39° FLORA OF OXFORDSHIRE, 
botanical immortality among the martyrs of the science, than that of 
Sibthorp.” 
He left by his will an estate in Oxfordshire to the University for the 
purpose of publishing his Flora Greca in 10 folio volumes, 100 coloured 
plates in each, and a Prodromus of the same work, in 8vo. without 
plates. This was carried out by Sir J. E. Smith, who drew up the 
botanical descriptions and characters; Sibthorp having only drawn out 
the plan of the Prodromus and the figures of the Flora. After the 
expenses of this work had been defrayed, the estate was to endow w 
professorship of rural economy, which under certain conditions was to be 
held by the Sherardian Professor, who was obliged to read lectures in each 
term. 
It was supposed that Sibthorp’s collections, correspondence, etc., were 
also left to the University. Prof. Daubeny says, in a letter to Mr. Dawson 
Turner, that when the house belonging to the Professor of Botany was 
pulled down by the street commissioners, various papers (for which there 
could not have been room in the only apartments that then remained 
attached to the Garden) were removed to Dr. Sibthorp’s private dwelling- 
house, which, on the death of the son, and afterwards of the father, fell 
into the hands of Lady Sewell, sister of the author of Flora Greca. On 
the decease of that lady the effects were sold, and amongst them the 
various papers, etc. At the sale the Professor of Botany, Dr. Williams, 
bought several volumes which he had reason to believe belonged to the 
University, and restored them to the Garden. The various papers above 
alluded to were Dr. Sibthorp’s correspondence and with them much of 
the correspondence of the older Botanists of the University; at the 
auction they were purchased by a druggist for waste paper, and after 
keeping sufficient for his use there remained enough to make it worth 
while to send them to a neighbouring paper-mill. Thus perished a cor- 
respondence which rivalled in value and interest that of Smith or Richard- 
son. Dr. Williams was not aware this correspondence was put up for 
auction. He had previously made application to the Sibthorp family for 
its restitution to the University. 
The only work which Sibthorp lived to complete was the Flora Oxont- 
ensis dedicated to Sir Joseph Banks. It is the first general Flora of the 
county, and is especially interesting as it appears to be solely the result 
of Sibthorp’s researches, supplying as he does the various localities con- 
tained in it. The Flora is arranged according to the Linnean system, 
with the Linnean names, the synonyms of Ray, etc., being also quoted. 
About 750 species are included as constituents of the county list; several 
of these, however, having very slight claim to admission, namely Phleum 
paniculatum (asperum), Arabis Turrita, and Myrrhis odorata. Sibthorp 
omits Plot’s Viola palustris and Ray’s Trigonella ornithopodioides, and 
also Verbascum Blattaria, Scrophularia vernalis, and Asarum europeum. 
The three last, if ever found, were not native. The plant previously 
