t 118 3 



Well many of the natural clafles are kept together 

 in the Linn^an (yi!ttm'^ the charaders of which 

 enjoy the advantage of being very fimple, and 

 eafy to retain in the memory^ and of being found- 

 ed on the parts of plants as little fubjed to vari- 

 ation as any whatever: yet, like all other me- 

 thods, it has its defects ; of which no one was 

 more fennble than the author himfelf. There 

 are many inftances of particular fpecies that break 

 through the genertcal and claffical charadlers of 

 the fyftem itfelf : but for thefe defed^s there is no 

 other remedy^ at prefent, than that which our au- 

 thor has applied, in the volume under confidera^ 

 tion, and which ought ever, in arrangements of 

 this kind, to be rigidly obferved. Wherever thefe 

 anomalies take place, they are mentioned among 

 the fi^hious characters, under the clafs and order 

 to which the number of Jlamina or fiJUls^ entitle 

 them to a place. 



The fexual fyftem briefly is as follows All 

 known plants are divided into 24 CLASSES the 

 charaders of which are eftablifhed upon the mm" 

 ler^ or different fituation, or arrangement of the 

 Jlamina or m.ale organs ; and the Orders, or fub- 

 divifions, of thefe clafles, as far as poflible, on a 

 fimilar number, fituation, or arrangement, of the 

 pftitsy or female organs. 



The firil twenty clalTes contain what the author 

 calls hermaphrodite flowers, or fuch as have the fia- 

 mna and fifiils both within the fame cup ox petals y 

 or (landing on the fame receptacle^ where thofe are 

 .wanting. Of thefe twenty, the firfl ten clafTes pro- 

 ceed in an uninterrupted feries^ from Monan* 



DRIA 



