Vlll PREFACE. 



be competent to read any book, or to exa- 

 mine any flower, with .great advantage. He 

 will find himself so well grounded, that every 

 thing will subsequently be of very easy attain- 

 ment, and he will soon be conscious of a great 

 superiority over those who read, or observe, 

 in a desultory way ; possibly over many who 

 write, or attempt to teach, without such a 

 foundation. Nor will it be difficult for any 

 attentive scholar, even without a master, to 

 acquire these necessary principles. The pa- 

 ragraphs are numbered, and refer to each 

 other where mutual illustration is requisite. 

 The figures also are occasionally cited, and 

 may be consulted throughout ; though prin- 

 cipally intended to explain the systematic 

 part of the work, hereafter mentioned. 



The theory of Systematic Arrangement, in 

 the sixth chapter, should likewise be well 

 fixed in the mind. This subject is here treated 

 in the same compendious way as the former; 

 with all that is essential, as a foundation for 

 any degree of further inquiry. 



The student being thus furnished with a 

 knowledge of the materials with which he has 

 to work, and the relative importance of those 

 materials for each particular purpose, will 



