A. Gray—Botanical Nomenclature. 435 
should have liked that our author had considered the two 
Without system. A. P. DeCandolle used the initial capital 
Systematically for all three, and even for Alpina when used 
esignate a plant of the Alps. His example has generally 
been followed until recently ; and this is in accordance with the 
Custom of the English language. ‘To the objection that it is con- 
trary to,the customs of the Latin language, our author replies at 
Some length, substantially as follows. He finds that in the matter 
of orthography, etc., classical writers distinguish nine phases or 
perlods of the Latin language, of which the most classical is the 
Seventh period, that of Augustus; that there is no foundation in 
classical Latin for either punctuation (the points distinguishing 
Words, not phrases), or accentuation by signs, and that the dis- 
tinction between capitals and smal] letters was made since the 
ark ages, by scholars whom a purist of our day might tax 
With ignorance of the proper way of writing Latin; that the 
