UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, BRISTOL.

The SECOND TERM will begin on JANUARY 19. The College supplies for Persons of either Sex, above the ordinary School Age, the means of continuing their Studies in SCIENCE. LANGUAGES, HISTORY, LITERATURE, and THEORY of MUSIC. The CHEMICAL, PHYSICAL, ELECTRICAL, ENGINEERING, GEOLOGICAL, and BIOLOGICAL LABORATORIES are open Daily. The Engineering Department includes Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and Mining Engineering, Surveying and Architectural Work; and special arrangements for practical work have been made with various Engineers in and near Bristol. Several SCHOLARSHIPS are tenable at the College.

ENGINEERING EDUCATION.

Professor-J. RYAN, M.A., LL.M. (Camb.), D.Sc. (Lond.). UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, BRISTOL.-Courses of Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and Mining Engineering. Mineralogy and Applied Geology for Civil and Mining Engineers. Facilities are offered in the way of College Scholarships. Engineering Works Scholarships, and special arrangements for entrance into professional life.

CALENDAR, containing full information, price 1s. (by post, 18. 3d.). Applications for Vacancies should be made as early as possible to the SECRETARY, from whom Prospectus and particulars of residence in Clifton may be obtained.

JAMES RAFTER, Secretary.

The DURHAM COLLEGE of SCIENCE, NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE.

LECTURER IN AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY.

The LECTURESHIP in AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY in this College having become Vacant by the Resignation of Dr. MACKENZIE VA his appointment to the Professorship of Chemistry in the Agricultural Col lege, Cairo, the Council is prepared to receive applications for the position The Fixed Stipend of the Lecturer will be £150, together with a Share of Fees for certain Classes.

Further Particulars may be obtained from the undersigned, to whom Applications must be sent not later than JANUARY 9, 1892. H. F. STOCKDALE, Secretary.

WANTED.-Teacher

of Mathematics, MECHANICS (Theoretical and Applied), and MACHINE CON STRUCTION, to begin in JANUARỲ. Salary, £120.-Applications, with Testimonials, to the REGISTRAR, School of Science and Art, Corporation Street, Newcastle-on-Tyne, before December 28. VIOLATION OF TRADE MARKS ACT. To Messrs. CHANCE BROTHERS & CO., LIMITED, Span Lane. I admit that I have done wrong in marking some Sheet Glass as Crown Glass, and selling it so marked for Microscopic and Photographic purposes, and I authorize you to publish this admission as you think fit. Dated the 14th December, 1891.

SAMUEL HENRY DE SAULLES,

52 and 54 Spencer Street, Birmingham. OPTICIANS & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MAKERS.

GOODWILL OF BUSINESS in City of London for DISPOSAL the sum of £200. Stock, Fixtures, and Lease to be taken at a valuation. Applications to be made to Messrs. G. W. NAUNTON AND SOx, Solicitors 75 Cheapside, E.C.

Fine 8-inch EQUATORIAL REFRACTOR 24-inch Circles, by TROUGHTON & SIMMS, Driving-Clock, complete Also, Observatory suitable for above.

4-inch Refractor, 4-inch Reflector (Gregorian), 8-inch Reflector (New tonian); all without stands.

Double Prism Spectroscope, with Circle and Vernier; almost New. One 6-inch Object-glass, without Cell; one 18-inch Glass Speculum, unst vered one 14-inch Glass Speculum, unsilvered; one 8-inch Reflector (New tonian), with Glass Speculum, unsilvered.

Apply to J. M. BRYSON, Optician, Princes Street, Edinburgh; t J. B. MCINTOSH, S.S C., 15 Young Street, Edinburgh.

TO SCIENCE LECTURERS.

See Mr. HUGHES'S PATENT COMBINATION OPTICAL LAY TERN, used by late W. LANT CARPENTER, Esq., Prof. FORTES. Ne Triple constructed for B. I MALDEN, Esq., this season. New Oxyhydr gen Microscope. Grand Results. Docwra Triple, Prize Medal, Highe Award. Supplied to the Royal Polytechnic Institution, Dr. H. GRATT GUINNESS, Madame ADELINA PATTI, &c. Patent Pamphagos Lant Science Lecture Sets. Novelties Cheapest and Best. Elaborately I trated Catalogue, 300 Pages, 18.; Postage, 5d. Smaller do., 64. Pampi lets Free. HUGHES, Specialist, Brewster House, Mortimer Ro Kingsland, N.

CONCHOLOGY.

New and Interesting Shells from New Guinea, Borneo, Philippine Islands, &c.

COLLECTIONS PURCHASED.

All kinds of Glass-Topped Boxes, &c., at Moderate Prices. HUGH FULTON, Dealer in Recent Shells, 89 FULHAM ROAD, LONDON, S.W.

LIVING SPECIMENS FOR THE MICROSCOPE.

STANLEY

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W. F. S. obtained the only Medal in the Great Exhibition of 1862 for Excellence of Construction of Mathematical Instruments, and the only GOLD MEDAL in the International Inventions Exhibition 1885 for Mathematical Work. Silver Medal, Architects' Exhibition, 1886.

Address:-GREAT TURNSTILE, HOLBORN, LONDON, W.C.

