457 



engravings ; the latter has favoured the botanical world 

 with one volume of a most acute and learned Prodromus 

 of his discoveries. As his voyage was made at the public 

 expense, we may trust that the government will consider 

 itself bound to enable him to publish the whole of his ac- 

 quisitions, in such a manner as to be generally useful. His 

 own accuracy of observation, illustrated by the drawings 

 of the inimitable Bauer, cannot fail to produce such a 

 work as, we will venture to pronounce, has never been 

 equalled. M. La Billardiere has disposed his book ac- 

 cording to the system of Linnaeus, a rare example in 

 France, where any thing not French usually comes but ill 

 recommended. Mr. Brown, on the other hand, has writ- 

 ten his Prodromus, at least, on the principles of classifi- 

 cation established by the celebrated Jussieu, the great 

 champion of a natural system of his own. On this subject 

 we postpone our remarks for the present. Before we can 

 enter on the subject of natural classification, it is neces- 

 sary to consider the state and progress of botany, for some 

 years past, in the schools, and among the writers, of 

 Europe. 



Sweden has continued to maintain her long established 

 rank in the several departments of natural science, nor has 

 Denmark been behind-hand with her neighbour and an- 

 cient rival. The son and successor of the great Linnseus 

 endeavoured to follow his father's steps, and was ambitious 

 of not being left very far in the rear; a commendable aim, 

 which his short life, to say nothing of his talents or expe- 

 rience, disabled him from accomplishing. He completed, 

 and gave to the world, the unfinished materials which his 

 father had left, for a Supplement to his Species Plantarum 

 and Mantissa, ; and having enriched the book with many 

 communications of Thunberg and others, as well as a 

 number of original remarks, he felt a strong desire, not 

 altogether unpardonable, of being thought the principal 

 author of the work. All uncertainty on this subject, 

 wherever other helps fail, is removed by the original ma- 



