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aware of the superior value, in point of accuracy, of the 

 original edition of the same work, published in 1742, 

 under the title of Enumeratio Methodica Stirpium Hel- 

 vetia Indigetiamm. This edition is indispensable to those 

 who wish fully to understand the subject, or to appreciate 

 Haller's transcendent knowledge and abilities. These 

 works are classed after a system of his own, intended to 

 be more consonant with nature than the Linnsean sexual 

 method. We can scarcely say that it is so, on the whole; 

 nor is it, on the other hand, constructed according to any 

 uniformity of plan. The number of the stamens, com- 

 pared with that of the segments of the corolla, or its 

 petals, regulates the characters of several classes, and 

 those are artificial. Others are assumed as natural, and 

 are for the most part really so, but their characters are fre- 

 quently taken from Linnaeus, even from his artificial sy- 

 stem, as the Cruciate, and the Apetalce. Lord Bute has 

 well said, that Haller was aLinnaeanin disguise. His clas- 

 sification however was merely intended to answer his own 

 purpose, with respect to the Swiss plants ; for he was 

 not a general botanist, nor had he a sufficiently compre- 

 hensive view of the subject to form a general system, or 

 even to be aware of the difficulties of such an underta- 

 king. He ought not therefore to be obnoxious to criticism 

 in that view. His method has served for the use of his 

 scholars, as the Linnaean one serves English botanists, by 

 way of a dictionary. Some such is necessary ; and those 

 who should begin to decide on the merits of a system, 

 before they know plants, would most assuredly be in dan- 

 ger of appearing more learned to themselves than toothers. 

 We cannot exculpate Haller from some degree of preju- 

 dice in rejecting real improvements of Linnaeus, which 

 are independent of classification ; such as his trivial or 

 specific names, by which every species is spoken of at 

 once, in one word, mostly so contrived as to assist the 

 memory, by an indication of the character, appearance, 

 history, or use, of the plant. What did the great Swiss 



