into the tube of the corolla, at the mouth of the calyx; filaments short anthers brown, sagittate, Germen ovate, green; style short, reaching to the mouth of the calyx; stigma large, rounded, greenish, placed on the anterior part of the style, which projects a little way beyond it. Drupe round, deep purple, juicy; nut bilocular.

The leaves, when bruised, emit a smell considerably resembling the dry root of Valeriana officinalis.

This species is a native of Mexico, from whence the seeds were brought by Lord Napier in 1825, and obligingly communicated to the Botanic Garden. They, and the seeds of many other species, some of them entirely new, were picked by his Lordship from plants in the wild state, among the mountains of Arizaba, or Real del Monte. It is much to be desired that others of our countrymen would equally profit by the opportunities afforded them, of contributing to our knowledge of exotic botany.

Metrosideros lanceolata.

This plant has stood on the open wall for three winters, partially protected with broom twigs.

Monarda punctata.
Passiflora capsularis.

Patersonia glauca.

Pilea mucosa.

This curious little plant, so well illustrated in the Collectanea Botanica of Lindley, has for several years flourished in our stove; but I have not observed it frequently in collections.

Ruellia anisophylla.

Silene regia.

This fine plant was sent, while in flower, from Mr Ferguson's of Raith, whose gardener raised it from seed sent from Montreal.

Vanda rostrata.

It would be interesting to know, whether any remarkable deviation from the usual progress of vegetation has been observed, in consequence of the very uncommon degree of heat, and uninterrupted drought, of this season. Nothing easily accounted for by reference to these, has been noticed in the Botanic Garden, except the period of flowering in the Crataegus glabra. I have often observed, that, in different seasons, certain plants flower much before, or not till long after, their usual period, when the state of the weather would have led us to expect the very reverse. This season, the hairy-leaved Laurus Tinus will not be in flower till towards the end of January: two years ago, after a very inferior season, it was in full flower during December. The Arbutus Andrachne, and laurel-leaved variety of Arbutus Unedo, nailed to a wall with a south exposure, are considerably later than plants propagated from the same stock, and growing as standards, though the soil where they are placed is equally loose and dry. The tender plants in our borders seem to have suffered less from the frost which we have had lately, than they usually do, probably owing to the dryness of the soil; for the rains have yet penetrated but a little way below the surface.

Celestial Phenomena from January 1. to April 1. 1827, calcu lated for the Meridian of Edinburgh, Mean Time. By Mr GEORGE INNES, Aberdeen.

The times are inserted according to the Civil reckoning, the day beginning at midnight.
The Conjunctions of the Moon with the Stars are given in Right Ascension.

Eclipse of the Sun of 29th November 1826.

As the Beginning of the Eclipse could not be seen at Aberdeen, owing to clouds, the following is the observed time of the End, as made at the Observatory there :

Mean Time, after applying the error of the clock, which was obtained by the sun's transit on that day. The time of end is certain to one second.

At Edinburgh, neither the beginning nor end of the Eclipse was observed.

Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Nov. 27. 1826.6.—AT a General Meeting held at the Society's

new apartments on the Mound, the following Office-bearers were elected for the ensuing year :

Sir WALTER SCOTT, President. '

Right Hon. Lord Chief Baron. Lord Glenlee.

Dr T. C. Hope.

Professor Russel.

Dr Brewster, Secretary.

Lord Newton, President.

Thomas Allan, Esq. Treasurer. James Skene, Esq. Curator of the Museum.

PHYSICAL CLASS.

John Robinson, Esq. Secretary.

Proceedings of the Wernerian Natural History Society.

1826, Dec. 2.—AT this meeting Professor Jameson read

Dr Thomas Latta's Observations regarding the Arctic Sea and Ice, and the intended Expedition of Captain Parry to the North Pole.

Several sheets of the Great Map of the county of Mayo in Ireland, the work of our ingenious and active countryman Mr William Bald, civil engineer, now engraving in Paris, were laid before the meeting; and the excellent execution of the work (done at one half of the London charges) met with universal approbation.

Specimens of the rare Macartney Pheasant,-a White Sparrow lately shot in Fifeshire,—a specimen of the beautiful Mexican bird called the Quezal,-and of the Lama of Peru, were exhibited; and various interesting articles from the Burmese country were shewn and described by Professor Jameson.

At the same meeting, the following gentlemen were elected Office-bearers of the Society for 1827.

1. Meteors seen in India.-Colonel Blacker has given the Asiatic Society an account of a singular meteor, having the appearance of an elongated ball of fire, which he observed at Calcutta, a little after sunset, when on the road between the CourtHouse and the Town-Hall. Its colour was pale, for the day