321 



similar bonds the butter-cup, the traveller's joy, the anemone, the hel- 

 lebore, and the marsh-marigold, which do bear some similarity to each 

 other; but then, along with these plants, we have the columbine, the 

 larkspur, the aconite, and the peony, which an uninitiated person 

 would pronounce to be very unlike to those preceding. The butter- 

 cup and the larkspur have certainly little resemblance to each other. 

 In the other orders we find similar anomalies throughout ; the snow- 

 drop, united with the American aloe — the lily, with the asparagus and 

 butcher's broom — the lupin and trefoil, with the laburnum — the pri- 

 vet, with the ash — the potato, with capsicum and the deadly night- 

 shade — the beautiful little speedwell {Veronica), with the tall 

 shepherd's club, snapdragon, globe-flowered buddlea, eye-bright, 

 yellow rattle, and digitalis. But it is unnecessary to point out any 

 more of these most unnatural combinations, and 1 will only further 

 observe that the honeysuckle meets in the same order with the lau- 

 rustinus and the elder." — P. 9. 



Before we analyse the various assertions contained in the above 

 extract, we must be allowed to quote a portion of the paragraph next 

 succeeding, which at once accounts for the author's inability to ap- 

 preciate the advantages arising from the location of plants according 

 to their natural affinities — namely, his ignorance of, or inattention to, 

 the certain characters whence the principles of such a mode of 

 arrangement are derived. He says : — 



" Supposing that the latter plants, and others in the order in which 

 they have been placed, had a considerable number of certain charac- 

 ters in their structure independent of their outward appearance, there 

 might be some shadow of reason for connecting them together ; but 

 here, and throughout the whole system, uncertainty and discrepancies 

 are predominant." — P. 11. 



Let us now iiKjuire, how far the above combinations can be said to 

 be " unnatural;" and to what degree a writer is justified in asserting 

 that " throughout the whole system, uncertainty and discrepancies are 

 predominant." 



The author, in the passage last quoted, makes one most important 

 concession ; namely, that if the plants he cites, as well as others, 

 " had a considerable number of certain characters in their structure, 

 independent of their outward appearance, their might be some sha- 

 dow of reason for connecting them together;" for this concession we 

 thank him, since it is upon these ^'^ certain characters" that are 

 founded all the combinations of the vegetable kingdom, as we shall 

 endeavour to show. . 



Vol. IV. 2 t 



