978 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[June 7, 1S73 
to be reported on, as have those on the ravages of the 
vine pest, Phylloxera vastatrix, from various continental 
states, by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. 
This is a subject of very grave import, even to this 
country, the disease being reported as existing in various 
parts of England, and quite lately in the neighbourhood 
of London. 
Samples of excellent cigars have been sent from 
Jamaica by Sir J. P. Grant, which prove that this island 
ought to rival Cuba in respect of this produce. It can¬ 
not be too often and too persistently repeated, that not¬ 
withstanding the immense possessions of Great Britain in 
the East and West Indies, no tobacco of any consequence 
is imported from either country, except from the com¬ 
paratively small Spanish territories of Manila in the Old 
World and Havannah in the New. 
Museums. —The principal acquisitions have been mag¬ 
nificent slabs of Deodar and Himalayan cypress ( Cupressus 
torulosa) from the largest trees in the North-western 
Himalaya, from Major Pearson. 
From the Royal Horticultural Society a valuable 
collection of Mexican pine-cones, models of Indian fruits 
and of fungi, a large slab of Pinus lambertiana, etc. A 
collection of 500 Java woods, from Dr. Scheffer of the 
Botanic Garden at Batavia ; and a very fine collection of 
Central African vegetable products, from Dr. Schwein 
furth, the celebrated traveller. 
Amongst the other donations to the museum may be 
mentioned specimens of coorongite from South Australia 
(C. Drury, Fortnum) ; portion of stem of Fraxinus Ornus, 
with incisions made for the exudation of the manna ; also 
joint of Opuntia, used for receiving the manna as it flows 
from the trunk ; also a specimen of pachyma (D. Han- 
bury); portions of plant of Euphorbia resin if era, yielding 
gum euphorbium ; also portions of plants of the true gum 
arabic yielding acacia, from Ait Aatab ; and specimens and 
trunk of arar ( Callitris quadrivalvis) (G. P. Hunot, Vice- 
Consul at Mogadore); series of leaf skeletons, prepared to 
show the ready separation of the wood and bast elements 
of the vascular bundles (Herr H. Lindemuth) ; specimens 
of lichen brandy manufactured in Sweden from Cladonia 
ranqijerina; also specimens of cudbear, and woollen 
articles dyed with lichen dyes (Dr. Lauder Lindsay) ; 
samples of varieties of peppermint grown at Mitcham 
(Dr. Piesse). 
Herbarium, —The accessions to the herbarium are of 
exceptional importance as regards novelties. The number 
of specimens acquired during 1872 has been about 17,500, 
of which 1500 were purchased, and the rest procured by 
gift or exchange. Among the most valuable presentations 
are the Rev. C. New s plants, collected on the Alpine zone 
of.Kilima-njaro, the only hitherto visited snow-clad moun¬ 
tain in equatorial Africa, which possesses a remarkable 
interest, as the Flora of the Alpine zone of Africa was 
previously wholly unknown. A notice of it is being pre¬ 
pared for immediate publication. A fine collection of 
2000 Brazilian plants from Mr. Glaziou, director of public 
parks, etc., at Rio de Janeiro. A beautiful collection of 
Appalachian mosses has been received with many other 
plants from Dr. Gray, of Cambridge, U.S.,and of Mexican 
and New Caledonian plants from the museum of the 
Jardin des Plantes, Paris. The very valuable herbarium 
of Dr. Rottler, made by himself and the early missionaries 
in India, has been presented by the authorities of King’s 
College ;—as containing the types of many species imper¬ 
fectly described by the first Indian botanists, and repre¬ 
senting the state of the botany of the Peninsula at the 
beginning of the century, it is of great interest and 
importance both in a scientific and historical point of 
view. 
A beautiful collection of Burmese orchids has been 
presented by the Rev. C. Parish. Dr. Brandis, F.L.S., 
Consei vator of Forests for India, has placed his herbarium, 
formed in many parts of India, at the disposal of this 
establishment, to be selected from ; together with a col¬ 
lection of Tibetan plants, made by the Rev. Mr. Heyde. 
