200 Mr. W. S. MacLeay's Examination of 



valent among the Naturalists of the old Linnean school. True 

 it is, you think it necessary to show your impartiality, and to 

 bestow some censure en passanf on this school, but it requires 

 no great penetration to see that your Paper was intended for 

 their peculiar circle, and I therefore earnestly trust that your 

 labours may not go unrewarded, and that you may obtain all 

 the honour and glory which you promised yourself from the 

 staunch Linneans, by this publication. 



I know enough of you to be convinced, that although, from 

 the style of your Paper, you seem to wish to lay down your 

 " principles of arrangement" oracularly, still, rather than that 

 your laws should be wholly slighted, you would be most will- 

 ing, nay, desirous to have them well sifted and examined. I 

 am convinced, I repeat, that you have too firm an opinion of 

 their soundness to believe for a moment, that they will not 

 come like pure gold from any crucible in which they may be 

 assayed. Perhaps other friends who have the pleasure of 

 being nearer to you, have long ere this shown you your mis- 

 take; but in case they have not, I am sure that you will not 

 be surprised that I should have determined to state how far 

 I feel myself called upon to agree with you in opinion. 



My review of your paper must be premised with the re- 

 mark, that I do not pretend to combat the general conclusion 

 to which it is your object to arrive ; for I confess, that after 

 having twice carefully read over your argument, I am not sure 

 that I understand its drift, and much less am I certain, that 

 if I did understand it, your sentiments would differ consider- 

 ably from my own. if, however, the purport of your Paper 

 be, as thei'e is some reason to suspect, comprehended in the 

 assertion, that " the danger to be now apprehended is, that 

 those who adopt other arrangements" than the Linnean, "will 

 forget the advantages to be derived fi'om what is old in their 

 love of that which is new," then I would once for all observe, 

 that there never was a time when Naturalists paid more atten- 

 tion to the labours of their predecessors, whether ancient or 

 modern, than at present : and therein indeed consists a part 

 of dieir diagnosis, as you would perhaps express it, from the 

 school which you advocate; and which in its love and venera- 

 tion for what is not old, but only Linnean, remains in a total 

 and complete ignorance of whatever has not proceeded from 

 the pens of the Swede and his most servile admirers. 



Still, nevertheless, since I remain in doubt as to this being 

 the object you had in view in writing on Systems and Me- 

 thods, I shall confine myself strictly to those of your propo- 

 sitions which I think most difficult to assent to, leaving the 

 general conclusion at which you would arrive, unless it be as 



above. 



