Dr. Smitn’s Introductory Difcour/e. 37 
the two following ones not having been publifhed till many years 
after; Catefby’ s Natural Hiftory of Carolina, Florida, &c. of which the 
firft volume was printed in 1731 and the fecond in 1743; Edwards's 
Hiftory of Birds, begun in 1743 ; and fome others of lefs note. A 
work of a fuperior kind was publifhed at Florence in 1742, entitled 
Gualtieri Index Teftarum Conchyliorum, which is remarkable for 
the perfection of its fpecific differences of fhells, in which the 
* author feems clofely to have imitated the ftyle of the botanical 
works of his countryman Micheli... This is one of the moft ufeful 
books of reference that we have in conchology, and in my opinion 
is far preferable to the work of d’Argenville printed the fame 
year, although perhaps lefs complete than the new and enlarged 
- sition of that book ee publithed. | 
In-England horticulture feems now to have made great POLI. 
"e ve DON ti at art fo much as the celebrated Miller ; and 
it is hardly fair to reproach him with not having perfected it. 
Bartram was fent to America for the:purpofe of fupplying our 
gardens with plants, and we are much indebted to him, as well as 
to Houftoun, who difcovered many rare vegetables in South America 
and the Weft Indies, and whofe repans long eric 5 are now 
refcued from oblivion. — 
In Holland botany was ably fepperted by the labours of the two 
profeffors Van Royen at Leyden, and the afliduous Burman 
profeffor at Amfterdam. The Thefaurus Zeylanicus and Decades 
Plant. Africanarum of the latter are excellent books; {ome of the 
figures in this laft which I find Linnæus fuípected to be erroneous, 
or even fictitious, have fince been found faithful. Burman had 
alfo the honour of publifhing a large volume of the figures of 
 Plumier, from copies of the original drawings, which had long 
lain buried at Paris, as the greater part of that admirable author's 
works ftill do, eclipfed by more fplendid productions. 
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