' Long since the voyages of these celebrated natu ralists, the same remote countries have been visited, in our own days, by two learned botanists more es pecially ; these are M. La Billardiere, and Mr Brown, Librarian of the Linmean Society. The former has published an account of the Plants of New Holland, in two volumes folio, with fine en graving. ; the latter has fhvoured the botanical ' world with one volume of a most acute and learned Prodromus of his discoveries. As his voyage was made at the public expense, we may trust that the government will consider itself bound to enable him to publish the whole of his acquisitions, in such a manner as to be generally useful. His own accura cy of observation, illustrated by the drawings of the Inimitable Bauer, cannot fail to produce such a work as, we will venture to pronounce, has never been equalled. M. La Billardiere has disposed his book according to the system of Linnieus, a rare example in France, where any thing not French usually comes but ill recommended. Mr Brown, on the other hand, has written his Prodromus, at least, on the principles of classification established by the cele brated Jussieu, the great champion of a natural sys tem of his own. On this subject we postpone our remarks for the present. Before we can enter on the subject of natural classification, it is necessary to consider the state and progress of botany, for some years past, in the schools, and among the writers, of Europe.
' Sweden has continued to maintain her long esta blished rank in the several departments of natural science, nor has Denmark been behind-hand with her neighbour and ancient rival. The son and suc cessor of the great Linnmus endeavoured to follow his father's steps, and was ambitious of not being left very far in the rear; a commendable aim, which his Short life, to say nothing of his talents or experience, disabled him from accomplishing. He completed, and gave to the word, the unfinished materials which his tither bad left, for a Supplement to his Species PIantarion and Mantissa, and having en riches' the book with many communications of Thun berg and others, as well as a number of original remarks, he felt a strong desire, not altogether un pardonable, of being thought the principal author of the work. All uncertainty on this subject, where ever other helps fail, is removed by the original ma nuscript of the Supplementum Plantaruns in our pos session. 'Ehrhart superintended the printing of this work, and made some alterations in the manuscript, traces of which are perceptible in the affected Greek names, given to some species of Carex, Mespilus, &c., as well as in their sesquipeclalian specific cha racters. But he had introduced his own new genera of Mosses ; which the younger Linnmus thought so alarming an innovation, that he ordered the sheet which contained these matters to be cancelled. We are possessed of a copy, which shows the genera in question to be almost all well founded, and what are now, under Hedwig's sanction, generally received, though by other names. The descriptions of
Ehrhart are precise and correct, though his termi nology is exceptionable, full of innovations, and crabbed expressions. Two years, almost immediate ly preceding the death of the younger Linnaeus, were spent by the latter in visiting England, France and Holland, and were employed to very great ad vantage, in augmenting his collection of natural pro ductions, as well as his scientific skill. During this tour, he attached himself strongly, through the me dium of his old friend Solander, to Sir Joseph Banks; and while in France, he almost planted, or at least greatly advanced, a Linnsean school in that kingdom. He had scarcely resumed his professorial office at home, when he was unexpectedly taken off, by an acute disease, in his forty-second year. Of the ta lents and performances of his successor Thunberg, who still with honour fills the chair of the Rudbecks and the Linniei, we have already spoken. Dr Swartz is the Bergian professor of Botany at Stock holm. The Transactions of the Upsal Academy, founded by the younger Rudbeck, are continued oc casionally ; and those of the Stockholm one, whose foundations were laid by Linnieua, are published re gularly. Both are from time to time enriched with botanical communications, worthy of the pupils of so illustrious a school. A veteran in botanical science, Professor Retzius, still presides at the University of Lund. The worthy and accurate Afzelius, well known in England, who accomplished a hazardous botanical expedition to Sierra Leone, is the coadju tor of Professor Thunberg ; and the difficult subject of Lichens, under the hands of Dr Acharius, is be come so vast and so diversified, as to be almost a science. of itself.
Denmark has alway possessed some acute and learned botanists, and has, more than most other countries, been supplied with dried specimens of plants, as an article of commerce, from her West or East Indian establishments. Oder, the original au thor of the Flora Danica, and Muller its continua tor, have distinguished themselves ; but their fame is inferior to that of the late Professor Vahl, who stu died under the celebrated Linnaeus, and who is the author of several excellent descriptive works. He undertook no less than a new Species, or, as he en titled it, Enumeratio, Plantarum, an admirable per formance, cut short by his death at the end of the second volume, which finishes the class and order Tri andria Monogynia. It is almost superfluous to men tion, that Afzelius and Retzius, as well as Vahl, in all they have given to the world, have followed the system of their great master. The Flora Danica, chiefly a collection of plates, with few synonyms and no descriptions, has come forth, from time to time, for above fifty years past, in fascicali, without any order, and is still incomplete. It was undertaken by royal command, and, in a great measure, at the sove reign's expense ; though regularly sold, except some copies presented to certain distinguished men, as Linnieus.