Lrnnaus. 343 
At this time, the fexual fyftem exifted 
only in its outline. Enough of it, how- 
ever, was manifefted in the Florula Lap^ 
fonicay printed in the ABa Vpfalicnfiay for 
the years 1732 and 1733, and in the firft 
fketch of the Syjlema, in 1735, to exhibit 
its novelty. I know not that the Funda- 
menta Botanica^ the Bibliotheca, and the 
Miifa Cliffortiana^ although they bear date 
in 1736, had reached England before the 
author : yet, notwithftanding the warm 
recommendation of Boerhaave, ^iv Hans 
Sloan E, conlidered at that time as the 
Mecc^nas of Botany in this ifland, gave the 
author, and his fyftem, an unfavourable 
reception. At the age of feventy-fix, we 
need not be furprifed that the veteran fhould 
not feel difpofed to learn a new fyftem, 
from a young man, whom he could not but 
confider as an adventurer, both in fortune, 
in fame, and in fcience, Sloane, more- 
over, had never paid fufficient attention to 
the improvement of fcience in the con- 
ftruftion of generical characters ; and this 
circumftance, probably, fet him at a far- 
ther diftance from embracing the fyftem of 
Z 4 LlNN^US^ 
