We have received the « Memoir e mr la famille des 

 Crucifer^s"" by M. De Candolle, presenting an instructive 

 and luminous statement of the principles of his new arrange- 

 ment of Crudferce (corresponding with the class Tetra- 

 dynamia of Linnseus), the family or order about to appear 

 in the approaching volume of his " Natural System of the 



Vegetable Kingdom ;" being the second of that vast under- 

 taking. 



The latest enumeration of Cructfercei viz. that contained 

 in Persoon*s Synopsis, gives only 504 species. M. De Gan- 

 dolle counts, at this time no less than 970, of which he him- 

 self has inspected 880 in the sample, and dissected the seeds 

 of more than 700. 



Computing by the general distribution of this vege- 

 table family over the globe, he seems to infer that the num- 

 ber of the species he is about to record, will not be found 

 very far short of the total amount. 



The discussion of the principles or the philosophy of the 

 classification, is followed by a synoptical view of the Order, 

 combined in 5 principal divisions (suborders), 21 subdivi- 

 sions (tribes) and 95 genera. 



In the arrangement that has been adopted for this natu- 

 ral order, externally so very devoid of definable charac- 

 teristics, we cannot but be struck with the importance of the 

 resources that have been derived from the interior of the 

 seed, especially from the relative position of the cotyledons 

 and radicle, an ingenious device first used for the cha- 

 racters of the genera of this family by Mr. Brown, in the 

 last edition of the Hortus Kewensis. Cotyledones incum- 

 bentes and Cotyledones accumbentes (convertible with lateral 

 radicle and dorsal radicle) seem to afford the two grand 

 divisions of the whole order ; and so equally, that of the 95 

 genera composing the order, 48 rank in the division Co- 

 tyledones accumbentes, and 47 in Cotyledones incumbentes. 

 We are to presume that the learned writer has obtained 

 these curious results by satisfactory investigation. 



The " Mdmmre" will be read with deep interest by 

 every Botanist, and cannot fml to increase the admiration 

 already inspired by the genius and zeal of its celebrated 

 author. 



