B O T 
the plants were not examined at the time of their flower¬ 
ing. Again, in the Ftt,cus palriiatus, he found the furfa.ce 
in a manner covered with thofe minute clutters of laairs or 
flowers, obfervable in the Fucus veliculofus : but, after 
the moft achte infpeCtion, he was not able to trace out any 
refentbance to leeds or capfules. 
“ Batter and Gmelin have already flvewn that the theory 
of Reaumuris evidently expofed to the following objec¬ 
tions. Firtt, That as the fine capillary filaments were al¬ 
ways deftitute of the antherae, they could not be con- 
fidered as the flowers. Secondly, That as the furface of 
the frons was, in fome fpecies, perfectly entire, without 
having the fmallett appearance of thofe filaments, and yet 
abounded with the granulated vellels or feeds; while others 
again difcovered not the leaf! figns of any grains or cap¬ 
fules, and yet were overfpread on every part with the fa- 
fcicles of flowers ; it fliould follow, that the parts in quef- 
tion, are, with refpeCt to the fyltem, entirely independent 
of each other. And in addition to thefe remarks, it muft 
not be omitted, that Linnaeus, in his own editions of the 
Genera Plantarum, publifited before Balter made his ob¬ 
jections to Reaumur, had Ihewn liis want of confidence in 
the airertions of that author, relating to the male flowers, 
by fubjoining to hi$ definition Ids ufual fgn of doubting. 
But a more ftriking and convincing proof of this being 
the faCt, and which it was hardly poliiblc could have efi- 
caped the obfervation of Reaumur, is, that thofe filaments, 
contrary to the very nature and property of the date oi fio- 
refcence, are diftinCtly feen on the furface of the plant, in 
its earlieftandmoft tender ftate, when itis fo extremely fmall 
as hardly to have attained its natural form. They are alfo 
equally vifible, when the diftended fummits are in a final 
ftate of decay: and during the fucceflive periods, thefe 
fmall filaments do not undergo any vifible change. Since 
then, they are deftitute of thofe parts, which conftitute 
tjie eflential properties of the flower ; fince they are fo 
evidently repugnant to every principle of analogy : fome 
other ufe, in conformity to the ftruCture of the plant, mu ft 
be afligned to them. And from the experiment noticed 
above, and originally made by Reaumur; they may, with 
much more probability, be confidered either as fecretory 
duds, or as vellels’defigned for conveying nouriftiment to 
the frons. And thus nature may compenfate for the want 
of that fupply, which land-plants, by means of their po¬ 
rous radicles, extraCt from the foil in which they are im¬ 
movably fixed ; while the roots of the former, feem cal¬ 
culated merely to counteract the fluctuating ftate, to which 
they are iticeffantly expofed. 
“.Hence we may obferve the wifdom of Providence fuf- 
nifhing to the different kinds of vegetables, properties a- 
dapted to their different fituations. And while we furvey 
the great diverfity in the form, fize, and fituation, of feeds, 
in the vegetable productions of the earth ; we cannot fail 
to remark the general uniformity, in point of fituation, as 
well as fimilarity of form and fize, in the organs of pro¬ 
pagation throughout this extenfive part of the algas. In 
many of the fucufes, the feeds or capfules are found fixed 
in the fubftance of the leaf or frons. And in others of a 
more filiform ftruCture, as alfo, in many of the Confervas, 
they are imbedded in the diftended fummits of the pinulas 
on the fides, and at the extremities of the frons; or in 
fmall axillary globules formed at the bafe of the finer branch- 
lets. Inafmuch then as relates to the production, fituation, 
and habit, of thefe minute grains or feeds, the fucus and 
conferva do not leem to differ. Itis not unufual to ob¬ 
ferve in the fame fpecimen, by the alliftauce of a microf- 
cope, many of the opaque grains diftinCtly formed and 
conglomerated together, beneath the furface of the frons ; 
while in other branches, a faint cloudy appearance is the 
only fign, which marks an approaching tendency to the 
fame (late of maturity. If any florefcence preceded the 
fructification of thefe plants, it might be fought for in fi- 
milar inftances: yet not the final left appearance, which 
could in reality jtiftify this generallv.reeeived hypothefis, 
is to be found. It is worthy of notice, that Reaumur had 
Vol. III. No. 130. 
