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himself and to the literary world. Having thrown more 

 light upon the cryptogamic productions of Sweden and 

 Lapland than they had previously received, and which 

 has only been exceeded by the more recent discoveries of 

 the unrivalled Wahlenberg, he undertook a botanical in- 

 vestigation of the West Indies. Carrying with him, to 

 this promising field of inquiry, so great a store of zeal 

 and practical experience, his harvest was such as might 

 well be anticipated. Whole tribes of vegetables, which 

 the half-learned or half-experienced botanist, or the su- 

 perficial gatherer of simples or flowers, had totally over- 

 looked, now first became known to mankind. Tropical 

 climates were now found to be as rich as the chill forests 

 and dells of the north, in the various beautiful tribes of 

 mosses; and the blue mountains of Jamaica rivalled its 

 most fertile groves and savannas in the beauty, variety 

 and singularity of their vegetable stores. 



Nor must we pass over unnoticed the discoveries of 

 another illustrious disciple of Linnaeus, the celebrated 

 Thunberg, who has, now for many years, filled the pro- 

 fessorial chair of his master, with credit to himself and 

 advantage to every branch of natural science. The rare 

 opportunity of examining the plants of Japan, and of 

 studying at leisure the numerous and beautiful produc- 

 tions of the Cape of Good Hope, as well as of some parts 

 of India, have thrown in the way of Professor Thunberg 

 a greater number of genera, if not species of plants, than 

 has fallen to the lot of most learned botanists ; except 

 only those who have gone round the world, or beheld the 

 novel scenes of New Holland. These treasures he has 

 contemplated and illustrated with great advantage, so far 

 as he has confined himself to practical botany. We lament 

 that he ever stepped aside to attempt any reformation of 

 an artificial system. It is painful to complain of the 

 well-meant, though mistaken endeavours of so amiable 

 and candid a veteran in our favourite science ; but what 

 we conceive to be the interests of that science must form 



