Dr. Smrrn’s Obfervations on the Britifo Species of Bromus, 279 
that they have in general adopted. the fynonyms of Linnzus and 
of Ray from the Flora Anglica. The work of Mr. Hudfon has alfo 
been the: bafis of all publications befides Mr. Lightfoot’s, intended 
to make the Botany of Great Britain acceffible to thofe who could 
not read the Latin tongue, as Dr. Withering’s Botannical Arrange- 
ment, and the vegetable part of Dr. Berkenhout’s Outlines, 
‘The authors juft enumerated have followed the plan of Mr. 
Hudfon himfelf, in applying the names, and even defcriptions, in 
foreign authors, to the plants of Ray; an unexceptionable method 
if thofe authors were always correct, if we were certain they all 
fpoke of the fame plants under the fame names, or quoted other 
writers without any mifapprehenfion. ‘Fhis however being by no 
means the cafe, a great mafs of error has been from time to time 
accumulating, which it requires more care and patience to remove 
than would be neceffary to work out the whole fubjeét afrefh. 
Mr. Hudfon commonly applies a Linnzan name to a plant, becaufe 
Linnzus has quoted Ray for it, or becaufe Haller, or Scopoli 
perhaps, has. referred to Ray and Linnxus, while all three may 
’ chance to have intended a different fpecies. He even copies 
~ fynonyms of other authors from any of the above-mentioned, with- 
out looking at the books quoted; as may in many inftances be 
proved by the errors of the prefs, and awkwardneffes of citation, 
which he has retained. He is however entitled to great praife for 
_ new-modelling the fpecific charaéters, when he found fuch as. 
Linnzus had given did not well fuit our plants, and on this ground 
he may rank as an original author. His defcriptions alfo, which 
are original, are characteriftic and valuable. Dr. Withering and. 
Mr. Relhan, in copying defcriptions from other writers, have always 
faithfully cited the fource from which every article was derived ; 
fo that when thofe defcriptions do not well accord, even with each. 
” other: 
