ON LECTUEING 401 
Explain that the philosophy of [the great divisions of 
plants] can only be understood when they know what a 
seed and its germination is, an axis and the arrangement of 
its parts, an ovule and its ovarium. 
The course being for medical students : 
Illustrate as many Nat. Orders as possible by Medical 
plants, showing the drug but alluding only to its preparation 
and uses. 
Finally, the less preparation you personally make, except 
in the way of diagrams, &c., the better ; be certain that 
he who has read up for an elementary course is either unfit 
to give one, or will fly over the heads of students. 
Of existing handbooks, he remarks that Lindley's, dating 
from 1830, ' are capital as guides, but antiquated,' and ' Hen- 
frey's rudiments not bad,' but the work of another popular 
writer 
the worst I know, containing every fault elementary books 
can have, loose, inaccurate illogical, bad Enghsh, without 
distinction of what is useful and useless to the beginner. . . . 
Impress on the men the folly of attempting to go beyond 
[these] elementary books except with specimens in their 
hands ; and in conclusion din for ever into their ears that 
the principal Nat. Ords., properly studied and rightly under- 
stood, are the exponents of all branches of Botany, embrace 
a knowledge of all, are the appHcation of the results of 
all to practice, and are synonymous with * Botany ' in its 
highest signification. 
Finally : 
I have been talking a good deal about lecturing, since I 
wrote to you, with Huxley, who has come to absolutely iden- 
tical conclusions, and is going to alter his course accordingly 
at the Govt. School of Mines ; this entre nous at present. 
He and I have often talked over the subject, and he is quite 
of my opinion that the present mode of teaching is worse 
than useless. 
The contrast between the old style Botanist and the new 
was forcibly brought home to him when in July 18G2 he paid 
