35 1 Prof. Schultes on the 



such herbarium were by the proprietor allowed to be com- 

 pared by an able botanist with that of LinniBus; we should 

 then have in that countrj^ a. faithful copi) of the Linncean Her- 

 barium, which would enable us, in doubtful cases, to deter- 

 mine with precision what it was that the great Swedish natu- 

 I'alist had meant by any given species. Without such a com- 

 parison of the larger collections with each other ; for example, 

 that of Berlin with that of Paris, and one or other of these 

 with the Banksian or Lambertian herbaria, — no degree of 

 certainty can be expected ; and from the increase of extensive 

 private unverified collections, the science must labour under 

 a heavy disadvantage in the consequent accumulation of sy- 

 nonyms. If Sieber had identified the plants gathei'ed by him 

 in Crete and Egypt with many of those previously collected by 

 Sibthorpe and Desfontaines, much doubt would have been re- 

 moved ; and if the late travellers in Brazil, Prince Nieuwied, 

 Auguste St. Hilaire, Martius, and Pohl, had compared their 

 treasures before describing them, many useless synonyms would 

 never have existed. To travel from one herbarium to another, 

 and to carry about, in the memory only, the characteristics of 

 doubtful species, may well be found an almost impracticable 

 task; and the confusion to which such an attempt is apt to 

 give rise may be seen exemplified in one of our latest large bo- 

 tanical works. To decide upon plants which we have not seen, 

 and only know from an erroneous diagnosis or imperfect de- 

 scription, is like a blind man judging of colours: '■'■Ilfaut voir 

 dit Vavcuglc." 



Besides the Linncean herbarium, Sir J. E. Smith has a large 

 collection of plants of his own formation, which is especially 

 rich in the productions of New Holland and Nepaul. The 

 worthy Professor Wallich at Calcutta, whose health has lately 

 suffered from an Indian climate, has greatly contributed to- 

 wards the latter. The Linnasan specimens, as well as Sir 

 James's private herbarium, are very well preserved ,' and after 

 the old plan, which is now seldom followed on the continent, 

 they are fastened down on a folio sheet of paper, and washed 

 over with a solution of corrosive sublimate. Sir James has 

 also under his care the plants of Sibthorpe, to aid him in the 

 publication of his Flora Gra;ca, which is now nearly com- 

 pleted. 



Among the papers of Linnajus, their present possessor found 

 a number of copies of two pamphlets by this illustrious man, 

 which do not appear to have been ever published. One of 

 them bears the title of " C. Liiincei Observationcs zji Itegnum 

 Ijapidum" and contains a view of the mineral kingdom, so far 

 as it was known at the time of its being printed : the other is 



intitled 



