i70 
Flora of British Central Africa. — The handsome and scholarly 
monograph on British Central Africa, which has been published by Sir 
Harry Johnston, late Her Majesty’s Commissioner and Consul-General 
for that region, stands out in marked contrast to the bulk of the ordinary 
ephemeral Sie pe literature of the day. Apart from the interest 
imparted to it by the robust common sense and lively personality of its 
author, it diia a singdlarly vivid picture of one of the most important 
our can possessions. But it must always remain a standard book 
of reference on the subject, if only for the pains with which its author 
has included in it the most accurate information which he could procure 
on every branch of the natural history of the territory under his charge ; 
and he had moreover spared no paius to have the collections made on 
which the reports are drawn u 
Kew willingly consented to his request for a list of the plants known 
to occur in British Central Africa from the materials preserved in the 
Hester of the Royal Gardens. This was accordingly prepared by 
H. Burkill, M.A., one of the scientific staff. It occupies 
Pie 238—284. 
- The following inte oductory note gives some account of the collections 
upon which it is 
* The taller, List compiled for the most part from the planis: and 
manuscript records in the Herbarium of the Royal Gardens, — inust 
be regarded as ST The knowledge of the flora of t ritish 
territory north of the Zambezi has been. so rapidly mene during 
recent years, and is yet so imperfectly known, that any account 
appr comple ae is at present impossible. Little has been 
published hitherto, and the facts now collected together will serve to 
bring into one view nearly all we know of the Botany of British Central 
rica. 
* The first collections were made by two members of the Livingstone 
RO M in the years 1861, 1862. Dr. (afterwards Sir) John Kirk and 
. C. Meller, while of the Shire River and wander- 
Mg in the Majianja hills made considerable collections, whic 
transmitted to Kew, some of them in time for description in the Flora 
of Tropical Africa. Sübeequünty Dr. Kirk journeyed up the Z c 
into the Batoka country, from the highlands of whic = from the 
region of the Victoria Falls other plants were sent hom The new 
species gathered by him were described in a variety of different publica, 
tions. In the following years Mr. Horace Waller, residing in the Maiianja 
hills, continued to transmit plants to Dr. Kirk, who was at that time 
Her Majesty’s Consul in Zanzibar. After this comes a gap of some years 
in which nothing was added to our knowledge, until Dr. Emil Holub- 
in 1879, returned from a journey during which he had made considerable 
Of these, a few of the plants had been yathered about 
collections. 
eke, almost the most northern point which he reached, and within 
the territory under ConidegaHon, At the same time (1873) 
Serpa Pinto made, in ourney across the continent, a small peleeees 
on the table-land over the River Ninda, and the plants of this were, in 
1881, described in tbe Transactions of the Tanga Society. mi, in 
this dade thelate Mr. Jo hn Bu chanan his inst co ection 
- art 
influence And with the help of Sir H 
Shire Highlands has been energetically pistor The M manii 
below of the names of J. Buchanan, G. F. Scott-Elliot, J. McClounie, 
