40 iNATURAL CLASSIFICATION. 



many forms and difficulties, whence Lizards, 

 Frogs, Snakes, Crabs, Spiders Slc. are now 

 becoming peculiar distinct Classes. This hap- 

 pens likewise in Botany, and the two organized 

 series of Beings may be deemed almost parallel. 



In the valuable but oft neglected work of 

 Adanson on natural families, we find almost a 

 Cyclopedia of botanical knowledge, history, 

 classification, authors, names and genera until 

 his time 1763. It begins now to be appreciated, 

 and I refer to it for all ancient Botany, botanists, 

 Classes and names. It may be often consulted 

 with advantage by improvers. 



We learn from him that botanical classifica- 

 tions are numberless, and have been based on 

 all kinds of consideration of forms, organs and 

 uses. To show the absurdity of contriving such 

 artificial systems, he had himself contrived 65, 

 and calculated their value ; till at last the result 

 was the combination of all into the Natural 

 system. 



Whatever has been done by Botanists since 

 Zoroaster and Moses (deemed the first by 

 Adanson) till Linneus, is now of little account, 

 and belongs to historical Botany: wherefore I 

 have began my researches at Linneus and Ad- 

 anson. Yet many eminent Botanists flourished 

 since the revival of letters, among which Cesal- 

 pini who in 1583 first contrived 15 natural Class- 

 es, and Zaluzianski in 1592 had 22 such, but 

 only few very really natural — Magnol who was 

 the first in 1689 to attempt 68 natural Orders. 

 Tournefort who in 1694 was the first to fix de- 

 finite Genera, and reduced 698 of them to 22 

 artificial Classes. 



These Genera were increased to 1174 before 

 Linneus and by him: Adanson increased them 



