592 Burnetts Outlines of Botany. 



man's still partial views of nature, and change the aspects of human knowledge." 

 (Preface, p. 1 1 .) 



Subjective Botany is indicated in outline in a general intro- 

 duction. Botany is the ancient herbcraft. The question of 

 " what is a plant" is next agitated. 



" Plants are the subjects of botany ; their attributes the objects of the 

 science : hence, two schemes of study, the subjective and the objective, lie 

 before us ; each of which may be pursued in opposite courses, i. e. either by 

 analysis or synthesis, whence the anterior and posterior arguments result ; 

 between these the selection must be made. The former descends from gene- 

 rals to particulars, the latter ascends from effects to causes ; that being essen- 

 tially more abstract, this more practical in its course Each has advantages 

 peculiarly its own ; hence, both should in turn be studied, and neither exclu- 

 sively neglected or pursued. But, as anterior argument requires much antece- 

 dent knowledge, while the posterior can trace back from none ; that being the 

 fruits of learning, while this is the means to learn : although the first is the 

 most comprehensive, the last is the most familiar ; and hence it is that with 

 which we shall commence our labours." (Introduction, p. 21.). 



We have made these quotations to shovi^ the profound and 

 logical manner in which the author proceeds. The work, indeed, 

 may be characterised as an extraordinary mental exercise on the 

 subject of which it treats. The author seems to have made his 

 own every thing which has previously been written on the sub- 

 ject, and has brought together in a condensed form, and 

 arranged in a manner peculiar to himself, all that is at present 

 known of botanical history, or, in other words, of the mode of 

 teaching botany. Of the merits of the author's arrangement we 

 do not pretend to judge, farther than to say that its consideration 

 cannot prove otherwise than an excellent exercise for the young 

 mind. The author may be recognised in these pages as a man 

 of profound and general views ; acute, philosophical, without par- 

 tiality or prejudice ; perfectly independent, and a friend of human 

 nature. Such are our impressions from having perused the 

 preface, the introduction, and a few passages at random here 

 and there throughout the work : but we intend to read it through 

 regularly, and to recur to it in this Magazine from time to time. 

 Though we do not think the author's arrangement likely to be 

 adopted in practice, because for that purpose it differs too much 

 from every other ; yet the work, which is printed in a type 

 almost as small as that of our Encyclopcedia of Gardening, con- 

 tains such a mass of matter, tending not only to cultivate the 

 intellect, but to be of practical use to the botanist, the gardener, 

 the medical man, and the naturalist generally, that we cannot but 

 strongly recommend it. 



This was written in June, when the book was first sent to us ; 

 and we regret to state that the amiable author is since dead. 

 This work will honourably perpetuate his name. 



