Philosophical Character of Decandolle. 219 



independent existence, than he gave up his emohiments at 

 Montpellier, and preferred the almost honorai'y appointment 

 which he henceforth discharged as Professor of Natural His- 

 tory at Geneva, to any more lucrative office in a foreign city. 



From this period may be dated the commencement of those 

 important works, upon which his reputation amongst Euro- 

 pean botanists is principally founded. 



In 1818 ai'peared tlio tivst volume of his Systema Naturale, 

 intended to embrace a detailed description of all known plants, 

 arranged according to their natural affinities or design, — an un- 

 dertaking which, since the days of Ray, no botanist had had 

 the courage to attempt. 



He was not, indeed, unaware of the magnitude and difficulty 

 of such a work, or of the danger lest his labours should be sub- 

 verted by discoveries made during their progress ; but he was 

 encouraged to proceed in it, by the consciousness that a trea- 

 tise of this description, even though imperfect, would be the 

 one of all others most instrumental in spreading a knowledge 

 both of general and special botany. 



It is indeed a happy circumstance for the cause of science, 

 when an individual, possessing the comprehensive views and 

 the powers of generalisation which belonged to Decandolle, 

 can be induced to eater upon this .species of labour ; and not 

 one of the least advantages accruing from it I conceive to be, 

 that it relieves the pursuit itself from the imputation of frivo- 

 lousness, to be found worthy of occupying so lai'ge a portion 

 of the attention of one, who had already shewn himself, by his 

 previous publications, capable of grappling with the more phi- 

 losophical departments of the science. 



It may be remarked, that whilst in the Flore FranQaise, 

 and I believe in most other works of antecedent date, found- 

 ed on the natural system, plants of the most simple structure 

 were placed iirst, and the more complex ones afterwards, the 

 contrary order has been pursued in the Systema Naturae of 

 Decandolle. 



And in this diffiirence of arrangement I think I can trace 

 the influence of those general views which he had adopted in 

 opposition to his distinguished colleague and early master, 

 Lamarck. 



