AN ADDRESS BY THE EDITORS. 205 
because the characters usually given are not sufficiently explicit. 
They serve well enough for botanists who have an herbarium to 
consult, or accurate drawings to refer to, or botanical friends with 
whom to compare notes; but these descriptions of eleven words 
(the Linnzean canon. only allows this number of vocables for the 
description of a species), or of twice eleven, are inadequate to 
supply the wants of atyro. We have thought it a good practice to 
arrange our descriptions methodically, usually commencing with 
the vegetative organs, and then advancing to the reproductive ; 
and it is thought conducive to clearness, as well as to system, to 
adhere strictly to this arrangement in the statement of these cha- 
racters respectively. 
Another important feature of our scheme is to illustrate most 
of the Orders by the figure of some well-known plant which is 
assumed as the representative of the Order under investigation. 
We are of opinion that the most important improvement to be 
2atroduced in a work, such as we contemplate, is the construction 
of a well-arranged glossarial index. This is indeed a new fea- 
ture in a work on the British plants ; but there is a pretty good pre- 
cedent in Dr. Balfour’s ‘Manual.’? Some of our contemporaries 
have asserted that the ‘ Vegetable Kingdom’ of Dr. Lindley, and 
his ‘School Botany,’ with their various accompaniments, are amply 
sufficient to supply any reasonable want or expectation: this is 
true. But there may be some who like plants and cannot spare 
time for studying them in voluminous and expensive works. We 
know that there are many who cannot spare the funds requisite 
for possessing these learned books. We will do our best to spare 
both their time and their pockets, and consequently we expect 
support from those who are making strenuous exertions for the 
education of the humbler classes. We have at least the merit 
-of good intentions, with which a certainplace is said to be paved. 
But we will do more, viz. endeavour to realize the sanguine hopes 
which have been indulged and encouraged in certain quarters. 
We have now admitted our botanical and editorial misdoings, 
and attempted at least a justification of certain other doings, 
and we now leave our case to the merciful consideration of our 
readers, commending to their notice the old saw, Humanum est 
errare, ignoscere divinum: ‘To err is human, to forgive divine.” 
Something remains to be stated about our future intentions. 
We have already stated the principles on which we undertook 
