THIRD PERIOD. 



lent, by order of the minister, to lTleritier, who 

 was writing a description of the plants ; and the 

 whole was thus rendered useless to study. In the 

 new botanical galleries a large room was des- 

 tined for the general herbarium, composed by 

 the union of the several collections, with the ex- 

 ception of such as served, like that of Tournefort, 

 as the type of a classical work ; a second room 

 was appropriated to fruits, and other productions 

 of the vegetable kingdom; a third, to specimens 

 of wood ; so that all the parts of a vegetable 

 might be compared, and every new acquisition 

 find its place. 



The opening of the botanical galleries was an 

 important event in the history of the science. 

 The public are not yet indiscriminately admitted ; 

 but persons desirous of instruction receive every 

 necessary communication from the professor. 

 This collection, the most complete in existence, 

 is resorted to for the purpose of determining 

 species and of settling the nomenclature. The 

 authors of monographies, as MM. de Laroche and 

 Duval ; of the history of the plants of a given 

 country, as MM. de Humboldt, Bonpland and 

 Kunth; or of general histories, like M. de Can-, 

 dolle; could never have given the same precision 

 to their labours, without the resources afforded 

 by the Museum. * 



. 7- 



