Lindlei/s Introduction to Botany. 705 



circumstances on which the belief (that flowers are only 

 stunted branches) is founded, viz., monstrous flowers and 

 fruits, to be taken as the rule of vegetable developement, or 

 should those monstrosities be considered as exceptions? 



These few particulars involve all the greater questions rela- 

 tive to the organisable pioperty of the sap ; its descent in the 

 autumn ; the formation of the new zone of wood on exogenous 

 stems ; whence derived, and how and when perfected : all 

 which phenomena are still obscure, and of which we have 

 much to learn, and perhaps a good deal to unlearn. 



As it is understood Mr. Lindley courts rational criticism, 

 we trust he will excuse the foregoing remarks, as they are, he 

 may be assured, respectfully offered. — J. M. August 20. 



Lindley^ John, F. R. S. &c. Sec, and Professor of Botany in 

 the University of London : An Introduction to Botany. 

 8vo, 557 pages, with six copperplates and numerous en- 

 gravings on wood. London, 1832. 18s. 



This is a richly stored, clearly written book, and one for 

 which every votary of botany, who can aff'ord it, may safely, 

 and without hesitation, spend his money. We wish, for the 

 sake of the science, it were sold at half the price charged for 

 it. The want of such an introduction has been sensibly 

 felt by all who addict themselves to this science, for the space 

 of the last ten years. The reason for this is obvious : within 

 that period it is, or not much beyond, that those views of 

 botany which make its essence consist in acquainting us with 

 the naturrj affinities of plants have become popular in Britain; 

 and those views having no object in common with the botany 

 previously taught, which had for its object mainly that of en- 

 abling the student to distinguish one plant from another, it 

 follows, that with this complete change in the state of botany, 

 its scope and its objects, it must have been accompanied by a 

 corresponding change in the condition of its elementary de- 

 tails. This has been the result. New laws, rules, and terms, 

 speculations, and hypotheses, have arisen in abundance, and 

 the science has in many cases been much elucidated by the 

 application of these : witness the systematic distribution of the 

 cruciferous or tetradynamous plants in De Candolle's Systema. 

 With botany in this changed and improved state, the incon- 

 venience which has resulted has been, that, read what modern 

 book on the science one would, a host of new combinations, 

 of mutilations of old ones, and of new terms in which these 

 were enounced, were presenting themselves on every side; 

 and this, with the non-existence, all the while, of a com- 

 prehensive, clear, explanatory introduction, to which re- 

 VoL. VIII. — No. 41. z z . 



