THE BRITISH FLORA. 
35 
have fairly anticipated one-fourth at least of the names to be English, 
nay, a third of the list, for we must not forget that botanical publica¬ 
tions of foreign lands are much more likely to escape the eye of the 
Bibliographer than those published in his own country. We know 
too well, however, our working botanists to be a small band, though 
in the main a zealous and worthy one, not to be rather surprised 
than otherwise, that out of about 250 names in the list, so many as 
50 were countrymen. We include our Colonial workers. Of course 
the 50 are not all eminent botanists : some of them are plainly very 
much the reverse; but their analysis it would be very invidious 
indeed to attempt in this place, especially that we are hardly in a 
position in like manner to estimate the preponderant balance of 200. 
We do not wish to dwell upon the reflections which this counting 
suggested. In connection with it, however, one thing not new to us 
was recalled, and that was the belief that our British botanists are 
just now at a disadvantage, so far as such comparison as we speak of 
is concerned, in that they do not possess any organ or periodical in 
which to chronicle observations, such as those which occupy the 
Bulletin of the Botanical Society of France, or the numerous Ver- 
handlungen, Zeitschriften, and Berichte of the different German 
States. A facility of publication doubtless may be hurtful both to 
writers and readers, but we do not apprehend that were a journal 
started after the plan of the Botanical Gazette of the lamented Mr. 
Henfrey, and under good and spirited management, it could tend to 
other than the promotion in every way of Botanical science, and 
that without pecuniary loss to its conductors. For the sake of our 
British botanists, par excellence , those who concern themselves chiefly 
or exclusively with our own Flora and its relations, it is to be re¬ 
gretted that the recent proposal for the establishment of a Botanical 
Journal under excellent auspices, was not more liberally encouraged 
and responded to. The Journal of the Linnean Society, though the 
best possible channel for the publication of many of the contributions 
of its Fellows, is scarcely open to, nor adapted for, the communica¬ 
tions which it would be the business of a Journal more especially 
devoted to British botany to invite. 
Though the proportion of English to foreign authors in the 
Bibliography above referred to be small, yet we may infer from the 
list of books heading this notice—one in its eighth, another in its 
fifth, and the third nearly out of its first edition, that the number 
more or less interested in our botany is tolerably large, not forget¬ 
ting to allow that a large proportion of the copies sold, are for the 
rather temporary purposes of a three months course of lectures. It 
seems worth the while then, to look once again into these familiar 
books, to compare thoughts upon them, and, as they must exercise 
an influence of some kind upon the character and direction of the 
botanical pursuits of those who use them, to enquire whether this is 
likely to be of the right sort, and of the most useful. 
“ The principal object of a Flora of a country,” Mr. Bentham 
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