[]HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF THE PROGRESS OF BOTANY, IN ENGLAND.

SIBBALD.

IT was late before natural hiſtory aroſe in Scotland. The ſtory of a king Joſina, who is chronicled to have lived more than 150 years before the Chriſtian aera, having written a book De Viribus Herbarum, is not worth a comment. Fingal is ſaid to [2] have been well acquainted with the virtues of herbs: and Temory healed the wounds of his countrymen, by his ſkill in vulnerary vegetables.

Alan OGILBY, who flouriſhed about 1471, a native of Scotland, after having tra⯑velled through the eaſt, and reſided ſome time at Conſtantinople, fixed at Venice. Be⯑ſides his eminent acquaintance with the oriental languages, he is celebrated for his knowledge of natural hiſtory. He left a book De Balneis, and ſix books De Virtuti⯑bus Herbarum.

Of Dr. James CARGILL, of Aberdeen, I can produce no material anecdotes, al⯑though he merits particular remembrance; ſince it is manifeſt, from the nature of his communications to his friends, both on the continent, and at home, that he muſt have been extremely well acquainted with the bo⯑tany of the age. There is ſufficient evidence that he had ſtudied botany and anatomy at Baſil, during the time that Caſpar BAUHINE held the profeſſorſhip in thoſe ſciences, for whom a chair was firſt erected in that city, in 1589. This celebrated profeſſor enu⯑merates Dr. CARGILL among thoſe who [3] tranſmitted ſeeds and ſpecimens to him. GESNER records the ſame ſervices on his part. At home, LOBEL, in his "Adver⯑ſaria," acknowledges the like communica⯑tions, and repeatedly ſpeaks of him in very reſpectable terms, as a philoſopher, and as well ſkilled in the ſciences of botany and anatomy. He appears to have been living in the year 1603; at which time he ſent to Caſpar BAUHINE ſpecimens of the Fucus digitatus, with the deſcription, which is ſeen in the "Prodromus" of that author. I know not of any publication from Dr. CARGILL, neither am I acquainted with any ſucceſsful efforts in the way of natural hiſtory, before the time of the BALFOURS.

The founding of the Botanical Garden and the Muſeum at Edinburgh, by Sir An⯑drew BALFOUR, may be conſidered as the introduction of natural hiſtory into Scot⯑land. Sir Robert SIBBALD, the friend and colleague of Sir Andrew BALFOUR, and who himſelf added to the ſtores of the Mu⯑ſeum, has written "Memoria Balfouriana," purpoſely to commemorate the liberal be⯑nefactions and encouragements given to [4] literature, by Sir Jacob and Sir Andrew BALFOUR.

The Garden was eſtabliſhed about the year 1680; and, in 1683, was ſo ſucceſſ⯑fully cultivated by James SUTHERLAND, the-intendant, that it is ſaid to have con⯑tained 3000 ſpecies of plants, diſpoſed ac⯑cording to MORISON's method. An ac⯑count of it was publiſhed under the title of "HORTUS MEDICUS EDINBURGEN⯑SIS; or, a Catalogue of the Plants in the Phyſic Garden at Edinburgh, containing their moſt proper Latin and Engliſh names." By James SUTHERLAND. 8^o. pp. 367. Varieties, however, occupy a large ſhare of this Catalogue, and very few of the native plants of Scotland are found in it. It was to Sir Robert SIBBALD that the firſt attempts towards indigenous bo⯑tany were owing.

Robert SIBBALD was a fellow of the College of Phyſicians at Edinburgh, and the firſt medical profeſſor inſtituted in that univerſity, about the year 1685. He was knighted by Charles II. and had alſo the title of king's phyſician and geographer [5] royal conferred upon him, and was a man of very conſiderable and various learning. To the knowledge of his profeſſion, he added that of natural hiſtory, and antiqui⯑ties. He was, if not the firſt, among the earlieſt, who wrote on the antiquities of his country, on which he publiſhed ſeveral learned works, to illuſtrate, more eſpecial⯑ly, the hiſtory of Scotland during the time of the Romans.

He publiſhed, "SCOTIA ILLUSTRATA; ſive, PRODROMUS HISTORIAE NATURA⯑LIS SCOTIAE: in quo regionis natura, inco⯑larum ingenia et mores, morbi iiſque medendi methodus, et medicina indigena explicantur, et multiplices naturae partus, in triplici ejus reg⯑no, vegetabili ſcilicet, animali, et minerali ex⯑plicantur." 1684, folio; and 1696, folio.

In this volume, which, he tells us, was the work of twenty years, one part is ap⯑propriated to the indigenous plants of Scot⯑land; it contains obſervations on the medi⯑cinal and oeconomical uſes. A few rare ſpecies make their firſt appearance in this book, particularly that which LINNAEUS named Sibbaldia, after the author; and the Liguſticum Scoticum.

[6] Dr. SIBBALD having thrown out ſome ſtrictures on the mathematical principles of phyſic, for which the learned Dr. PIT⯑CAIRN was a ſtrenuous advocate, the latter wrote a ſevere ſatire on this work, under the title "De Legibus Hiſtoriae Naturalis." Edin. 1696. But it contains nothing ſolid, and was thought by ſome to have been the reſult of party, if not perſonal diſlike.

Among the "Miſcellanea quaedam eruditae Antiquitatis" of Sir Robert, publiſhed in 1710, there is a Diſſertation on the Chara of CAESAR^*, mentioned alſo by DIO, on which the ſoldiers of Valerius's army ſub⯑ſiſted, under a penury of bread. This root has been by ſome ſuppoſed to be the Kare⯑mile, Carmele, or, as Mr. LIGHTFOOT calls it, the Corr, or, Cor-meille ^†, of the Highlanders. It is the Orobus tuberoſus Lin⯑naei, our Wood Peaſe.

In his "Hiſtory of the Sheriffdom of Fife and Kinroſs," printed the ſame year, is a catalogue of plants, chiefly maritime, [7] growing about the Frith of Forth; among which, he had given to one the name of Balforiana, now called Pulmonaria mari⯑tima.

In the zoological way, Dr. SIBBALD publiſhed ſeparately, "Phalainologia nova:" 1692. 4^o. or, "Obſervations on ſome Ani⯑mals of the Whale Genus, lately thrown on the Shores of Scotland." This tract had merit enough to entitle it to a repub⯑lication, ſo lately as in the year 1773. He meditated a Caetologia, together with the hiſtory of the other marine animals of Scot⯑land, in his ſecond volume of the "Pro⯑dromus."

In the year 1706, he communicated to the Royal Society an accurate deſcription, accompanied with a figure of the animal, and its ſhell, named Balanus Balenae, or Pediculus Ceti of BOCCONE (Lepas Diadema of LINNAEUS, Syſt. 1108.) Theſe were publiſhed in vol. xxv. of the Philoſophical Tranſactions, p. 2314.

Although Sir Robert SIBBALD did not carry his reſearches ſo far, as to rank high in the character of the naturaliſt; yet, as [8] having led the way in that branch, and ſin⯑gularly promoted the ſtudy of the antiqui⯑ties of his country, he is juſtly entitled to that honourable ſtation he bears among the writers of North-Britain ^*.

WALLACE.

In the year 1700, was publiſhed, "An Account of the Iſlands of Orkney," by James WALLACE, M.D. F.R.S. which contains a catalogue of ſome of the indige⯑nous plants of that northern region. Flora is not exuberant in her gifts in the chilling regions of the north. I have not ſeen this book; but I read, that the arboreſcent, and ſome other tribes, particularly the malva⯑ceous, are ſparingly ſeen in theſe iſlands.

PRESTON.

I know not whether there was any ſuper⯑intendant to the Garden of Edinburgh, be⯑tween [9] SUTHERLAND, and George PRES⯑TON, whom BLAIR ſtiles an indefatigable botaniſt, and who publiſhed, about the year 1710, the following Catalogue, written in Latin and Engliſh: "Catalogus omnium Plantarum quas in Seminario Medicinae dict [...] tranſtulit Georgius PRESTONUS, Bot. Prof. et Hort. Edinburg. Praefectus ex Auctoritate ejus." 12^o. Not having ſeen this volume, I can give no account of it. A writer of the ſame name occurs, though I know not whether the ſame perſon, as a correſpon⯑dent of Mr. RAY. See his Letters, p. 308-316; "Some Obſervations on Mr. RAY's Synopſis," by Dr. PRESTON, tending to illuſtrate the characters of about fifteen ſpecies of Engliſh plants; with ſome Stric⯑tures on TOURNEFORT's method of claſſi⯑fication.

In the year 1716, Mr. Charles ALSTON ſucceeded PRESTON as ſuperintendant of the Garden.

ALSTON.

Charles ALSTON, as we are informed by Dr. HOPE, was the ſon of Mr. Alſton, of [10] Eddlewood; a gentleman of ſmall eſtate in the weſt of Scotland, and allied to the noble family of Hamilton, who, after having ſtu⯑died phyſic, and travelled with ſeveral gen⯑tlemen, declined the practice of his profeſ⯑ſion, and retired to his patrimony. His ſon Charles was born in the year 1683; and, at the time of his father's death, was at Glaſ⯑gow, applying with great aſſiduity to his ſtudies. On this event, the Ducheſs of Ha⯑milton took him under her patronage, and wiſhed him to have choſen the department of the law; but his inclination for botany, and the ſtudy of phyſic, ſuperſeded all other ſchemes; and, from the year 1716, he en⯑tirely devoted himſelf to phyſic.

At the age of thirty-three, he went over to Leyden, to ſtudy under BOERHAAVE, where he remained near three years. At that place, he contracted an intimacy with the late celebrated Dr. Alexander MONRO; and, with him, on their return to Edin⯑burgh, projected the revival of medical lec⯑tures; where, but little had been done in that department, ſince the firſt eſtabliſh⯑ment of the medical profeſſorſhips in 1665, [11] under Sir Robert SIBBALD, and Dr. PIT⯑CAIRN. The plan was modelled by that of Leyden. MONRO was appointed to give lectures in anatomy, and ſurgery; and AL⯑STON in botany, and the materia medica. RUTHERFORD, SINCLAIR, and PLUM⯑MER, were ſoon after appointed to fill up the other departments: and, to the ſpirited endeavours of theſe celebrated names, the univerſity of Edinburgh owes the riſe of that reputation, which has ſince ſo deſer⯑vedly raiſed it to be one of the firſt ſchools of phyſic in Europe.

Dr. ALSTON continued to teach botany, and the materia medica, with unwearied aſſi⯑duity, until the time of his death, which took place Nov. 22, 1760, in the 77th year of his age.

In 1740, Dr. ALSTON publiſhed for the uſe of his pupils, "INDEX PLANTARUM praecipue OFFICINALIUM, quae in Horto Me⯑dico Edinburgenſi, Studioſis demonſtrantur." 8^o.

In 1752, "INDEX MEDICAMENTORUM SIMPLICIUM TRIPLEX." 8^o. pp. 172. 1. Alphabetical; the officinal names, with numerous ſynonyms, from the beſt botani⯑cal [12] cal writers, pp. 118. 2. Officinal names only; foſſils, vegetables, animals, in the order of his lectures. 3. Claſſification of the officinal names, according to the virtues; beginning with the abſorbents, and ending with vulneraries. A table of the doſes of emetics and purgatives.

In botany, Dr. ALSTON's chief perform⯑ance was, his "Tirocinium Botanicum Edin⯑burgenſe." 1753. 8^o It contains a repub⯑lication of his "Index," firſt printed in 1740; to which he now added the "Fun⯑damenta Botanica" of LINNAEUS. But the bulk of the work is a profeſſed attempt to explode the ſyſtem of the Swede, and parti⯑cularly to invalidate all his arguments for the ſex of plants. This part of it was tranſla⯑ted by himſelf, and publiſhed the next year in the firſt volume of "Eſſays and Obſer⯑vations, phyſical and literary." 8^o. Could the doctrine of the ſexes of plants have been eaſily ſhaken, the learning and abilities of ALSTON were ſufficient to have effected his purpoſe. But as it was not at that time ſupported by hypotheſis alone, ſo it has ſince gained additional ſtrength, by new [13] experiments, and ſound inductions, reſult⯑ing from them. Nurtured from his early years in the ſyſtems of TOURNEFORT, RAY, and BOERHAAVE, to the firſt of which he had even given improvement, it is not ſtrange, that, at an advanced age, Dr. ALSTON rejected a ſyſtem of ſo much novelty, as that of LINNAEUS preſented. We do not willingly unlearn at ſixty, what has been cheriſhed from our earlieſt youth.

Dr. ALSTON's medical papers are, "A Diſſertation on Tin as an Anthelmintic;" "A Diſſertation on Opium;" and "A Caſe of extravaſated Blood in the Pericardium." Theſe are printed in the Edinburgh Medi⯑cal Eſſays.

In 1743, he diſcovered a property in quick lime, which led him to believe, that the power of lime was not exhauſted by repeat⯑ed affuſions of water to the ſame lime; he adds, even for twenty or thirty times. The firſt notices of this paradox, as he then called it, were communicated to the Royal Society, and were printed in the forty⯑ſeventh [14] volume of the Philoſophical Tranſ⯑actions. This opinion was conteſted, and drew him into a controverſy with his friend and colleague, Dr. WHYTT. Having con⯑tinued his experiments, and enlarged his obſervations, he publiſhed, in 17 [...]2, his "Diſſertation on Quick-Lime and Limo Water;" republiſhed in 1754, and in 1757; in which he replies to Dr. WHYTT's Strictures; and, after enumerating a va⯑riety of diſeaſes, in which lime water has proved efficacious, confirms the opinion of his colleague, relating to its lithontriptic powers.

Dr. ALSTON's Lectures on the Materia Medica were prepared for the preſs before his deceaſe, and were publiſhed under the following title:

"Lectures on the Materia Medica; con⯑taining the Natural Hiſtory of Drugs, their Virtues and Doſes: alſo, Directions for the Study of the Materia Medica; and an Appendix on the Method of Preſcri⯑bing. Publiſhed from the Manuſcript of the late Dr. Charles ALSTON, Profeſ⯑ſor [15] of Botany, and the Materia Medica, in the Univerſity of Edinburgh. By John HOPE, M.D. Profeſſor of Medicine and Botany in that Univerſity." In two vol. 4^o. 1770. pp. 544 and 584.

The firſt eleven lectures conſiſt of preli⯑minary diſcourſes; on the riſe and progreſs of this knowledge; on the operation of me⯑dicines; of errors concerning the materia medica; on claſſing ſimples according to their virtues; and ſome account of authors who have written on ſimples.

In treating on each ſubject, after reciting the officinal name, and the principal ſyno⯑nyma, the deſcription, and place of growth, Dr. ALSTON gives, in his own words, the ſenſible qualities, powers, and uſes of each ſimple; after which follows, in the words of the authors themſelves, a copious detail of the opinions of reſpectable writers, rela⯑ting to each; concluding with a recital of all the officinal compounds into which each ſimple enters. Add to this, the reader will meet with a variety of collateral, and hiſto⯑rical information, which is highly gratify⯑ing [16] to all ſuch as wiſh to extend their en⯑quiries beyond the mere nomenclature, and quality of each ſubſtance; and which could otherwiſe be acquired only from laborious reſearches.

Although the reader will not find the author giving implicit belief to the mani⯑fold, and vaunted powers, attributed to num⯑berleſs ſimples, through almoſt all preced⯑ing writers; but on the contrary, will meet with judicious doubts, obſervations, and experiments, yet, Dr. ALSTON's Materia Medica muſt be conſidered, on the whole, as exhibiting rather the ſtate of it, as it has been, than as it is, in the works of LEWIS, BERGIUS, MURRAY, and CUL⯑LEN. It is but of late that philoſophers and phyſicians have exerciſed that degree of ſcepticiſm on the power of tmedicines, which muſt ever influence the mind, when experiments alone form the foundation of medical practice.

