INTRODUCTION. 25 



for the great Linnaeus, who following the lights of 

 the reformed philosophy, and putting into practice 

 the principles of an improved logic, as examplified in 

 a full and legitimate induction of particulars, solved, 

 at last, the important problem, and proved beyond 

 all controversy the universality of the sexes of plants; 

 confounding the opposers of the doctrine by the 

 irresistible force of his arguments, and founding and 

 supporting his conclusions on a cloud of the most 

 indisputable facts.* 



Thus in the investigation of the vegetable king- Which he 

 dom, a close and intimate union was at last effected ^"^ bo! 

 between the systematic and physiological depart- tan ) r - 

 ments, of which the propriety and advantage are 

 equally evident; the study of the former being the 

 best avenue to the study of the latter, and the 

 thorough knowledge of the vegetable involving the 

 study of both. 



But great as the progress of modern systematic And 

 botany has undoubtedly been, the progress of mo- T 

 dern physiological botany is, perhaps, still greater. 

 For to give an idea of the mass of talent that has ardour of 

 been directed to the elucidation of this difficult de- inquiry- 

 partment of the study of vegetables since the period 

 of the investigations of Grew and Malpighi, it will 

 be sufficent to mention, in addition to the name of 

 Linnaeus, that of Hales, Bonnet, Du Hamel, Hed- 

 wig, Spallanzani, each of whom has peculiarly dis- 



* Spons. Plantarum Amcen. Acad. vol. i. 



