ROUGH NOTES ON THE HISTORY OF BOTANY. 



such as aquatics, parasites, culinary herbs, &c.; he also treated upon their anatomy with- 

 out the aid of a microscope, and advanced correct ideas respecting the various functions 

 of their structure. Dioscorides was a physician of Greek extraction "vvho traveled over 

 Greece, Asia Minor and Italy, in order to obtain the plants of those countries. He divi- 

 ded them into four classes, and gave descriptions of over 600; his labors were of compa- 

 ratively little value, on account of want of method and arrangement. Flint, who lived in 

 the time of Nero, protested against the erroneousness of the times, and also published 

 some valuable works; his " History of the World," was evidently intended to embrace 

 the whole of nature. Many learned men devoted their untiring attention to botanical 

 study; a detail of all would carry us beyond our limits. Among the most popular of later 

 times were Leonard Fuciis, of Germany, aiad TobbIxY, physician to James 1st. Gesner 

 was also a native of Germany, of humble and obscure origin; he possessed a powerful 

 and penetrating mind, and exploring the Alps he discovered many valuable plants which 

 were then unknown. He conceived the idea of groups, or natural affinities in plants. His 

 descriptions were reliable and accurate; before his time the art of describing plants with 

 accuracy, was unknown. Clusius was born about the year 1526; his parents had des- 

 tined him for the profession of the law — but his decided love for the study of nature 

 finally induced him to abandon his profession. He traveled over most of Europe, and 

 made more discoveries in the vegetable kingdom than any other botanist of his day. Ce- 

 SALPiNiis, who lived cotemporary with Clusius, proposed to arrange all known species 

 into classes, but his method was too imperfect to make it in any way valuable. John 

 Banhin, the friend of Gesner, composed a " General History of Plants," which was a 

 work evincing great learning. Gaspard, his brother, conceived the plan of a work which 

 should embrace accurate descriptions of all the plants which former botanists had disco- 

 vered. About this time the plants of our own country began to attract attention. Louis 

 XIV sent to America a botanist by the name of Plumier, who made many valuable dis- 

 coveries. He described more American plants than any other traveler had done. Bota- 

 nists now began to stud}' the stamens and pistils of plants, as it was predicted that the 

 science would remain obscure as long as species and ge?ier-a remained undefined; the result 

 of which was the production of a work by Hay, a celebrated botanist, entitled a " General 

 History of Plants," in which he separated them into thirty-three classes, twenty-seven 

 of which were composed of herbs, and the rest of trees. Joseph Pitton de Toune- 

 FORT, was born about the year 1656. He had also been destined for a profession, but he, 

 while young, also evinced a great fondness for the study of nature, and finally devoted 

 himself exclusively to it. He traveled over the Alps and Pyrenees collecting many new 

 flowering treasures. It will be observed, that up to this time the endeavors of botanists 

 were mainly directed to the discovery of some mode of classification. Investigating minds 

 now began to study their anatomy and physiokgy, which had been totally neglected since 

 the days of the Greek naturalists. It was at this period that the microscope was inven- 

 ted, which threw much additional light upon the subject. As yet, however, the science 

 of botany lay in scattered fragments of various contending sj-stems. Much labor had been 

 bestowed, and many facts collected, but there was no central point around which their in- 

 formation could be gathered. Charles Von Linn.eus was undoubtedly the greatest 

 botanist in the world, for it was through his system that all others have originated. He 

 was born in the j-ear 1707. His father was a clergyman, and had designed his son for the 

 same sa-cred office, but seeing him leave his books and ramble in the fields in search of 

 s, he inferred that he was a weak mind, unfit for close investigation, and was about 

 him to some mechanical employment, when some discerning persons, perceiving his 