Were it within my plan to extend my obſervations, I ſhould, with grateful plea⯑ſure, expatiate on the improved ſtate of [17] botany at Edinburgh, after this period; when the zeal, and abilities, of my much⯑honoured and reſpected friend, the late Dr. John HOPE, aſſiſted by the royal bounty, enabled him to raiſe the ſtudy of botany to an eminence unrivalled, unleſs at Upſal, by any univerſity in Europe.

PLUKENET.

IT has been the fate of many learned men, who have deſerved highly of the republic of letters, to have the private cir⯑cumſtances, and occurrences of their lives, in a few years, ſo far involved in obſcuri⯑ty, that almoſt their immediate poſterity, howſoever deſirous of gratifying a natural and laudable curioſity, and of rendering to their memory that tribute which their ſer⯑vices have demanded, have been almoſt wholly fruſtrated in their endeavours to reſ⯑cue them from oblivion.

[19] If I miſtake not, the truth of this poſi⯑tion is ſtrongly exemplified, in the perſon, of whom, in the order of time, I am next to ſpeak. Of Dr. Leonard PLUKENET, as far as I can find, there are ſcarcely any me⯑morials, but what are to be collected from the prefaces of his works; and they afford indeed very ſcanty information. He has told us, that he was born in 1642; but whe⯑ther he was of Engliſh origin, and of what family, does not certainly appear; though it has been conjectured, that he was of French extraction. Where he received his ſcho⯑laſtic education, or at what place he took degrees in phyſic, I am not able to aſcertain. Some light would be thrown on this cir⯑cumſtance indeed, by determining, where his two friends, William COURTEN, Eſq. and the Rev. Dr. UVEDALE, of Enfield, were educated; ſince he ſpeaks of both theſe gentlemen, as having been his fellow⯑pupils: probably it was at Cambridge, as he had a ſon, named Richard, purſuing his ſtudies in that univerſity, at the publication of his Almageſtum, in 1696. Be that as it may, his writings ſufficiently teſtify his ex⯑tenſive [20] knowledge of the learned languages. He dates the prefaces to his works, from Old Palace Yard, Weſtminſter; where, from a circumſtance mentioned in his Phytogra⯑phia, it may be inferred, that he had a ſmall garden. I know not that he ever attained to any conſiderable eminence as a practical phyſician. The contrary may rather be preſumed, as I do not find his name in ſe⯑veral liſts of the College of Phyſicians, printed in the firſt years of this century: neither in thoſe of the Royal Society at the ſame period.

His ardour for his favourite purſuit was remarkably ſtrong; Ut pene nullus, ſic ardeo, was his motto. It does not appear, that he ever had an opportunity of gratifying his taſte by travelling in ſearch of plants. He ſeems to have devoted all his leiſure to his work of the Phytographia; ſparing no pains to procure ſpecimens of rare, and new plants. He had correſpondents in all parts of the world; and had acceſs to the gardens of the curious, in the environs of London, and to that at Hampton Court, which was in a flouriſhing ſtate, from the care which the [21] king and queen beſtowed on it. The Earl of Portland alſo, had ſo much reliſh for exotics, as to have repeatedly ſent Jacob REEDE to the Weſt Indies, to collect cu⯑rious productions for the Royal Garden. PLUKENET was one of thoſe to whom Mr. RAY was indebted for aſſiſtance in the ar⯑rangement of the ſecond volume of his Hiſ⯑tory; and that eminent man, every where bears the ſtrongeſt teſtimony to his merit. Nevertheleſs PLUKENET wanted that pa⯑tronage, to which his learning, and ſcience, entitled him; and he ſeems, by his com⯑plaints, to have ſeverely felt it. In the lat⯑ter part of his life, he appears to have been at variance with SLOANE and PETIVER; two of the firſt characters of the age, for knowledge in his own ſtudies. He cen⯑ſures their writings, it muſt be confeſſed, in a ſtile of too much aſperity. Whether this alienation from thoſe of whom he had before ſpoken in terms of friendſhip, and reſpect, had its origin in jealouſy on the one hand, or what is more probable, on the other, in that indignant loftineſs, which too often accompanies the conſciouſneſs of [22] neglected merit; or whether from other ſources, I cannot determine. It was how⯑ever probably unfavourable to PLUKENET, ſince SLOANE was at that time riſing faſt into reputation, and influence. In the mean while, no obſtacles damped the zeal of PLUKENET; he was himſelf at the expence of his engravings, and printed the work at his own charge, until the publication of the laſt part, his Amaltheum, when he pro⯑cured a trifling ſubſcription from a few of the nobility, amounting to about fifty-five guineas. Towards the cloſe of his life, he is ſaid to have been aſſiſted by the queen, and to have obtained the ſuperintendency of the garden at Hampton Court, and was ho⯑noured with the title of Royal Profeſſor of Botany.

I cannot diſcover the exact time of his deceaſe; but it is probable he did not long ſurvive his laſt publication, in 1705.

There is a copper-plate print of Dr. PLUKENET, done in the 48th year of his age, prefixed to the Phytographia; with his arms, field ermine, bearing a bend dexter engrailed gules.

[23] PLUKENET had all that enthuſiaſm, without which, few attain pre-eminence; and as the riches of Flora were daily pour⯑ing into Britain, from all quarters of the globe, he failed not to avail himſelf of every opportunity of adding to his ſtores. Indi⯑genous ſubjects were, equally with exotics, the objects of this induſtrious, and learned collector. Hence at length, his Herbarium conſiſted of eight thouſand plants; an aſto⯑niſhing number for a private, unopulent in⯑dividual to collect! Of theſe, the Phytogra⯑phia is to be conſidered as the delineation of the new and rare kinds; and the Almageſ⯑tum, Mantiſſa, and Amaltheum, as the cata⯑logue of the whole.

The Phytographia was publiſhed at dif⯑ferent times. The firſt part under the fol⯑lowing title:

"PHYTOGRAPHIA; ſive, STIRPIUM ILLUSTRIORUM et MINUS COGNITORUM ICONES."

Theſe four parts, which conſtitute the firſt [24] volume of his works, conſiſt entirely of figures.

In the ſame year with the fourth part of the Phytographia, came out,

"ALMAGESTUM BOTANICUM; ſive, Phytographiae Plukenetianae Onomaſticon, Me⯑thodo Syntheticâ digeſtum; exhibens Stirpium exoticarum, rariorum, novarumque Nomina, quae Deſcriptionis Locum ſupplere poſſint." 4^o. 1696. pp. 402.

PLUKENET follows no ſyſtem; the Ca⯑talogue is alphabetical, and contains near 6000 ſpecies, of which he tells us 500 were new. Synonyms are added to each, and re⯑ferences made to thoſe figured in the Phy⯑tographia. No man after Caſpar BAUHINE had till then examined the antient authors, with ſo much attention, as PLUKENET, in order to ſettle the ſynonyms with truth: and many critical notes interſperſed, prove his intimate acquaintance with all the re⯑ſources of botanical literature.

Not ſolicitous to form new genera, he refers, from the conformity of habit in al⯑moſt all inſtances, his new plants to the genera of former authors; and, more anxious [25] concerning the ſpecies, he has deſcribed them with an accuracy that has been ap⯑plauded. Not that PLUKENET was un⯑a quainted with ſyſtem, as is manifeſt from one of his criticiſms on SLOANE, in the Mantiſſa, p. 113; and from his Obſerva⯑tions on the firſt edition of Mr. RAY's Sy⯑nopſis, publiſhed in the Collection of RAY's Letters, p. 226.

Four years after the publication of the PHYTOGRAPHIA, came out, with a con⯑tinuation of the plates, "ALMAGESTI BO⯑TANICI MANTISSA, Plantarum noviſſime delectarum ultra Millenarium Numerum com⯑plectens." 1700. 4^o. pp. 192. tab. 329-354. Beſides many new plants, this volume con⯑tains very numerous additions to the ſyno⯑nyms of the Almageſium. Many curious cri⯑tical obſervations, on ſome of the plants of the ancient authors, occur in this volume; which evince the depth of his knowledge, and the extreme pains he took in the inveſti⯑gation of his ſubjects^*. A very copious in⯑dex to both volumes concludes the work.

[26] It is in the Mantiſſa we firſt meet with ſtrictures on SLOANE and PETIVER. He cenſures PETIVER eſpecially, with a degree of ſatyrical acrimony, for errors in the ap⯑plication of ſynomyms in his Centuriae; and SLOANE for the like miſtakes in his "Ca⯑talogue of Jamaica plants;" accuſing the latter of having alſo applied his ſynonyms from the Phytographia, without acknow⯑ledgments, or any reference. Hinc illae lachrymae!

Five years after the MANTISSA, he pub⯑liſhed his laſt work, "The AMALTHEUM BOTANICUM; ſ. Stirpium Indicarum al⯑terum Copiae Cornu, Millenas ad minimam, et bis Centum diverſas Species novas et indictas nominatim comprehendens: quarum ſexcenae et inſuper ſelectis Iconibus aeneiſque Tabulis illuſtrantur." 1705. 4^o. pp. 216. tab. 351-454. Some of the tables of this volume belong to the plants of the Mantiſſa. It abounds with new ſubjects, ſent from China and the Eaſt Indies, by Mr. CUNNINGHAM and Mr. BROWN, and with ſome from Florida.

[27] PLUKENET's work contains upwards of 2740 figures. Moſt of them were engraved from dried ſpecimens, and many from ſmall ſprigs, deſtitute of flowers, or any parts of fructification, and conſequently not to be aſcertained: ſeveral of theſe, nevertheleſs, as better ſpecimens came to hand, are figured a ſecond time, in the ſubſequent plates. As he employed a variety of artiſts, they are very unequally done: thoſe by Vander Gucht have uſually the preference. The imperfec⯑tions of this work, however, are, in a great degree, thoſe of the times; yet it cannot but be regretted that PLUKENET had it not in his power to have given his figures on a larger ſcale. There are unqueſtionably many varieties exhibited as real ſpecies; and one great defect runs nearly through the whole work, that the new plants are no further deſcribed, than by the ſpecifical definitions, which, under the want of true generical characters, were then inſufficient.

It is, notwithſtanding, a large magazine of botanical ſtores; inaſmuch as, no work before publiſhed by one man, ever exhibited ſo great a number of new plants. And as [28] many of the Engliſh ſpecies are here figured, for the firſt time, it has been equally ac⯑ceptable to the lovers of indigenous, as of exotic botany.

LINNAEUS, and others, mention a new edition of PLUKENET's works in 1720. But this was nothing more than the uſual artifice of the bookſeller; who, having purchaſed the remaining copies, placed a new title-page. They were, however, re⯑printed, and divided into four volumes, in 1769, with the addition of a few plates, that were wanting in ſome copies of the fourth part of the Phyiographia. Thoſe who occaſionally conſult this author, will regret, that this opportunity had not been taken, of inſerting the additions from the Mantiſſa into the Almageſtum, by introdu⯑cing them in a ſmaller character, and pla⯑cing the pages for both in the margin. The Herbarium of PLUKENET came into Sir Hans SLOANE's poſſeſſion, and is now in the Britiſh Muſeum.

In 1779, an Index Linnaeanus to the tables was publiſhed by Dr. GISEKE, profeſſor of poetry, and natural philoſophy, in the Gym⯑naſium [29] of Hamburgh, which contains a few notes from a MS. left by PLUKENET^*.

Dr. PLUKENET has not failed to record the names of a numerous ſet of benefactors, by whoſe communications he was, from time to time, enabled to amplify his col⯑lection, and introduce many new plants to the knowledge of the curious. Among ſe⯑veral others, we find, repeatedly, the names of PETIVER, COURTEN, SHERARD, DU BOIS, Biſhop COMPTON, Dr. Tancred RO⯑BINSON, Dr. SLOANE, CUNNINGHAM, and UVEDALE. Some of theſe I ſhall have occaſion to commemorate in ſeparate ar⯑ticles; but I regret that I cannot collect any material anecdotes relating to his friend and fellow collegian, — UVEDALE, LL.D. of whom PLUKENET ever ſpeaks in a ſtile which indicates that he held him in great eſteem.

UVEDALE.

Dr. UVEDALE lived at Enfield, where he cultivated a garden, which appears to have been rich in exotic productions. And al⯑though he is not known among thoſe who advanced the indigenous botany of Britain, yet his merit as a botaniſt, or his patronage of the ſcience at large, was conſiderable enough to incline PETIVER to apply his name to a new plant, which MILLER re⯑tained in his Dictionary; but which has ſince paſſed into the genus Polymnia, of the Linnaean ſyſtem; the author of which has nevertheleſs retained Uvedalia, as the trivial epithet.

PETIVER.

CONTEMPORARY with PLUKENET lived Mr. James PETIVER, of whom too little intelligence is remaining.

It appears that he was apprenticed to Mr. Feltham, apothecary to St. Bartholo⯑mew's Hoſpital. He entered into buſineſs for himſelf in Alderſgate Street, where he lived the remainder of his days. He be⯑came apothecary to the Charter Houſe, and obtained a conſiderable ſhare of practice in his profeſſion.

He had an early propenſity to theſe ſtudies, and, excepting Mr. COURTEN, and Dr. SLOANE, ſeems to have been the only one, af⯑ter [32] the TRADESCANTS, who made any conſiderable collection in natural hiſtory. PETIVER engaged the captains, and ſurgeons of ſhips, to bring home ſpecimens, and ſeeds of plants, birds, ſtuffed animals, and inſects; and he directed their choice, and enabled them to judge, in ſome meaſure, of proper objects, by diſtributing printed liſts and di⯑rections among them. He was not leſs anxious to procure, what his native country afforded, and was ſo ſucceſsful in his efforts, that Sir Hans SLOANE, who afterwards purchaſed it, offered PETIVER four thou⯑ſand pounds for his Muſeum, ſome time be⯑fore his death: which offer, although it may be conſidered as a proof of the opu⯑lence of Sir Hans, is equally ſo of the ex⯑tent of the collection.

The allurement of ſuch uncommon cu⯑rioſities as Mr. PETIVER exhibited, ſoon obtained him conſiderable diſtinction, and his name became well known, both at home and abroad. He was elected into the Royal Society; and as his particular attachment was to plants, he became early the corre⯑ſpondent of Mr. RAY, who acknowledges [33] his aſſiſtance in arranging the ſecond vo⯑lume of his "Hiſtory of Plants;" and elſe⯑where owns his high obligations to him, for the extent and freedom of his commu⯑nications.

In the year 1692, preparatory to the pub⯑lication of his firſt work, PETIVER took a tour into the midland counties of England. I recollect, on this occaſion, the pleaſure I had in my youth, in ſeeing the Lichen ju⯑batus growing on the ſpot, where, I believe, he firſt diſcovered it, on the higheſt rocks in Charley Foreſt, Leiceſterſhire.

Mr. PETIVER's firſt publication was, "MUSEI PETIVERIANI Centuriae decem." 1692-1703. 8^o. Containing the names, and ſynonyms of various rare animals, foſ⯑ſils, and plants; among which, ſeveral cu⯑rious articles, the produce of England, are here firſt exhibited; particularly ſome of the Cryptogamous claſs, in the inveſtigation of which he was very ſucceſsful.

