The Rey. Dr. Hincks on the Flora of Ireland. 3 
interesting article, which proves the information and ability 
of the writer, except that he knew little of the past state of 
Ireland, renews the complaint of the neglect of the natural 
history of Ireland, speaks of everything relating to it as only 
just beginning, and compares this with the state of things in 
Bavaria and Sweden, and then with America. He speaks of 
the demand for general treatises and the publication of local 
Floras in England ; adding, that “ no local Flora has ever been 
attempted in Ireland.” Speaking of the progress of the sci- 
ence, he adds, “ the valuable result of all is had in England ; 
and among the Scotch almost every town of any magnitude 
has its museum or botanic garden, or both, and it is but a few 
. years since the only similar establishments in Ireland were 
those of Dublin—recently the spirited people of Belfast has 
established both a museum and botanic garden. When Cork 
or Limerick will choose to follow, where they did not know 
how to take the lead, we know not.” There are not many who 
are able to detect the errors here fallen into, and which have 
been of late often repeated, because the greater part of the 
readers are, like the writer, ignorant of the past ; and of what 
great consequence is it, some may think, if the efforts of earlier 
times be forgotten? Now as science is progressive, every 
succeeding period derives advantage from that going before. 
** No effort is lost,” and it becomes those who are now making 
rapid advances, to acknowledge the advantages they derive 
from what their predecessors have done ; and such is the ge- 
neral feeling, though we occasionally meet with departures 
from it, arising perhaps more from the ignorance of the writer 
than from any desire to deprive the dead of any credit to which 
they were entitled. According to the reviewer no previous 
publication existed from which Mr.Mackay could obtain any 
great amount of information respecting our indigenous plants. 
“The only original work to which he could refer was that of 
Threlkeld, published more than a century ago, and which is 
unfortunately merely a catalogue of the more common plants 
alphabetically arranged, with brief indication of their real or 
supposed medical virtues. The work of K’Eogh is scarcely de- 
serving of notice, and with one or two exceptions no botanical 
information was to be obtained from the statistical surveys of 
the different counties. The task of ascertaining the habitats 
of rare plants and of discovering new ones, rested almost en- 
tirely with the author and his contemporaries.” Now some- 
what depends on the meaning annexed to contemporaries ; 
and if it includes all who were living at the same time, even 
those who were going off the stage when Mr. M. came on it, 
it would include a great many whose principal services to bo- 
B2 
