l86 YORKSHIRE NATURALISTS' UNION. 



island, like Watson's ' Cybele Britannica' and ' Topographical 

 Botany.' It is these general books which isolated workers buy, 

 and only a few copies of the original memoir remain, laid aside 

 upon the upper shelves of our great public libraries in the large 

 towns and in London. When I had to fix a subject for this 

 present address these considerations came into my mind, and 

 as, living in London, I have at any rate a good opportunity of 

 access to the original books and pamphlets if only I had time 

 to spare to take advantage of my chances, I decided to take 

 Scott's ' Old Mortality ' for my example, and to spend my allotted 

 hour this evening in an attempt to chisel out afresh the half 

 effaced letters and clear away the moss that has grown upon 

 the tombstones of some of our earlier predecessors. 



To bring my task within anything like reasonable compass 

 I must restrict myself entirely to the botanists, and perhaps on 

 some future occasion of the same kind one of my successors 

 will give us a similar sketch for zoology in general, or for ornith- 

 ology, entomology, or conchology. The geologists are, I 

 believe, at the present time preparing a series of biographies of 

 their early workers. I will draw the line as regards time at the 

 end of the eighteenth century, before which date the Linnsean 

 nomenclature and terminology were universally received and 

 accepted. It was in 1778 that Linnseus died, and in 1788 that 

 the Linnsean Society was founded, the Linnsean collections 

 having been brought to England by Sir J. E. Smith a few years 

 previously ; and before the end of the eighteenth century Tees- 

 dale and his coadjutors had already obtained a very full know- 

 ledge of the flora of the county. 



Roughly speaking, we may classify the men with whom we 

 have to deal in four groups. First, the early herbalists who 

 were connected with the county, such as Ascham, Turner, and 

 Johnson. Secondly, the local cotemporaries and correspond- 

 ents of Ray and Dillenius, such as Lister, Thoresby, Willisel, 

 Richardson, and Brewer. Thirdly, the early Linnteans, such 

 as Fothergill, Salisbury, Teesdale, Knowlton, Tofield, Caley, 



Trans.y.N.U., 1S83 (pub. 1885). Series E 



