Sect. II.] Botany, 1S.> 



most valuable additions made to ])otauical science 

 since the tinrie of Linnaeus. Tho FLornla of tlioso 

 islands by his son. Dr. George Forstcr, has also 

 contributed to enlarge the sphere of our knowledge 

 on this subject. 



The catalogue of plants enumerated by thc^' great 

 botanist of Sweden last mentioned amounted to 

 about ten thousand. Of these he actually described 

 about eight thousand The number suice disco- 

 vered and added to the list is very great. Beside 

 the numerous discoveries of new plants by some of 

 the celebrated systematic writers before mentioned, 

 M. Commerson, of France, in the course of his cir- 

 cumnavigation with Bougainville, found n^ar Jif- 

 teen hundred new species. M. Dombey, of the 

 same country, and don Mutis, of Spain, discovered 

 a still greater number in South America. M. Des- 

 fontaines brought to light near four hundred non- 

 descripts, found in Africa. Dr. Sibthorp brought 

 tU'O hundred new species from the Archipelago ; 

 professor Thunberg six hundred from Japan ; M. 

 Swartz more than eiglit hundred from the M'cst- 

 India Islands; and M. Michaux more than four 

 hundred from the Levant, Persia, and Xorth \\\\c- 

 rica. To these may be added the several thousands 

 brpught from almost every quarter of the globe 

 by sir IlansSloane*, Messrs. Lagerstroem, Osbeck, 



* Sir Hans Sloane was born in I^cl^^d, April l5, \iy60. He 

 studied medicine in London, \\liere he long practised phytic with 

 great dignity and reputation. In l687 he went to the island of 

 Jamaica, in the character of physician to the dnkc of Albemarle, 

 and touched at Madeira^ IJurUadoc.t, \r,i$, and St. Kuts. He 

 remained in Jamaica about fifteen months ; returned to London 

 iin \QSij; was chosen secretary of the lV>yal Society in \0i)2 ; 



