Dr. Smitn’s Introductory Difcourfe. 23 
peachment of the venerable old man’s philofophy, that fo cruel a 
difappointment foon brought him with forrow to the grave. 
All that remains of this work are a few copies of the fecond 
volume, and three only of the firft, one of which is in the Sherar- 
dian library at Oxford. Linnæus was poffeffed of about 120 of the 
wooden blocks of this firft volume, as well as 8 or 10 unpublifhed 
blocks belonging to fome intended one; all which came with his 
collection into my hands: they are for the moft part admirable 
figures of grafles *, 
Having been now infenfibly led back to Botany, I fhall take a 
comprehenfive view of the fyftematic æra of that fcience, when fo 
many new methods of claflification were invented, moft of which 
were ftrenuoufly fupported by their refpeétive authors, who little 
lhe e that in the {pace of half a century, oblivion would nearly 
diftinétions between them. 
The firft who revived the idea of a claffical arrangement of 
plants, fince the time of Cæfalpinus, was Morifon, who has been 
juftly cenfured for neglecting to acknowledge how much he owed 
to his ingenious predeceffor, and who has in his turn received fimi- 
lar treatment from his followers. His method was founded chiefly 
on the fruit, to which, as well as the external habits of plants, he 
paid too much regard, and too little to the other parts of fruc- 
tification. The only work claffed according to the method of 
Morifon is his own Hiftoria Univerfalis Plantarum, an ufeful 
compilation, which is daily ufed as a book of reference, by thofe 
who never think of his fyftem. 
But the three principal fyftematic authors were Ray, Tournefort 
and Rivinus, between whom was much warm controverfy on the 
fubjeét ; and it muft have been an interefting matter indeed that 
* Publifhed under the title of Reliquise Rudbeckianæ, folio, 1789. 
Cg could 