Edited by C. G. BARRETT, J. W. DOUGLAS, W. W. FOWLER, M.A., F. L.S.,
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London: GURNEY & JACKSON (Mr. Van Voorst's Successors),
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B.-A Second Series was commenced with the Number for January 1890..

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1891.

BOTANICAL NOMENCLATURE. Revisio Genera Plantarum Vascularium omnium, atque Cellularium multarum, secundum Leges Nomenclatura Internationales, cum Enumeratione Plantarum in Itinere Mundi collectarum. Mit Erläuterungen von Dr. Otto Kuntze. Pp. 1011. (London: Dulau and Co., 1891.)

TH

HE importance of this subject is so great, and the alterations made in this book so revolutionary (although the author pretends to be guided by "international rules”), that a brief sketch of the recent history of plantnaming is desirable in order to render any criticisms of the work generally intelligible; and it is all the more called for because Dr. Kuntze specially attacks the position taken up by a considerable section of English botanists.

From the time of the foundation by Linnæus of the binominal system of nomenclature, which cannot be said to have been consummated before the publication of the first edition of the "Species Plantarum" in 1753, down to within the last 25 or 30 years, matters proceeded with tolerable smoothness, though some influential botanists did not scruple to ignore the published names of their contemporaries, or alter them on the most trivial grounds; and there was almost universal laxity in citing authorities. But the more critical investigation of the European flora especially, and to some extent also, perhaps, the tendency to multiply species, led to a more thorough exainination of the literature, resulting in the discovery that the same genus or species had often been described and named by more than one writer, the names being usually different. Furthermore the limitation of many of the genera founded by Linnæus and others was greatly modified, some by narrower circumscription, others by amplification, according to the opinions and inclinations of the writers; and of course it frequently happened that different writers dealt with the same materials independently of, and unknown to, each other. Some of these new genera and species were described or proposed in publications of merely local circulation, and were overlooked by the majority of botanists, and others seem to have been purposely neglected; so that in many instances the current and commonly accepted names were of more recent publication than those of other authors. As there appeared to be no way out of the practice of citing the author of a given combination of generic and specific names, it followed that the only fair procedure would be to adopt the name and give credit to the man who first published a change generally accepted; because the presumption was that it was always possible, and usually probable, that the later author was aware of the earlier publication. If an author published later than another, his names must be relegated to the synonymy. This is all very well in theory, and is not so very difficult to put into practice, so far as recent writers are concerned, once we have proved the identity of plants under different names; but when we come to the older writers, all sorts of doubts and ambiguities arise, and it seems much better to retain generic and specific names

that are as well established as a thing can be in the uncertainties of the relative rank of vegetable organisms. The struggle of literary botanists to bring the law of priority into operation has, as will presently be shown, resulted in successsive changes in nomenclature, each one carrying his investigations a little further than his predecessors, and extending the backward limit of authority for the establishment of genera and species, until the whole thing has drifted into a lamentable and undignified race between persons who deal in dates, and are even prepared to make all sorts of evasions of ordinary rules in order to gratify their craze for reviving old names.

It is hardly necessary to say that these successive changes, apart from the great divergencies as to the limitations of genera and species, have a most deterrent effect on the progress of the study of systematic botany, and make it ridiculous in the eyes of persons who regard a name as merely a means to an end.

In 1867 a Botanical Congress was held in Paris, to which botanists of all countries had been invited, and the most important subject discussed was botanical nomenclature. Mr. A. de Candolle had drawn up a most carefully considered code of rules to govern botanists in their writings; and this code was submitted to the assemblage of botanists, each rule being formulated and modified as the majority deemed wise. Finally, the whole was printed and circulated. The fundamental principle of these laws was priority of publication with adequate descriptions, and unfortunately it was made retrospective, without any sufficiently defined statute of limitations. For reasons of their own, the Kew botanists took no part in the proceedings of this Congress; whether wisely or not it would be difficult to determine, and fruitless to discuss. Of course, their position was open to comment and criticism, which have not been wanting; and Dr. Kuntze, while expressing his admiration of the amount and quality of the work done at Kew, deplores the fact that little regard has been paid to remote and obscure priorities. So far he is fair enough; but when he imputes unworthy motives to Bentham, he commits a great mistake, and does grievous injustice to the memory of a man whose sole aim was to advance botanical science, and especially that branch to which he had devoted his life, and which is most intimately bound up with nomenclature. No doubt the authors of the "Genera Plantarum" failed to take up a large number of published generic names; and not being bound down by the law of priority, they were not always consistent, even from the point of view of expediency and convenience, as the surviving author would readily admit. But to suggest that they would not conform strictly to the rule of priority because they would have to undo much of their own work is as disingenuous as it is untrue. The first volume of the Genera Plantarum" was not completed till 1867, the "Flora Australiensis" was less than half done, and the "Flora of British India" was not commenced; so that, if the authors had had a longing for change and cheap notoriety, they might have re-named a third of the flowering plants of the world. But their idea was to maintain genera and species, as they had been gradually built up, under current names. The opinion of the late Mr. Bentham on this point is clear from the following passage (Journ. Linn. Soc., xix., p. 19) in his " Notes on the

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