V 
Dr. leery ascertained that the organs of the flower 1 , 
pressed in their covering, could not possibly open, and 
in that abnormal condition resembled what had the ap- 
pearance of seed, and was believed to be such. Your Se- 
cretary also sent a few to Dr. Jacob de Cordemoy and to 
Dr. Aug Vinson, corresponding members of our Society 
at Reunion. 
There followed a correspondence between these two 
learned gentlemen, which we will take the liberty of 
publishing with the next No. of our Transactions, and 
will no doubt be considered one of the most interesting 
portions thereof. 
At last, as a final test, your Secretary referred this sup- 
posed case of fecundation of the Cane flower to an unim- 
peachable authority, viz. : The Director of the Botanical 
Gardens, at Kew, and the following is his reply : 
“ 1 have carefully examined the supposed saccharine 
“ seeds, and find nothing but unexpanded flowers with 
“ stamen and pistil complete. Assuredly no young plants 
“ were ever raised from these. 
“ Signed : Dr. J. D. Hooker.” 
The question is therefore finally settled. 
I hope to be excused if I have entered into these details, 
but the sugar cane plays such an important part in our 
domestic economy, that anything connected with it cannot 
fail to be listened to with more or less interest. 
A mutual interchange of good offices has been the result 
of the care taken by your Secretary to keep up a regular 
correspondence with foreign Societies and with scientific 
men in foreign parts. 
Dr Hooker, in particular, has eagerly seized every oppor- 
tunity of enlightening us, whenever we have had doubts 
as to the determination of certain plants. 
For instance, the Phaseolus commonly known as the 
s< Pois d’Acherv — the bean of which is, in certain con- 
