10 



PART I. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



Art. I. Some Remarks on Natural History, as a Means of 

 Education. By J. E. B. 



It has been the fashion, in modern times, to depreciate the 

 discoveries of Linnaeus, and to put forward other eminent na- 

 turalists as rivals for popular favour at his expense. Nothing 

 can be more unjust towards the memory of departed greatness, 

 nothing can be less acceptable to existing merit, than the at- 

 tempt to build up their fame by disparaging that of another. 

 Now, although it must be acknowledged that the naturalists 

 of this country have confined their studies too exclusively to 

 the nomenclature of science, and have overlooked too much 

 the end for which language is invented, let us not be so 

 absurd as to shut our eyes to the real merits of Linnaeus, 

 because we have witnessed some abuses of his system. His 

 great claims to our admiration rest upon ground independent 

 of that which is generally taken up against his disciples ; and 

 this will be found tenable against all opposition, whatever the 

 extent or novelty of our discoveries or improvements in our 

 systems. 



The first great merit of Linnaeus consisted in the sound 

 philosophy on which he framed his genera. This invention 

 of generic characters, though not his own, was brought to 

 such a degree of perfection by him, and was rendered current 

 by his instrumentality to such an extent, that he is entitled to 

 the high praise of having made it useful to the world. Before 

 his time, natural history consisted of a multitude of particulars 

 spread over so large a surface, that it was impossible to em- 

 brace them without devoting a whole life to the subject. By 

 the simple invention of generic terms, the mind is enabled to 

 comprehend and speak of all these particulars in an abridged 

 form. That is done by one word, which before required a 

 hundred. It may safely be asserted, that the application of 

 this metaphysical instrument, familiar as it now appears, has 

 facilitated the acquisition of the knowledge of nature more 

 than any thing besides. It is to the intellect what the steam- 



