VUl PREFACE. 



plants published in 1660 by Ray, as well as from 

 various botanical friends, all which he very hand- 

 somely acknowledges, we cannot but confess that 

 his work might have been more abundant in matter, 

 and more correct in execution. Dr. Merrett contri- 

 buted little besides this publication to the advance- 

 ment of natural history. He however became a 

 Fellow of the Royal Society, when science was emi- 

 nently requisite for the attainment of that honour, 

 and died at the age of 81 in 1695. 



The above-mentioned works, whatever might be 

 their value or their defects, were superseded in 1670 

 by the great Ray's Catalogus Plantarum Anglice et 

 Insularum adjacentium, an octavo of 358 pages ; of 

 which a second edition, of only 311 pages, though 

 enriched with about 46 additional plants, and nu- 

 merous observations, as well as with two, not very 

 important, plates, appeared in 1677. The arrange- 

 ment of this work is alphabetical ; but with respect 

 to accuracy, and abundance of descriptive, critical 

 and medical remarks, it has greatly the advantage 

 of the performances of How and Merrett. 



A small Fasciculus of new-discovered British 

 plants, consisting of 27 pages, and intended as a 

 supplement to this Catalogue, was published by Ray 

 in 1688. 



This was succeeded in 1690 by the first edition 

 of the Synopsis Methodica Stirpium Britannicarum 

 of the same author, in which the plants of Britain 

 were first classed in scientific order, according to a 

 system of his own ; an explanation of which he had 

 already given to the world in 1682, in a small oc- 

 tavo volume. 



