88 
ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, BRUSSELS. 
These gardens are not very extensive, but are delightfully 
situated. The acy contain a large collection of Aroides and 
— but few palms. Professor C. Bommer was kind enough to 
me over aue establishment. At the time of my visit 
a a iee number of plants was being raised from seeds received 
from the Congo. 
The Museum and Herbarium ae consist chiefly of 
specimens collected by = se "a jes s I could judge of the 
Museum collection, it is Dod e E is very rich in mre 
American products, but vifortütatély T could see very little of 
the collection as it was practically stowed away until a suitable 
building was available to receive it. I understood from Professor 
Bommer that a new building would shortiy be erected for the 
reception of the Herbarium, and that the present Herbarium build- 
ing would be converted into a museum. It would be a great pity 
were such a valuable collection to be neglected and S ev enti 
housed, as from its dimensions and the fact of most of the 
` specimens having been collected by Martius it "os contain 
many rare and valuable products. 
I availed myself of the OMpORTURTES of calling upon Profes 
Errera of the Botanic Instituie of the University of Brussels ang 
has been so successful in preserving flowers, &c., in their natural 
colours. Unfortunately he was away at the time, but Professor 
Bommer very kindly showed me Professor Errera’s specimens 
and at the same time gave me details of the process for future 
experiment. The specimens I saw were = rie 
process is a simple one. The specimen to be preserved is 
— ses a conical shaped paper bag, the narrow diameter resting 
n the mouth of a glass jar. The bag is carefully filled up with 
finely sifted sand, after which the jar, together with its contents, 
is kept at a warm even temperature for two or three weeks, at the 
expiration of which time the sand is carefully pees: and the 
dried specimen placed in a stoppered jar. The stopper must ie 
hollow and filled with unslaked lime, the latter being kept it 
position by a thin piece of leather tied over the portion of the 
stopper which is inserted into the mouth of the jar. The lim 
absorbs all moisture and so preserves the specimen from prat rex 
tion by damp. 
INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION AT BRUSSELS. 
The site of the exhibition was on the eastern side of the city in 
the Pare du Cinquantenaire where the exhibition of 1880 was held, 
and covers an extensive area. Generally speaking, the exhibition 
was not rich in raw vegetable products, but, nevertheless, 
contained many interesting exhibits 
The Museé Scolaire section included exhibits of diagrams and 
models of natural history objects for teaching purposes. The 
Botanic Institute of the University of Brussels had an interesting 
series of fruits and seeds illustrating various modes of dissemina- 
tion, also a collection of well preserved flowers dried by the sand 
process previously described. 
