THE PHYTOLOGIST. 



No. XXXV. 



APRIL, MDCCCXLIV. 



Price Is. 



Art. CCV. — Notes on Botanical Classijication. 

 By Edward Forstek, Esq., V.P.L.S., &c. 



Woodford, March 13, 1844. 



Sir, 



On reading the ' Remarks on Botanical Classification,' by 

 Mr. Thomas Edmonston, jun. (Phytol. 759), in which there is so much 

 good sense and clear understanding, I felt incHued to express my gra- 

 tification ; but on reflection it appeared to me that his observations 

 wanted no additional strength. The case is now altered by the Arti- 

 cle 199, in No. 34, called a Reply, (Phytol. 885), which arouses an 

 old botanist to stand forth in defence of one who has so well pointed 

 out the use of a simple artificial scheme. It may not be amiss first 

 to remark that a misvmderstanding has long been prevalent with re- 

 gard to the words artificial and natural, as applied to botanical sys- 

 tems ; the original meaning was, that in one, the evident affinity is 

 not so apparent as in the other ; it surely cannot be denied that the 

 sexual system of Linnaeus is really as natural as those of Ray, Jussieu, 

 DeCandolle &c., which are founded on other characters. I fear Lin- 

 naeus himself was the author of the misnomer. 



On looking carefully at the first paragraph in p. 886, I am well 

 convinced that Mr. Edmonston and Dr. Ayres differ only in words, 

 the latter using species in a sense not usual. He begins by entirely 

 dissenting frOm Mr. Edmonston's assertion that " Nature creates spe- 

 cies;"* then follows, "for it is easy to perceive that the term species 

 is applied to an assemblage of individuals, which, from their great re- 

 semblance to each other and their capability of propagating their kind, 

 are called species." A little further on we have, "I contend that Na- 

 ture simply created individuals capable of propagating their kind. And 

 if we trust the Mosaic account of the creation, we shall see reason to 

 believe that plants as well as animals were individually created." This 

 is all we want, — our term species meaning the progeny of the first- 

 created individuals. Certainly, the capability of thus propagating their 

 kind is a very strong presumptive proof that they are so. The passage 



* A misquotation : the passage is, " Nature creates only species. 



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