( 81 ) . 



PART II. 

 TAXONOMY, 



OR THE 



THEORY OF CLASSIFICATION, 



CHAP. I. 

 CxENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 



122. 



JL HiRTY thousand species of plants are at present known 

 upon the earth. This number might be encreased to fifty 

 thousand, if all the plants which are still . undescribed in the 

 great collections were known. And if we suppose the cen- 

 tral regions of Asia, Africa, and New Holland, to have been 

 once as well explored, as many of the countries of Europe 

 have already been, we may consider it as extremely probable 

 that there are above a hundred thousand species of plants up- 

 on the Earth. Every one of these species has its native 

 Country, its Name, Form, Properties, and Uses. The 

 knowledge of these must have an important influence, both 

 upon the dfevelopement of the human mind, and upon the pro- 

 gress of trade and useful arts. But who shall clear up for us 

 this immense study ? To what guide shall we trust ourselves 

 in this frightful labyrinth ? How shall we able, not only to 

 become acquainted with the particular Natural History of 

 each plant, but to find out what others who have preceded 

 us have observed respecting the plant that is before us, and 



F 



