114 On the requisites necessary 
sions to the character of a botanical nation, whilst such publications as 
the Botanical Magazine and Botanical Register have so long received 
encouragement and support ; the first of which has now been regu- 
larly published for a series of more than forty years. The circum- 
stance of these works being edited by two of our most eminent bo- 
tanists speaks at once to the importance of their contents, and is an 
ample guarantee of their being replete with the best and most strict- 
ly scientific details. But it will scarcely be denied, that excellent 
as these publications undoubtedly are, their chief and really efficient 
support is derived from their horticultural rather than from the bo- 
tanical portion of their subscribers. Hence it happens that they 
must each, to a certain extent, sacrifice the character of strictly sci- 
entific publications to suit the taste of their horticultural readers. 
We do not affect to complain of this, we are merely stating the fact 
as illustrative of our assertion. The Magazine of Natural History, 
published by Mr Loudon, and which has done much towards spread- 
ing a taste for natural history generally, can scarcely be considered 
an exception ; for though it undoubtedly contains' several valuable 
and truly scientific memoirs, yet by far the greater portion of its pages 
do not bear this character, nor can it in this respect be compared with 
such foreign journals as the " Annales des Sciences Naturelles," the 
" Allgemeine Botanische Zeitung," &c. In England, we find our 
leading naturalists generally prefer sending their more important 
communications to some public scientific society, in whose transac- 
tions they may appear to greater advantage than in the pages of a 
magazine. Still, it must be allowed that a regular periodical af- 
fords far greater facilities for the immediate dissemination of disco- 
very in science than the transactions of any society, such a perio- 
dical may further be made especially useful in stimulating to exer- 
tion those persons, and they form a numerous class among us, who 
are content with loitering about the threshold of science, and merely 
amusing themselves with the results attained by others. Could they 
be persuaded to engage in some branch of original research they 
would much increase their means of enjoyment, and at the same 
time be adding to the general stock of human knowledge. Among 
all nations we assuredly possess the means of accomplishing more 
for botany than any other; and we should easily take prece- 
dence of all others in this science, if we could persuade those who 
content themselves with skimming the surface to plunge a little 
deeper. In what other country do we find so many engaged in hor- 
ticultural and floricultural pursuits. There is scarcely a town of 
any note without its horticultural society, and many now possess 
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