preface: xiii 



of them may inftruft us how to fecure our- 

 felves againft their attacks. Whether this 

 be poflible we can never know, till proper 

 encouragement has been given to this 

 branch of natural hiftory. Something to 

 the fame purpofe might be faid concern- 

 ing mofles, but as the intent of one of the 

 following pieces is principally to take off 

 fuch objeftions as i have been confidering, 

 i (hall dwell no longer on this fubjed; ; 

 but proceed to give a fhort account of what 

 Linnaeus has done towards the improvement 

 of natural hiftory, that the reader, who is 

 unacquainted with his works, may form 

 fome idea, tho* very imperfect, of this 

 great man. Firft then, he has invent- 

 ed a new fyftem of botany, founded on 

 the male and female organs of generation 

 in plants, a fyftem which has thrown a 

 new light over botany. He has defined 

 about 10,000 plants, ranged them into 

 claffes, genera and fpecies, given new and 

 regular generical names to many inftead of 

 thofe barbarous and uncouth ones which 

 prevailed till his time, and added fpecifical 



names 



