182 THE JOUHNAL OF BOTAXY 



])lants, or so imperfect is the knowledge when intended to compreliend 

 tlie whole vegetable world, although so easy and familiar in its 

 partial apiilication to certain well known orders, that the most ex- 

 perienced, and those who have paid the most attention to the subject 

 extremely often form a different judgment upon the family to which 

 a plant ought to be referred. For this reason, the utility of this 

 Avork will be much increased b}^ the addition of an artificial arrange- 

 ment, by which every botanist can with ease find any plant contained 

 in it, that lie may wish to seek. By the bye, a similar arrangement 

 was promised by Jussieu, but has not, we believe, been yet published. 

 " We should be giving a A^ery false idea of this Flora of New 

 Holland, were Ave to leave it to be understood, that in foUoAving 

 Jussieu, Mr. Brown has been contented Avith cojjying the characters 

 of the orders, or of such genera as are to be found there, for his work. 

 On the contrary, everything here is new ; Mr. Brown's descriptions of 

 the orders are new, the descriptions of the genera and species are 

 likewise his own. and every part abounds with observations equally 

 original and useful : nor are these, by an}^ means, confined to tlie 

 plants of New Holland, but numbers of them are applicable to 

 botanical science in general. 



" His specific characters, Mr. Brown seems to have formed more 

 upon the j^lan of Linnaeus than of Jussieu; the latter author, in the 

 AnnaJes cV Histoire Naturellp, has given an account of the species of 

 sevei-al genera, in all of Avhitdi his specific characters are rather abridged 

 descriptions than definitions. We should imagine that CA'cryone Avho 

 has put it to the trial, Avill have found how much time is unneces- 

 sarily consumed in determining a species by examining the characters 

 of Jussieu ; nevertheless, it seems probable, that Mr. Brown proposes 

 at some future period, to form his sj^ecific characters upon this plan, 

 as he hints at an intention of changing the Liniuean punctuation, 

 and the use of the ablatiA^e case, in both which he has at present 

 folloAved Linnaeus. In our opinion these changes Avdll not be for the 

 better ; for although since the happy iuA^ention of trivial names, the 

 specific phrase is no longer necessarily to be committed to memory, 

 and therefore, perhaps, need not be absolutely limited within the 

 compass of twelve Avords ; yet they might certainly be as short as 

 possible, and should contain no characters but such as is necessary to 

 distinguish the species from every other. These sjDeciHc characters 

 must, indeed, be necessarily imi)erfect and in Avant of perpetual 

 change, as long as new discoA^eries are daily adding to the list of 

 species before known ; but this only shows the imperfection, not the 

 Avant of fundamental excellence, in the system itself. While such 

 imperfections exist, abbreviated descriptions are usefully added, but 

 if these should be necessarily subjoined to every species, the practical 

 utility of specific phrases Avill CA^er remain ; and in the Latin language, 

 at least, the ablative case cannot, Avithout inconvenience, be ceded to 

 the nominative. We sincerely hope to see the rare abilities of this 

 excellent botanist emploj^ed in perfecting, not in superseding, these 

 highly useful specific definitions. With respect to the Liniifean 

 punctuation, though a little aAvkward at first, it is founded upon true 



