Sect. 11. ] Sotcuiy. 179 



Botanical methods cither partl}^ or wliolly ori- 

 ginal have been proposed, at diflerent periods of 

 the century, by Vaillant and Adanson, of France ; 

 by Alston, of Great Britain; and by Hcister, Nec- 

 ker, and Medicus, of Germany. Alterations in 

 the Linnaean system have also been suggested by 

 Schrcber, sir ^\'illiam Jones, and others. — But the 

 author has not sufficient knowledge of any of them 

 to attempt an account of their nature or merits. 



Dr. Darwin, in his Botanic Garden^ and his Phy- 

 tologia, assuming the system of Linnaeus, with 

 some proposed alterations, exhibits great learning, 

 geniusj and taste. He carries further than any 

 preceding botanist the idea oi plants being an infe- 

 rior order of animals, and ascribes to them sensa- 

 tion, volition, passion, affection, virtue, and vice. 

 Indeed, he pushes the doctrine to such an extra- 

 vagant length, and founds upon it so many fanci- 

 ful positions and reasonings, that the sober and 

 wary inquirer must often l)e offended at the ob- 

 vious triumph of a lawless fancy over the cautious 

 spirit of philosophy. 



The botanists who have inquired with diligence, 

 or described with abilit}', in particular branches of 

 this science, within the period under review, arc 

 too numerous to be recounted. The Crypivga?nia 

 have been ably treated by Micheli, before men- 

 tioned, by Hedwig, Tode, M. Bulliard, professor 

 Batsch, M. de Beauvois, and by Dickson nnd 

 Masson*. llie Mosses have been faithfully and 



•^ Perhaps no class of phmts has been iiivcsligatcd since the 

 time of LiDn;«'U5 with greater zeal and labour than tJie Cnfioga^ 

 wia. Indeed, the plants of this class have been investigated with 

 A 5pecie= of zeal, which led a late botanist, M. de Xecker, to 



>' -2. 



