Oil the Natural Distribution q/' Insects and Fio/ci. 193 



Having such ideas both of the dignity of natural liistory and 

 of the importance and feasibihty of a more extended research 

 into the natui'al system than has yet been made, we can scarcely 

 fail to be interested by a late work*, of which the perusal has 

 induced me to address this learned body. Although this work 

 is confined to a department of botany not very generally studied, 

 its author has evidently not been satisfied with the specific 

 discrimination of the imperfectly organized subjects of his 

 research, but has earnestly sought to discover the relations 

 which they bear to each other. Keeping this object steadily 

 in view, M. Fries has been able to give so connected and sym- 

 metrical an outline of what he considers to be the natural di- 

 stribution o{ Jungi, as, at least in my opinion, to merit the 

 careful attention of zoologists as well as botanists. It will 

 readily be imagined that, in saying this much, I do not, in the 

 presence of so many more able judges, presume to advance 

 any positive opinion on his meiits as an observer. I confine 

 myself entirely to that theory or reasoning founded by M. Fries 

 upon the general result of observations, which it would be 

 impossible to suppose altogether incorrect, even if his reputa- 

 tion as a cryptogamist were -less than it really is. On this 

 head, however, I Jiave to remark that our author, although 

 undoubtedly an original observer, is neither the first who has 

 advanced tliis theory, nor do fungi compose the only part of 

 organized matter in which this sort of arrangement has been 

 conceived to exist. So that even with respect to his theory 

 I may be a partial judge, and may probably be more inclined 

 to admit t'le validity of his conclusions, than will be deemed 

 prudent by others who are altogether unprejudiced. 



M. Fries justly remarks, that the notion of die celebrated 

 Bonnet, as to the existence of a simple series or chain of na- 

 tural affinities, has been long exploded. The truth however 

 is, that the law of continuity has been quite misunderstood 

 both by Bonnet, and his oj)ponents, so far as organized mat- 

 ter is concerned : for Bonnet fancied that, if affinities were con- 

 tinuous, the series must therefore be simple: and some modern 

 naturalists finding by experience the series not to be simple, 

 therefore supposed that affinities could not be continuous, but 

 that nature })resents to the view a mass of unconnected groups, 

 in which it would be a waste of time and a loss of labour to 

 search lor any general plan. It does not however a}>pear that 

 either of these inferences has been very philosojihicaily drawn; 

 for there is a certain rule in natural histoiy which originates 



• Si/.ilrma Mjt/colo/iiritm sistcns Fungoriim Ordincs, Genera, Species, &c. 

 quos ad Norinnm Mcilioili Natiirali- (letcnninavit, disposiiit atqiie tlescrip- 

 »it Rlias I'Vics, &c. \<i\. i. rirvpliis\val<li:r, 18-31. 



Vol G'2. N'o. ^or>. Srpt. 18255. B b solely 



