1884.] A walk through the Nat. History Museum at Florence. 491 
ty-seven years of the eighteenth century, he was a precursor of 
Linneus. Busts in marble of the elder De Candolle and of 
Micheli adorn this cabinct—the first of massive feature, the 
latter keen of aspect with his aquiline nose and cowled brow. 
In addition to Webb’s vast collection there may here be seen 
the plants of Pavon from Chili and Peru, those collected by La- 
billiardiere, who accompanied La Perouse to New Holland, and 
of Desfontaines and Mercier in Tunis and Algeria. Labilliardiere 
having been taken prisoner by the Dutch and his collection 
brought t> England, it was, through the generous intervention of 
Sir Joseph Banks, restored unopened, “lest,” as Sir Joseph wrote 
to Jussieu, “a single botanical thought should be taken from him 
who had gained them at the expense of his own life.” Noble 
Sir Joseph ! 
The Florentine museum is rich in fossil plants, some of which, 
't is said, are not represented in other cabinets of Europe. Among 
the 4000 valuable specimens the more noteworthy are from the 
Carboniferous near Volterra, and fossils from Sinigaglia, the Mio- 
cene of Tuscany and the Permian of the Brescian territory and 
sy splendid collection of palms from Verona and Vicenza, and im- 
Pressions of plants from the lava of Lipari. A great collection 
MR the Miocene of Switzerland, illustrated by Dr. Heer, is also 
exhibited conspicuously, 
One of the early and earnest co-laborers in the department of 
ka was Dr. Targione Tozzetti, grandfather of the present 
d 'nguished Professor Targione, director of the invertebrate sec- 
on of this museum. At the age of twenty-three he was appointed 
Soe of botany under Micheli at Pisa, and afterwards director 
: € botanical gardens at Florence. He was also librarian of the 
Magliabecchian library, and arranged the vast number of volumes 
ueathed to the city by the eccentric collector and wonderful 
ea whose name it bears. Dr. Targione Tozzetti traveled 
dugh Tuscany collecting materials for his great work on the 
CrO natural history, art and antiquities of his native coun- 
wae the more important work of this man of encyclopedic 
» Was his last, on the Progress of Physical Science. 
In the botanical museum Professor Parlatore, the late director 
lin 
Prof, 
Santa Goce Targione Tozetti and Micheli have received fitting commemoration in 
» the Westminster Abbey of Florence, 
