Dn. Smirn’s Introductory Difcourfe. 39 
that delightful country; nor his friend Monfieur Le Monnier, one 
of the warmeft admirers of the illuftrious Swede. This gentleman 
was fent to the fouth of France as a botanift in 1740, with fome 
other philofophers who went there for aftronomical purpofes. 
Afterwards he became firft phyfician to Louis XV. and now enjoys 
his * otium cum dignitate" in a delightful retirement near Verfailles, 
-where he pays particular attention to the cultivation of trees and 
fhrubs, and poffeífes one of the richeft herbariums in France. 
At Berlin botany and Linnzus had long a noble fupport in 
Profeflor Gleditích, who firft principally diftinguifhed himfelf by 
anfwering Siegefbeck’s criticifm of the Linnzan fyftem; and his 
viétory was decided indeed when Siegefbeck publifhed his Vanilo- 
quentie te Specie in the firft dom of which that 
| almoft be called “the lie direct." 
air ni et ons os ‘ei 
ONE ne better employed than in | returning it. He ap- 
plied himfelf to the inveftigation of the obícure phyfiology of 
Fungi and other orders of the Cryptogamia, and in 1753 publifhed 
an able and elaborate work, entitled Methodus Fungorum. . The 
Memoirs of the Berlin Society abound. with excellent treatifes of 
this author relating to agriculture and rural ceconomy. . Nor did 
he neglect íyftematic botany. By no means a fervile follower of 
Linnæus, he publifhed in 1764 a fyftem founded on the fituation 
of the ftamina, the principle of which is good, and muft always be 
kept in view by all botanifts; but the clafles of Gleditích being 
folely founded on this circumftance, are neceffarily too few: his 
orders are borrowed from the claffes of Linnzus. 
Botanical works were daily multiplying in various parts of Europe. 
In 1745 appeared Leche’s Primitiæ Flore Scanicæ, and Seguier’s 
rich catalogue of the Plantæ Veronenfes. It has been alledged by 
fome faftidious people, that the prefent century, and. efpecially the 
Linnæan age, | has been overburthened with fuch kind of catalogues, 
5 which 
