300 THE ORCHID REVIEW. [OCTOBER, 1913- 
name to oblivion. This law prohibits an author from redescribing a plant 
under a new name, although failing to secure for him the one condition 
that would prevent such a mistake. The probability is that many species 
have been so redescribed, while others have been wrongly identified, simply 
because the world cannot wait on posterity, merely to gratify the caprice of 
an individual who, though himself receiving ample assistance from his 
contemporaries, did not scruple to place all the obstacles possible in the 
path of his successors. 
A week after Prot. Reichenbach’s death was announced, the following 
appeared in the pages of the Gardeners’ Chronicle : “It would be a pleasing 
thing to us just now if a subscription were raised to commemorate the 
labours of Professor Reichenbach, with a view to found some distinction 
connected with Orchids which would be worthy of his name, for I am sure 
the proposal would be well received and successful. Being a great lover of 
Orchids, it would give me great satisfaction to subscribe, particularly as it 
is just fifty years since I first made the acquaintance of Professor Lindley 
and became a contributor to the Gardeners’ Chronicle.” In supporting the 
movement the Editor spoke of the letter as expressing “a feeling which we 
believe to be general among Orchidists,” but shortly afterwards the 
conditions of the late Professor’s Will were announced, and, naturally 
enough, nothing further was heard of the proposal. It was doubtless felt 
that the Professor had successfully erected his own memorial. 
Less than a year later the testamentary dispositions of another celebrated 
naturalist were announced, and the Chronicle then remarked: ‘‘ What 
a contrast this Will presents to that of another naturalist, who thought the 
search after the truth (which is science) could be promoted by sealing up 
his collections for a quarter of a century. In referring to this matter we 
may mention that we have only just ascertained the date of this malicious 
will, which was April rrth, 1888. A few days after the testator received, 
at the Ghent Quinquennial Exhibition, from the hands of the King of the 
Belgians, a Gold Medal, given in honour of the Professor, and as @ 
testimony of gratitude from the Royal Agricultural and Botanical Society 
of Ghent. Surely the recipient of the Medal must have felt that he had 
forfeited his claim to the gratitude of his fellows. 
The following note, which appeared im the pages of the American 
Florist, affords a suitable conclusion to our article :— 
“A REICHENBACH INJUSTICE.—A. B. was a very successful botanical 
collector, and discovered several new Orchids in the East Indies and 
Indian Archipelago. Some of these were imported alive into Europe, and 
are now in general cultivation, and the discoverer has received due credit 
for them. But he discovered several species, if not some genera, new to 
science, and of which he was able only to secure herbarium specimens. Op 
