DEVELOPMENT OF BOTANY SINCE 1818 445 



Corda:) with prefatory remarks on the progress of dis- 

 covery relative to vegetable fecundation; by Asa Gray, 

 M. D." (31, 308, 1837). Dr. Gray says that he made the 

 translation from the German for his own private use, 

 but thinking that it might be interesting to the Lyceum, 

 he brought it before the Society, with "a cursory account 

 of the progress of discovery respecting the fecundation 

 of flowering plants, for the purpose of rendering the 

 memoir more generally intelligible to those who are not 

 particularly conversant with the present state of botan- 

 ical science." The translation occupies six pages of the 

 Journal, while the prefatory remarks fill nine pages. 

 The prefatory remarks constitute an exhaustive essay on 

 the subject, embodied in attractive and perfectly clear 

 language. The translator shows complete familiarity 

 with the matter in hand and gives an adequate account of 

 all the work done on the subject up to the date of 

 M. Corda 's paper. A second important paper by him 

 near this period is his review of "A Natural System of 

 Botany : or a systematic view of the Organization, Natu- 

 ral Affinities, and Geographical Distribution of the whole 

 Vegetable Kingdom; together with the use of the more 

 important species in Medicine, the Arts, and rural and 

 domestic economy, by John Lindley. Second edition, 

 with numerous additions and corrections, and a complete 

 list of genera and their synonyms. London: 1836" (32, 

 292, 1837). A very brief notice of this work in the first 

 part of the volume for 1837 closes with the words, "A 

 more extended notice of the work may be expected in the 

 ensuing number of the Journal." The extended notice 

 proved to be a critical study of the work, signed by the 

 initials A. G. which later became so familiar to readers 

 of the Journal. Citation of a few of its sentences will 

 indicate the strong and quiet manner in which Dr. Gray, 

 even at the outset, wrote his notices of books. In speak- 

 ing of the second edition of Professor Lindley 's work, 

 he says: 



"It is not necessary to state that a treatise of this kind was 

 greatly needed, or to allude to the peculiar qualifications of the 

 learned and industrious author for the accomplishment of the 

 task, or the high estimation in which the work is held in Europe. 

 But we may properly offer our testimony respecting the great 



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