affirm, have had some part in their advancement, since this 
little work was the first to spread a floricultural taste 
through various grades of society, and to give it popularity 
where the name of floriculture was almost unknown. 
The progress of Natural Science is, indeed, leading us 
apace to more important views of the objects of Creation. 
“ God saw every thing that he had made, and behold it 
was very good.” But the capacity of man’s intellect has 
not yet enabled him to discover the whole value of the 
work of His hand. The light is, however, dawning, and 
hut few are quite negligent even of the weed on wdiich 
they are privileged to tread. Some there are, it is true, 
that will ask, “where is the good?” considering ‘not that 
our food, our medicine, and our clothing, are, directly or 
indirectly, dependent on the vegetable kingdom. That 
this is the case is, however, certain; and therefore the more 
we know of its productions the more efficiently shall we 
supply ourselves with these benefits. This consideration, 
however, is not the whole of our aim; for although these 
views regarding our bodily wants are unblameable, tliey 
are not, as Sir J. E. Smith has observed, “ the sole end of 
human existence. Is it not desirable to call the soul from 
the feverish agitation of worldly pursuits to the contem- 
plation of Divine Wisdom in the beautiful economy of 
Nature? Is it not a privilege to walk with God in the 
garden of creation, and hold converse with Ilis Providence ? 
If such elevated feelings do not lead to the study of Na- 
ture, it cannot far be pursued without rewarding the 
student by exciting them.” 
