370 The Bolanic Annual. 



bran-new covering of the softest satin velvet, and to draw on 

 oar own rude hands a spick and span pair of white kid gloves, 

 we did venture, thus equipped, ourselves to open and peruse 

 this delicate and dainty volume ; which, in truth, conies be- 

 hind few, if any, of its congeners, in all the arts and embellish- 

 ments of modern book-millinery. But, to be serious, for we 

 must be very brief on the present occasion, we really should 

 have liked the volume much better, and should have read it 

 far more comfortably and at our ease, had it appeared in the 

 neat, modest, unassuming garb of homely drab or green 

 calico, and had we been allowed the satisfaction of opening 

 the leaves for ourselves with our own ivory knife, instead of 

 finding them ready cut to our hand, and glittering away like 

 so much gilt gingerbread in a fair. Once for all, we must 

 protest against such attempts at ultra-elegance of outward 

 decoration, which, coupled with the (to us) odious name of 

 Annual, constitute just the sort of thing we do not like, and 

 would have been enough almost to have damned the book in 

 our eyes at the first glance, and at the distance of all across 

 the shop of Messrs. Cochrane and Co. It becomes us not, 

 however, to quarrel with the jewel on account of the brilliancy 

 of the casket in which it is contained. The Botanic Annual, 

 we are bold to say, stands in no need either of its fashionable 

 and affected title (to which, indeed, the author himself ac- 

 knowledges it has no legitimate claim) ; or of its tinsel decora- 

 tions, to puff it into notice, possessing as it does quite enough 

 of intrinsic merit, as a popular treatise, to insure it a favour- 

 able reception from the public. Though we are not prepared 

 to coincide, through thick and thin, wdth every sentence to 

 which our author gives utterance, and could readily, were we 

 so disposed, point out many instances of the same kind of 

 verbal inaccuracies, awkward expressions, and obscurities of 

 style, which we noticed on a former occasion, when review- 

 ing the British Naturalist^ yet we scruple not decidedly ta 

 recommend his present performance to our readers ; who, we 

 have no doubt, will derive ample amusement and instruction 

 from its perusal. Our limits absolutely forbid us from enter- 

 ing into minute particulars. We shall content ourselves, 

 therefore, with doing little more than making one or two 

 short extracts, and transcribing the heads of the chapters, 

 from which, alone, no inconsiderable insight may be gained 

 into the nature of the work itself. Chap. i. Introduction (on 

 the pleasure and advantages of the study of nature, &c.); 

 Chap. ii. Inducements to study Plants; Chap. iii. Science 

 and Study of Plants ; Chap. iv. Anatomy of Plants ; Chap, v. 

 Physiology of Plants ; Chap. vi. Classification of Plants ; 



