IV REMARKS. 



everlasting foundations on the unchangeable organization of 

 that economy it was his business to study: his monument is 

 imperishable '^^ Regalique situ pyrmnidum altius.^^ 



When the extent and nature of this work are taken into 

 consideration, it will be readily surmised that my task has been 

 far from an easy one ; and a glance at the original is sufficient 

 to convince the scientific critic that such is not only the case, 

 but that the difficulties I have had to encounter were of no 

 ordinary cast. The graceful flexibility of the French lan- 

 guage is such as to yield to a combination of words and forms 

 of expression that almost bid defiance to any thing like sy_- 

 nonymes in our more stubborn English. If this be true in 

 relation to the language of conversation or that of books on or- 

 dinary subjects, how greatly must the difficulty be increased 

 when we find them abounding in a work like this ! Such has 

 been my trouble and perplexity on this account, that I may be 

 excused for observing, that although the necessity for making 

 new words cannot be denied, we should never forget that 

 there are but two sources from which they can be legitimately 

 drawn the Latin or Greek. A word thus formed, being 

 universally understood, may be removed unaltered from one 

 language to another(l). 



Previously to commencing the execution of this version, it 

 became indispensably requisite to fix upon some general plan 

 of proceeding. The absurdity of translating into English the 

 technical portion, or the nomenclature, was too apparent to 

 demand a moment's consideration the genius of our language 

 forbids it. To have left these terms in French would have 

 been inexpedient for self-evident reasons ; and the idea of 

 giving a class in Latin, an order in French, &c., presented 

 too revolting a medley. By giving them all in Latin, the 

 common language of science, these objections vanished, al- 

 though it entailed difficulties of a different character. I have 

 ventured to encounter them ; and while strictly adhering to 



(1) For some remarks on Uiis subject, see Count Dejean's preface to his Spe- 

 cies, &c., I, p. 8. 



