MOORE—ON INTERNATIONAL BOTANICAL CONGRESS HELD AT PARIS. 183 
burg, Dr. Nylander, the distinguished cryptogamic botanist, I had the 
honor to be proposed one of the vice-presidents, in which capacity I sat 
at all the meetings, as well as being recognised as delegate of our So- 
ciety. Representatives from nearly every country in Europe were 
present, many of whom took part in the discussions, and several of them 
read papers on different subjects. As you will perceive from the Report 
now before you, I read two—one on the Ascidia, or pitcher-bearing plants 
in cultivation, the other on the geographical distribution of some eri- 
caceous plants—which were well received. 
The arrangements made by the French botanists, to enable the 
numerous strangers present to see and learn as much as possible while 
they were in Paris, were admirable. The time during the days, from 
ten o'clock, a.m., till four o’clock, Pp. m., was spent by the members 
visiting in a body the International Exhibition, Fontainebleau; the 
herbarium of M. Cosson, Verriers; the country residence of the famous 
nursery and seedsman, Vilmorin, Versailles; with the gardens and 
nurseries of Treanon, School of Pharmacie, Jardin des Plantes, Jardin 
Fleuriste de la Ville de Paris, Museum of Delessert, and lastly, Mont- 
morency. A large number of herbaria of the plants indigenous to France 
and other countries were laid on the table, and also botanical drawings 
intended for work now in progress, &ce. 
Two principal topics were arranged for discussion—first, laws for 
regulating botanical nomenclature ; and secondly, the influence of soils 
on vegetation. To settle the former has long been a desideratum with 
botanists, as well as florists. The learned president, M. A. De Candolle, 
had, previous to the meeting, prepared a series of propositions to be 
brought before the members on the laws of nomenclature. They were 
printed and handed to each person present, which enabled all to under- 
stand that under discussion. They were taken serzvatvm, and either 
adopted as they stood, or altered according to the views of the majority 
of the members present. The subjects to be discussed in botanical 
nomenclature were divided into chapters—first, on the manner and 
designs of nature in the subordination of groups which compose the 
vegetable kingdom, viz., classes, sub-classes, cohort, sub-cohort, order, 
sub-order, tribe, sub-tribe, genus, sub-genus, section, sub-section, species, 
sub-species, variety, sub-variety, variation, sub-variation. These were 
all observed on separately. Also the groups which arise from hybridi- 
zation and spontaneous sporting, the priority of generic names of plants, 
and cited by publishing botanists, &c., led to animated discussions among 
the botanists from different countries. The observations made on the 
influence of soils on vegetation cannot fail to be useful to horticulturists 
as well as agriculturists. 
M. Wedell, the botanist and traveller, laid before the meeting por- 
tions of the first consignment of cinchona barks which had reached 
Europe of Indian growth. They were considered fully equal to the 
samples from Peru; and so far as they had been chemically analyzed, 
they yielded a larger quantity of cinchonia and quina than South Ame- 
rican samples yielded. 
