L I G 



Dr. Burgefs, the venerable pador of Kirkmicliael in Dum- 

 fncsfliirc : Un-ee men whofc urbanity conferred upon their 

 beloved fcicncc her moll attractiNx- charm, as the writer of 

 t.in can well telbfy. Mr. Sluail was the companion of onr 

 travellers m their excmfion, and fnpplied eiich, in his own 

 Inie, with muc!.\ learned information, refpeain j the Erfe no- 

 menclature, as well as the real or fuppolVd ufes nnd hillory of 

 t.he native animals and plan's. Thus Mr. I'ennant was 

 miabled to prefix a compendious Fauna to the Flora of 

 his friend ; and thus Mr. Lightfor.t found his r^ath made 

 flraight and plani before him, and literally ftre'vved with 

 flowers. He profited likewife from the communications of 

 Dr. larfons, at that time profefTor of anatomy at Oxford, 

 and ot Mr. Ya!den, an ingenious young man, vvhofe pre- 

 mature death happened foon after. Thefe gentlemen had 

 cultivated botany in thecourft- of rlieir medical ftudics at Edin- 

 burg!!, the latter cfpecially, with eminent fiiccefs. When 

 Mr^Lighttout's materials were got together, the library, 

 herbarinm, and perfonal fuperintendance, of his fric-nd fir 



jlius at Oxford, under the eye of the profeffor, oi 

 his fon Dr. J;din Sibtliorp, gave the fininiing IT 



or rather of 



rp, gavvT the tinilhmg ITrokc to his 



labours. Thus the F/ora Scotica became ready for publica- 

 tion in 1777, when it appeared in two thick volumes 8vo. 

 With 35, rather indifTerenllv engraved plates, five of which 

 . are zoological. The work 'is dilpofcd according to the fyf- 

 tem of Linnxiis, with (liort eflential generic and fpccific 

 charafters copied from that author, and references to a few 

 of the bea ligiiresof each fp.-cies. EngH(h, Scottidi, and 

 Erfe names are fubioiiicd, with the general or particular 

 paces of growth, duration, &e.; and the account of every 

 plant rimHics with a longer or fliorter defcription in Enghfii, 

 various botanical remarks, and compiled notes of its eco- 

 Bomical or medical ufes.— The plan and the execution of this 

 work appear calculated to render it one of the moll popular 

 I'loras. it has found its way to the continent, u hero it is ge- 

 nerally quoted, efpecially for the Cryptogamous clafs, which 

 the author fays " cod more time and attention than all the 

 ■other 23 claffes together." Yet we hare heard that this pub- 

 lication did not, ior a long time at lead, pay its expences. 

 This cer:ainly did not arife'from any want of merit ; for its 

 only great and radical fault was not known, or at leaft 

 fcarcely confidered fuch, till lately. Of this notice is taken 

 under the botanical article Fi.OHA. The fault we mean is 

 the compihng defcriptions from foreign authors, without 

 mentioning whence they are taken; fo that a Undent -can 

 never be certain of their jn(l application, but, on the con- 

 trary, often finds them erroneous or unfuitable, without 

 knowing why. Even in the lafl clafs, on which Mr. Light- 

 toot bellowed fo much pains, the fynonyins of Linnasus 

 and Dilleniiis often difa,;n-e, thougli in many cafes fuch con- 

 trarietics are properly indicated, fo aj to throw original light 

 on the fubjedi. 



Mr. Eightfoot was for fome years a fellow of the Royal 

 Society, and was one of the original fellows of the Linna-an 

 Society, the formation of which he contemplated with great 

 pleafure, though his dpath happened before he could attend 

 any of i"s public nieetinjjs. Having married the daughter 

 of an opulent miller at Uxbridge, he refided in that town, 

 and died there fuddenly in the fpring of 178S, agi d 53, 

 leaving a widow and feveral daughters. He was buried in 

 Cowley church, where his grave remained, for fome time at 

 ieafl, without any memorial. He is fuppofed never to have 

 j-ecovered from a dilappoinlment, relpcding a living, which 



L I G 



his patron, the late duke of Portland, folicited from lord 

 chancellor Thurlow, but which the latter did not think fit 

 to bellow. 



