PhilosopJiical Character of Decandolle. 221 



In the Systema Naturae, the authority for each description 

 is scrupulously given ; and it is stated, by appropriate marks, 

 whether the plant has been observed by Decandolle himself 

 in a dry or in a living state, cultivated or wild. The syno- 

 nymes of each species are appended, with a mark affixed to 

 the name of their author, whenever the identification has been 

 fully made out by an actual comparison of the specimen refer- 

 red to with that on which Decandolle's description is based. 



The habitat is given with greater accuracy than heretofore, 

 by appending to it the name of the author on whose authority 

 it rests, either in italics, where Decandolle himself has seen 

 the specimen referred to, or in roman letters, included in a 

 parenthesis, where he has not ; whilst, where it rests on De- 

 candolle's personal examination, the locality is given without 

 any name at all. 



Another pointattendedto scrupulously in this treatise was the 

 breaking up of the genera into natural sections, so as to group 

 the species together, as much as possible, according to their 

 natural affinities ; an idea which has been followed out by sub- 

 sequent botanists, with regard to the natural families them- 

 selves, which are now arranged according to their alliances, 

 and thus serve as links whereby to connect in one consecutive 

 chain the most general divisions into classes, with the most 

 subordinate one into species and varieties.] 



But even the indefatigable zeal and the steady perseverance 

 of Mons. Decandolle were found unequal to the herculean 

 task of describing, in the detailed manner originally proposed, 

 the enormous catalogue of plants at present enumerated, 

 swelled, as it has been, by the researches of modern botanists, 

 from 8000 species known to Linnaeus, to more than 50,000 ; 

 and, accordingly, after bringing out two volumes of his Sys- 

 tema, embracing within their compass 11 natural families, he 

 determined on carrying on his work in a more com.pendious 

 form, under the title of Prodromus Systematis Naturalis. 



What the extent of his original work would have been, had 

 it ever been completed in its original plan, may be estimated 

 from this calculation alone. 



The Prodromus, at the time of his death, consisted of six thickly 

 printed volumes, each averaging about 700 pages, and of a se- 



