NATURAL CLASSIFICATION. 35 



refer to them in their works, as they do to other 

 improvers in their synonymy. 



They never can be at a loss to know what 

 familes or groups I meant: as far as Hetralonia 

 I gave the proper exclusive cliaracters, with 

 Sub-famihes and all the Genera of each, as a 

 general method. For the others I quoted from 

 "2 to 10 Genera of each family: altho' I now 

 still reduce the quotations to one or two genera 

 as main primitive types, any sagacious Botanist 

 may know at once my original families of 1815 

 by these types. When the quoted Genus be- 

 longs to any newer famihj, that family teas 

 established by me in 1815. 



Why should I then admit or follow later la- 

 bors and arrangements not so perfect nor com- 

 plete as mine of 1815? Decandole's method is 

 not yet complete, and is still obscure. Agardh's 

 is rather better ; but follows the ascending series: 

 while we all know now, that the real Serial 

 Order of organization is neither ascending nor 

 descending, not even circular, but Reticulate, 

 or Geographical, as in a Net, or rather a Map: 

 where Classes represent Islands, Orders and 

 Families, their regions and districts; while Ge- 

 nera and Species are the hills and mountains of 

 this botanical geography. 



The most proper Natural Series must then 

 follow a geographical plan, wherein the mutual 

 affinities are expressed by vicinity and drawn 

 lines of Seas, Rivers <^c. expressing or defining 

 common characters: which can only be accu- 

 ratly expressed in tables and maps ; while in 

 Serial books we must attempt to follow the plan 

 as nearly as possible, as it is done in books of 

 Geography. 



My own peculiar improvements in natural 



