"kfi Rev. Mr Ramsay's Biographical Notice of 



of growth, before lie ventured to print. But in nothing is this 

 industry more conspicuous than in his synonyms from the 

 older writers. The labour of this part of his work must have 

 been, from the vagueness of their descriptions, and the charac- 

 ter of their plates, extremely laborious ; indeed, I know that 

 sometimes in the class Syngenesia a whole day would be occu- 

 pied in ascertaining the synonyms of a species. Such in- 

 dustry may be despised, or its value overlooked, by those who 

 are anxious to grasp at results without patient investigation ; 

 or, as Dr Hooker has remarked, " many will avail themselves of 

 his labours without acknowledgment."*' But it is an important 

 department of science ; because adopting descriptions of au- 

 thors without an accurate knowledge of synonyms, has been 

 perhaps the most fruitful source of error that could be named. 

 De Candolle has borne testimony both to the importance and 

 difficulty of this department of labour : — " Synonimia seu 

 variorum cujusque plantae nominum genuina correlatio, suscepti 

 a me laboris pars utilior est forsan sed certe periculosior. Botanici 

 omnes qui nullius addicti magistri in verba jurarunt, et proprio 

 quasi marte laboraverunt, probe sciunt quam difficilis sit sy- 

 nominia ex meris descriptionibus petita." * 



Excepting De Candolle himself, Sir James was perhaps the 

 most learned botanist of his time. 



Another point in the late president's character as a botanist 

 is to be noticed ; his attachment (as it has been frequently 

 represented I mean) to the principles of his master. Of this 

 attachment and admiration he has given uniform proofs, espe- 

 cially on one occasion, where he has said " For my own part, 

 I profess to retain not only the pla?i but the very words of 

 Linnaeus, unless I find them erroneous, copying nothing with- 

 out examining, but altering with a very sparing hand." From 

 expressions such as these, and which, from his enthusiastic 

 admiration of Linnaeus, sometimes go beyond his real senti- 

 ments, he has been, I fear, rather unfairly represented as a 

 bigotted follower of Linnaeus ; as one who was anxious to re- 

 tard the advancement of science where it did not proceed in 



" Preface to the Systema. 



