151 



alleged use by the Indians of so many different plants is com- 

 mented upon as follows: "We would here ask how it is that the 

 Indians were supposed to have so much experimental knowledge 

 of medicinal plants ... if they really found out all that is 

 attributed to them they must have been tolerably well afflicted 

 and for a long time. The fact is these "Indian Remedies'' are, 

 for the most part, gross humbugs, and were never known until 

 the white men compounded them." 



Other series of articles are entitled "The Natural History of 

 Perfumes and Flowers," and "Chapters on the Physiology of 

 the Origin of Life." From the latter we learn that " the vegetable 

 kingdom is divided by the philosophical botanist into two great 

 classes, the cellulares and the vasculares; the former containing 

 the lowest, and therefore the least complicated forms . . . some 

 orders of algae, the Desmidae and Diatomaceae, for example, are 

 equally claimed by the botanist and the zoologist, so uncertain 

 is it to which department of science they truly belong." 



In describing the systematic position of plants both the natural 

 and the Linnaean systems of classification are used, as for ex- 

 ample: "Anisum. Pimpinella anisum. Anise. Belongs to the 

 natural family Umbelliferae and to the Linnaean class and order 

 Pentandria Digynia." 



"Anthemis. Anthemis nobilis. Chamomile. Belongs to the 

 natural family Compositae and to the Linnaean class and order 

 Syngenesia Superflua.'' 



There are also directions for growing "simples" and how to 

 prepare various lotions, emulsions, salves, tinctures, etc., from 

 them. 



In his farewell editorial the editor says that "he finds it utterly 

 impossible, once a month, to prepare the matter for a No. of 

 the Journal ... he cannot bestow that attention upon his task 

 which it requires, and assistance of the right kind cannot be 

 procured ... in addition to the above reason, we also find that 

 a monthly issue is liable to many irregularities . . . our sub- 

 scribers mostly receive their Nos. by post, or rather should do so 

 . . . but a large portion of them never reach their destination 

 and have to be sent again, sometimes two or three times over. 



