610 Historical Notice 



and applied, both by A. L. De Jussieu himself, and by the 

 botanists who have trod in his steps. 



Indeed, what more convincing proof could be given of the 

 superiority of the grounds upon which this method has been 

 established, than its general adoption by all the most distin- 

 guished botanists of Europe ; who have, without doubt, 

 modified, and sometimes improved upon it; but who have 

 all taken the work of Jussieu for their starting points, from 

 which the greater part have very little differed, or scarcely 

 in any degree departed. 



We may ask, however, whether the natural method, such 

 as it is displayed in the admirable work of A. L. De Jussieu, 

 is destined to a permanent reign ; whether it is, in a word, 

 the method that comes nearest to nature; or whether, like 

 many other systems, it is destined soon to be replaced 

 by some other. If we consulted only the history of the 

 sciences, and in particular that of botany, we should be 

 disposed to believe that Jussieu's method would only enjoy 

 a predominance of greater or less duration, like the systems 

 of Ray, Tournefort, Linnaeus, &c. ; and would afterwards be 

 replaced by some method more in unison with the progress 

 of the sciences. 



If we consider only the systematic parts of Jussieu's 

 work, we can foresee that important changes may be 

 made in some points of this part of his work ; and already 

 modifications of greater or less value have been proposed 

 by the numerous scientific men who have embraced this 

 department of science. But will this modified method 

 still owe its origin to the rules established by Bernard 

 and Antoine Laurent De Jussieu? I think we may say 

 beforehand, that, whatever may be the method which shall 

 arise from future investigation, it will be founded upon the 

 principles admitted by these illustrious naturalists, and, con- 

 sequently, will be but their system brought to perfection, and 

 not an entirely new one. 



This opinion naturally results from an examination of the 

 principles which have directed these celebrated botanists in 

 their labours, and from observing the track followed in this 

 branch of science since the publication of the Genera, But 

 let us for a moment examine the origin of this method, the 

 first attempts which were made to develope some parts of the 

 system, and the state in which this branch of botany was when 

 A. L. De Jussieu really introduced it into the sciences. 



The greater part of the classifications which preceded 

 that of Jussieu had for their object the distribution of vege- 

 tables upon a system which should facilitate their determin- 



