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Miscellaneous Notes. 
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 
The Old and the New “ Phytologist.’’ 
N reviving the name “Phytologist” in the title of the present 
journal, we naturally look back at the magazine which bore it 
from 1842 to 1863, at first under the management of Edward 
Newman and the editorship of George Luxford, and later on, after 
the death of the latter, under the editorship of Alexander Irvine. 
Edward Newman’s Preface to the first volume begins as follows— 
The Phytologist owes its existence to the desire of recording and 
preserving facts, observations and opinions relating to Botany in 
general, but more especially to British Botany. Prior to its 
commencement these had no appropriate receptacle.” 
With certain qualifications these words would form no bad 
preface to our own venture, Enormously as the study of botany 
has increased and advanced in this country since 1842, and greatly 
as facilities for publication have multiplied, there seems now as 
there seemed sixty years ago “no appropriate receptacle” for a 
whole class of “ facts, observations and opinions” which we cannot 
but believe would be useful and advantageous to publish. 
It is true that in many respects the present journal will differ 
much from the old “Phytologist.” We do not propose to demote 
our pages mainly to British Botany. There is already in existence 
a journal which well fulfills the function of publishing new facts and 
critical notes about the native flora. Nevertheless we shall alwavs 
cordially welcome any contributions on this subject provided they 
have a certain general bearing. Our pages indeed will be mainly 
filed with topics differing so widely from those discussed in the 
old “ Phytologist,” that a casual inspection of the two journals by 
an inhabitant of Mars would hardly reveal that they were 
dealing with the same branch of science. This is one of the effects 
of the botanical activity of the last sixty years. But if we can in 
any degree fill our place as worthily as the old “ Phytologist” filled 
its place, if we can even approach to giving our readers the pleasure 
ami profit that they must have derived from its delightful pages, we 
shall be more than satisfied. 
