08 HISTOEY OF BOTANY. 



to plants give us no information, but this is not exact!}' the 

 case: "Sherardia" could not have received its name before 

 the time of the Sherards, nor "Linn?ea" before the time 

 of Linneus ; so that these names ■ at least give us a scrap 

 of information in botanical history. 



Sir J. E. Smith took an entirely different view from 

 Professor Lindley. He says: — "Botanists of the Linnean 

 school, however, admit no such generic names from any 

 other language than the Greek or Latin, all others being 

 esteemed barbarous. Without this rule we should be over- 

 whelmed, not only with a torrent of uncouth and unmanage- 

 able words, but we should be puzzled where to fix our 

 choice, as the same plant may have fifty different original 

 denominations in different parts of the world, and we might 

 happen to choose one by which it is least known." But 

 even Smith, though a strong supporter of Linnean rule, 

 admits some exceptions : — " Perhaps the barbarous name of 

 some very local plants, when they cannot possibly have been 

 known previously by any other, and when that name is 

 harmonious and easily reconcilable to the Latin tongue, 

 may be admitted, as that of the Japan shrub, Aucuba ; but 

 such a word as Ginkgo is intolerable." 



As is usual in other cases, so it has happened in this; 

 custom does not settle down to extreme views, but takes a 

 middle course. It would seem that where convenience, or 

 some other very good reason, justifies a deviation from the 

 Linnean system, it would be least likely to lead to confusion 

 if such cases were considered exceptions, and not fresh 

 principles which should abrogate any of the Linnean canons. 

 For after all naturalists universally concur in adopting this 

 system of our authority, nothing better having been 

 invented. And these canons are the rules by which 

 Linneus guided himself:* they comprehend, in fact, the 



- Being evidently very methodical, Linneus was apparently in the 



