} 
564 
pare them with the dates given from 
Hampshire. Bat as it is desirable to 
make the comparison as perfect as _possi- 
ble, 1 would request your correspondent 
to make his list of dates more extensive, 
than appears in his reports; by noticing, 
not only the more prominent and striking 
beauties of the vegetable world, but also 
the humbler plants of the gramineous 
tribes, the rushes, carices, &c. &c. 
If your correspondent will either insert 
his list of dates, in the usual monthly re- 
ports, or communicate it through your 
publication, in any other shape, I will 
venture to promise him a tolerably per- 
fect account of the earliest periods of the 
inflorescence, for.this year, of the species 
which are found in this neighbourhood. 
Should this subject engage the atten- 
tion of any attached to the study of bota- 
ny, in other parts of the kingdom, and 
induce them to observe the progress of 
Flora, so as to furnish similar accounts, 
it will materially improve the compara- 
tive scale; and if continued for more 
than one year, would form perhaps the 
best criterion for determining the relative 
forwardness, or backwardness of spring, 
The advantage of an early insertion of 
this, in your interesting miscellany, is 
sufficiently obvious, and will oblige, 
Your’s, &c. 
PurLo-Boranicis. 
Warrington, Lancashire, 
May 1st, 1809. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
AVING been, for some years, a fre- 
qrent attendant at the various auc- 
‘ tions of books, perpetually occurring in 
the metropolis, my astonishment has 
been greatly excited, by the mania which 
possesses many of the collectors of the 
present day, who, setting no bounds to 
their ambition of obtaining their favourite 
authors, purchase at the most exorbitant 
prices, placing fair competition at de- 
fiance, and preventing the Jess opulent, 
though not less learned, scholars from 
precuring, except at a ruinous expense, 
many of the works essentially necessary 
to the different courses of their studies. 
A few years back, the catalogues of 
the booksellers might be consulted as the 
oracles of the real value‘of the books in- 
serted in them; now, alas! they can be 
opened, but with fear and trembling, and 
the prudent collector, finding every im- 
portant article far beyond his reach, is 
compelled to lay them down in despair, 
and submit to wait until the shelves of an 
ynstitution shall be filled, and’ the libra. 
Improvement of County Histories. 
[Jan. ty 
ries of a Raine, a Burney, ora Heber, 
be completed; until the men of letters 
_and the men of wealth shall be pleased 
to arrange their treasures, to separate 
the dross from the silver, and by discard- 
ing their duplicates, and their triplets, 
once more afford the means of acquiring 
knowiedge and gratification, on some 
thing like reasonable terms. 
If a judgment may be formed from 
the prices which topographical works 
fetch, eagerness of research into the his- 
tory and antiquities of our island is more 
generally prevalent, than at any former 
period. It is, therefore, a subject of 
regret, that amongst the literati, few 
should be found willing to undertake re- 
visions of our county histories, many 
of which contain numerous inaccuracies : 
the task would not be irksome, and new 
editions of the best of them would, I con- 
ceive, fully repay the editors for all the 
trouble and expense they might incur. 
The difficulty of access to materials, for 
the compilation of new histories, is suf- 
ficient to deter all but the most laborious 
students; whereas it would require com- 
paratively little pains to form volumes in 
continuation, or to furnish corrections 
by way of annotations, to the texts of 
which the public are already in posses- 
session. To aid the spirit of enquiry 
ito our own history is truly laudable ; 
and when this disposition displays itself, 
as at the present day, not alone amongst 
the profound scholars, but also in the 
occupations of the leisure-hours of our 
merchants, it ought to experience every 
possible encouragement; for it is from 
the labours of such persons, that we may 
hope to see produced accurate topogra- 
phical and antiquarian histories of our 
country, for the formation of which no 
empire can boast of more ample matee 
rials, 
I am led to communicate these ob- 
servations through the medium of your 
valuable Miscellany, with the more con= 
fidence, because, in the course of my 
own reading, I have made some pro- 
gress in the correction of a particular 
county history; and having uniformly 
“experienced the utmost willingness in 
men of research, to render every species 
of infurmation in their power, I cannot 
doubt, but others would meet with equal 
facility in similar undertakings; and 
should any of your learned correspond=- 
ents be stimulated to exertion, in this 
branch of useful knowledge, they cannot 
fail to render essential service to society, 
and entail the lasting obligations of the 
antiquarian, - BA 
