12 INTRODUCTORY OBSERVATIONS, 



vegetation, its conditions and causes,' ti'eated in a 

 masterly manner. Its Author has brought together, 

 arranged, and generalised a vast amount of information 

 bearing on his subject. Nevertheless, it is obvious from 

 the work itself, that the character of its Author's intellect 

 does partake in some degree of the prevailing peculiarity 

 of the Botanical mind, in not always reasoning with 

 strict accuracy and soundness. M. De Candolle reasons 

 excellently well by comparison and generalisation ; but 

 he seems less able to reason on causation and de- 

 pendence. In attempts of this latter kind, his inferences 

 appear not always warranted by the premises or data 

 from which they are deduced. Still, notwithstanding 

 occasional defects in its ratiocination, against which a 

 cautious reader should be on his guard while using the 

 work, the Geographie Botanique Baisonnee is truly one of 

 a high standard, and doubtless will long be so esteemed. 



As a shorter exposition of the same general subject, in 

 an English dress, the Class Book of Botany, by Professor 

 Balfour, may be also recommended. The aphorismal 

 Recapitulatio^i on pages 1037 — 8 is excellently given. It 

 might be difficult to cite any other work in which an out- 

 line of the subject is condensed into a space so brief, as 

 is well done in those two pages. The writings of Hum- 

 boldt, Brown, Mej'en, and some others, — valuable enough 

 at their original dates, and according to the slender 

 knowledge of their day, — are of less consequence now 

 through their vagueness and inexactness. But the 

 attractive style of Humboldt's compositions will long 

 keep his works from becoming obsolete. 



" General Remarks " may now almost always be rightly 

 construed to mean Vague Remarks or Inexact Remarks. 

 For example, general estimates about the number of spe- 

 cies, or the relative proportions of orders, in distant 



