524 



to a progressive advance in knowledge of Nature, and to the conse- 

 quent change or expansion of mental ideas. But more than this 

 single circumstance must be called in, to account for the very remark- 

 able changes in the grouping and relative position of orders, by the 

 same botanist, after short intervals of time. It is believed that the 

 following passage from the pen of another systematist, points pretty 

 clearly to the true reason of such discrepancies : — 



" In a work on Astronomy, if the theory be not Newtonian it is no- 

 thing ; but when a systematic work on Zoology makes its appearance, 

 we immediately inquire ' what is the arrangement ?' We compare 

 its merits with those of other arrangements, and so unusual a thing is 

 it for an author to adopt the theory proposed by a prior author, that 

 such a proceeding would be held a matter of literary piracy : and 

 should both authors have their works in the same market, this pirating 

 an arrangement would be considered ample ground for an action at 

 law. Thus it appears we all tacitly acknowledge that arrangement, 

 so far as yet earned, is the result of human wisdom, judgment and in- 

 ventive faculty, and neither has, nor is supposed to have, any refe- 

 rence to the designs of an omnipotent Creator. Those, therefore, who 

 have looked on me with perhaps rather a jealous eye, as a competitor 

 for reputation in the same field — the just classification of natural ob- 

 jects — have given themselves needless anxiety from a mistaken idea 

 of my views : our objects are not the same; our labours do not and 

 cannot clash : their desire is, by the application of human knowledge, 

 and human skill, and human industry to build up a system that shall 

 be permanent; mine to discover one already built, — a system in 

 which human knowledge, skill and industry have had no part, — a sys- 

 tem, in fine, whose Founder and Builder is the Almighty." — (New- 

 man's ' System of Nature,' pp. 1, 2). 



The fact seems to be, that the method of Dr. Lindley is also to 

 " build up a system," and not " to discover one already built." But 

 as he proceeds upon a large amount of acquired knowledge, which is 

 considered, compared and arranged by a mind of superior order, the 

 author of 'The Vegetable Kingdom' does put forth a system with a 

 very natural look about great part of it : that is to say, plants are 

 well brought into proximity, according to their degrees of resemblance 

 in the main. Still, there are too many things, even here, which ap- 

 pear to have been bundled together simply because the author knew 

 not what else to do with them ; their natural repulsion, by points of 

 dissimilaiity, being only overcome in a book through the pressure 

 firom without — the external force of the master's ^^ sic jubeo.'''' 



