Goethe on the Metamorphoses of Plants. 163 



floral organs of plants. There exists among them so great a simi- 

 larity, that each of them may be considered as a metamorphosis 

 of some other. Far from giving credit to Goethe for this inge- 

 nious idea, the German public seems to have wished to punish 

 him for having left his poetry, and paid little attention to his 

 work, which was still more neglected by foreigners. 



When I published my Theorie Eleinentaire'm 1812, in which 

 I designated, by the nameoi degenerescence, the same phenome- 

 non which Goethe had named metamorphosis, I had not seen 

 his work, and although, on afterwards meeting with it, I learned 

 that I had been anticipated in this point of my theory, I was 

 glad to find myself in accordance respecting this important view 

 with that illustrious author. I venture to think, that this con- 

 formity of opinion, and the new proofs which I have adduced in 

 its favour, have directed the attention of Europe and of Ger- 

 many in particular towards Goethe's Essay. From this period, 

 in fact, the work, which had been almost forgotten for twenty- 

 three years, was better appreciated, and a new edition of it was 

 published in 1817. 



No French translation oi" it yet existed ; but M. de Gingins 

 has made amends for this omission, and the learned public owe 

 him thanks, not only on account of the interest which the 

 work possesses in respect to the higher departments of botany, 

 but also on account of the literary phenomenon which it presents. 

 This translation, which is written with elegance and accuracy, 

 is preceded by a short preface, in which the translator gives a 

 brief account of the various works that relate to the metamorphoses 

 of the organs of plants. Some very short notes illustrative of 

 ambiguous points are also added. But he has seen that there 

 is no occasion for actually removing every little inaccuracy 

 which may have escaped the poet who had become botanist for 

 the moment. It is a work in which we ought to see the pro- 

 duction of sagacity and genius, rather than find fault with every 

 oversight in points of minute observation. M. de Gingins was 

 better than any one qualified to engage in these researches. 

 His monograph of the Lavandula? has evinced his talent for ob- 

 servation, and we are happy to be able to announce here, that 

 he is continuing his investigations and will gradually extend 

 them to the whole family of the Labiata-. (A. P. De Candolle). 

 Biblinthequc Universdlc. 



L 2 , 