A N Y. z3 s 
not been able to difeover thefe floral parts, on more than 
five or fix pieces, throughout the very numerous genus of 
the fucus: and yet, circumfcribed as his theory undoubt¬ 
edly is, and unfounded as it appears to be, the generic cha¬ 
racter of thofe plants has long been eftablilbed upon it. 
It was not probable that Linnaeus fliould have negleCted 
to avail himfelf of a difeovery, fo favourable to his fyf- 
tein, and under the fanftion of that rcfpeCtable author. 
From what has been advanced, it appears, that nature, in 
the formation and ftruCture of this branch of the algas, 
has deviated from her general mode of operation : and as 
there are not any proofs produced of a ftate of florefcence 
attending thefe plants; it is highly probable, that, in this 
inftance, fhe may have recourse to a limple and felf-effi- 
cient mode of propagation, independent of any external 
accefforial aid, and totally different from the principle, on 
which the fexual lyftem is founded. It may be proper to 
obferve, that this opinion is flieltered under the authorities 
of Gmelin and Gaertner ; although the latter of thefe au¬ 
thors feems to extend his hypothefis, in too general and 
exclufive a manner. Gmelin obferves, that it w r ould not 
be lei's abfurd to require, than difficult to attempt, an ex¬ 
planation of the natural procefs, which takes place, in the 
original formation of the granulated veffels, difcovered in 
the fucufes. We muff ever be at a lofs, when we ap¬ 
proach towards the firff principles of any efficient caufe. 
The fame inexplicable difficulties occur in the regenerat¬ 
ing fprings of animal life. All that can rationally be 
afferted, is, that from thefe and fimilar obfervations, it 
appears, that it hath pleafed the great Author of Nature, 
to produce the fame effeCts, by a more ffmple procefs in 
fome inftances, than in others : and that, in the various 
fpecies now under confideration, it ftiould feem to be or¬ 
dained, that a felf-efficient pow'er, effentially exifting in 
thefe plants, anfwers every purpofe conducive to their 
propagation. 
“ For a more particular elucidation of this fubjeCt, it 
may be proper to confult the work of Gmelin, who fur¬ 
ther obferves, that in the plants now under confideration, 
a gradual procefs may be traced from thofe, which are 
unifexual, to others ftill more limple, and which are per¬ 
fectly afexual. To the firff of thefe diftinCtions, Gaertner 
attributes the fructification of the more perfeCt fucufes, 
which lie maintains are propagated by aftual feeds. Un¬ 
der the latter divilion, the lame author has decidedly fixecl 
many of the fucufes, and all the confervas without exception. 
“It may be neceffary briefly to notice the definitions, 
which Gaertner has given of vegetable propagation, in 
order more clearly to underftand that part ot his theory, 
which is applied to the extenfive genus of Confervas. He 
confiders the fource of vegetation, as dependent on a two¬ 
fold principle. One of thefe, by virtue of an inherent 
vital force, operates without any impregnation, in produc¬ 
ing a diftinCt and perfeft epitome of the mature plant, 
limply from the medullary fubftance. The other, by an 
operation of the organized parts, digefts and feparates pro- 
per fecretions frojn the general mafs, till at length by a 
more complex procefs, an entire new organized body is 
produced, and the exaCt rudiments of plants are formed 
in diftinCt and appropriate parts. This is termed fructi¬ 
fication, as producing feeds : the former, is confidered as 
a limple proliferous mode of increafe. The author then 
applies thefe principles, to the different parts of the cryp- 
togamous clafs. All the confervas, whether capillary o,r 
beaded (moniliformes), he maintains, are entirely deftitute 
of feeds, and have not even the ffiadow of affinity to the 
fexual fyltem. The moniliform or beaded confervas, e.g. 
Conferva corallinoides, and others, throw out from their 
greater joints, fmall lateral filaments of the fame form 
and ftruCture : which conftitute the only fource of propa¬ 
gation, by a procefs very ffmple in itfelf; as one or lome- 
times two of thefe joints, are by the mere intumefcence’of 
their internal fubftance, converted into a Angle globule j 
which, after it hath feparated from the original (lock, im¬ 
mediately adfieres to the rock or body on which it happens 
4 J> t® 