Mr. Kurz, Curator of the Herbarium of the Calcutta 
Botanic Gardens, has transmitted large Burmese collec¬ 
tions made during a late mission to that country. 
For novelty as well as interest no contributions are of 
greater value than Beccari’s Bornean plants, amounting to 
1850 species, communicated by Professor Parlatore, of 
Florence ; M. Maximowicz’s Japan plants, a splendid 
series ; Dr. Henderson’s collections, made during Forsyth’s 
mission to Yarkand ; and Dr. J. Anderson’s, made during 
the expedition to Yunan, the botany of the two latter 
countries having previously been wholly unknown to 
science. 
Library. —By order of His Grace the Secretary of State 
for India, a complete set of the Trigonometric Survey, 
Revenue, and other maps of India, consisting of 174 sheets, 
mounted and enclosed in lettered cases, has been pre¬ 
sented to this establishment. This is of the utmost value 
in reference not only to the vast Indian herbarium now 
collected at Kew, but to the agricultural statistics, and 
distribution of Indian forests, and many other matters 
which engage the attention of the Indian botanists 
habitually working here, whether in the preparation of 
floras, or of reports on botanical, agricultural, and forest 
subjects, for the supreme and local governments of India. 
The classified collection of drawings of plants has been 
largely increased by donations, including a valuable set of 
drawings of Burmese orchids from the Rev. C. Parish. 
The collection is of great value for facilitating the naming 
of the living plants in the garden, and those sent by 
horticulturists, which arrive in large numbers, throughout 
the summer months especially. 
Publications. —This portion of 4he work done at Kew 
is liable to be lost sight of by the general public in view 
of the more apparent value of the ornamental and 
economic uses of the gardens. But the list of works 
issued more or less officially during the past year is a 
considerable one. 
The sixth volume of the ‘ Flora Australiensis,’ pre¬ 
pared by Mr. Bentham and Baron von Muller, has been 
published under the authority of the Australian Govern¬ 
ment. 
The first part of the ‘ Flora of British India ’ has been 
published under the authority of the Secretary of State 
for India in Council, and the second part is being printed. 
The ‘ Forest Flora of North-West India,’ by Drs. 
Brandis and J. L. Stewart, to be published under the 
authority of the Secretary of State for India, is nearly 
completed. 
The ‘Flora of the South African Colonies,’ in continua¬ 
tion of the unfinished ‘ Cape Flora ’ of the late Dr 
Harvey and Dr. Sonder, has been authorized by the 
Government of those colonies, and is in preparation by 
Professor Thiselton Dyer. 
The continuation of Yon Martius’ ‘Flora of Brazil,’ 
published under the auspices of the Emperor of Brazil, is 
being in part executed at the Kew Herbarium, by Mr. 
Bentham, Dr. Masters, Dr. Kanitz, Mr. Baker, Mr. A. 
W. Bennett, and others. 
Mr. Hobkirk has been preparing a ‘ Synopsis of the 
British Mosses,’ which is now published. 
Col. Grant is now continuing his account of the plants 
collected by Captain Speke and himself in Central Africa 
and deposited at Kew ; the first part of which has been 
published in the ‘ Linnean Transactions.’ 
Mr. W. B. Hemsley has published his manual of hardy 
garden plants. 
The fifth part of the ‘ leones Plantarum ’ (devoted to 
the illustration of new and little-known plants contributed 
to the Herbarium) has been published, together with the 
98th vol. of the ‘ Botanical Magazine,’ with plates of rare 
plants that have flowered, chiefly in the Royal Gardens. 
Dr. Henderson’s ‘ Report on the Botany of the Yarkand 
Expedition ’ is in the press. 
Mr. Ball is still engaged in studying the Morocco col¬ 
lections formed by himself, Mr. Maw, and the Director in 
1871, which amount to nearly 3000 species. 