"GAZOPHYLACII NATURAE et ARTIS Decades decem." 1702. tab. 100. fol. A book of great value at the time of its publica⯑tion, being the engravings, accompanied with [34] ſhort deſcriptions, of animals of all the or⯑ders, vegetables, and foſſils: among theſe are many American ferns, plants of the Alps, and from the Cape of Good Hope; all, either very rarely ſeen before, or nondeſcripts. It will retain its value while LINNAEUS's wri⯑tings are in uſe.

Among the provincial liſts of plants, printed in Biſhop GIBSON's edition of CAMDEN in 1695, Mr. PETIVER com⯑municated the Middleſex plants. All the others were drawn up by Mr. RAY, as was obſerved under his article.

Next to the Gazophylacium in the order of time, although not a diſtinct work, was publiſhed, in Mr. RAY's third volume of his Hiſtory of Plants, "PLANTAE RARIO⯑RES CHINENSES, MADRASPATANAE et AFRICANAE, à Jacobo PETIVERO, ad Opus conſummandum collatae: cum ejuſdem Catalogo Plantarum in Hortis ſuis ſiccis conſervatarum, quae vel ineditae, aut hactenus obſcurè deſcriptae ſunt: adjicitur Farrago Stirpium Indicarum, et Americanarum incertae Sedis."

The firſt of theſe catalogues amounts to 184 plants: thoſe of the Hortus ſiccus, to [35] more than 800 ſpecies: the laſt to 75. Although doubtleſs great numbers of theſe muſt have been varieties only, theſe liſts will yet remain a laſting teſtimony of the early and extreme diligence of this indefa⯑tigable collector.

In 1709, he publiſhed, without his name, "A Catalogue of Plants found on the mountains about Geneva, the Jura, La Dole, Saleve; with others growing in the fields, &c. as obſerved by GESNER, the BAUHINES, CHABRAEUS, and RAY."

"PTERIGRAPHIA AMERICANA: ICO⯑NES continens pluſquam CCCC Filicum vari⯑arum Specierum." Tab. 20. 1712. fol. The ferns occupy ſixteen of theſe tables. Among theſe are contained moſt of Father PLUMIER's ferns. The four remaining tables are of ſubmarine productions.

Mr. PETIVER neglected no opportuni⯑ties of augmenting the Engliſh Flora. He was the firſt diſcoverer of many Engliſh plants, as well as of other natural produc⯑tions, ſome of which he figured in the Ga⯑zophylacium; but he meditated, and in part executed, (a work that had not been at⯑tempted [36] before) a ſet of diſtinct figures of Britiſh plants. Unfortunately he lived not to finiſh it.

This work, which diſtinguiſhes PETI⯑VER as an auxiliary to Engliſh botany, bears the title of "A Catalogue of Mr. RAY's Engliſh Herbal, illuſtrated with Figures." fol. 1713. t. 50; and continued "with the four-leaved flowers," t. 51-72. fol. 1715. Twelve plants are engraved on each plate. The work ends with the ſeventeenth claſs. The figures are little more than outlines, but they are neat; and though they have the defect of the old herbals, in being all on a ſimilar ſcale, were valuable, and eſpecially as pointing out many of the varieties in the Synopſis of RAY, particularly among the Apetalous and Syngeneſious tribes. A new impreſſion of theſe plates was made under the inſpection of Sir Hans SLOANE, in 1732.

Theſe were the moſt material works of PETIVER. His ſmaller publications a⯑mount to a great number, and are of leſs importance at this day, as being principally ſhort catalogues and ſingle tables of rare [37] plants, intended, in many inſtances, as in⯑ſtructions to his various correſpondents:

Plantarum Etruriae rariorum Catalogus. 1715. fol. one ſheet.

Monſpelii deſideratarum Plantarum Cata⯑logus. 1716. fol. one ſheet.

Plantarum Italiae marinarum et Graminum Icones Nomina, &c. 1715. fol. one ſheet, with five plates.

Hortus Peruvianus medicinalis: The South Sea Herbal of FEUILLE's Medicinal Plants. 1715. with five plates.

GRAMINUM, MUSCORUM, FUNGORUM SUBMARINORUM et BRITANNICORUM, CONCORDIA. 1716. fol.

Petiveriana, ſ. Collectanea Naturae domi foriſque Auctori communicata. 1717. fol.

Plantae Sileſiacae rariores ac deſideratae. 1717. fol. a ſingle ſheet.

Plantarum Aegyptiacarum rariorum Icones: et aliarum Catalogi duo. 1717. fol. one ſheet, with two plates.

Plants engraved in Mr. PETIVER's Eng⯑liſh Herbal. fol. one ſheet.

Hortus ſiccus Pharmaceuticus.

Directions for gathering Plants.

[38] Beſides theſe ſmall publications, he put forth, at different times, twenty-eight tables of rare plants; of which nineteen contain⯑ed American plants; four, rare plants from various parts of Italy; two, Auſtrian plants; and one, Indian roots and gums.

There are more than twenty papers writ⯑ten by PETIVER, and publiſhed, at divers times, in the Philoſophical Tranſactions, be⯑tween the years 1697 and 1717.

A Catalogue of ſome Guinea Plants, with their Nature, Names, and Virtues; ſent by the Rev. John SMITH, from Cape Coaſt; with Remarks, by Mr. PETIVER. N^o 232. Vol. XIX. p. 627.

An Account of forty-ſix Plants, collec⯑ted by Mr. Samuel BROWNE, near Madras; with the Synonyms, and critical Obſerva⯑tions, by Mr. PETIVER. N^o 244. Vol. XX. p. 313.

Remarks on ſome Animals, Plants, &c. ſent by the Rev. Mr. Hugh JONES, from Maryland. N^o 246. Vol. XX. p. 396.

An Account of Part of a Collection of curious Plants and Drugs, collected at Ma⯑dras [39] by Mr. Samuel BROWNE, and pre⯑ſented to the Royal Society by the Eaſt In⯑dia Company: in eight books, publiſhed at different times; the firſt in N^o 236, the laſt in N^o 299. Vol. XXIII.

Mr. PETIVER was among the firſt who purſued the idea that the virtues of plants might be determined, in general, by their agreements in natural characters and claſſes. I ſay purſued, becauſe the idea had been ſuggeſted long before. Even CAESALPI⯑NUS, the inventor of ſyſtem, hints that the virtues of plants are pointed out by their ſtructure, and alliance to each other. Theſe are his words: Tandem et facultates, quas medici maxime quaerunt, tanquam proprietates innoteſcunt ex naturarum cognitione: quae enim generis ſocietate junguntur, plerumque et ſimi⯑les poſſident facultates ^*.

PETIVER's paper bears the following title: "Some Attempts made to prove, that Herbs of the ſame Make, or Claſs, for the generality, have the like Vertue, and Tendency to work the ſame Ef⯑fects." N^o 255. Vol. XXI. p. 289. [40] As a firſt eſſay, Mr. PETIVER has ſucceſſ⯑fully treated his ſubject. It is well known what uſe LINNAEUS and others have ſince made of it: and Dr. MURRAY, the pre⯑ſent Profeſſor, of Gottingen, has choſen this arrangement for his Apparatus Medicami⯑num. In BLAIR's "Miſcellaneous Obſer⯑vations," publiſhed in 1718, Mr. PE⯑TIVER defends his doctrine, in anſwer to Dr. BLAIR's doubts on that head.

Remarks on ſome Inſects, ſent by Mr. BANISTER from Virginia, in 1680. N^o 270.

An Account of ſome Animals, ſent by Mr. E. BULKELEY from Madras. N^o 271, and 276.

A Deſcription of ſome Shells, from the Molucca Iſlands. N^o 274.

An Account of ſome Animals, ſent to Mr. PETIVER from the Philippine Iſlands, by Father GEMELLI. N^o 277.

A Deſcription of ſome Shells, ſent from Madras by the Rev. Mr. LEWIS to Mr. PETIVER. N^o 282.

A Deſcription of ſome Corals and other Submarines, from the Philippine Iſlands, [41] ſent by Father CAMELLI to Mr. PETIVER. N^o 206.

An Account of ſome Shells and Ani⯑mals, ſent from Carolina to Mr. PETIVER. N^o 299.

A Catalogue of Foſſil-Shells, Metals, and Minerals, ſent by Dr. John SCHEUCH⯑ZER to Mr. PETIVER. N^o 301.

An Account of ſome Minerals, petrified Shells, and other Foſſils, from Berlin. N^o 302.

An Account of a MS. of Father CA⯑MELLI's, concerning ſome Shells, Mine⯑rals, Foſſils, and of the Warm Baths of the Philippine Iſlands. N^o 311.

An Account of ſome Swediſh Minerals, ſent to Mr. PETIVER. N^o 337.

As Mr. PETIVER accompanied theſe communications with remarks, the exhibi⯑tion of ſuch objects, from ſo intelligent a naturaliſt, in the early period of the Royal Society, when the ſtudy of nature was in its infancy, could not fail to convey much in⯑formation, and excite a curioſity to purſue with zeal, one of the chief ends of the in⯑ſtitution.

[42] In N^o 313, Mr. PETIVER communica⯑ted to the Royal Society the manner of ma⯑king the Styrax liquida, which, he ſays, is from the bark of the Roſa mallas (the charac⯑ter of which is unknown) which grows on the iſland Cobroſs, in the Red Sea. If this be the origin of the true, or oriental kind, there is likewiſe a Styrax liquida, from the Liquidambar tree of Virginia. What is ge⯑nerally met with now, is juſtly ſuſpected to be a mixed artificial compoſition.

In N^o 232, Mr. PETIVER publiſhed, un⯑der the title of Botanicum hortenſe, an Ac⯑count of divers rare plants, obſerved in ſeve⯑ral curious gardens about London, particu⯑larly in the Phyſic Garden at Chelſea. This was continued, in ſeven ſeparate tracts, to N^o 346. Vol. XXVII. XXVIII. XXIX.

Mr. PETIVER died at his houſe in Al⯑derſgate Street, on the 20th of April, 1718. His body was carried to Cooke Hall, where, agreeably to the cuſtom of the time, it lay in ſtate. The pall was ſupported by Sir Hans SLOANE, Dr. LEVIT, phyſician to the Charter Houſe, and four other phy⯑ſicians. He left five guineas to Dr. Brady, [43] for preaching his funeral ſermon, and fifty pounds to the charity ſchool of St. Ann's, Alderſgate ^*.

Many of PETIVER's ſmaller pieces hav⯑ing become very ſcarce, his works, exclu⯑ſive of his papers in the "Philoſophical Tranſactions," were collected and publiſhed in 1764, in two volumes in folio, and one in octavo; with the addition of ſome plates, not in the firſt edition.

PERSONAL NAMES OF GENERA.

PETIVER and PLUKENET, as far as I can find, were the firſt Engliſh writers, who followed the example of PLUMIER in giving perſonal names to new genera. PE⯑TIVER is, however, ſeverely reprehended by LINNAEUS, for having conferred this ho⯑nour on ſome who did not merit it: He obſerves juſtly, that it is due to ſuch alone, as have ſignalized themſelves in the ſcience. I take this opportunity to remark the riſe [45] and progreſs of this euſtom, which appears to be of high antiquity, ſince there are ex⯑amples of it among the antient poets, hiſto⯑rians, and phyſicians.

Poetry has conſecrated, in this way, the names of Adonis, Daphne, Hyacinthus, Nar⯑ciſſus, and others. PLINY informs us, that Eupatorium is ſaid to be the cognomen of MITHRIDATES, who firſt diſcovered the uſes of that plant. Gentiana, we are told, is derived from GENTIUS, king of Illyria: Lyſimachia, from LYSIMACHUS, king of Sicily: Telephium, from TELEPHUS, king of Myſia: Teucrium, from TEUCER, king of Troy: Clymenum, from CLYMENUS: Arte⯑miſia, from the wife of king MAUSOLUS: Helenium, from HELENA, the wife of Me⯑nelaus: Euphorbium, from EUPHORBUS, phyſician to Juba II. king of Mauritania; though SALMASIUS avers, that this name had been in uſe at a much earlier period. Many other inſtances might be adduced.

In ſucceeding ages, the devotion of the monks led them to conſecrate a variety of plants to the ſaints of the kalendar. Thus we have the Herba Sancti ANTO⯑NII, [46] Epilobium: S. CHRISTOPHORI, Ac⯑taea: S. GERARDI, Aegopodium: S. RU⯑PERTI, Geranium: S. JACOBI, Senecio: S. PETRI, Parietaria, &c. &c. John BAUHINE wrote a treatiſe, in 1591, now become very ſcarce, "De Plantis à Divis Sanctiſve Nomen habentibus."

The reſtorers of botany, in a few in⯑ſtances, revived the practice. GESNER, had he lived to finiſh his plan in his "Hiſtory of Plants," intended to have perpetuated the names of his friends, by monuments of this kind. It appears, that he had requeſted GUILANDINUS, John BAUHINE, KENT⯑MAN, CAMERARIUS, and our celebrated countryman Dr. CAIUS, to ſelect from his new ſpecies, ſuch as they choſe to bear their names, or allow to him the privilege of adopting what he thought moſt congru⯑ous. By the ſame kind of tribute we learn, from his letters, that he propoſed to record the names of his friends GASSERUS, OCCO, ARETIUS, and ſeveral others.

MATTHIOLUS, however, actually re⯑ſtored the uſage, by the application of the term Cortuſa to a new plant, in honour of [47] CORTUSUS, the ſucceſſor of GUILANDI⯑NUS, in the garden of Padua; and CLU⯑SIUS followed his example, by calling the Contrayerva of the ſhops Drakaena, in ho⯑nour of Sir Francis DRAKE; from which time it was ſparingly practiſed, until after the invention of ſyſtem; and the conſtruc⯑tion of generical characters, at the latter end of the laſt century. TOURNEFORT, PLUMIER, and PETIVER, led the way, and have been followed by all ſucceeding writers of note, and by none more than by LIN⯑NAEUS himſelf. It may be ſtiled the apo⯑theoſis of botaniſts; and LINNAEUS may be compared to the high prieſt, who has thus immortalized a numerous group of cele⯑brated men.

The practice, however, was ſeverely cen⯑ſured by ſome of the older botaniſts, who objected, that theſe names, having no con⯑nection with the form, nature, habit, or properties of the plant, conveyed no idea of diſtinction. But the objection, if duly weighed, is of no force; ſince there is not, perhaps, a ſingle appellation, even among the beſt, of Greek etymology, however aptly [48] framed, which conveys any character of the genus, that might not with equal propriety have been applied to a multitude of others.

The free uſe that PLUMIER made of this privilege, in honouring ſo great a number of Engliſhmen, does equal credit to his own diſcernment, and impartiality, and to the merit of thoſe on whom he beſtowed this laurel. On this account, I hope it may not be ungrateful to the reader, to digreſs ſo far, as to introduce a ſhort notice of this liberal-minded foreigner.

PLUMIER.

