PREAMBLE 



TO THE THIRD PART. 



This part has been somewhat delayed by 

 some occupations foreign to my favorite scien- 

 ces of Botany ; but every delay is attended with 

 ultimate good results and greater accuracy. 



I have been much anmsed lately by looking 

 over all the singular contradictions of Lindley 

 in the botanical Register, and particularly his 

 remarks in the 22d volume on the labors of 

 Spach on CEnothera 4* Fuchsia. — Lindley is 

 one of the best English Botanists, having fully 

 adopted the natural method, and trying to im- 

 prove it ; yet he has his own blemishes, and ap- 

 pears to be jealous of Spach, because he has 

 rectified these Genera by divisions, endeavour- 

 ing to ridicule the minute characters he has em- 

 ployed for it This must appear singular 



from him, who has ventured to establish the 

 Genus Lowea for the Rosa berberifolia, mere- 

 ly upon having single leaves and no stipules ! 

 contending that mere habit may form good 

 Genera ! in which case all the species of G. 

 Oxalis, Lupinus, Jasminum, Fraxinus^ &c. 

 with single leaves ought to be Genera also! 

 compound leaves and various inflorescence will 

 also become generic accordingly, and we should 

 return to the absurdities of old genera before 

 Linneus, as indeed Lindley advises in his over- 

 zeal to explode the Linnean sexual system, 

 Necker was more rational when he made 

 Genera of all stemless species ! 



Lindley is a great Genera monger as we are 

 called, or framer of New Genera, and thus a 

 real improver ; but all his Genera are not good, 

 and he shows too much propensity to seek for 



