435 



" Preserve me from my friends !" Il has never been our lot to see 

 the errors, the unimportant errors, of a book so elaborately hunted out 

 and exposed, and yet all through good will to the author ! And then 

 they slyly inform us that the errors still deface the work ; not new 

 errors, but the author's old, original blunders. What bitter sarcasm ! 

 The enunciation of these critics, stripped of verbiage and circumlo- 

 cution, amounts simply to this : — 



1st. That Dr. Balfour's Manual teems with blunders, which the new 

 editor has not corrected. 



2nd. That the new editor has not worked up his subject to the pre- 

 sent time. 



3rd. That the new editor has misplaced the Rhizanths. 



In reference to the first of these charges, we unhesitatingly admit 

 that many corrections have been, and more might have been, made, 

 and ought to have been made. 



On the second point we also admit that much has been left undone. 

 We would however observe, that had the new edition contained any 

 new matter it would have been scarcely fair that Dr. Balfour should 

 have the blame or praise, since his name stands as sole author in both 

 editions, and since, whatever may have been said to the contrary, it 

 is perfectly clear that the book was and is his own production. 



On the third point, the location of the Rhizanths, the critics either 

 know that the location is improved, or they are ignorant of botany. If 

 the first, they have forfeited all claim to respect, by their comments 

 on the subject ; if the last, they have no right to express any opinion 

 at all. 



These reviews, emanating, as they do, from critics avowing the most 

 friendly feeling for Dr. Balfour, and subsequently appropriated almost 

 entirely by the Doctor himself,* call forth a rejoinder from Mr. Grif- 

 fin, the real proprietor of the work. This gentleman appears to us to 

 have selected a most unfortunate title for his pamphlet, for it, in fact, 

 conveys to the mind of the reader no idea whatever of the matters 

 which it would reveal. From this pamphlet it appears that a long and 

 angry correspondence has been carried on between the author and the 

 proprietor of the Manual about the copyright of that work, and that 

 the reviews which we have just noticed are penned in a spirit of hot 

 partisanship, so hot, indeed, that, as we have already shown, they 

 overshoot the mark, and damage, albeit unintentionally, the very man 

 their authors are so eager to serve. As we are unable to compliment Mr. 



* ' Letter to Dr. Greville,' pp. 19—24. 