Charles PLUMIER was born at Marſeilles, in the year 1646; and, after a claſſical edu⯑cation, devoted himſelf to a religious life; and, at the age of ſixteen, entered into the order of the Minime Friars. Being early inclined to mechanics and philoſophy, he ſtudied mathematics, at Toulouſe, under Pére Maignan, a celebrated profeſſor of the ſcience, and of the ſame order. In ſome of his leiſure hours, he amuſed himſelf in the practice of Turning, having been taught theart by his father; and became ſo great [49] a proficient, that he wrote a book on the ſubject. Under Pére Maignan, he alſo learned to make lenſes, mirrors, micro⯑ſcopes, and other inſtruments of philoſo⯑phy; and early acquired the arts of deſign⯑ing and painting. He was ſoon after ſent by his ſuperiors to Rome, where his cloſe application to his ſtudies, and to theſe arts, together with optics and mathematics, de⯑ranged his health. In this ſituation, he ſought for relaxation in the ſtudy of botany, under the lectures of Pére SERGEANT, in a convent at Rome, and in the inſtructions of Francis de ONUPHRIIS, an Italian phy⯑ſician, and of Sylvius BOCCONE, a Sicilian. By theſe connections, he was inſenſibly led to devote himſelf to his new ſtudy. Being recalled by his order into Provence, he was placed in a convent near Hyeres, and ob⯑tained leave of his ſuperiors to ſearch the coaſts of that country, and the neighbour⯑ing Alps, for plants. At this time, he con⯑ceived a deſign of forming a new Pinax, or "General Hiſtory of Vegetables," for which he had made many drawings, and collected materials; but his ſubſequent deſtination [50] prevented his making an effectual progreſs in this deſign. He ſoon after became ac⯑quainted with TOURNEFORT, then on his botanical tour in the South of France; and, together with GARIDEL, profeſſor of bo⯑tany at Aix, accompanied that eminent man in his reſearches.

Thus qualified, and while he was herbo⯑rizing on the coaſt of Marſeilles, he was choſen as the aſſociate of SURIAN, to ex⯑plore the French ſettlements in the Weſt Indies. The French were ſtimulated to this expedition, by the ſucceſs of our great na⯑turaliſt, SLOANE, in Jamaica. PLUMIER acquitted himſelf ſo well, that he was twice ſent afterwards, at the King's expence, to compleat the natural hiſtory of the Antilles; and was rewarded with the title of Botaniſt to the King, and an increaſed penſion each time. He paſſed two years in thoſe iſlands, and on the neighbouring continent; but made Domingo his principal reſidence. He made deſigns and paintings of many hundred plants, on a ſcale as large as the life; be⯑ſides numerous figures of birds, fiſhes, and inſects.

[51] On his return from his ſecond voyage, by the intereſt of M. PONTCHARTRAIN, he procured the firſt ſpecimen of his labours to be publiſhed at the Louvre, under the title of "Deſcription des Plantes de l' Ame⯑rique." Fol. 1695. pp. 94. tab. 108. The firſt fifty of theſe tables repreſent Ferns; the remainder, divers ſpecies of the Arum genus; the Piper, Paſſiflorae, Rajania, Dolichos, and various others. The figures conſiſt of little more than outlines; but being as large as the life, and drawn with great accuracy and freedom, they have a very fine effect. The deſcriptions are in French.

On his return from the third voyage, he ſettled at Paris, in the character of his or⯑der; and, in 1703, publiſhed his "Nova Plantarum Genera." 4^o. In this work, which is conſtructed on the plan of TOURNE⯑FORT's "Inſtitutions of Botany," the au⯑thor deſcribes, and figures, the characters of 106 new genera; among which are many of the plants uſed in medicine. It is in this book he pays the tribute, ſo often ſpe⯑cified, not only to the manes of deceaſed botaniſts, but to ſeveral eminent men then [52] living: he has, in this way, given appella⯑tions to more than fifty genera, taken from the names of botaniſts.

In the courſe of theſe pages, thoſe gene⯑rical terms, which have been formed from the names of Engliſh botaniſts of renown, thus celebrated by Father PLUMIER, are mentioned under their reſpective articles: but I here collect them into one view:

• Gerardia.
• Lobelia.
• Moriſonia.
• Parkinſonia.
• Petiveria.
• Plukenetia.
• Rajania.
• Sloanea.
• Turnera.

In the year 1704, he was prevailed on by M. FAGON, to undertake a voyage to Peru, to diſcover and delineate the Peruvian Bark tree. Nothing but the greateſt zeal for ſcience, could induce a man at the age of fifty-eight, to attempt ſo perilous a voyage. While he was waiting for the ſhip, to em⯑bark with a new viceroy at Port St. Mary, near Cadiz, he was ſeized with a pleuriſy, and died.

Having, before his departure from Paris, prepared for the preſs his "Traité des Fou⯑geres [53] de l'Amerique," it was printed in folio, in 1705; pp. 146. tab. 172. The text in French and Latin. All the Ferns contained in the former volume enter again into this; and, as this likewiſe was printed at the King's expence, it has all the advantages in the execution, that accompanies royal mu⯑nificence.

We are informed by Dr. LISTER, that PLUMIER left behind him drawings of plants, ſufficient to make ten volumes, equal to the firſt book above mentioned. They are ſaid to have amounted to 1400. Some of theſe remained in the convent at Paris, to which PLUMIER belonged: others were in the King's library. From the latter, BOERHAAVE procured copies of 508 ſpe⯑cies, done by AUBRIET, under the inſpec⯑tion of VAILLANT. Theſe were publiſhed in 1755-1760, by Profeſſor BURMAN, at Amſterdam, in ten faſciculi, accompanied with 262 plates, on which are engraven upwards of 400 ſpecies: and Dr. BLOCH, of Berlin, has procured many of the fiſhes for his late ſplendid work on ichthyology.

[54] PLUMIER was the author of two diſſerta⯑tions; one in the "Journal des Scavans" of 1694; the other in the "Journal des Tre⯑voux;" to prove that cochineal was an in⯑ſect; a fact doubted by many at that time, and concerning which his own teſtimony had been controverted. In the ſame work occur ſome publications by PLUMIER, on other zoological ſubjects.

His L'Art de Tourner was firſt publiſhed at Lyons in 1701; and a ſecond time at Paris, ſo lately as in 1749, in folio, with eighty plates. It is ſpoken of as a curious and ſingular work, containing the moſt compleat inſtructions relating to that art, that are to be met with.

BANISTER.

JOHN BANISTER, is mentioned by Mr. RAY in very high terms, as a man of talents in natural hiſtory. He firſt made a voyage to the Eaſt Indies, where he remain⯑ed ſome time; but was afterwards fixed in Virginia. In that country he induſtriouſly ſought for plants, deſcribed them, and him⯑ſelf drew the figures of the rare ſpecies: he was alſo celebrated for his knowledge of inſects, and meditated writing the natural hiſtory of Virginia, for which, Mr. RAY [56] obſerves that he was every way qualified, He ſent to RAY, in 1680, "A Catalogue of Plants obſerved by him in Virginia;" which was publiſhed in the ſecond volume of RAY's Hiſtory, p. 1928.

The world was deprived of much of the fruit of his labours, by his untimely death. BANISTER increaſed the liſt of martyrs to natural hiſtory. In one of his excurſions, in purſuit of his object, he fell from the rocks, and periſhed. His Herbarium came into the poſſeſſion of Sir Hans SLOANE, who thought it a conſiderable acquiſition.

The following papers, written by Mr. BANISTER, were publiſhed in the Philoſo⯑phical Tranſactions:

A Catalogue of ſeveral Curioſities found in Virginia. N^o 198. p. 667.

Obſervations on the Muſca Lupus of MOUFFET, in Virginia. They relate to the balancers or poiſers, called by LIN⯑NAEUS Halteres, fixed under the wings of the order of Diptera among inſects. N^o 198. p. 670.

On ſeveral Sorts of Snails obſerved in Virginia. Ib. p. 672.

[57] A Deſcription of the Piſtolochia, or Ser⯑pentaria Virginiana, the Snake-root of the ſhops (Ariſtolochia Serpentaria, Lin.) N^o 247. p. 467^*.

VERNON AND KREIG.

About the ſame time with BANISTER, as I conjecture, Mr. William VERNON, fel⯑low of St. Peter's College, Cambridge, and Dr. David KREIG, a German phyſician, led by their genius for botany, made a voyage to Maryland. They returned, after having collected an Herbarium of ſeveral hundred new and undeſcribed plants. Theſe came into the poſſeſſion of Sir Hans SLOANE, by whoſe liberal communication they were inſerted in the "Supplement" to RAY's Hiſtory. Mr. VERNON is alſo ſpoken of by RAY, as not leſs ſkilful and aſſiduous in the purſuit of Engliſh plants, [58] and of all other branches of natural know⯑ledge. His diſcoveries in the Cryptogamia claſs were numerous.

Of Dr. KREIG, I can give no further account than that he was of Saxony. I con⯑jecture, that after his return from Mary⯑land, he retired into his native country. He was the friend and correſpondent of DALE, who, in his Pharmacologia, introduces his name in the moſt reſpectful manner, for notices communicated by him; and ranks him among the few eminent men of the time, who excelled in the knowledge of the Ma⯑teria Medica and Chemiſtry. Dr. KREIG was not living when DALE publiſhed the third edition of the above-mentioned work, in 1737.

Dr. KREIG communicated to the Royal Society, "An Account of Cobalt and the Preparation of Smalt and Arſenic," ac⯑cording to the proceſs uſed at the mines of Shneebergh, in Hermanduria. It was printed in the Philoſophical Tranſactions, N^o 293. Vol. xxiv. p. 1754; with figures of the Furnaces.

CUNNINGHAM.

In the period we are now ſpeaking of, but few voyagers poſſeſſed any conſiderable knowledge of nature; or a ſpirit of en⯑quiry, powerful enough to induce them to ſacrifice their avocations, from intereſted purſuits, to the ſtudy of natural hiſtory. SLOANE, BANISTER, and a few others, were indeed exceptions; and, in this ſketch, it would be injurious to his memory, not to add the name of James CUNNINGHAM, to whom RAY, and particularly PLUKE⯑NET and PETIVER, acknowledge important obligations, for his copious communica⯑tions of new plants.

The merit of Mr. CUNNINGHAM would juſtly demand a more complete gratification of curioſity concerning his life and circum⯑ſtances, than I can ſupply. I can only collect, that he went out in 1698, as ſur⯑geon to the factory, eſtabliſhed by the Eaſt India Company at Emuy, or Amoy, on the coaſt of China; and afterwards, made a [60] ſecond voyage in the ſame capacity, to the ſubſequent eſtabliſhment at Kuſan, or Chu⯑ſan, in 1700, on which iſland he reſided ſome time.

I conjecture alſo, that he was afterwards fixed at Pulo Condore, and was the perſon to whom we owe the account of the maſ⯑ſacre of the Engliſh, by the Macaſſars, at that factory, in 1705, as related in the Mo⯑dern Part of the Univerſal Hiſtory, vol. x. p. 154; edit. 1759. 8^o.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM kept a journal of the weather in both his voyages to China; and during his reſidence on the iſle of Chuſan, he appears to have been very active in col⯑lecting the productions of that place. He ſent over to PLUKENET and PETIVER a very large number of new plants, as is evi⯑dent from an inſpection of their writings. In the "Amaltheum" of PLUKENET, his name occurs in almoſt every page.

From the iſland of Aſcenſion, Mr. CUN⯑NINGHAM tranſmitted to PETIVER an ac⯑count of the plants, and ſhells, he obſerved there. He ſent a journal of his voyage, [61] and an account of the Iſle of Chuſan, which was printed in the Philoſophical Tranſactions, N^o 280. vol. xxiii. p. 1201. It conveys many intereſting particulars to the Engliſh reader, relating to the inhabitants, their fiſheries, agriculture, and arts. He corrects ſeveral miſtakes of Father MARTINI, and LE COMPTE; and is, I believe, the firſt Engliſh writer, who gives an accurate hiſ⯑tory of the Tea Tree: which, although but ſhort, is authenticated by the lateſt deſcrip⯑tion given us by THUNBERG, in the "Flo⯑ra Japonica."

Beſides this account of Chuſan, I find the following papers, written by Mr. CUN⯑NINGHAM, and printed in the Philoſophical Tranſactions.

A Catalogue of Plants and Shells, col⯑lected on the Iſle of Aſcenſion. N^o 255. vol. xxi. p. 295.

Obſervations on the Weather at Emuy, in China, in 1698, 1699; with the State of the Barometer. N^o 256. vol. xxi. p. 323.

On the Declination of the Needle, and a [62] Thermometrical Obſervation, near the Line. N^o 264. vol. xxii. p. 577.

A Meteorological Regiſter of the Wea⯑ther, in a Voyage to China, in 1700; and a Regiſter of the Weather at Chuſan, in China. N^o 292. p. 1639, and 1648.

BROWN.

Beſides Mr. GUNNINGHAM, there were two ingenious ſurgeons of the name of BROWN, reſident in the Eaſt Indies, contem⯑porary with PLUKENET, and PETIVER, to whom theſe writers were under ſingular obligations, for the liberality and import⯑ance of their communications, both of ve⯑getable and animal productions, from the Eaſt Indies.

Mr. Samuel BROWN was ſurgeon to the Fort at St. George, now called Madras. His correſpondence with Mr. PETIVER, and his collections, have been noticed be⯑fore.

The name of Mr. Alexander BROWN oc⯑curs in many parts of PLUKENET's works. [63] He diſcovered ſeveral new plants, both in the Eaſt Indies, and at the Cape of Good Hope ^*.

GLEN.

Among the contemporaries of Mr. RAY, I am led, from private information, to men⯑tion Andrew GLEN, M.A. a divine, who, although his name does not occur in the writings of his time, was the friend and ac⯑quaintance of that eminent man; having probably acquired a taſte for ſimilar purſuits, from a frequent intercourſe with him, at the ſeat of his illuſtrious friend, Mr. WIL⯑LUGHBY, near Nottingham. I have ſeen an Herbarium, collected by Mr. GLEN, which bears date in 1685, containing up⯑wards of ſeven hundred indigenous, and two hundred exotic plants. Some of theſe [64] were collected in the tour on the continent. He afterwards travelled into Sweden and Italy; and reſided ſome time at Turin, where he began another collection, which is dated 1692; but contained not more than two hundred ſpecimens. This Herbarium, all circumſtances conſidered, was not mean for the time in which it was made. Mr. GLEN was afterwards rector of Hatherne, in Leiceſterſhire, where he died at an ad⯑vanced age.

SLOANE.

AT the ſame period of time, lived RAY, MORISON, PLUKENET, PE⯑TIVER, SLOANE, and SHERARD, under whoſe countenance, and culture, the know⯑ledge of nature received the moſt rapid and ſubſtantial improvement, which it had ever experienced. In this period, ſyſtem had been revived and improved by MORISON, RAY, HERMAN, TOURNEFORT, and RI⯑VINUS. In this period alſo, RHEDE, RUM⯑PHIUS, PLUMIER, and SLOANE, publiſhed [66] thoſe great works in exotic botany, which have immortalized their names. This pe⯑riod was the cloſe of the laſt century; which, as it has been called by the elegant and learned author of the "Eſſay on the Ge⯑nius and Writings of Pope," ‘"the Gol⯑den Age of Learning in England;"’ ſo has LINNAEUS named it, in his Allegorical Hiſ⯑tory of the Riſe and Progreſs of this Sci⯑ence, "The GOLDEN AGE OF BOTANY;" and SLOANE was one of its brighteſt orna⯑ments.

Of the life of this great patron of natural ſcience, it would be ſuperfluous in me to attempt a detailed account; ſince this tri⯑bute has been paid to his memory in the "Eloge of the French Academy," in the "Biographia Britannica," the "Biographical Dictionary," and other collections of that kind, in daily uſe. Hence, I ſhall, from theſe publications, extract only the outlines of his life, as they are connected with, and tend to clucidate, his general character, his acquirements in natural hiſtory, and his bo⯑tanical publications.

