PR EFAC E.' xffi 
©f them may inftrudt us how to fecure our- 
felves againft their attacks. "Whether this 
be poffible we can never know, till proper 
encouragement has been given to this 
branch of natural hiftory. Something to 
the fame purpofe might be faid concern- 
ing moffes, but as the intent of one of the 
following pieces is principally to take off 
fuch objections as i have been confidering, 
i (hall dwell no longer on this fubjedt $ 
but proceed to give a fhort account of what 
Linnaeus has done towards the improvement 
of natural hiftory, that the reader, who is 
unacquainted with his works, may form 
fome idea, tho’ very imperfect, of this 
great mam Firft then, he has invent- 
ed a new fyftem of botany, founded on 
the male and female organs of generation 
in plants, a fyftem which has thrown a 
new light over botany. He has defined 
about 10,000 plants, ranged them into 
elafles, genera and fpecies, given new and 
regular generical names to many inftead of 
thofe barbarous and uncouth ones which 
prevailed till his time, and added fpecifical 
names 
