hamburg, for his works on Orchldece ; M. De Caudolle of Geneva, for his JVIemoir on 

 the Meliacca ; Count Solms-Laubach, Professor at Strasburg, for his investigations on 

 R<ifficsiacecc ; Dr. Eostafinski of Strasijurg, for his work on Fitnyi; Professor Crepin, of 

 Brussels, for his investigations on Rosacea;, and on Fossil Plants ; and M. Marchal, of 

 Brussels, for his monograph of the Aruliacece.- Of British Botanists, the following may be 

 specified : — Professor Bentley, in connection with the important work on the " Plants 

 employed in Medicine," of which he is joint-author with Dr. Trimen, an officer in the 

 Department, and the illustrations of which are for the most part drawn by Mr. Blair from 

 s])ccimens in the Herbarium; Mr. J. Miers, for his ^louograph of the Barrinr/toniece ; Mr. 

 AV. P. Hieni, for the Rubinccce and Compositce of the " Flora of Tropical Africa ;" Mr. 

 George Bentham, for the " Genera Plantarum :" Dr. Braithwaite, for his work on Mosses ; 

 Mr. B. D. Jackson, for his investigations into the history of Botany, and into the critical 

 plants of the British Flora; the Rev. J. M- Crombie, for his work 011 the Lichens of 

 Britain; Mr. J. F. Duthie, for the Myrtaa'ce of the " Flora of British India;" Mr. T. 

 Howse, for tlie British Fungi; Mr. E. M. Holmes, for his investigations relating to 

 Medicinal Plants; Mr. F. M. Webb, for his study of critical British Plants; and 

 Mr. R. A. Pry or, for his Flora of Hertfordshire. 



fVm. Carruthem. 



Department of Prints and Drawings. 



The third volume, extending to 176U, of the Printed Catalogue of Satirical Prints and 

 Dr-iwiugs, which is being prepared by Mr. F. (f. Stephens, is very far advanced towards 

 completion ; it comprises nearly the whole of the reign of George the Second, and 

 concludes with the deatli of that monarch ; the mass of the works of Hogarth are described 

 in this volume. Nearly all the sheets are printed, and the volume will be laid before the 

 Trustees in a few weeks. 



The Collection of Playing and other Cards distributed through various De2)artments of 

 the Museum has been brought together in the Print Room during the past year, and the 

 members of it have been systematically arranged In order that a descrlj)tive Catalogue 

 might be conveniently undertaken. The latter has been accomplished, and the MS., pre- 

 pared by Dr. Willshire, is now finished, with the exception of a few pages of tables, etc., 

 which cannot be completed until a certain portion of the pages which precede them are 

 printed. In order to render the Catalogue, and the objects it describes, as practically 

 useful as possible, It has been deemed advisable to introduce the systematic or descriptive 

 portion by a concise general history of playing cards ; further, that the series of politico- 

 historical packs published during the last quarter of the seventeenth and first quarter of 

 the eighteenth centuries might become readily subservient to the purposes of the literary 

 investigator, It has been considered proper also to prefix to their descriptions a short 

 historical survey, in continuous form, of the chief events the cards in question were 

 intended to illustrate. The curious and interesting subject of the relation of playing 

 cards to divination and the occult phllosojihy and sciences of ancient Egypt, as developed 

 by some modern writers, has legitimately offered Itself for consideration as the particular 

 card sequences known as tarots came to be described. In the systematic or descriptive 

 portion of the Catalogue more than two hundred and sixty titles have been recorded, and 



numerous 



