180 Natural History. [Chap. III. 



successfully investigated by professor Dillenius% 

 of Oxford, by Bridel, of Gotha, by Zoega, of Den- 

 mark, and otiiers. The Lichens -have been exa- 

 mined and described with great care, by Acharius, 

 of Sweden f, and by Hagen and Hoffman, of Ger- 

 many : the Ferns by Phimier J, of France, by Ma- 

 ratti, of Italy, by Bolton, of England, and by those 

 above named, who have treated generally of the^ 

 class to which they belong. The Grasses have 

 been investigated and described by Scheuchzer,. 

 Schreber, Curtis, and many more : the Oaks of 

 North America, by du Roi, of Germany, and with 

 unusual elegance by M, Michaux, of France : the 

 Ferula^ or AssafiCtida-planty by professor Hope, of 

 Edinburgh : the Geranium, by professor Bunnann, 

 M. I'Heretier, and the abbe Cavanilles § : the Cot- 

 ton-plant, by van Rohr, of Denmark: the Coffce- 

 tree^ by Ellis, of Great Britain : the Tea-tree^ by 



denominate the enthusiastic rage for inquiries after them^ Crj/pto- 

 jnania. 



* John Jacob Dillenlus was born in Germany in l687; came 

 to England in lyil; and was appointed professor of botany in tlie 

 university of Ox.tord about the year iT'ipj which oftice he held 

 till his death, in lyAy. Dillenlus wrote a number of botanical pub- 

 lications ; but that which has more than any other immortalised 

 his name is the Historia Musconim, Sec, 4to, 1/41. Indeed, his 

 discoveries in the natural history of the Mosses were so numerous 

 and briUiant, that he deserves more than any otlier individual to 

 be called the father of this branch of botany. 



f See his Lichcnographia: Suecice Prodromus, 8vo, 1798' 



X Father Plumier was one of the first good writers on the 

 I'trn^, His Traice dcs Foiigcrcs de VAm^riqve, published in 1705, 

 holds a high rank among the works on this part of botany. 



§ The work of this latter gentleman on the Ceranimn is very 

 elegant. He has enumerated and described one hundred and 

 tii-enti/-eight ifecies. 