Sir Hans SLOANE was deſcended from [67] parents, originally of Scottiſh extraction, and was born at Killileagh, in the county of Down, in Ireland, April 16, 1660. His younger years were marked by a ſtrong at⯑tachment to the works of nature. At ſix⯑teen, his ſtudies were interrupted by ill health, in conſequence of a ſpitting of blood, which confined him for three years. On his amendment, he ſtudied the preliminary branches of phyſic in London, for four years; chemiſtry, under a pupil of the great STAHL; his favourite ſcience, at Chelſea Garden, then but juſt eſtabliſhed; and, young as he was, contracted during that time, an acquaintance with BOYLE and RAY. Mr. SLOANE afterwards, in com⯑pany with Mr. Tancred ROBINSON, and another ſtudent, viſited France for improve⯑ment. At Paris, he attended TOURNE⯑FORT and DU VERNEY; and is ſuppoſed to have taken his degrees in medicine at Mont⯑pelier; ſome ſay, at Orange. He returned to London at the latter end of the year 1684, and became the favourite of Dr. SYDEN⯑HAM, who took him into his houſe, and zea⯑louſly promoted his intereſt. In November [68] 1684, he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society; and, in April 1687, entered into the college of phyſicians. Theſe early ad⯑vancements in the profeſſional line, are the ſtrongeſt preſumptions in favour of his ſu⯑perior knowledge, and promiſing abilities. Yet theſe flattering proſpects he relin⯑quiſhed, to gratify his ardour for natural knowledge.

On the 12th of September 1687, and in the 28th year of his age, he embarked for Jamaica, as phyſician to the Duke of Albe⯑marle; and touched at Madeira, Barbadoes, Nevis, and St. Kitt's. The Duke dying on the 19th of December, ſoon after their ar⯑rival at Jamaica, Dr. SLOANE's ſtay on the iſland did not exceed fifteen months. Dur⯑ing this time, however, ſuch was his appli⯑cation, that, in the language of his French eulogiſt, had he not converted, as it were, his minutes into hours, he could not have made thoſe numerous acquiſitions, which contributed ſo largely to extend the know⯑ledge of nature; while they laid the founda⯑tion of his own future ſame and fortune.

Here I am led to obſerve, that ſeveral [69] circumſtances concurred reſpecting the voy⯑age of Dr. SLOANE to Jamaica, which rendered it peculiarly ſucceſsful to natural hiſtory. He was the firſt man of learning, whom the love of ſcience alone had led from England, to that diſtant part of the globe; and, conſequently, the field was wholly open to him. He was already well acquainted with the diſcoveries of the age. He had an enthuſiaſm for his object, and was at an age, when both activity of body, and vivacity of mind, concur to vanquiſh difficulties. Under this happy coincidence of circum⯑ſtances, it is not ſtrange that Dr. SLOANE returned home with a rich harveſt. In fact, beſides a proportional number of ſubjects from the animal kingdom, he brought from Jamaica, and the other iſlands they touched at, not fewer than 800 different ſpecies of plants. A number, very far beyond what had been imported, by any individual into England before.

Dr. SLOANE returned from his voyage on the 29th of May 1689; and, fixing in London, ſoon became eminent. He was choſen phyſician to Chriſt's Hoſpital, in [70] 1694. In the preceding year, he had been elected ſecretary to the Royal Society, and had revived the publication of the Philoſo⯑phical Tranſactions, which had been inter⯑rupted from the year 1687. This office he held till 1712, and was then ſucceeded by Dr. HALLEY.

In 1695, Dr. SLOANE married Elizabeth, daughter of Alderman Langley, of London. She died in 1724. She brought him, be⯑ſides a ſon, and daughter, who died young, two other daughters, who ſurvived, and were advantageouſly married; the eldeſt to George Stanley, Eſq of the county of Hants; and the younger to Lord Cadogan.

It was about this time that he became an active member of the college, in pro⯑moting the plan of a diſpenſary for the poor; which was at length carried into effect. The feuds excited on this occaſion gave riſe to the celebrated ſatire from Dr. GARTH.

It was not till the year 1696 that Dr. SLOANE publiſhed the Prodromus to his Hiſtory of Jamaica Plants, under the title of "CATALOGUS PLANTARUM QUAE IN [71] INSULA JAMAICA SPONTE PROVENIUNT, vel vulgo coluntur; cum earundem Synonymis et Locis natalibus; adjectis aliis quibuſdam quae in Inſulis Maderae, Barbados, Nieves, et Sancti Chriſtophori naſcuntur: ſeu Prodromi Hiſtoriae Naturalis Jamaicae Pars Prima." 8^o. 1696. pp. 232. Praeter Indicem valde copioſum Nominum et Synonymorum.

This volume, intrinſically valuable as it is, my yet be conſidered as only the no⯑menclature, or ſyſtematic index to his ſub⯑ſequent work. The arrangement of the ſubject (and which was ſtrictly followed in "The Hiſtory,") is nearly that of Mr. RAY; vegetables being thrown into twenty-five large natural claſſes, or families. Among botaniſts of that time, generical characters had not attained any remarkable preciſion; and SLOANE, like PLUKENET, was little farther anxious, than to refer his new plants to ſome genus already eſtabliſhed, without a minute attention to the parts of fructifi⯑cation, farther than as they formed part of the character drawn from habit: yet with this defect, the figures and deſcriptions of SLOANE proved ſufficiently accurate to en⯑able [72] his ſucceſſors to refer almoſt all his ſpecies, to the appropriate places in the ſyſ⯑tem of the preſent day.

By this neglect of conſtructing genera, SLOANE nevertheleſs threw into the hands of PLUMIER the grateful opportunity which he embraced, of naming the plants of his inveſtigations after celebrated botaniſts. In juſtice, however, to PLUMIER, it has been before obſerved, that he was not parſimo⯑nious in the diſtribution of theſe favours, to the merit of Engliſhmen.

It is worthy of obſervation, that among theſe claſſes, there are only two plants be⯑longing to the Umbelliferous tribe, and but one genus of the Aſperifoliae, namely, the Heliotropium. The ferns, on the other hand, are very numerous all over the Weſt India iſlands. SLOANE has above one hun⯑dred ſpecies; and PLUMIER, a few years afterwards, detected many more.

In this volume, however ſmall in bulk, yet vaſt in labour, there is a circumſtance much to the credit of SLOANE, which muſt be obvious to every intelligent naturaliſt. It is the care which the author has taken to [73] conſult every poſſible reſource, in order to diſcriminate his plants, and avoid an unne⯑ceſſary multiplication of ſpecies, by deſcrib⯑ing that as new, which was before known. So numerous a ſet of ſynonyms had never been inſerted in any local catalogue; and SLOANE greatly enhanced its value, by a moſt commendable addition; having, with incredible labour, referred to every traveller of note for all the vegetables renowned for utility in medicine, arts, or oeconomy. In this inſtance, it is much to be regretted that ſo praiſe-worthy an example has not been more frequently imitated by ſucceed⯑ing botaniſts.

Before I diſmiſs this volume, I muſt mention an inſtance of the liberality of its author, in allowing Mr. RAY the free uſe of his manuſcripts of the Jamaica plants, on the publication of the third volume of his "Hiſtory," in 1704. Accordingly, we find all SLOANE's new plants, with the de⯑ſcriptions at large, inſerted in that work. He alſo communicated a liſt of Engliſh plants, which he had obſerved ſpontaneouſly growing in Jamaica. This was printed in [74] the ſecond edition of the Synopſis, and con⯑tinued by DILLENIUS in the third.

Dr. SLOANE began early to form a mu⯑ſeum, and it was, by the collections made in his voyage, become conſiderable; but the aera of its celebrity was not till 1702, when it received the augmentation of Mr. COUR⯑TEN's valuable ſtores. United by ſimilar taſte, Dr. SLOANE had formed, with this gentleman, an early and ſtrict friendſhip; and a perpetual interchange of communi⯑cations, and good offices, had ſubſiſted be⯑tween them; of which Sir Hans himſelf bears public teſtimony in his writings. It is not poſſible, at this time, to aſcertain the ex⯑tent of Mr. COURTEN's collection; but it is ſufficiently certain that it was very ample: the acquiſition of it added new ardour and diligence to our naturaliſt, in the augment⯑ation of it. He has himſelf exhibited a ge⯑neral ſtatement of the contents of his mu⯑ſeum, twenty-two years after its enlarge⯑ment by the above-mentioned collection. By this it appears, that the ſubjects of na⯑tural hiſtory alone, excluſive of two hundred volumes of preſerved plants, amounted to [75] more than 26,200 articles. They were af⯑terwards augmented to upwards of 30,600; as may be ſeen by "A General View of the Contents," publiſhed a year before his death.—And here I cannot but obſerve, that the curious are under ſingular obligation to the author of the article COURTEN, in the fourth volume of the new edition of the Biogra⯑phia Britannica, who has, with great labour, brought to light ſo many intereſting me⯑moirs relating to Mr. COURTEN, and his family. His truly laborious reſearches have done equal juſtice to that gentleman, and to Sir Hans SLOANE, by reſcuing the hiſtory of their connexion from great miſrepreſent⯑ation. Hence we learn, that Dr. SLOANE, as executor to his friend, ſo far from ac⯑quiring the acceſſion of Mr. COURTEN's muſeum at a dear rate, as had been repre⯑ſented in the preceding edition, obtained it at a price greatly under its original, and real value.

SLOANE.

IN the year 1701, Dr. SLOANE was in⯑corporated doctor of phyſic at Oxford; and was aſſociated member of ſeveral aca⯑demies on the continent. In 1707, he publiſhed the firſt volume of his hiſtory, under the following title:

"A VOYAGE to the Iſlands Madeira, Barbadoes, Nevis, St. Chriſtopher's, and Jamaica; with the Natural Hiſtory of the Herbs and Trees, four-footed Beaſts, Fiſhes, Birds, Inſects, Reptiles, &c. To [77] which is prefixed an Introduction, where⯑in is an Account of the Inhabitants, Air, Waters, Diſeaſes, Trade, &c. of that Place; with ſome Relations concerning the neighbouring Continent and Iſlands of America." Vol. i. 1707. fol. pp. 254. tab. 156.

This volume is dedicated to the queen. The introduction contains 154 pages, and is replete with matter of an intereſting na⯑ture, and evidently diſplays the great pains the author took to collect materials for this work. It comprehends a general account of the diſcovery of the Weſt Indies, and of the iſland of Jamaica in particular: the geo⯑graphy, the climate, and ſoil; food, man⯑ners, and economy of the various inhabi⯑tants: deſcription of a tour the author made to various parts of the country, and eſpeci⯑ally to the ruins of Sevilla, with an account of the church built by Peter Martyr: a liſt of more than fifty European vegetables, principally of the culinary tribe, cultivated in the gardens of Jamaica. He concludes with an hiſtory of the diſeaſes, and the de⯑tail of many caſes which came under his [78] own obſervation. Then follows the jour⯑nal of the voyage; with ample deſcriptions of the marine animals obſerved in the courſe of it: the plants obſerved at Madeira, ſeve⯑ral of which are figured in the work itſelf: obſervations of the like kind made at Bar⯑badoes. The remainder of the volume con⯑tains a methodical arrangement, and de⯑ſcription, of all the ſubmarine, and herba⯑ceous plants, natives of the iſland; amount⯑ing to 550 and upwards. Very few ſyno⯑nyms are here introduced; but references, in general, made to the copious collection of them in his "Catalogue." To each plant the author has ſubjoined, from medi⯑cal authors, and from travellers, the moſt ample account of their ſeveral uſes.

The ſecond volume was not publiſhed till the year 1725, and was dedicated to the king. The reaſons of this delay are aſſigned in the introduction, and were, principally, the care, the arrangement, and deſcription of his muſeum. The acceſſion of Mr. COURTEN's collection has been remarked above; and that of PETIVER, in 1718, gave Sir Hans much employment. PETI⯑VER [79] had amaſſed a greater quantity of the productions of nature, than any man be⯑fore him: but he had not preſerved them with a care equal to the zeal with which he acquired them; and it demanded extraordi⯑nary diligence to recover them from the in⯑jury they had ſuſtained. It is in the intro⯑duction to this volume that Sir Hans gives a general inventory of his Library, and Mu⯑ſeum, as it ſtood in the year 1725, which has been noticed before; and, by the com⯑pariſon of which with later eſtimates, it ap⯑pears how greatly he increaſed it after that time.

This ſecond volume comprehends five hundred pages, and completes the vegetable part, and the animal kingdom. The new plants are nearly all figured. The plates are continued to the number of 274. The laſt forty belong to the animals, of which, ſome of all the claſſes, the Mammalia ex⯑cepted, are here exhibited.

To the curious botaniſt, it will be ob⯑ſervable, that out of 800 vegetables, de⯑ſcribed in theſe volumes, above 100 are Ferns; and that of the others, more than 250 ſpecies are of the arboreſcent kind. [80] Subſequent voyagers have eſtabliſhed it as a fact, that in the warmer and intertropical regions, this latter claſs conſtitutes, in a general way, the third part of the vegetable productions of nature. Abundantly the re⯑verſe of this takes place in temperate and cold climates.

In theſe volumes Sir Hans has introduced all his quotations at length from the books of travels mentioned in the "Catalogue," to illuſtrate the various uſes of each vege⯑table. They exhibit a proof of the author's induſtry, which, I conceive, it is difficult to parallel in any other work. The tables, which were principally engraved by Vander Gucht, although on a large ſcale, yet hav⯑ing the diſadvantage of being done from dried ſpecimens, want thoſe natural atti⯑tudes which grace more modern perform⯑ances. In this volume, Sir Hans takes va⯑rious occaſions to defend himſelf from the ſtrictures of PLUKENET; and, in his turn, criticiſes that author, though in a language much leſs cenſurable than that of the Man⯑tiſſa.

The voyage of Dr. SLOANE was produc⯑tive of much ſubſequent benefit to ſcience, [81] by exciting an emulation, both in Britain and on the continent. Sir Arthur RAW⯑DON, upon viewing his ſplendid collection, ſent James HARLOW, a ſkilful gardener, to Jamaica, who returned with a ſhip al⯑moſt laden with plants, in a vegetating ſtate; and with a great number of dried ſpe⯑cimens. Of the latter, SLOANE had all ſuch as were new, before he publiſhed his firſt volume. Many of the living plants ſucceeded in the garden of Sir Arthur, at Moyra, in Ireland; and many were diſtri⯑buted into the garden of the Biſhop of Lon⯑don, at Fulham; Dr. UVEDALE's, at En⯑field; the Chelſea Garden; and eſpecially into that of her Grace the Ducheſs of BEAU⯑FORT, at Badminton, in Glouceſterſhire: the botanic gardens of Amſterdam, Leyden, Leipſic, and Upſal, ſhared theſe rarities. TOURNEFORT ſent Dr. GUNDELSCHEI⯑MER, his aſſociate in his oriental journey, into England, to view SLOANE's plants; and this gave occaſion to PLUMIER's ex⯑pedition into the Caribbee Iſlands.

Dr. SLOANE entered very early into cor⯑reſpondence with Mr. RAY. His firſt let⯑ter [82] bears date in 1684; and DE [...]HAM's col⯑lection contains thirteen. Moſt of them have reference to botanical ſubjects, while they evidence the mutual friendſhip of the wri⯑ters; a cirumſtance indeed very pathetically expreſſed by Mr. RAY, in the laſt letter he ever wrote; which was but a few days be⯑fore his death, being dated Jan. 7, 1704.

In 1708, he was elected a foreign mem⯑ber of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Pa⯑ris; a diſtinction of the higheſt eſtimation in ſcience; and the greater at that time, as the French nation was at war with Eng⯑land, and the queen's conſent was neceſſary to the acceptance of it. He was frequently conſulted by Queen Ann, who, in her laſt illneſs, was blooded by him. On the ac⯑ceſſion of George I. he was created a baro⯑net; being the firſt Engliſh phyſician on whom an hereditary title of honour had been conferred. He was appointed Phyſi⯑cian General to the Army, which office he enjoyed till 1727, when he was made Phy⯑ſician to King George II. He gained the confidence of Queen Caroline, and pre⯑ſcribed for the royal family till his death.

