STUDY XI. 



99 



the ftem, of the root, or of the fruit : atro-rubenie y 

 fay they, fufco-nigrefcente 9 of a dark red, of a dufky 

 brown. As to the forms of vegetables, the cafe 

 • is ftill worfe, though they have fabricated terms 

 compounded of four or five Greek words to de- 

 fcribe them. 



J. J. Roujfeau communicated to me, one day, a 

 fet of characters fomewhat refembling the alge- 

 braic, which he had invented for the purpofe of 

 briefly expreffing the colours and forms of vege- 

 tables. Some of them reprefented the forms of 

 the flowers ; others, thofe of the leaves ; others, 

 thofe of the fruits. Some refembled a heart, fome 

 were triangular, fome of the lozenge fhape. He 

 did not employ above nine or ten of thofe figns, 

 to compofe the expreffion of one plant. Some he 

 placed above others, with cyphers which indicated 

 the genera and the fpecies of the plant, fo that you 

 would have taken them for the terms of an alge- 

 braic formula. However ingenious and expedi- 

 tious this method might be, he informed me that 

 he had given it up, becaufe it prefented to him 

 fkeletons only. 



This fentiment came wiih peculiar grace from a 

 man whofe tafte was equal to his genius, and may 

 fuggeft fome reflections to thofe who are for giving 



h 2 abridgments 



