320 
HORTUS CANTABRTGIENSIS. 
open wall, Black July, Turner's Hardy, Mil- 
ler's Burgundy, White Sweetwater, Common 
Muscadine, Black Muscadine, Pitmaston AVhite 
Cluster, Cambridge Botanic Garden, and 
Frankendale. For the vinery; Black Ham- 
burgh, White Corinth, White Frontignac, Black 
Corinth, Black Frontignac, Grizzly Frontignac, 
Muscat of Alexandria, (White,) Malmsey, 
(White,) Verdelho, (White,) West's St. Peter's, 
(Black,) Horsforth's Seedling, (Black,) Black, or 
Morocco, Poonah, (Black,) Royal Muscadine, 
(White,) or Chasselas de Fontainebleau, Black 
Damascus, White Sweet Water, White Syrian, 
and Striped Aleppo. All the other genera are 
equally well treated, and the book may not 
only be looked upon as an authority, but in 
these details a very useful monitor. The au- 
thor's preface is worth reading, and we are not 
at all displeased to observe that there is no 
pedantry, no throwing Linnaeus overboard ; 
but his system of botany is treated with the 
respect due to his genius. Mr. Don says — 
" The present edition has been entirely re- 
written ; all the species of the former ones 
have been retained where an authority could 
be found for the names, but where these were 
wanting the species have been rejected. The 
reason which has induced me to adopt this 
course is, that there are many names current 
in gardens which have long become obsolete, 
as well as many which had never any good 
foundation, having been given by persons en- 
tirely unacquainted with botanical science. I 
have therefore deemed it necessary to annex 
to each genus and species the name of some 
well-known botanist, or of works in which such 
plants are either described or figured, or both. 
How far I have succeeded in my object, a 
careful perusal of the present work will 
show. 
" Woodcuts of the most common and familiar 
flowers are given to represent each class and 
order, which will be found useful to those un- 
acquainted with the Linnoaan system of botany ; 
and by carefully examining the woodcuts, and 
the short descriptions annexed to them, it is 
confidently hoped that no difficulty will be 
experienced in referring any plant to its true 
class and order. I am not aware that any 
plant has yet been discovered, which cannot 
be assigned to some one of the twenty-four 
classes of Linnaeus into which that truly great 
man distributed the vegetable kingdom ; and 
we may infer that this system, although arti- 
ficial, cannot be far from perfect from this fact, 
that it includes every plant yet discovered. 
But although I speak thus highly of the Lin- 
naean system, I am very far from undervaluing 
the natural arrangement, which, when per- 
fected, will no doubt be the most comprehen- 
sive : it is not so, however, at present ; for 
botanists seem undecided to what extent the 
orders should be carried ; some desiring to 
extend them greatly, others to reduce and 
divide them into several : — which botanists 
may have the clearest ideas, time will show. 
I may further add, that scarcely a year passes 
without some discovery disturbing the very 
imperfect state of the natural system as at 
present understood; my humble opinion there- 
fore is, that the Linnaean system, however 
imperfect it may be deemed, cannot as yet be 
dispensed with. 
" The great number of species that have 
been added to the gardens within the last few 
years, has necessarily enlarged the present 
edition much beyond any former one ; whilst 
the changes which botanists have thought it 
necessary to introduce into the old genera, 
have greatly tended to produce the same effect. 
No opinion is here intended to be given on 
the correctness or incorrectness of these alte- 
rations ; but the fact of their having been 
adopted in the gardens, is a sufficient reason 
for their adoption in a work of this nature : 
nor is there any reason to doubt that bota- 
nists, in making such alterations, are solely 
actuated by a desire for the advancement of 
the science. But to preclude any ill that 
might arise from their introduction into the 
present work, all the old names of each genus 
are added in italics, so that the student may 
adopt or reject them, as his judgment may 
decide. 
" In the index are given in italics the names 
of all those genera which are changed, with 
the names of the genera into which each genus 
has been divided : so that any person unac- 
quainted with the changes which have taken 
place, will thus be enabled easily to find out 
any genus of which he may be in search, with- 
out the necessity of perusing the body of the 
work." 
We highly recommend this work: the typo- 
graphical accurary of its contents is very 
creditable both to the author and printer. We 
are, however, rather disposed to question the 
honesty of the editor, when he says, " Nor is 
there any reason to doubt that Botanists, in 
making such alterations, are solely actuated 
by a desire for the advancement of the 
science." In this instance we think his polite- 
ness has got the better of his conviction, and 
must give him credit for more discernment 
than he chooses to avow. 
Mr. Don has acquitted himself well, and 
although the title of the work implies that it 
is a catalogue of the plants grown at the 
Cambridge Botanic Garden, which in fact it 
originally was, it is now the most perfect 
botanical dictionary we possess, and it is not 
too much to say, that it ought to be in every 
botanical library, and should be supplied to 
every gardener. 