[83] In 1719, Sir Hans was elected Preſident of the College of Phyſicians, which ſtation he held ſixteen years, and during that time he gave ſignal proofs of his zeal for the in⯑tereſts of that body.

On purchaſing the manor of Chelſea, he gave the fee ſimple of the Botanial Garden to the Company of Apothecaries, on condi⯑tions, which will more properly be ſpeci⯑fied in a ſubſequent part of this work.

On the death of Sir Iſaac NEWTON, in 1727, Sir Hans SLOANE was advanced to the preſidency of the Royal Society of London, the intereſt of which no man had ever more uniformly promoted. He made the Society a preſent of 100 guineas, and a buſt of the founder, King Charles II. Thus, in the zenith of proſperity, he preſided, at the ſame time, over the two moſt illuſtrious ſcientific bodies in the kingdom: and, while he diſ⯑charged the reſpective duties of each ſtation, with credit and honour, he alſo enjoyed the moſt extenſive and dignified employment as a phyſician. He occupied theſe important ſtations from the year 1719 to 1733, when he reſigned the preſidency of the College of Phyſicians; and, in 1740, at the age of [84] fourſcore, that of the Royal Society; having formed the reſolution of withdrawing from the buſtle of life into retirement at Chelſea. In 1741, he removed his Library, and Muſeum; and, on the 12th of May, fixed at his new manſion, where, occaſionally vi⯑ſited by his friends, and by all men of diſ⯑tinction from abroad, he paſſed in ſerenity, and in the conſtant exerciſe of benevolence, the laſt twelve years of his life, which ter⯑minated Jan. 11, 1752, O.S.

Sir Hans SLOANE was tall, and well made in his perſon; eaſy, polite, and en⯑gaging in his manners; ſprightly in his converſation; and obliging to all. To fo⯑reigners he was extremely courteous, and ready to ſhew and explain his curioſities to all who gave him timely notice of their viſit. He kept an open table once a week for his learned friends, particularly thoſe of the Royal Society. In the aggregation of his vaſt collection of books, he is ſaid to have ſent his duplicates, either to the Royal College of Phyſicians, or to the Bodleian Library.

He was governor of almoſt every hoſpi⯑tal [85] in London; and to each, after having given an hundred pounds in his life-time, he left a more conſiderable legacy at his death. He was ever a benefactor to the poor, who felt the conſequences of his death ſeverely. He was zealous in promoting the eſtabliſhment of the colony of Georgia, in 1732; and formed, himſelf, the plan for bringing up the children in the Foundling Hoſpital, in 1739.

In the exerciſe of his function as a phy⯑ſician, he is ſaid to have been remarkable for the certainty of his prognoſtics; and the hand of the anatomiſt verified, in a ſignal manner, the truth of his predictions, relat⯑ing to the ſeat of diſeaſes. By his practice, he not only confirmed the efficacy of the Peruvian Bark in intermittents, but extend⯑ed its uſe in fevers of other denominations, in nervous diſorders, and in gangrenes and hemorrhages. The ſanction he gave to in⯑oculation, by performing that operation on ſome of the royal family, encouraged, and much accelerated its progreſs throughout the kingdom. His ointment for the Leu⯑coma [86] has not yet loſt its credit with many reputable names in phyſic.

Poſſeſſed of affluence, entirely the reward of his own merit, Sir Hans SLOANE en⯑joyed, through a long life, every ſatisfaction that ſcience could beſtow; and, in the Bri⯑tiſh Muſeum, has not only erected the no⯑bleſt monument to his own fame, but a temple alſo to the culture of learning and of ſcience, which will tranſmit his dona⯑tion to future ages, as a ſignal inſtance of the munificence of a private individual.

That the liſt of Sir Hans SLOANE's wri⯑tings may be complete, I ſhall, in confor⯑mity with my general plan in other in⯑ſtances, recite thoſe papers which were printed in the Philoſophical Tranſactions. Many of theſe convey ſuch intereſting lite⯑rary information, and abound with ſuch facts and obſervations, as will long give them a value, with all who remember the eminent abilities and ſervices of the author, and have a reliſh for the like reſearches.

The firſt of Dr. SLOANE's papers in the Philoſophical Tranſactions, is, a Deſcription [87] of the Jamaica Pepper Tree (Myrtus Pi⯑menta Lin.); with an account of curing the Berries; and of the Oil diſtilled from them, commonly ſold for Carpobalſamum. N^o 192. Vol. xvii. p. 462; accompanied with a figure.

A Deſcription of the Wild Cinnamon Tree, falſely called Cortex Winteranus (Win⯑terania Canella Lin.) very early celebrated, by the firſt writers on the Weſt Indies, as a medicine for the Scurvy. N^o 192. Vol. xvii. p. 465.

A Deſcription of the Silver Pine (Protea Argentea Lin.); and of another Coniferous Tree; both from the Cape of Good Hope. N^o 198. Vol. xvii. p. 664.

Proofs of the Poiſonous Effects of Dog's Mercury (Mercurialis Cynocrambe, Lin.) N^o 203. Vol. xvii. p. 876.

An Account of the true Cortex Wintera⯑nus (Drimys Winteri Lin. Sup. p. 269.) from the Straights of Magellan. Dr. SLOANE obſerves, that the ſenſible quali⯑ties of this bark are ſo ſimilar to thoſe of the Canella, that he judges they may ſafely [88] be conſidered as ſuccedanea to each other. N^o 204. Vol. xvii. p. 922; with a figure of a ſmall branch.

An Account of the Coffee Shrub, from the firſt ſpecimen brought over from Ara⯑bia Faelix by Mr. CLIVE; with a figure, and an account of the culture of the ſhrub. N^o 208. Vol. xviii. p. 65.

An Account of the Bird called the Con⯑dor of Peru, from the relation of Captain Strong, who had met with one on the coaſt of Chili, which meaſured 16 feet from tip to tip of the wings. This is one of the earlieſt accounts of this bird, after that of De Laet; concerning the ſtrength and rapa⯑city of which, voyagers have related incre⯑dible ſtories. LINNAEUS names it Vultur Gryphus. N^o 208. Vol. xviii. p. 61.

An Account of an Earthquake which happened during Dr. SLOANE's ſtay on the Iſland of Jamaica, Feb. 19, 1687-8. With a Note concerning the great Earthquake of June 7, 1692, which deſtroyed Port Royal. N^o 209. Vol. xviii. p. 80, 81.

Remarks on a vulgar Opinion that the [89] ſwallowing of Stones aſſiſts Digeſtion; oc⯑caſioned by the caſe of a man who had ſwallowed 200 pebbles. N^o 253. Vol. xix. p. 192.

Obſervations on four Kinds of American Fruits, thrown on the ſhores of the North⯑weſt parts of Scotland. Three of theſe were known by the author to be natives of Ja⯑maica.—1. The Cocoons, or the Pods of the Phaſeolus Maximus, &c. Hiſt. Jam. i. p. 178. (Mimoſa Scandens Lin.)—2. The Horſe Eye Bean; Phaſeolus Braſilienſis, &c. Hiſt. Jam. i. p. 178. (Dolichos Pruriens Lin.)—3. The Aſh-coloured Nickar Tree; Lobus Echinatus, &c. Hiſt. Jam. ii. p. 40. (Guilandina Bouduc Lin.)—4. The Fructus Orbicularis ſulcis nerviſque diſtinctus, C.B. pin. 405. b. iv. N^o 222. Vol. xix. p. 298. Theſe, and ſeveral other kinds, which are alſo found plentifully on the coaſt of Nor⯑way, are thought by SLOANE to have been brought by currents, through the Gulph of Florida, into the North American ocean. The appearance of theſe fruits on the Nor⯑thern ſhores of Europe, had been alledged [90] by ſome as proofs of the exiſtence of a North-eaſt paſſage.

An Account of the Foſſil Tongue of a Paſtinaca Marina (Raia Paſtinaca Lin.) dug up in Maryland; with a Compariſon of it with the recent Tongues of the Thornback; illuſtrated with many figures. N^o 232. Vol. xix. p. 674.

Remarks on Dampier's Medicine for the Bite of a Mad Dog, ſpecifying, that it was not a Jew's Ear Fungus, but the Lichen Cinereus Terreſtris of RAY. N^o 237. Vol. xx. p. 52.

Notes on a Paper, written to recommend the Ipecacuanha, as an infallible Remedy in Dyſenteries. Dr. SLOANE recommends it, but ſpeaks in a more moderate ſtile con⯑cerning its efficacy. He ſhews that it was firſt mentioned by an anonymous Portu⯑gueſe, under the name of Ipecaya, or Pigaya. See Purchas's Pilgr. vol. iv. N^o 238. Vol. xx. p. 78.

An Account of the Contents of a China Cabinet, containing Inſtruments and Natu⯑ral Curioſities; preſented to the Royal So⯑ciety [91] by Mr. BUCKLEY, Surgeon at Fort St. George. N^o 246-250. Vol. xx. and xxi.

An Account of the Tartarian Lamb, Agnus Scythicus, or Barometz, heretofore impoſed on the credulous as a kind of Zoo⯑phyte, or vegetating Animal. On exami⯑nation, it proves to be the lower part of the ſtipes, or root, protruding above ground, of a large ſpecies of Fern, judged by ſome to be the Polypodium Aureum, faſhioned into the rude ſhape of the animal. It is natu⯑rally cloathed with a lanugo, or down, of a yellowiſh cheſnut colour, called Poco⯑ſempie in China and the Eaſt, celebrated as an aſtringent, both internally and externally uſed; with a figure of the pretended ani⯑mal. N^o 247. Vol. xx. p. 461.

An Account of the Nux Pepita, or St. Ignatius' Bean (Ignatia Amara Lin. Sup. 149); a ſimple in common uſe in the Phi⯑lippine Iſlands, as a tonic medicine. N^o 249. Vol. xxi. p. 44.

An Account of ſome Seeds, uſed on the coaſt of Malabar and Coromandel, for clarify⯑ing [92] Water. N^o 249. Vol. xxi. p. 44. There can be little doubt that this effect ariſes from the mucilaginous quality.

A Deſcription, with the Figure, of a Miſſeltoe, or Epidendrum, called Wild Pine, in Jamaica, (Tillandſia Utriculata Lin.) the leaves of which form a reſervoir for water, of great uſe in dry ſeaſons. With Obſerva⯑tions on the Oeconomy of ſeveral other Ve⯑getables in the Propagation of the Species. N^o 251. Vol. xxi. p. 113.

Hints for the Improvement of Garden⯑ing, to be drawn from due attention to the nature of the ſoil and climate, &c. of the plants. N^o 251. Vol. xxi. p. 119.

The Method uſed by the Chineſe to make Gold Thread, by gilding paper on one ſide with leaf gold, cutting it into long pieces, and weaving it into their ſilks, which makes them, with little or no coſt, look very rich and fine. N^o 251. Vol. xxi. p. 71.

A Limeſtone Marble, diſcovered in Wales by Dr. LHWYD, determined by Dr. SLOANE to be the Aſtroites of WORMIUS. N^o 252. Vol. xxi. p. 188. (Since called Corallia [93] Aſtroitae.) It is native in the ſeas of Ja⯑maica.

The Caſe of a Dropſy of the Ovarium. N^o 252. Vol. xxi. p. 150.

The Miſchief of ſwallowing Plumb Stones exemplified, in the caſe of a man, in whoſe bowels was found a plumb ſtone incloſed in the center of a calculus aegagropila, which meaſured ſix inches in circumference, and weighed one ounce and an half. N^o 282. Vol. xxiii. p. 1283.

An Account of the Moſſes, or Turf Bogs, in the North of Ireland. N^o 330. Vol. xxvii. p. 296.

Remarks on Mr. S. GRAY's Account of the Foſſils of Reculver Cliff; tending to prove that the wood found there is that of the Oak. N^o 368. Vol. xxii. p. 762.

An Account of a Pair of very extraordinary large Horns, found in a cellar at Wapping; with figures. Dr. HOOK ſuſpected they were the horns of an animal, deſcribed by NIEU⯑HOFF, under the name of Sukotyro, as it is called by the Chineſe. Sir Hans conjectures, they might belong to the Taurus carnivorus of Agatharchides; of which he traces the [94] hiſtory through the writings of the antients; but thinks it very uncertain whether this is the ſame animal with the Sukotyro. N^o 397. Vol. xxxiv. p. 222.

An Account of ſuch Specimens of Ele⯑phants Teeth, and Bones, as are repoſited in the Muſeum of Sir Hans SLOANE; with figures. N^o 403. Vol. xxxv. p. 457. This was introductory to

Remarks on divers Accounts of Teeth, and Bones, found under ground. Ib. N^o 404. p. 497. In which the curious reader meets with much information.

An Account of the Symptoms ariſing from eating the Seeds of Henbane; with Remarks. N^o 429. Vol. xxxviii. p. 99.

Conjectures on the ſaſcinating Power at⯑tributed to the Rattle-ſnake. N^o 433. Vol. xxxviii. p. 321.

Anſwer to the Marquis of CAUMONT's Letter, relating to an extraordinary Calculus of the Bladder. N^o 450. Vol. xl. p. 374. The ſtone is figured in the Tranſactions. In ſhape, it reſembled, in ſome meaſure, a glo⯑bular pyrites beſet with long, blunt, and ramified points. N^o 450. Vol. xl. p. 374.

[95] Anſwer to Mr. POWEL, concerning the Caſe of a Gentlewoman, who voided with her Urine, hairy, cruſtaceous Subſtances; informing him of ſimilar Caſes, and hinting a Method of Cure. N^o 460. Vol. xli. p. 703.

The Deſcription, with a Figure, of a curious Sea Plant; Frutex Marinus flabelli⯑formis cortice verrucoſo obductus. Doodii. Raii Syn. ed. 3. p. 32. (Gorgonia Verru⯑coſa Lin.) N^o 478. Vol. xliv. p. 51. Small ſpecimens have been found on the ſhores of Cornwall; but it has elſewhere grown to the height of four feet.

Accounts of the pretended Serpent Stone, called Pietra de Cobra de Cabelos; and of the Pietra de Mombazzo, or the Rhinoceros Be⯑zoar: with the figure of a Rhinoceros with a double Horn. N^o 492. Vol. xlvi. p. 118.

An Account of Inoculation, by Sir Hans SLOANE, Bart. given to Mr. RANBY to be publiſhed anno 1736. Vol. xlix. p. 516. Curious as a record of the introduction of Inoculation into England; and valuable, as a proof, not only of the candour, and open⯑neſs of the author, but, as exhibiting a ſim⯑plicity [96] in the management, which it would have been happy for ſociety, had it been univerſally adopted by ſucceeding practi⯑tioners^*.

ROYAL SOCIETY.

