1892.] _ The Plea of Expediency. 253 
work of the ‘‘botanical aristocracy’’ than any one else,! it 
must be accorded the greatest weight as an indication of the 
thoughts that have been rather freely expressed in private, 
and which have done systematic botany no good. A proper 
consideration of the wishes and opinions of others would have 
served science immeasurably better and redounded to the cre- 
dit of those who were so well equipped to facilitate the devel- 
themselves, there were about two courses open to them. e 
one was to accept the recommendations of the Paris Congress 
of 1867, and other representative deliberative bodies which 
had considered the nomenclature question, and decided that 
Shoice. The opinion of the leading spirit in the Paris Con- 
1 sity 
h. not an ex post facto law. It would indeed be ridiculous to 
ave it so, 
Fal Britton is of course at liberty to make his own use of this editor! 
of their . over beg leave to dissent both from his imputation of it 
t im 
eral m_— and from his special application of it in the case 
al, The 
to any one 
under con- 
