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or THE GEXUS BUFFOJ^IA. . 189 



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oflfence which it has been supposed to be intended to avenge, was 

 given to Linnseus and all other *'methodists*' in the preface to 

 BufFon's great work, commenced in that year. That Sauvages at 

 least felt this offence strongly will be seen by the following extracts 

 from his letters ; but that this feeling could not have influenced 

 either him or Linnaeus two years before the offence was given, is 



equally 



April 





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referring to the attacks of Lametrie and others, Sauvages proceeds 

 as follows: — "Alterius certe ordinis sunt censores quos in te 

 nuper insurgere intelligo ; scil. D. Daubenton, vel de Buffon, in 

 Sistoria J^aturali Universalis quam recens edidit, et quam non- 

 dum vidi, et D. Heister in altero opusculo in quo nomenclaturBB 

 plantarum leges novas protulit. Primus, seu D. de Buffon, quod 

 miror maxime, omnes methodos improbat, et contendit facilius 

 citmsque addisci historiam animalium, plantaruni, &c. in individuis 

 quam in specificis genericisque descriptionibus. Anne umquam 

 putasses quod tarn absona absurda opinio in animalis rationalis 

 mentem venire potuisset ? Hoc tamen ad me scribimt, unde non 

 doleo quod a te recedit qui a ratione tarn alienus est." And in a 

 letter of November 15th, 1751, he continues In the same strain, 

 referring to the Epistle to Linnaeus prefixed to his own ' Methodua 

 Foliorum,' then just published. " Videbis,'* he says, " 

 paucis confutem D. Buffonem, qui existimat, mirum dictu, sine 

 uUa methodo addiscendam esse et docendam historiam naturalem 



venerat. Malo. 



inuni 



certe, te ab homine ita transverse cogitante carptum esse quam 

 laudatum. Decorum etenim est illis displicere quibus ipsa ratio 

 displicet." 



uffonia 



pique or malice having fallen completely to the ground, it may be 

 worth while also to correct an error in regard to the specific name, 



no less an authority than that of our distinguished 



to which 



following 



passage oi his ' English Flora * :— " Sauvages named this genus 

 his great countryman Buffon, who had indeed yQvj slender pr 

 sions to a botanical honour : a circumstance supposed to have 



name tenuifoliaJ' A reference 



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instance Linnaeus 



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name, wherever practicable, a charac 

 teristic portion of the name by which it had been previoush 





In this case he found a specific nam 





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