AMONG thoſe public inſtitutions, which in a ſingular manner invigo⯑rated, in this period, the ſpirit of natural hiſtory in England, the ROYAL SOCIETY of London claims the moſt diſtinguiſhed no⯑tice. In its deſign, as in its progreſs, it was the foſtering parent, and guardian, of [98] natural knowledge. The collection of a muſeum of natural curioſities, was one of the objects in view; and ſuch was the re⯑ſpectability of the ſociety, both as a body, and in its individuals, that, through its means, the whole nation may be ſaid to have amply contributed to its emolument. All new objects of curioſity; all new books, at home and abroad; new diſcoveries throughout all nature, inceſſantly offered themſelves; and thus, not only tended to re⯑move the prejudices that too ſtrongly pre⯑vailed againſt the ſtudies of nature in that age, but, in the event, excited a paſſion in the public, which was ſo ſucceſsfully exert⯑ed in improving, not natural hiſtory alone, but real and uſeful ſcience at large, that it will not be conſidered as an exaggerated encomium to aſſert, that more effectual advancement was made by the influence of this illuſtrious body in one century, than had before taken place from the ear⯑lieſt ages. Botany ſhared theſe benefits; and the early volumes of the Tranſactions abound in records of newly-diſcovered ve⯑getables, and of newly-diſcovered proper⯑ties [99] in that part of the creation. Expe⯑riments of various intention were inſtitu⯑ted by this learned body. Under their au⯑ſpices, the anatomy, and philoſophy of plants, were illuſtrated by GREW, and im⯑proved by HALES. Such memoirs in the Philoſophical Tranſactions as more directly relate to my object, or were written by thoſe whom I commemorate, have been already, or will be, briefly noticed in the courſe of theſe pages.

CHELSEA GARDEN.

I proceed further to obſerve, that, among the aſſiſtances which the ſcience has re⯑ceived from public bodies of men, muſt be mentioned alſo that which ſprung from the Phyſic Garden, founded by the Company of Apothecaries at Chelſea; an inſtitution which reflected the higheſt honour on that reſpectable ſociety. This took place in the year 1673, although the inſcription over the entrance imports, that the Garden was not effectually conſtructed till the year 1686.

From the time of JOHNSON, the editor of GERARD, a cuſtom had prevailed among the London Apothecaries to form a ſociety [100] each ſummer, and make excurſions to in⯑veſtigate plants. The Itinera, publiſhed by JOHNSON, may be conſidered as the fruit of ſuch expeditions in his day. But they had been diſcontinued, as I apprehend, for many years. After the foundation of the Garden, this laudable practice was revived, and the aſſociations fixed to ſtated periods, and put under regulations; the herborizings being now diſtinguiſhed into private and general. The firſt, intended to excite a taſte for botany among the apprentices of the Company, begin on the ſecond Tueſday of April, and are held monthly, on the ſame day, till September incluſively, in ſome of the villages in the immediate neighbour⯑hood of London. At the end of the ſeaſon, the premium of a copy of RAY's Synopſis, (ſince changed for Mr. HUDSON's Flora Anglica) is preſented to the young man who has been the moſt ſucceſsful in diſco⯑vering and inveſtigating the greateſt num⯑ber of plants. The general herborization is annual only, in July; when the Demon⯑ſtrator, and others of the Court of Aſſiſt⯑ants, belonging to the Company, make an excurſion to a conſiderable diſtance from [101] the city, collect the ſcarce plants, and dine together near London; on which occaſion they are frequently accompanied by other gentlemen, who are fond of the ſame pur⯑ſuits.

This inſtitution at Chelſea was rendered more ſtable, and received permanency, from the liberality of Sir Hans SLOANE; who, ſoon after his purchaſe of the manor, in 1721, gave the freehold of the ground, near four acres, to the Company, on condition that the demonſtrator ſhould, in the name of the Company, deliver annually to the Royal Society fifty new plants, till the num⯑ber ſhould amount to 2000, all ſpecifically different from each other; the liſt of which was publiſhed yearly, in the Philoſophical Tranſactions. The firſt was printed in the year 1722, and the catalogues have been continued till the year 1773, at which time the number 2550 was completed. Theſe ſpecimens are duly preſerved in the archives of the Society, for the inſpection of the cu⯑rious.

Under excellent ſuperintendants, Chelſea Garden has flouriſhed; having been excelled, perhaps, by no public inſtitution of the [102] kind in Europe, for the number of curious exotics it contains. Of this, the Dictionary, and Figures of the late Mr. MILLER, af⯑ford ſufficient proofs. The advantages, in⯑deed of this inſtitution are obvious; and even Sir Hans SLOANE himſelf acknow⯑ledged his obligations to it in the early part of his life.

In juſtice to the memory of thoſe who have eminently filled the place of lec⯑turers, and demonſtrators, in the Chelſea Garden, I recite their names, from the time of Sir Hans SLOANE's donation; not being able to aſcend above that period.

Mr. RAND publiſhed, in 1730, in 8^o. Index Plantarum Officinalium Horti Chelſej⯑ani. The liſt contains 518 plants of the Materia Medica; and ſpecifies the part of each uſed in phyſic. The ſame author [103] publiſhed Horti Chelſejani Index Compendia⯑rius. 1739. 8^{o *}.

Joſeph MILLER publiſhed, "Botanicum Officinale; or, A Compendious Herbal: giving an Account of all ſuch Plants as are now uſed in the Practice of Phyſic; with their Deſcriptions and Virtues." 8^o. 1722. pp. 466. The plants are alphabeti⯑cally arranged according to the officinal names. The Summary of the Virtues is, in moſt inſtances, a tranſlation from the Phar⯑macologia of DALE.

Except in the Orthotonia, ſubjoined to Shipton's edition of Pharmacopaeia Bateana, the Botanicum Officinale of MILLER is the only book on the ſubject, not of very mo⯑dern date, in which the ſtudent is aſſiſted in the accentuation of the Latin names of plants; but, from the confined nature of the plan in theſe works, the benefit is not ex⯑tenſive.

Among the favourable circumſtances which contributed to diſtinguiſh, or, I might [104] ſay, helped to form, the Golden Age of Bo⯑tany, before alluded to, was that growing taſte for the cultivation of exotics, which ſprung up among the great and opulent, after the happy return of internal peace by the Reſtoration. Archibald Duke of AR⯑GYLE is ſaid to have been one of the firſt, who was conſpicuous for the introduction of Foreign Trees, and Shrubs. Mr. EVE⯑LYN, both by his writings, and example, encouraged the ſame taſte. He cultivated a garden and plantations at Saye's-Court, near Deptford; and his Sylva remains a mo⯑nument of his learning, and patriotic in⯑tentions, which cannot ſoon be ſuperſeded.

After the Revolution, the Royal Gardens at Hampton-Court were rich in fine plants, and that at St. James's of no inconſiderable note, if we may gueſs by the many new plants PLUKENET received from it. The Du⯑cheſs of BEAUFORT had a garden richly ſtored at Badminton, in Glouceſterſhire. Dr. Henry COMPTON, Biſhop of London, ano⯑ther at Fulham; and many private gentle⯑men vied with each other, in theſe elegant and uſeful amuſements. The gardens of [105] Dr. UVEDALE, of Enfield; of Mr. DU BOIS, an Eaſt India merchant; of Mr. COURTEN, and others, were of the firſt notice; and afforded much aſſiſtance to the labours of RAY, PLUKENET, and PETIVER. The growing commerce of the nation, the more frequent intercourſe with Holland, where immenſe collections from the Dutch colo⯑nies had been made, rendered theſe gratifi⯑cations more eaſily attainable than before; and, from all theſe happy coincidences, ſci⯑ence in general reaped great benefit.

BISHOP COMPTON.

Among thoſe I have juſt enumerated, Dr. Henry COMPTON, Biſhop of London, claims peculiar notice; ſince we learn from Mr. RAY, and PLUKENET, that he joined to his taſte for gardening, a real and ſcien⯑tific knowledge of plants; an attainment not uſual among the great, in thoſe days.

This eminent prelate, ſo diſtinguiſhed for his zeal in the cauſe of Proteſtantiſm, and for the active part he took in promot⯑ing the Revolution, was born in the year 1632. He was entered a nobleman of [106] Queen's College, Oxford, in 1649, where he continued about three years; and after⯑wards travelled abroad. After the Reſtora⯑tion, he entered into the army; but very ſoon quitted it for the church. In the year 1666, he became Rector of Cottenham, in Cambridgeſhire; and, after poſſeſſing various emoluments in the church, was made Bi⯑ſhop of Oxford, in the year 1674; and the year after, tranſlated to the See of London, which he held to the time of his death, in the year 1713, at the age of 81.

In his retirement at Fulham, Biſhop COMPTON amply gratified himſelf in his favourite amuſement. The circumſtances of the times, above mentioned, aided by his own zeal, and a reſidence of thirty-eight years on the ſame See, enabled him, finally, to collect a greater variety of Green-houſe rarities, and to plant a greater variety of hardy Exotic Trees, and Shrubs, than had been ſeen in any garden before in England.

This repoſitory was ever open to the in⯑ſpection of the curious and ſcientific; and we find RAY, PETIVER, and PLUKENET, in numerous inſtances, acknowledging the [107] aſſiſtances they received from the free com⯑munication of rare and new plants out of the garden at Fulham. Many of PLUKE⯑NET's figures were engraved from ſpeci⯑mens out of the Biſhop's garden; and ſome from a book of drawings in his poſſeſſion, quoted under the name of Codex Comptoni⯑enſis.

In the ſecond volume of RAY's Hiſtory of Plants, p. 1798, we find a Catalogue of ſome new ſpecies of Trees and Plants, ob⯑ſerved by the author in this garden. Theſe were principally of North American growth. The reader who is deſirous of ſeeing a more ample account of the garden at Fulham, is referred to a relation of the ſtate in which it was found in the year 1751, written by the late Sir William WATSON, and printed in the 47th volume of the Philoſophical Tranſactions.

DOODY.

If to any man in his day, not profeſſedly an author on the ſubject, extraordinary praiſe is due, for diſcoveries in the indige⯑nous botany, it muſt belong to Mr. Samuel [108] DOODY, the contemporary and friend of RAY, PLUKENET, and SLOANE, who all hear teſtimony to his merit. I regret the want of more information relating to this aſſiduous man; of whom I can only ſay, that he was born in Staffordſhire, was an apothecary in London, and a fellow of the Royal Society. He was choſen ſuperinten⯑dant, and demonſtrator of the Garden at Chelſea; an office he held for ſome years be⯑fore his death, which took place in 1706.

As Mr. DOODY lived in London, and there is room to believe he was in very con⯑ſiderable buſineſs, his excurſions could not ordinarily extend far from that city. In its neighbourhood, his diligence was beyond any other example. He ſtruck out a new path in botany, by leading to the ſtudy of that tribe, which comprehended the imper⯑fect plants, now called the Cryptogamia claſs. In this branch he made the moſt nu⯑merous diſcoveries of any man in that age, and in the knowledge of it ſtood clearly un⯑rivalled. The early editions of RAY's Synop⯑ſis were much amplified by his labours; and he is repreſented by Mr. RAY, as a man [109] of uncommon ſagacity in diſcovering and diſcriminating plants in general. The learned ſucceſſor of Tournefort, M. JUS⯑SIEU, ſpeaks of him as inter Pharmacopoeos Londinenſes ſui temporis Coryphaeus. In truth, he was the DILLENIUS of his time.

There is a long liſt of rare plants, many of them new, and firſt diſcovered by Mr. DOODY, publiſhed in the ſecond edition of RAY's Synopſis, accompanied with obſerva⯑tions on other ſpecies. I alſo find, "The Caſe of a Dropſy of the Breaſt," written by him, and printed in the Philoſophical Tranſ⯑actions in 1697. N^o 224. Vol. xx. p. 77.

LLHWYD.

EDWARD LLHWYD was one of the moſt learned and celebrated antiquaries of the laſt century, and a ſkilful naturaliſt. According to Mr. Wood, he was the ſon of Edward LLHWYD, or Lloyd, of Kidwell, in Carmarthenſhire; but, as Boyer relates, of Charles Llhwyd, of Lanvordia, in Salop, Eſq. He was born in 1670, and became a ſtu⯑dent of Jeſus College in 1687, of which Dr. PLOT was a member, and under whom Mr. LLHWYD was in a great meaſure edu⯑cated. [111] On the reſignation of Dr. PLOT, he ſucceeded him as keeper of the Aſhmo⯑laean Muſeum, about 1690. He travelled repeatedly all over Wales; went through the North of Scotland; into Ireland, in which kingdom he ſeems to have made ſome con⯑ſiderable abode. He ſpent ſome time in Corn⯑wall, and in Britany in France, in ſearch of antiquities, and materials to carry on the extenſive deſigns he had formed.

In all theſe journies he was conſtantly attentive to the objects of natural hiſtory, foſſils, plants, and any remarkable phaeno⯑mena of nature. Such of his remarks as are publiſhed in the Philoſophical Tranſac⯑tions, are full of curious and new informa⯑tion on theſe ſubjects. His knowledge of the plants of his own country, and parti⯑cularly thoſe of Wales, juſtly entitles him to remembrance in theſe pages, although he was not profeſſedly an author on the ſubject of them.

LLHWYD firſt brought to light ſeveral of the rare plants of Wales; many of which, till of late years, were conſidered as natives of no other part of Britain. He diſcovered [112] ſeveral very ſcarce ſpecies in Cornwall: all theſe he communicated to Mr. RAY, who inſerted them in the editions of his Synopſis, with due acknowledgments. After having made very large collections for the antiquities of Wales, and formed great deſigns in litera⯑ture, he died before he could digeſt them into order for publication, in July 1709.

Excluſive of large communications, made to Biſhop GIBSON's edition of Camden, on the antiquities of Wales, he formed, from the fruit of his own inveſtigations, the Liſt of Plants ſubjoined to the account of that country.

He publiſhed, "LITHOPHYLACII BRI⯑TANNICI ICHNOGRAPHIA." 1699. 8^o. cum tab. 25. This work, which is a me⯑thodical catalogue of the figured foſſils of the Aſhmolean Muſeum, conſiſting of 1766 articles, was printed at the expence of Sir Iſaac NEWTON, Sir Hans SLOANE, and a few others of his learned friends. As only 120 copies were printed, a new edition of it was publiſhed in 1760 by Mr. Huddesford; to which were annexed ſeveral letters from Mr. LLHWYD to his learned friends, on the [113] ſubject of Foſſils; his Praelectio de Stellis Marinis Oceani Britannici, et Aſteriarum, Entrochorum, et Encrinorum Origine.

In Mr. RAY's correſpondence, we meet with thirteen letters, written by LLHWYD; all, except one, bearing date in 1690, and the four ſubſequent years. They run chiefly on the ſubject of Foſſils. In October 1692, he informs Mr. RAY, that he was employed in drawing up a Catalogue of Mr. ASH⯑MOLE's Legacy of Books, Medals, and Pic⯑tures. In the liſt of his printed works, we find Catalogus Librorum Manuſcriptorum in Muſeo Aſhmoleano, in 10 ſheets, folio, without date. In 1707, he publiſhed "AR⯑CHAEOLOGIA BRITANNICA," fol. Vol. I. Gloſſography. A work by which he will long be remembered among the lovers of antiquity.

From private information, I have learned that Mr. LLHWYD left a very conſiderable library, a large collection of manuſcripts and ſpecimens; that in the year 1728, theſe were all in the cuſtody of Dr. FOWLKES, of Lhanher, who died ſoon after that time. They were undiſpoſed of ten years after⯑wards; [114] but the printed books, which were of great worth, had been valued by a gen⯑tleman and two bookſellers, and the refuſal of them offered to the Duke of Bedford. My intelligence reached no farther.

I conclude this account with a catalogue of Mr. LLHWYD's papers, publiſhed in the Philoſophical Tranſactions.

An Account of the Lapis Amianthus, or Linum Foſſile Aſbeſtinum, found in the Nor⯑thern part of Angleſey; with Mr. LLHWYD's Method of making it into Paper. N^o 166. Vol. xiv. p. 223.

A Deſcription, in Latin, of ſeveral regu⯑larly-figured Foſſils; with Figures. Theſe were the Siliquaſtra, Bufonites, Gloſſopetrae, &c. N^o 200. Vol. xvii. p. 746.

