140 BOTANY. [AUG. 



class and name plants with such certainty, that 

 on seeing a plant you may discover, by its cha- 

 racter, under what class it is arranged, and by 

 what name it is called. 



Consider, even in the case of these letters, 

 what facilities this science has afforded. I have 

 been able, in two words, to point out, with cer- 

 tainty, the plant I mean. I tell you the name 

 of the family, or, I should call it, genus, to which 

 a plant belongs say, a tulip, which is the 

 genus ; and as there are many sorts of tulips, 

 I add another name, which designates the par- 

 ticular sort of tulip. Now, by referring to any 

 botanical book, which contains the description 

 of the genus tulip, you will see whether the 

 flower you fancy to be a tulip, agrees with it : 

 if it does so, you have gained one step towards 

 ascertaining the true name of your plant. But, 

 as you find by your book that there are n^any 



