234 THE GREEN-HOUSE CATALOGUE. 



such as already know plants, but even to those whd 

 are ignorant of botany. Some bigoted and interested 

 admirers of the Linnsean system have long tried hard 

 to prevent the spread of that of Jussieu in this coun- 

 try ; but it has finally prevailed ; and after the long- 

 continued exertions in its favour by Mr. Brown and 

 Mr. R. A. Salisbury, we at last observe that even Sir 

 J. E. Smith, the ' possessor of the Linnsean herba- 

 rium,' has annexed the names of the natural orders 

 of Jussieu and Brown to his translation of Flora 

 Bntannica. 



We are far from insinuating by these observations 

 that the natural method will supersede that of Lin- 

 naeus ; it is neither desirable nor probable that it ever 

 should do so. The method of Linneeus is by far the 

 best for a beginner ; it facilitates the knowledge of 

 plants as individual objects, while the natural mode 

 enlarges the understanding by generalizing facts. 

 * Plants arranged according to the natural method,' 

 it has been observed, ' may be compared to words 

 arranged according to their roots or derivations ; ar- 

 ranged according to the Linnsean method, they may 

 be compared to words in a dictionary.' 



The alphabetical mode of arrangement is that 

 which is commonly resorted to in catalogues or lists 

 of this kind : but this is the worst of all modes, since 

 the mere circumstance of agreeing in the initial letter 

 of the name can never be any philosophical or sci- 

 entific ground of union ; and as to the convenience of 

 turning to any genus when they are so arranged, that 



