— 139 — 
been addressed by the Secretary to the principal Scientific 
Societies in Europe. 
It is a subject of complaint in London, and may easily be 
understood here to be the opinion of Sir William Hooker, 
that the volume is poor in botanical matter. “ Botanical 
science, he says in a letter, does not flourish in that Island. 
There are no earnest attempts towards a Flora yet tho’ so 
peculiar in its vegetation, and though frequented and inhabit- 
ed by botanists nearly 100 years ; whereas we are now print- 
ing a Flora of Hong-Kong before it has been 20 years occup- 
ied by the British. No resident Botanist can do all that he 
ought to do without communicating lai’gely with scientific 
men in Europe. Nothing would contribute so much to the 
knowledge and uses of plants as a well written and well ar- 
ranged and complete Flora.” 
“ In British Guiana, Sir W. Hooker adds, the Government 
in Council have responded well to our call for a Flora of that 
extensive region, and they have appointed a first rate German 
Botanist to explore and collect and send home ample collec- 
tions to be worked up into a Flora, giving him a salary for 
hia services. — Ere long, by the increased and increasing cul- 
tivation, the native vegetation of the Island of Mauritius, as 
in St. Helena will be destroyed.” 
This is true, but the execution of such a work in Mauritius, 
as well as other similar works of a great extent, would have 
been impossible if left entirely to the resources of the person 
who would undertake it. The heavy cost of printing and the 
chance of not finding a sale for the work must have been a 
bar to the best intentions. 
But if the circumstances were more favorable and the ex- 
penses as we heard to be borne by the local and metropolitan 
governments, the task would soon turn to be more easy, and 
the alluded work might therefore be commenced immedia- 
tely. 
An extract from the Report of the Secretary on the dimi- 
nution of rivers and the drying up of springs, has been pub- 
lished in the “ Gardeners’ Chronicle of London” of the 15th 
September, with the following reflections : ” If the Island 
should in time become barren, instead of remaining one of the 
