The Cryptogamous Plants of Dr. Roxburgh, 467 



there is some clue traceable by all Botanists ; tbat is, to which a distinct 

 reference either of a plate, printed character, or description can be given. 

 Such references as Wall., Wall. Cat., Wall, in Herb., are altogether insuf- 

 ficient : they are moreover superfluous, for copies of the Catalogue of 

 the Herbarium Indicum were given to those who received specimens, 

 who could be the only ones benefited by names without characters. 



The system (for such it is) of adopting names of any sorts, when- 

 ever there is no evidence of their having been examined and defined, ap- 

 pears to me decidedly mischievous. Its constant tendency has been to 

 overburden Synonymy ; to make useless references, whereas Synonymy 

 should comprehend those references only that are useful in a positive 

 sense ; to weaken the great claim of priority, dates in Herbaria and MSS. 

 being capable of much greater inexactness than dates in a printed book : 

 it may make Botanists lazy, confident and hasty in giving names ; now 

 naming ought to be the last step of investigation. 



Lastly, all the advantages said to be inherent in MSS. names can 

 be gained by the use of numbers, and respect be shewn to science at 

 the same time. 



The disadvantages to science attendant on these MSS. names are known 

 by experience to be sufficient to recommend their being disused ;* but 

 if it can be shewn that they have been given or brought forward when 

 the same plants, previously named, have been in the same Institution 

 with the writer of the MSS. names, with descriptions or definitions, 

 or both, or with drawings methodically referred to, or references to a 

 methodised Catalogue, then the supercession of the MSS. names be- 

 comes a matter of justice. These remarks, will apply, I believe, to some 

 extent to the Plants of Dr. Buchanan Hamilton, as for instance Sioja, 

 Jilia,t Gurua; and there are a good many other genera in his Catalogue 

 of dried plants presented to the Museum of theHon'ble E. I. Company, 

 (which only contains 2599 species,) of which up to this time I have not 

 been able to find any account. 



The only instances in which any notice should be taken of MSS. 

 names, are those of the exactness of which the name of the Botanist 

 is a guarantee. But somehow or other, among such authors, MSS. 

 names are comparatively unknown; a name to be exact, presumes 



* " MSS. names are in all cases liable to create confusion, and it is therefore 

 much to be desired, that the practice of using them should be avoided in future." 

 —Report, 1842, on Zoological Nomenclature, British Association, 



t Jilia begonioides Ham. MSS. not Begonioides Jila as represented in the 

 Flora Indica, ed. Carey. 2. 324. 



