PRINCIPLES OF CLASSIFICATION. 39 



Naturae, and Sy sterna Vegetabilium of Linnaeus, 

 as well as in our Flora Britannica and English 

 Flora, and the Genera Plantarum of Jussieu. In 

 the latter are subjoined, in a different type, va- 

 rious accessory or explanatory characters, of great 

 value, respecting the herbage, or general habit, 

 of every Genus. 



105. These principles of Generic discrimination are 

 equally stable and important, whether Genera be 

 considered, with Linnaeus, as natural assemblages; 

 or with some other botanists, as commodious arti- 

 ficial contrivances. 



106. It seems to me that the soundest most irrefra- 

 , gable Genera, have been established by those bo- 

 tanists who believed them to be founded in nature; 

 those who think otherwise, being prone to recur to 

 minute distinctions, of whose relative importance 

 they have no principle by which they can judge. 



107. While Rosa, Rubus, Quercus, Saliv, Ficus, 

 CypripeMum, Epimedium, and Begonia exist, it 

 will be vain to deny that Generic distinctions are 

 founded in nature, though botanists may, as yet, 

 be very far indeed from having discovered them 

 all correctly. 



