2 The Rev. Dr. Hincks on the Flora of Ireland. 



I conceive, as far as possible, discriminate between those 

 plants which are really indigenous, and those which appear 

 to have been introduced, whether at an early or a later period; 

 it should mark the situation in which the plant is found and 

 the different parts of the country; whether abundant or scarce; 

 and on what kind of ground, as limestone, basalt, &c. It 

 should be an object to record the earliest notice of each plant, 

 and the name of the discoverer, if it can be ascertained, to 

 which may be added remarks on its nature and uses. And 

 in the case of a country like Ireland, which has its own pe- 

 culiar language still used in many parts of it, the name given 

 to the plant in that language should be recorded, when known, 

 as well as the common names in English. The author of a 

 local Flora should be a man well acquainted with the past 

 as well as present state of the district, and should be able to 

 make various branches of science contribute to the usefulness 

 of his work. Finally, if like Dr. Johnston, in his Flora of 

 Berwick-on-Tweed, he can render his work entertaining as 

 well as instructive, he will have a stronger claim on the gra- 

 titude of those for whom he has been labouring. That my 

 friend Mr. Mackay's work does not meet all these objects is 

 no reason for censuring him, and with respect to the Irish 

 names, unless he had it in his power to give real ones, it was 

 much better to omit them altogether, than to do, what was 

 done in another case, manufacture names for the occasion, 

 which a native could hardly recognise. 



Mr. Mackay^s introduction begins with the remark, " It has 

 been matter of complaint that the history of the natural pro- 

 ductions of Ireland has hitherto been neglected," but he 

 considers the censure as one of too great severity. The 

 authoress of an " Irish Flora," published about three years 

 before Mr. Mackay's, viz. in 1833, says, "it has been re- 

 marked, that when England and France had their provincial 

 Floras, the botany of this island was as much unknown as that 

 of an island in the Pacific ; although its peasantry possessed 

 a very considerable knowledge of plants, which is, &c. — but 

 among its enlightened inhabitants it has remained almost a 

 sealed book, while men of science have been occupied inves- 

 tigating other countries not possessing half its richness in 

 vegetable productions." As a proof, the extraordinary de- 

 ficiency of information in this science, to be met with in the 

 surveys of counties in Ireland, is brought forward, with some 

 exceptions ; and be it remarked, that the works excepted were 

 published, or at least some of them, before 1750; i. e. eighty 

 years before the time of making the remark. A reviewer of Mr. 

 Mackay's work in the Dublin University Magazine, in a very 



