Sisyrinchium appears to us to belong to Monadelphia Tri- 

 andria, and it is so stationed by some Linnaean Botanists ; 

 yet others of great authority place it in Triandria Mono- 

 gynia. We will not pretend to decide between these con- 

 flicting opinions ; but we really wonder that gentlemen 

 should be still found, with this and hundreds of similar cases 

 staring them in the face, to talk gravely of the peculiar 

 precision and certainty of the sexual system. No one pre- 

 tends to claim this character of peculiar certainty ^w^ 'precision 

 for the natural system ; but to ascribe it exclusively to the 

 Linnaean is notoriously absurd ; as if the very clever artificial 

 contrivance of the illustrious Swede, the utihty of which is, 

 however, most extravagantly overrated, were exempt from 

 the imperfections inherent in all human affairs. But what 

 amuses us the most is, that while Linneean Botanists are 

 thus anxiously endeavouring to maintain the ground, which 

 they cannot avoid perceiving is rapidly slipping from beneath 

 them, they are slily adopting that very system they depre- 

 cate, and adopting it by a sort of patch-work process, which 

 has the peculiar advantage of being particularly useless. 

 (See SprengeVs Syst. Veg. passim in the arrangement of 

 genera.) With us, so completely will prejudice blind men's 

 perceptions, one of the most intelligent and amiable men 

 that the age has seen, has announced himself a defender of 

 the Linnaean faith, in a splendid work, bearing for its name 

 the somewhat singular title of Monandrian Plants of the 

 Order ScitaminecE ! which is written from beo:innins: to end 

 upon the principles of the Natural System. 



In no other country than Great Britain would remarks 

 of this nature be necessary, if we except a few of the 

 southern kingdoms of Europe, in which science does not 

 particularly flourish. We trust they will soon be super- 

 fluous among ourselves. 



Ah ! pereant, si quos janua clausa jiivat. 



Stem a foot or a foot and a half higii. Leaves very 

 narrow, glaucous, subulate at the apex. Spatha consist- 

 ing of bracteae membranous at the margin, of which the 

 lowermost is sharper than the others. Floviers several, 

 very fragrant, nodding, on long stalks, funnel-suaped, dirty 

 white, with brownish-purple veins. Stamens 3 ; the fila- 

 ments united in a long tube the length of the flower. 

 Stigmas 3, filiform, the length of the stamens. Ovarium 

 3-ceiled, many-seeded. J. L. 



