473 
This society had a further division in its Botanical Section pro- 
moted by such men as Brown, Bindley, and Hooker, whose object 
was to pursue, unfettered by the artificial classification of Linnseus, 
the natural system of Jussieu as a more philosophical system, and 
already vigorously pursued on the continent by the elder Decandolle 
and other great botanists. Societies formed for promoting special ob- 
jects in science and natural history sprung up in every quarter. Thus, 
we have the Antiquarian Society, the Boyal Astronomical Society, 
the Geographical Society, Geological Society, Entomological Society, 
the Horticultural Society, the Meteorological Society ; and to show 
the extended character of these subdivisions, I may mention the 
Boyal United Service Institution, exclusively devoted to questions 
connected with warfare, whether by sea or land. Few persons 
unconnected with the naval and military professions are aware of its 
precise object and character, or of the extent of its operations. It 
is termed the “ Boyal United Service Institution,” because it has a 
Boyal charter. It is in regard to machinery very much like our 
own.* It has vice-presidents, a library, museum, meetings, and 
proceedings ; papers are read, and transactions published, and the 
subjects of those papers are all strictly bearing upon military and 
naval service. To show the character of the topics chosen for these 
papers, I will read over a few of those already published in their 
Transactions, many of which, I have been told, are exceedingly able, 
and admirably illustrated by models, maps, and drawings. For 
instance, the whole of the number for August is occupied with a 
dissertation on Iron-Cased Ships, by Captain Halsted, B.N. June 
number contains a paper on Photography and its Application to 
Military purposes; another on the Military Forces of the Nations 
of Europe; one upon Swiss Targets and Bifle Banges. There is a 
paper in a late number on National Defence, called the Bifle and the 
Bampart ; one upon the Sanitary Condition of the Army ; one upon 
Becreations for Soldiers and Sailors ; one upon Billed Ordnance, &c. ; 
all connected with warlike affairs. Then there are models of ships, 
forts, arms, battles ; and there is a collection of relics or trophies, 
naval and military. For example, as to naval relics, there are the 
sword worn by Nelson when he took the “ San Josef,” the chrono- 
meter used by Cook in his voyages of discovery, the signal book of 
* The Crown its Patron. 
