184 SYSTEMATIC ARRANGEMENT OP PLANTS. 



our smallest British plants, ranked among apple trees 

 and holm oaks ; and these again with the light climb- 

 ing passion flower, and gooseberry bushes. The " me- 

 dicinal properties," however, of the poisonous elate- 

 rium, the acrid stonecrop, the emetic laburnum, and 

 the purgative buckthorn, could not be "safely" in- 

 ferred from the nutritive pea and bean, or the whole- 

 some pear, apple, and gooseberry, which are all in 

 this class. 



I could readily fill a volume with the similar discre- 

 pancies of this so preposterously belauded Natural 

 System, which, if it have not to answer for the loss 

 of human lives by poisoning upon principle, it is no 

 fault of its promulgators. The fact is, that so far 

 from being more natural than the Linnsean system, 

 these instances, now given, with many more, show 

 it to be more palpably unnatural. But the day of 

 philosophy has now, as I fondly hope, at last dawned, 

 and rational and useful studies must ultimately banish 

 mystery and nonsense, though these may, for a season, 

 stalk about in the mask and under the assumed names 

 of philosophy and science. 



The " CONSPECTUS OF BRITISH PLANTS, for the use 

 of Collectors and Students," formerly announced, 

 though considerably advanced, cannot be promised 

 before spring ; the " ALPHABET OF MEDICAL BOTANY," 

 however, will be ready, it is hoped, by the end of 

 autumn. 



