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Babington's ' Manual,' a work also arranged according to the natural 

 system, have appeared to contest the field with the modified ' British 

 Flora;' a circumstance in itself we deem a proof of the correctness of 

 our position. For, with the exception of Lindley's ' Synopsis' and 

 Macreight's ' Manual,' both arranged upon the natural method, we are 

 not aware of any standard work on the general flora of Great Britain 

 having appeared to dispute the possession of the botanical arena with 

 the ' British Flora,' and neither of these can be said to have attained 

 any decided advantage on the score of popularity. We may also 

 mention the two editions of Dr. Lindley's great work, ' The Vegetable 

 Kingdom ;' a second and enlarged edition of his valuable ' Introduc- 

 tion to Botany ;' one if not two of the same author's ' Elements ;' 

 besides two distinct Manuals founded upon the excellent ' Cours 

 Elementaire' of Jussieu; as so many additional proofs that a popular 

 taste for botany has in no wise diminished of late years : and more- 

 over, in further proof of this may be cited the several botanical pe- 

 riodicals, besides the flourishing condition of the two metropolitan 

 Botanical Societies and the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 



Dr. Drummond's lamentations, in short, serve but to confirm Sir 

 W. Hooker's remark, that it has too long been the practice for those 

 who have devoted an exclusive attention to either the artificial or the 

 natural method, to decry that with which they are unacquainted, or 

 at least the advantages of which they have not had the good fortune 

 to experience : as well as the wisdom of the observation previously 

 made by Mirbel, that " Ceux qui proscrivent I'usage des methodes 

 artificielles n'en ont point saisi le veritable esprit: ceux qui ne s'at- 

 tachent qu'a ces classifications arbitraires, ignorent la beaute etla dig- 

 nile de la science." Both classes are in the wrong; but those more 

 especially err who, at the present day, would bar the progress of 

 science by confining their researches to the narrow boundaries which 

 necessarily circumscribed her infancy. 



Gladly therefore do we extend the right hand of fellowship to our 

 ancient friend, the ' British Flora,' on the occasion of this his fifth re- 

 appearance. Not as a stranger do we give him welcome, but rather 

 as an old friend with another new face ; for it must be confessed, that 

 our respected acquaintance, with the characteristic versatility of a 

 Briton, has been somewhat given to change in the matter of dress and 

 personal appearance. We trust, however, that our friend has at 

 length quietly settled down into the douce, cannie body now before 

 us, in whom a certain substantial weel-to-do air seems to inspire con- 

 fidence, while at the same time it commands respect. 