The fubjcft of our memoir had, in the courfe of his bo- 

 tanical (Indies, coUeftcd an excellent BritiPi herbarium, con- 

 fiding of abundant fpecimens, generally gathered wild, and 

 in many cafes hnportant for the illullralion of his work. 

 He had alfo amaffed, from fir Jofeph liaiikg and other 

 friends, a number of exotic plants. The whole w as bought, 

 after his death, for 100 guineas, by his majefty, as a pi'efent 

 to the queen, and depoiitcd at Frogmore, the price being 

 fixed by an intelligent friend of the family. The fpecimens 

 having been for fome time neglected, were, after a while, dii- 

 covered to be much infefted with iufcCts ; and as their royal 

 poded'or, having a genuine and ardent tade for the fludy of 

 botany, was anxious for their prefervation, the writer of the 

 prclent article was requeded to give his advice ai^d alfdlance 

 on this fubjcct. This led to his frequent invitation as a vifitor 

 at Frogmore, and to a regular courfe of conveifations, 

 rather than leflures, on botany and /oology, which her ma- 

 jcdy.and the priiicedes Angudaand Elizabeth honoured with 

 their diligent attention ; the queen regularly taking notes of 

 every ledfure, which flic read over aloud at its conclulion, to 

 prevent millake. 'J'he plan of this exemplary mother, on 

 which flie has often been heard to defcant, was, in the edu- 

 cation of her royal offspring, to open as many refourccs to 

 them as polfible, in a variety of iludics and purfuits ; out of 

 which they niight fubfequently make their own choice, and 

 thus be independent of circumllanccs for occupation and 

 amufement. Nor has the herbarium of Lightfoot been con- 

 figned to uftlefs repofe. It was allowed to be confulted fre- 

 quently, on the fubjedi of ScottKli Willows, and other doubtful 

 matters, while the Flurn Brilanmca was preparing ; and the 

 prefent blfhop of Carhfle was permitted to make all requi- 

 fite ufe of it, for the completion of his valuable paper 011 

 Britifh Caricei, printed in the fecond volume of the Linna?an 

 Society's Tranfac\iona. In the knowledge of thefe two ge- 

 nera of plants, Mr. Lightfoot excelled mod botanllls of his 

 day ; but the ipecimens of Linnsbs, being compared with 

 his, have brought errors to light, which were never fuf- 

 pofted before. S. 



LIGHTFOOTIA, in Botany, fi) named by L'Heritier, 

 in lionour of the author of the Flora Scotica. (See Light- 

 foot ) L'Herit. Sert. Angl. 4. A^t. Hort. Kew. v. i. 

 217. ed- 2. v. I. 343. Wi Id. Sp. PI. V. J. 8S7. .IiifT. 450. — 

 Clafs and order, Pentanclria Momgynia. Nat. Ord. CamJ>a- 

 micea, Linn. Campanulaccs, .I'.ifl. 



Gen. Ch. Cal. Perianth of five equal, acute leaves, broad 

 at the bale, cncoinpafling the middle of thegenr.en. Cor. 

 of one petal, in live deep, equal, regular, oblong, fpread- 

 iiig fegments, rather longer than the calyx ; the very fliort 

 tube clofed by five valves, bearing the llamens. Slam. Fi- 

 laments five, linear, fiat, equal, much fliorter than the co- 

 rolla ; anthers fmall, rouiidilh, ineumbeut. . Pi/l. Germen 

 half inferior, ovate, llyle thread-fhaped, about the length of 

 the corolla ; lligma dilated into three or five, fomewhat 

 fpreading, fegments. Perk. Capfulc ovate, with three or 

 five cells, opening at the top by as many valves. Seeds nu- 

 merous, fmall, rouiidilh. 



Efl". Ch. Corolla in five deco fegments, clofed at the bot- 

 tom by valves be;iring the damens. Calyx of five leaves. 

 Stigma of three or live lobce. Capfule half fuperior, of 

 three or five cells, and as many valves. 



I . L. oxyceccoides. Cranberry-leaved Lightfootia. L'Herit. 

 Sert. Angl. 4. t. 4. Sm. Exot. Bat. v. 2. 19. t. 6q. — (Lo- 

 bclia tenella ; Linn. Mant. 120. Thunb. Prodr. 40. L. 



parvifiora; 



