The fate of Swartz has been far more propitious to himself and to the literary world. Having thrown more light upon the cryptogamic productions of Sweden and Lapland than they had previously re ceived, and which has only been exceeded by the more recent discoveries of the unrivalled Wahlen berg, he undertoo1 a botanical investigation of the West Indies. Carrying with him, to this promising field of inquiry, so great a store of zeal and practi cal experience, his harvest was such as might well be anticipated. Whole tribes of vegetables, which the half-learned or half-experienced botanist, or the superficial gatherer of simples or flowers, had totally overlooked, now first became known to mankind. Tropical climates were now found to be as rich as the chill forests and dells of the north, in the vari ous beautiful tribes of mosses; and the blue moun tains of Jamaica rivalled its most fertile groves and savannas in the beauty, variety and singularity of their vegetable stores.
of another illustrious disciple of Linnaeus, the cele Thunberg, who has, now for many years, chair of his master, with credit to himself and advantage to every branch of natural science. The rare opportunity of examining the plants of Japan, and of studying at leisure the nume rous and beautiful productions of the Cape of Good Hope, as well as of some parts of India, have thrown in the way of Professor Thunberg a greater number of genera, if not species of plants, than has fallen to the lot of most learned botanists ; except only those who have gone round the world, or beheld the novel scenes of New Holland. These treasures be has contemplated and illustrated with great advantage, so far as he has confined himself to practical botany. We lament that he ever stepped aside to attempt any reformation of an artificial system. It is painful to complain of the well-meant, though mistaken en deavours of so amiable and candid a veteran in our favourite science ; but what we conceive to be the interests of that science must form our apology. We cannot but be convinced, and the experience of others is on our side, that discarding those principles of the Linnaean system which are derived from the situation of the several organs of impregnation, and making number paramount, has the most pernicious and inconvenient effect in most respects, without being advantageous in any. This measure neither renders the system more easy, nor more natural, but for the most part the reverse of both. We have elsewhere observed, (Introduction to Botany, ed. 3, 358,) that the amentaceous plants are of all others most uncertain in the number of their stamens, of which Linnaeus could not but be aware. " Even the species of the same genus, as well as individuals of each species, differ among themselves. How un wise and unscientific then is it, to take as a primary mark of discrimination, what nature has evidently made of less consequence here than in any other case !" When such plants are, in the first place, set apart and distinguished, by their monoecious or dioe emus structure, which is liable to so little objection or difficulty, their uncertainty with respect to the secondary character is of little moment ; their ge nera being few, and the orders of each class widely constructed as to number of stamens. Linnaeus,
doubtless, would have been glad to have preserv ed, if possible, the uniformity and simplicity of his plan ; but if he found it impracticable, who shall correct him ? Such an attempt is too like the en tomological scheme of the otherwise ingenious and able Fabricius. The great preceptor having arrang ed the larger tribes of animals by the organs with which they take their various food, and which are therefore accommodated to their several wants, and indicative of even their mental, as well as constitu tional, characters, Fabricius his pupil would neces sarily extend this system to insects. But nothing can be more misapplied. Feeding is not the busi ness of perfect insects. Many of them never eat at all, the business of their existence through the whole of their perfect state, being the propagation of their species. Hence the organs of their mouth lead to no natural distinctions, and the characters deduced therefrom prove,. moreover, so difficult, that it is notorious they could not generally be ap. plied to practice by Fabricius himself, he having, in the common course of his studies, been chiefly re gulated by the external appearance of the insects he described. This external appearance, depending on the form and texture of their wings, and the shape of their own peculiar organs, the antenna, affords in fact the easiest, as well as the most natural, clue to their arrangement and discrimination.
As we presume to criticise the systematic errors of great practical observers, it cannot but occur to our recollection how very few persons have excelled in both these departments. Ray, Linnaeus, and per haps Tournefort, may be allowed this distinction. We can scarcely add a fourth name to this brief ca talogue. The most excellent practical botanists of the Linmean school have been such as hardly be stowed a thought on the framing of systems. Such was the distinguished Solander, who rivalled his pre ceptor in acuteness of discrimination, and even in precision and elegance of definition. Such is another eminent man, more extensively 'conversant with plants, more accurate in distinguishing, and more ready in recollecting them, than almost any other person with whom we have associated. Yet we have heard this great botanist declare, that however he might confide in his own judgment with regard to a species, or a genus of plants, he pretended to form no opinion of classes and orders. Men of so much experience know too much, to be satisfied with their acquirements, or to draw extensive conclusions from what they think insufficient premises. Others, with a quarter of their knowledge, find no difficulty in building systems, and proceed with great alacrity, till they find themselves encumbered with their own rubbish ; happy if their doubts and uncertainties will afford them a tolerable screen or shelter ! But we here anticipate remarks, which will come with more propriety hereafter. We return from the consider ation of the labours of particular botanists, to that of the diversities of nature and circumstance.