114 On the requisites necessary 



sions to the character of a botanical nation, whilst such publications as 

 the Botanical Magazine and Botanical Register have so long received 

 encouragement and support ; the first of which has now been regu- 

 larly published for a series of more than forty years. The circum- 

 stance of these works being edited by two of our most eminent bo- 

 tanists speaks at once to the importance of their contents, and is an 

 ample guarantee of their being replete with the best and most strict- 

 ly scientific details. But it will scarcely be denied, that excellent 

 as these publications undoubtedly are, their chief and really efficient 

 support is derived from their horticultural rather than from the bo- 

 tanical portion of their subscribers. Hence it happens that they 

 must each, to a certain extent, sacrifice the character of strictly sci- 

 entific publications to suit the taste of their horticultural readers. 

 We do not affect to complain of this, we are merely stating the fact 

 as illustrative of our assertion. The Magazine of Natural History, 

 published by Mr Loudon, and which has done much towards spread- 

 ing a taste for natural history generally, can scarcely be considered 

 an exception ; for though it undoubtedly contains several valuable 

 and truly scientific memoirs, yet by far the greater portion of its pages 

 do not bear this character, nor can it in this respect be compared with 

 such foreign journals as the " Annales des Sciences Naturelles/' the 

 " Allgemeine Botanische Zeitung," &c. In England, we find our 

 leading naturalists generally prefer sending their more important 

 communications to some public scientific society, in whose transac- 

 tions they may appear to greater advantage than in the pages of a 

 magazine. Still, it must be allowed that a regular periodical af- 

 fords far greater facilities for the immediate dissemination of disco- 

 very in science than the transactions of any society, — such a perio- 

 dical may further be made especially useful in stimulating to exer- 

 tion those persons, and they form a numerous class among us, who 

 are content with loitering about the threshold of science, and merely 

 amusing themselves with the results attained by others. Could they 

 be persuaded to engage in some branch of original research they 

 would much increase their means of enjoyment, and at the same 

 time be adding to the general stock of human knowledge. Among 

 all nations we assuredly possess the means of accomplishing more 

 for botany than any other; and we should easily take prece- 

 dence of all others in this science, if we could persuade those who 

 content themselves with skimming the surface to plunge a little 

 deeper. In what other country do we find so many engaged in hor- 

 ticultural and floricultural pursuits. There is scarcely a town of 

 any note without its horticultural society, and many now possess 



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