480 



liar garb, the botanical riches of that part of the island 

 to its southern inhabitants. The lynx-eyed Dickson, so 

 long and faithfully attached to his constant patron, has 

 steadily traced, through all its windings, the obscure 

 path of cryptogamic botany, with peculiar success. No 

 more striking instance can be pointed out, to prove how 

 totally the most consummate practical skill, even in the 

 most difficult part of botany, is independent of theoreti- 

 cal learning. Even those who profit by the certain aids 

 supplied by the discoveries of Hedwig, can with difficulty 

 keep pace with this veteran in their pursuits, who, with 

 conscious independence, neglects all those aids. 



Just at the time when the school, whose history we are 

 endeavouring to trace, had most firmly established its 

 credit and its utility, a great additional weight was given 

 to England, in the scale of natural science, by the ac- 

 quisition of the entire museum, library, and manuscripts 

 of the great Linnaeus and his son, which came amongst 

 us, by private purchase, in 1 784, after the death of the 

 latter. Hence our nomenclature has been corrected, 

 and our knowledge greatly augmented. These collec- 

 tions have necessarily been consulted by most persons, 

 about to publish on the subject, of natural history ; and a 

 reference to them, in doubtful cases, secures a general 

 conformity of sentiment and nomenclature, among the 

 botanists of Europe, Asia, and America. We are seldom 

 obliged to waste time in conjecturing what Linnaeus, or 

 the botanists with whom he corresponded, meant, for we 

 have before us their original specimens, named by their 

 own hands. An entire London winter was devoted to 

 the almost daily labour, of comparing the Banksian her- 

 barium throughout, with that of Linnaeus, and to a copious 

 interchange of specimens between their respective pos- 

 sessors, who, with the aid of Mr. Dryander alone, ac- 

 complished this interesting and instructive comparison. 

 Hence the Hortus Kewensis of the lamented Aiton, which 

 was at that period preparing for publication, became 



