PRINCIPLES OF NOME^TCLATURE. 297 



no uniformity of derivation or plan in any of those Ian- 

 guages. Their different origins may be imagined, but 

 cannot be traced. Many of these, furnished by the 

 Greek or Latin, are retained as generic names in scien- 

 tific botany, though neither their precise meaning, nor 

 even the plants to which they originally belonged, can 

 always be determined, as Rosa^ Ficus, Piper, he. It is 

 sufficient that those to which they are now, by common 

 consent, applied, should be defined and fixed. Bota- 

 nists of the Linnasan school, however, admit no such 

 generic names from any other language than the Greek 

 or Latin, all others being esteemed barbarous. With- 

 out this rule we should be overwhelmed, not only with 

 ;i torrent of uncouth and unmanageable words, but we 

 should be puzzled where to fix our choice, as the same 

 plant may have fifty different original denominations in 

 different parts of the world, and we might happen to 

 choose one by which it is least known. Thus the cele- 

 brated Indian plant, now proved beyond all doubt to be 

 the Cyamiis of Theophrastus*, having been erroneouslv 

 reckoned by Linnjeus a Nymphaa, received from Gasrt- 

 ner, one of the first who well distinguished it as a genus, 

 the Ceylon name of Nelumho ; which being contrary to 

 all rules of science, literature or taste for a generic name, 

 has by others been made into bad Latin as Nelumbium. 

 But the universal Hindu name of the plant is Tamara, 



* See Exot. Bot. v. I. 60, where the arguments in support 

 of this opinion are given, and Curt. Mag. t. 903, where some of 

 them are with much candour and ingenuity controverted, though 

 not so as to alter my sentiments ; nor can any thing justify the 

 use of jVehcmbium in a scientific work as a generic name. 



