500 Miscellaneous. 



field, by whom the plant was discovered during the past summer on the muddy 

 banks of the river of Southampton, growing in great abundance, intermixed with 

 Sp. stricta. The species had been previously found only in North America. It is 

 now in such plenty in the Southampton station, that, if really introduced by 



ballast or other means, it must have been long since naturalized Phil. Mag. 



Jan. 1837. 



MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



Medico-Botanical Society of London, — Earl Stanhope, president, in the 

 chair — A communication by Sir Robert Kerr Porter, forwarded through Sir 

 Henry Halford, on the Cinchimchulli, or Ionidium parviflorum, was read. The paper 

 embraced a botanical description of the plant, and the reports furnished by the 

 medical men to the Venezuelan government on its use as a therapeutic agent, in 

 the treatment of that scourge of the tropics, the Elephantiasis tuberculata. The 

 celebrated Mutis gave the name Viola parvifloia to the cinchimchulli, in which 

 he was followed by Persoon, but Ventenat considered it an Ionidium, and Dr 

 Bancroft of Jamaica, who has recently published a paper on the subject, gave it 

 the name of Ionidium Marcucci, in honour of M. Marcucci, a gentleman who 

 underwent much toil and danger, when searching for the plant. It is found at 

 the foot of the Chimborazo, at Cuenca, Canar, and Purace, in the canton of 

 Popayau : the root is the part employed, and its sensible effects are, nausea, 

 vomiting, perspiration, and diuresis. Several cases were narrated at some 

 length, in which much advantage was derived from the use of the cinchunchul- 

 ii, but it unfortunately happened, that in all those treated by medical men, the 

 quantity of the drug in their possession was too small to enable them to effect a 

 cure, supposing the remedy capable of producing it. 



Botanical Society of London — In our last Intelligence (page 415,) we no- 

 ticed the institution of a Botanical Society in London. The following pros- 

 pectus has since been sent to us by the attention of Mr Heathcot— Societies 

 for the cultivation of Natural History generally, for the cultivation of Horticul- 

 tural Botany particularly, for the cidtivation also of Medical Botany, are already 

 in existence in this metropolis, but no Society especially devoted to general 

 Botanical Science has hitherto been instituted. The advantages of a Society of 

 the last-mentioned description, will probably be admitted by every one who has 

 the slightest acquaintance with Botany, and will without doubt be acceptable to 

 all who are desirous of obtaining information on the various subjects which will 

 necessarily come under the consideration of such a Society. 



A number of gentlemen, having seriously considered the many desirable re 

 suits which such a Society cannot fail to produce, and having fully decided upon 

 the necessity, have instituted, " The Botanical Society of London," for the pro- 

 motion of the following objects, viz — 



I. To concentrate the labours of individual Botanists, by holding stated Meet- 

 ings in some central situation, with as little expense as possible to the Members, 

 where each may communicate his information, and receive that of others in re- 

 turn. 



II. To read original papers, and translations of Foreign Memoirs of import- 

 ance, on Botanical subjects, at the Ordinary Meetings of the Society. 



III. To examine and describe all plants that have not hitherto been accurately 

 described, and to communicate the results at the Ordinary Meetings of the So- 

 ciety ; and by a separate examination of the same plants, by different persons, 



