Preface. 



has not permitted him to witness its completion— for his labours, till lately 

 so unceasingly devoted to the science of which he stood as one of the 

 mightiest pillars, were stayed by the stroke of death shortly after this page 

 had passed into the printer's hands. The plan of the book had, indeed, been 

 perfected under his supervision, but he was unable to continue his editorial 

 labours beyond letter C ; and the superintendence of the subsequent portion 

 has devolved entirely upon the writer of these sorrowing words, who is de- 

 sirous of expressing not only his own keenly-felt sense of personal bereave- 

 ment, but the still greater blow which has fallen on botanical science, by 

 the loss of one of its ablest and most profound expositors. 



In a book of so multifarious a character, it can scarcely be expected that 

 mistakes do not occur — errors as to matters of fact as well as errors of the 

 press, notwithstanding that both have been guarded against as far as pos- 

 sible. The Editor will be grateful to those readers who may be good enough 

 to point out any such errata* that they may discover, with a view to their 

 being corrected hereafter, should the patronage of the public lead to the 

 issue of a subsequent edition. 



T.M. 

 Botanic Gabdejt, Chelsea : 

 December 1865. 



* One such, at p. 731 (line 3 of art. MrcLIACE JE), may be here pointed out, where ■ violal ' has 

 been priuted for 'rutal.' 



