*‘ from its inventor, an Italian, of the Frangipani family, 
“so conspicuous in the Roman disturbances of the twelfth 
“ century.” — 
“The genus is named after Charles Plumier, a French 
‘botanist and ecclesiastic, born in 1646. He belonged to 
“the religious order of Minims, and is described as of a 
“* simplicity of character becoming his monastic profession, 
“if not invariably associated with it. ‘To this he added the 
“most enthusiastic love of Botany, and a degree of ac- 
** curacy and penetration rarely excelled in that science. 
“* He was sent, at the expense of the French King, on three 
“ different voyages to the West Indies; and was about to 
“‘ undertake a fourth, when he died of a pleurisy at Cadiz, 
“in 1704, aged 58.” 
“¢ Besides the works published by himself, vast treasures 
“of his drawings, in outline, have remained in the French 
*‘ jibraries. The late Lord Bute obtained copies of great 
“* numbers of these, which, after his death, passed into the 
«hands of Sir Joseph Banks (since then, with the whole 
«library and Herbarium, into those of Mr. Brown). Bo- 
“ erhaave had previously procured copies of above 500, 
‘“* done by the accurate Aubriet, under Vaillant’s inspection, 
“‘ which were afterwards, in great part at least, published 
* by John Burmann, at Amsterdam, between the years 
«1755 and1760. These plates are executed with tolerable, 
** but by no means infallible, accuracy, being far inferior 
“to what Plumier himself published. ‘The well-meaning 
«editor has overloaded the book with descriptions of his 
“own, necessarily made from the figures, and therefore 
* entirely superfiuous. They are indeed not unfrequently 
“founded upon misapprehension; nor has he been very 
“happy in his adaptation of his materials to Linnean 
““ names and principles. He ought rather, as Lamarck ob- 
“serves, to have given Plumier’s materials without altera- 
“tion or addition. A careful reader may, nevertheless, 
* avoid being misled ; as the original names and definitions 
“of the author are subjoined. It is a pity that nothing is 
preserved of the native country, history, properties, or 
** colours, of each plant.” 
“ He left no Herbarium of his own, his collection of 
“ dried plants having been lost at sea; but he had, on va- 
“ rious occasions, communicated dried specimens to Tour- 
