PREFACE 



The materials from which the following pages have been prepared 

 were originally collected for the private use of the Author, to remove the 

 inconvenience he constantly experienced from a necessity of referring 

 daily to rare, costly, and extensive publications, often to be found only in 

 the libraries of the wealthy. A belief that what was indispensable to 

 himself might also prove useful to the public, afterwards led to the com- 

 mencement of the present Work, the appearance of which has been acce- 

 lerated by the growing want of some Introduction to that method of inves- 

 tigating the productions of the Vegetable Kingdom, which, under the 

 name of the Natural System, has gradually displaced more popular classi- 

 fications, well adapted indeed to captivate the superficial inquirer, but 

 exercising so baneful an influence upon Botany, as to have rendered it 

 doubtful whether it even deserved a place among the sciences. 



When the printing was commenced, we had no English Introduction 

 whatever to the subject of which it treats ; but, soon afterwards, a transla- 

 tion was published by Dr. Clinton, of the fourth edition of Richard's 

 Nouveaux Elemens dc la Botanique, in which much information is to 

 be found. Had this work appeared calculated to answer the purpose of 

 even a temporary Introduction, the matter now made public would have 

 still remained in the cabinet of the Author ; but the plan of M. Richard, 

 independently of other considerations, did not admit of so much detail as 

 seemed desirable, and was scarcely adapted to render the Natural System 

 of Botany popular in a country like Great Britain, where it has to contend 

 with a great deal of deeply-rooted prejudice. 



Two principal objects require to be kept in view, in a scientific work 

 intended for common use : in the first place, there must be no sacrifice of 

 science to popularity ; but secondly, it is desirable that as much facility 

 be afforded the student as the nature of the subject will admit. In recon- 

 ciling these two apparently contradictory conditions lies the difficulty of 

 rendering an arrangement in Natural History which is not merely super- 



