1030 



Every one who has the pleasure of being acquainted with Mr. J. 

 Smith, must entertain the highest regard for that gentleman, both on 

 account of his extensive knowledge of Botany, the modesty by which 

 his attainments are veiled, and his readiness to impart information. 

 Mr. Smith's candour, too, in speaking of his predecessor's labours, is 

 well known. Why, therefore, the word candour should have been 

 printed in ominous italics, we cannot divine, unless, indeed it be in- 

 tended to imply that there has been a want of candour on the part of 

 some other party " in the same line." Now, coupling this with the 

 preceding remarks on Mr. Newman, w^e must suppose that the inten- 

 tion of the editor has been to charge that gentleman with a want of 

 candour in speaking of the labours of his predecessors. We fearless- 

 ly invite any unprejudiced individual to examine Mr. Newman's His- 

 tory of British Ferns, either the 1st or 2nd edition, and point out, if 

 he can, a single instance in which Mr. N. has omitted to speak with 

 candour of his predecessors " in the same line," or neglected to ac- 

 knowledge the source from which any portion of his information has 

 been derived. More than this, we again assert that Mr. Newman has 

 in no case claimed the merit of having invented the generic names 

 used by him in his History ; and as a proof of his candour, we will 

 conclude the subject by quoting from the ' History of British Ferns,' 

 a parallel passage to that given by the editor from the writings of Mr. 

 J. Smith. 



" Mr. Smith, of the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew, has paid great 

 attention to the venation of Ferns ; he has prepared an essay on this 

 subject, which 1 trust we shall shortly see in print. * * 



Mr. Smith having, in the most unreserved manner, communicated to 

 me his own ideas on the subject of arrangement and nomenclature, I 

 was delighted to find, that, with very few exceptions, our views were 

 similar : in one or two instances I was obviously wrong, and in these 

 instances I was too glad to have the opportunity of rectifying my er- 

 rors by the aid of his superior knowledge of exotic genera. In a few 

 instances we still differ, and in announcing this, I fear I shall be con- 

 sidered as pronouncing my own condemnation : still I venture to pur- 

 sue my way, and ' by an earlier appearance in the literary horizon, 

 give myself the chance of what the astronomers call an Heliacal ris- 

 ing, before the luminary in whose light I am to be lost shall appear.' 



" In making out my list of genera I have followed no other rule 

 than that of priority ; and if, in any instance, I have departed from 

 this rule, the departure has been entirely unintentional, and I shall 



