VALUE OF ' PEECUESOEES ' 371 
Botany is all going dogward through the desultory doings 
of its votaries. I have been for four years past much mixed 
up with Physical Science men, and have found much to 
admire in their way of doing business. They let no oppor- 
tunity slip of getting all they can for the furtherance of 
their pubhcations and observations, whilst Botanists stand 
by and depreciate their own efforts and studies. I wish I 
could get you here for six weeks and join in a general effort 
to hft Botany up in the scale of appreciated sciences. 
And a month later he meets Harvey's reluctance to pub- 
lish prehminary sketches in advance of the magnum opus 
on which he was engaged — Precursores to the first Orders 
of the Cape Flora, like Hooker's Precursores ad Floram 
Indicam : 
We differ (you and I) toto coelo as to what we think 
good and bad. I suppose from your calHng such diagnostic 
Praecursores of Cape Genera as I proposed your pubhshing 
' fushionless stuff,' I am to take that as your verdict on the 
Praecursores ad Floram Indicam ! ! Now I daresay you 
are right as to the way in which the Praecursores are done, 
but I hold that such work, if properlif done, is about the most 
valuable that can be contributed to Bot. Science. What 
the deuce do you call useful work, if accurate descriptions 
of the genera and species of very little known large tracts 
of the Earth's surface are not- so ? So ' fire away, Flanagan,' 
as your illustrious countryman Lever has it. 
January 10, 1857. 
Dear Harvey, — I assure you I was only in joke in 
pretending that you intended to snub the Praecursores, 
though I do assure you that they are not so good as you 
take them for : the complication of systematic Botany is 
so great that I make many important omissions, and I must 
say I am heartily glad that I am prefacing the Flora Indica 
(if it is ever to appear) with these less assuming attempts. 
Plenty of people point out omissions in such contributions 
who fear to plunge into a detailed work, or if they do to 
criticise its assumed learning. 
On the other hand do you not undervalue the amount 
and kind of systematic Botany that you have to dispense ? 
