284 OF ESSENTIAL 



Vegetahilium, makes it comprehend all the distinctions 

 requisite to discriminate each genus from every other in 

 the system, only avoiding a repetition at every step of 

 the characters of the artificial class and order, which 

 stand at the top of each page, and are not always essen- 

 tial to tlie character of the genus. This is the kind of 

 generic character now universally adopted, and indeed 

 the only one in common use. The learned Jussieu has 

 given it the sanction of his approbation and adoption, as 

 far as its plan is concerned, throughout his immortal 

 work, subjoining in a different type such characters and 

 remarks as belong to the habit, or refer to other circum- 

 stances. For my own part, I profess to retain, not only 

 the plan, bu? the very words of Linnaeus, unless I find 

 them erroneous, copying notliing without examination, 

 but altering with a very sparing hand, and leaving much 

 for future examination. I cannot blame my predeces- 

 sors for implicitly copying the Linnean characters, nor 

 should I have been the first among English writers to 

 set a contrary example, had I not fortunately been fur- 

 nished with peculiar materials for the purpose. 



The beauty and perfection of these essential generic 

 characters consist in perspicuity, and a clear concise 

 style of contrasting them with each other. All feeble- 

 ness, all superfluity, should be avoided by those who are 

 competent to the purpose, and those who are not should 

 decline the task. Comparative words, as long or shorty 

 without any scale of comparison, are among the grossn 

 est, though most common, fimlts in such compositions. 



The natural character seems to have been, at one 

 time, what Linnaeus most esteemed. It is what he has 



