86 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



position of the Royal Horticultural Society, a brief reference 

 must be made to the publications for which it has been respon- 

 sible from time to time. The " Transactions " of the Society are 

 contained in ten quarto volumes, three of which belong to the 

 second series. They contain many papers of great interest and 

 value by the most eminent British botanists and horticul- 

 turists of the time. Sir William Hooker's name first appears in 

 Vol. L, in 1808 ; John Lindley's, in 1820, in Vol. IV. The 

 " Transactions" were illustrated by numerous hand-coloured 

 plates, superior in every way to the coarse lithographic illustra- 

 tions of modern botanical works. These plates still retain their 

 freshness and brilliancy absolutely unimpaired. The " Trans- 

 actions " were discontinued after the publication of the tenth 

 volume in 1848. 



The first series of the " Journal of the Horticultural Society " 

 comprises nine volumes, extending from 1846 to 1855. The first 

 paper is an account of an " Orchideous House " at Penllergare by 

 J. D. Llewellyn, whose son, Sir J. D. Llewellyn, Bart., M.P., 

 is now a member of Council. This series contains numerous 

 papers of much interest. Among the contributors may be 

 noticed Dean Herbert (a contributor to the " Transactions " also), 

 the Rev. M. J. Berkeley, the cryptogamic botanist, Sir J. B. Lawes, 

 Dr. Thompson, subsequently curator of the Calcutta Garden, 

 Dr. Wallich, Sir Robert Schomburgh, whose Venezuelan " line " 

 we are now so keenly discussing, and last, but not least, our 

 great botanist, Sir Joseph Hooker. To this series also Lindley 

 communicated many papers. 



After this series had come to an end in 1855 there was a gap 

 of ten years. The current series, of which the nineteenth volume 

 has been published this year, commenced in 1866. It is so 

 recent that little need be said about it. It contains many 

 valuable practical papers, and is indeed a mine of horticultural 

 information. Among its more important contents are the 

 Reports, Proceedings, and Discussions of the numerous " Con- 

 ferences" which have been held under the Society's auspices, 

 and the Papers read at them. These comprise among others 

 the following: viz., 1884, "Conference on British Apples"; 

 1885, "Orchid Conference"; 1886, "Primula Conference"; 

 1887, "National Pear Conference"; 1889, "National Rose 

 Conference" ; 1890, " Vegetable Conference," "Chrysanthemum 



