70 FORESTRY IN SPAIN. 



being translations or resumes of papers or larger works by 

 men of note in other lands, given in a flowing popular 

 style, attained without detriment to the scientific precision 

 of the original or papers giving the result of his own 

 observations, or of observations made by others under his eye. 



With these may be olassed one entitled Incursion par la 

 Botanica. Of this,the following translationwill supply a better 

 idea of his treatment of such matters than I could give by 

 a brief notice or summary. The design was, as may be 

 seen, to supply an indication of the state of botanical 

 science among students of forest science ; and taking as a 

 motto that line of Virgil, Felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere 

 causas, he proceeds : 



1 The vegetable world presents to the view of the attentive 

 observer who studies it, marvellous charms and mysteries 

 of complicated and but little comprehended organisation ; 

 all in beautiful harmony with the eternal Hosamias which 

 heaven and earth are giving forth; producing admiration, 

 and presenting motives prompting the spirit to meditate 

 the infinitely great, but also the infinitely small ; the milky 

 way, with the innumerable stars of which it is formed, 

 but also the microscopic ephemera, which is born, lives, 

 and reproduces its kind, and dies all in a space of time of a 

 few moments duration. So many and such are the transfor- 

 mations of matter brought about by vital force, the reality 

 of which is indisputable although its essential nature is 

 unknown, that not even imagination can grasp such an 

 immense combination, in which it appears as if we found 

 an infinite within another infinite, and in wondrous harmon- 

 ious co-operation, always working, and always unvarying, 

 the laws by which all is moved by the Sublime Architect 

 of so grand a work. 



' Shall man go on progressing without end ? Will there 

 come a time, more or less remote, in which he will be 

 able to give account of the causes originating all that 

 comes under the cognisance of his senses ? We believe not. 

 His perfectability is limited with his intelligence ; there is 