On the Swarms of Locuſts which ap⯑peared in Wales in the year 1693; and an Extract from a Manuſcript Hiſtory of Pem⯑brokeſhire, relating to an immenſe number of Caterpillars, which conſumed the pro⯑duce of 200 acres of graſs in three weeks time, in the year 1601. N^o 208. Vol. xviii. p. 45.

A Relation of a fiery Exhalation, or [115] Damp, at Harleck, in Merionethſhire, in 1693 and 1694, which ſet fire to ſeveral ſtacks of hay, and proved fatal to many cattle. Mr. LLHWYD obſerves, that the ſounding of drums and horns, &c. repelled it from houſes and ſtacks of hay, and that at length, by this means, many were preſerved. N^o 213. Vol. xviii. p. 223.

Of an extraordinary Shower of Hail at Pontipool, in June 1697. N^o 229. Vol. xix. p. 579.

Some Obſervations on Languages; in which Mr. LLHWYD aſſents to Mr. PEZ⯑RON's opinion, that the Greek, Roman, and Celtic, have one common origin. N^o 243. p. 280.

Roman, French, and Iriſh Inſcriptions; and Antiquities in Scotland and Ireland, with ſeven Figures. N^o 269. Vol. xxii, p. 790.

On the Difference between the Foſſils of Eſſex, and thoſe of Wales, and Ireland; in the former calcareous, and in the latter cryſ⯑talline. N^o 291. Vol. xxiv. p. 1566.

On ſome ſtrange Birds obſerved in Wales. N^o 334. p. 464.

[116] Obſervations made on Natural Hiſtory in Wales: on Marcaſites: Quadrupeds: Fiſh: and on Welch Manuſcripts. N^o 334. Vol. xxvii. p. 462.

On the Foſſils and Iron Mines of Breck⯑nockſhire. p. 467.

In Ireland. A Stonehenge, near Drogheda: Giants Cauſeway: Baſaltes on the Top of Cader Idris: Antiquities, &c. N^o 335. Vol. xxvii. p. 503.

Antiquities and ſcarce Plants in Ireland. N^o 336. ib. p. 524.

Natural Curioſities in Cornwall. N^o 336. Vol. xxvii. p. 527.

Foſſils and Antiquities in Wales: Welch Coins: Druids Beads: ſcarce Plants. With Figures. N^o 337. Vol. 28. p. 93.

Obſervations in Natural Hiſtory; and on Antiquities in Scotland. N^o 337. Vol. xxviii. p. 97.

Deſcription and Figure of a remarkable Sea Plant (Tubularia indiviſa Lin.) N^o 337. Vol. xxviii. p. 71.

LAWSON.

Among thoſe who diſtinguiſhed them⯑ſelves [117] for their knowledge in botany, with⯑out publiſhing profeſſedly on this ſubject, Thomas LAWSON, by whoſe diſcoveries the Engliſh Flora was enlarged, muſt not be forgotten.

Of Mr. LAWSON I can only collect, that he lived at Great Strickland, in Weſt⯑moreland, at the time he tranſmitted to Mr. RAY "A Catalogue of the Rare Plants of the North of England;" which is printed in the "Philoſophical Letters," p. 213. This liſt clearly evinces, that the author muſt have paid great attention to his ſubject; and, in fact, Mr. LAWSON firſt introduced ſeve⯑ral Engliſh plants into notice. It is to him that we owe the botanical part of ROBIN⯑SON's "Eſſay on the Natural Hiſtory of Weſtmoreland and Cumberland."

The very frequent mention of his name in the writings of Mr. RAY, and the copi⯑ouſneſs of the Catalogue of Rare Plants, diſ⯑tinguiſhed by him at ſo early a period, in the North of England, ſufficiently confirm the character that eminent naturaliſt gives him, ‘"of a diligent, induſtrious, and ſkilful botaniſt."’ It appears that he travelled [118] into various parts of England; ſince he re⯑cites plants collected by him on Saliſbury Plain; and, if I miſtake not, he made an excurſion into the Iſle of Man.

I conjecture that he ſurvived Mr. RAY ſeveral years: but he was not living at the publication of the third edition of the Sy⯑nopſis Stirpium, although he left papers, of which DILLENIUS availed himſelf on that occaſion.

DR. ROBINSON.

At this period muſt alſo be introduced Dr. TANCRED ROBINSON, phyſician, in London, and fellow of the Royal Col⯑lege of Phyſicians, and of the Royal So⯑ciety, between whom and Mr. RAY there ſubſiſted the moſt genuine friendſhip and affection. Amicorum Alpha is the diſtinc⯑tion which RAY gives him. The printed correſpondence between them commences during Dr. ROBINSON's travels abroad, in 1683, and is continued for upwards of ten years. Seventeen letters of Dr. ROBIN⯑SON appear in the "Philoſophical Corre⯑ſpondence," with all Mr. RAY's anſwers. [119] They run much on the ſubject of zoology; but contain alſo botanical, and philoſophi⯑cal obſervations.

Theſe letters, and the publications of Dr. ROBINSON, in the Philoſophical Tranſ⯑actions, prove him to have been a man well acquainted with various parts of learning; to which he added alſo an intimate know⯑ledge of natural hiſtory, and in which he muſt have been very early initiated; ſince RAY, in the Prefaces to his Hiſtoria Plan⯑tarum, in 1686, acknowledges, in ſtrong terms, his obligations to him, for his care and aſſiduity in correcting and enriching his work; adding, that he had exerted himſelf with a zeal that could not have been ex⯑ceeded, had the work been entirely his own.

Mr. RAY afterwards put into his hands the manuſcript of the Synopſis, and renewed his acknowledgments for the benefit it re⯑ceived under his inſpection

Dr. ROBINSON was the author of the following communications, printed in the Philoſophical Tranſactions.

[120] An Account of the four firſt Volumes of the "Hortus Malabaricus;" with Re⯑marks. N^o 145. N^o 198. N^o 200. N^o 214.

A Deſcription, with a Figure, of the Bridge of St. Eſprit, in France. N^o 160. Vol. xiv. p. 584.

On the natural Sublimation of Sulphur from the Pyrites, and Limeſtone, at Aetna, Veſuvius, and Solfatara. N^o 169. Vol. xv. p. 924.

Obſervations on boiling Fountains and ſubterraneous Steams, occaſioned by view⯑ing that of Parone, near Montpelier: with an enumeration of many others in various parts of the world. N^o 169. and 172. p. 922. 1038. With Remarks.

On the Lake Avernus. Ib. 172.

On the Truffles found at Ruſhton, in Northamptonſhire; with Figures. N^o 204. Vol. xvii. p. 935.

On the Scotch Barnacle, and French Ma⯑crcuſe. N^o 172. Vol. xv. p. 1036.

An Account of Henry Jenkins, who lived 169 years. N^o 221. Vol. xix. p. 267.

On the Northern Auroras, as obſerved [121] over Veſuvius, and the Strombolo Iſlands; with Conjectures on the Origin of them. N^o 349. Vol. xxix. p. 483.

Obſervations, made in 1683 and 1684, about Rome and Naples: on the Opuntia: Cork Trees: Manna: Volcanos: Palm Trees; and other vegetable Productions about Naples: Antiquities: Birds and Fiſhes. N^o 349. Vol. xxix. p. 473.

DODSWORTH.

The Rev. Matthew DODSWORTH, whoſe reſidence appears to have been in Yorkſhire, is mentioned both by RAY and PLUKE⯑NET, as well acquainted with Engliſh bo⯑tany. He was the firſt diſcoverer of at leaſt two of the Engliſh plants, both of which he ſent to PLUKENET.

DALE.

SAMUEL DALE, of Braintree, in Eſſex, the friend and neighbour of Mr. RAY, eminent for his knowledge of botany; but better known as a writer on the moſt im⯑portant part of the ſcience, its application to the purpoſes of phyſic. I am not fur⯑niſhed with any anecdotes concerning this reſpectable writer, further than, that he practiſed as an apothecary at Braintree, until about the year 1730; about which time he became a Licentiate of the College of Phyſicians, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. At this time, I appre⯑hend, he ſettled at Bocking, and practiſed as a phyſician until his deceaſe, June 6th [123] 1739, in the eightieth year of his age. He was buried in the Diſſenter's burying⯑ground at Bocking. A print of him may be ſeen before the third edition of his Phar⯑macologia.

He publiſhed PHARMACOLOGIA, ſ. Ma⯑nuductio ad Materiam Medicam. It was firſt printed in 8^o, 1693, with the ſanction of the College of Phyſicians, and we find four editions of it printed abroad. It was re⯑publiſhed at London in 1705 and 1710, 8^o, and a third time in 4^o, in 1737, pp. 460; which edition is much improved and en⯑larged. The arrangement of the work is that of RAY; and, to each chapter, throughout the vegetable kingdom, he has prefixed the characters of the genus, from the Methodus Emendata of that au⯑thor. He has moreover, with great labour, conſtructed a Syllabus, or ſynoptical view of all the articles under each ſection or claſs, on a more amplified plan, than that of RAY.

The Materia Medica of DALE, in its firſt edition, may be ſaid to have been one of the earlieſt rational books on the ſub⯑ject. [124] In an interval of more than forty years, between the firſt and laſt editions, much of that credulity which had obtained, reſpecting the powers of ſimples, among the writers of the laſt century, had abated. Se⯑veral excellent publications had taken place abroad, which, aided by improvements at home, enabled DALE to ſelect better materi⯑als, and give his laſt edition the importance of a new work. Scarcely in any author is there a more copious collection of ſynonyms, a circumſtance which, independent of much other intriſic worth, will long continue the uſe of the book, with thoſe who wiſh to purſue the hiſtory of any article through all former writers on the ſubject.

In 1730, Mr. DALE publiſhed, "The ANTIQUITILS of HARWICH and DOVER COURT," in 4^o, pp. 464. tab. 14. writ⯑ten by Silas TAYLOR, Gent. about the year 1676, with large notes, amounting to much the greater part of the book. Howſoever reſpectable our author may appear as an an⯑tiquary in this volume, he is equally ſo as a naturaliſt, in general. His Hiſtory of the Figured Foſſils of the Cliff is very exact, [125] and copious; and the view he has given, in a ſhort compaſs, of the various opinions relating to the origin of theſe bodies, as held by the writers of the laſt, and the beginning of the preſent century, is very ſatisfactory.

His Synopſis of the animals and vegetables of the neighbouring ſea and coaſt, proves his intimate and critical knowledge of his ſubjects; and being embelliſhed with ſeve⯑ral good copper-plates, renders his book a real acquiſition to ſcience.

It is highly probable, that, from their vicinity to each other, DALE owed to Mr. RAY, his attachment to natural hiſtory, and the great proficiency he ſo early made in that ſtudy. We find Mr. RAY acknow⯑ledging his aſſiſtance in collecting, and ex⯑tricating the ſynonyms of plants, correct⯑ing errors, and ſupplying omiſſions, for his Hiſtoria Plantarum, of which the imprima⯑tur bears date 1685, when DALE could not be more than 26 years old.

DALE was the author of ſeveral com⯑munications to the Royal Society, which [126] were publiſhed in the Philoſophical Tranſ⯑actions.

A Method of making Turnip Bread: practiſed in Eſſex in a ſcarcity of corn in 1693. Printed in N^o 205.

Some Obſervations on the Vermis Aureus of Bartholine (aphrodita aculeata Lin.) a marine animal, called a Sea Mouſe: common on the coaſt of England; but not having been much obſerved, until Dr. Molyneux deſcribed it, had at that time excited curio⯑ſity. N^o 249.

A Relation of two large Eels, taken on the coaſt of Eſſex. One of theſe mea⯑ſured five feet eight inches; the other ſeven feet, in length, They wanted the character of the Conger, and were judged to be freſh water eels, carried by floods into the ſea. N^o 238, Vol. xx. p. 90.

On ſeveral Inſects found near Colcheſter. N^o 249.

The Caſe of a Woman, who laboured under an obſtinate Jaundice, accompanied with that defect of ſight, which Patholo⯑giſts have called Amblyopia Crepuſcularis; [127] in which viſion is quite loſt after ſun-ſet, and gradually returns as day-light comes on again. N^o 211. Vol. xviii. p. 158.

Queries, relating to the Entalia, Denta⯑lia, Blatta byzantina, Purpura, and Buc⯑cina of the Shops. N^o 197. They were anſwered by Dr. LISTER.

An Account, with figures, of three Sax⯑on Coins, dug up at Honedon in Suffolk. N^o 205. Vol. xvii. p. 874.

An Account of Harwich Cliff, with a Liſt of twenty-eight Species of Foſſil Shells, found imbedded in the Strata. N^o 291. Vol. xxiv. p. 1568. This was much en⯑larged in the Notes to the Hiſtory of Har⯑wich, mentioned above.

An Account of MSS. left by Mr. RAY. N^o 307. Vol. xxv. p. 1282.

A Letter from Samuel DALE, M.L. to Sir Hans SLOANE, Baronet, F.R.S. con⯑taining Deſcriptions of the Mooſe Deer, and a ſort of Stag in Virginia, with Remarks on the Flying Squirrel of America. Vol. xxxix. p. 384^*.

BRADLEY.

RICHARD BRADLEY, a popular writ⯑er on Gardening and Agriculture, in the early part of this century, was one of the firſt who treated theſe ſubjects in a philoſophical manner; and, as he poſſeſſed conſiderable botanical knowledge, is entitled to a place in theſe Anecdotes. He firſt made himſelf known to the public by two papers, printed in the xxixth Volume of the Philoſophical Tranſactions. One "on the Motion of the Sap in Vegetables^*:" the other, "on the quick Growth of Mouldineſs on Melons^†." He became a Fellow of the Royal Society, and [130] was choſen Profeſſor of Botany in the Uni⯑verſity of Cambridge, in 1724. BRADLEY was the author of more than twenty ſepa⯑rate publications; chiefly on Gardening and Agriculture, publiſhed between the years 1716 and 1730.

His "New Improvement of Planting and Gardening, both Philoſophical and Practical," 8^o, 1717, went through re⯑peated impreſſions; as did his Gentleman's "and Gardener's Kalendar," (which was the fourth part of the preceding book) both at home, and in tranſlations abroad. His "Philoſophical Account of the Works of Nature," 4^o. 1721, was a popular, in⯑ſtructive, and entertaining work, and con⯑tinued in repute ſeveral years. The ſame may be ſaid of his "General Treatiſe of Huſbandry and Gardening," 8^o. 2 Vol. 1726; and of his "Practical Diſcourſes concerning the four Elements, as they relate to the Growth of Plants." 8^o. 1727. His "Dictionarium Botanicum." 8^o. 1728, was, I believe, the firſt attempt of the kind in England.

Mr. BRADLEY was not eminent for any diſcoveries relating to the indigenous plants [131] of England; but exotic botany was indebt⯑ed to him for an undertaking, which there is reaſon to regret he was not enabled to purſue and perfect. I mean his book on Succulent Plants. As this tribe is incapa⯑ble of being advantageouſly preſerved in a Hortus Siccus, there is no part of botany that calls more eſſentially for a ſeparate publication. His work bears the following title, "HISTORIA PLANTARUM SUCCU⯑LENTARUM, complectens haſce inſequentes Plantas, Aloen ſcilicet, Ficoiden, Cereos, Me⯑locardium, aliaſque ejus generis quae in Horto ſicco coli non poſſunt, ſecundum Prototypum puta naturam in tabellis aeneis inſculptas, earum⯑dem Deſcriptiones huc accedunt et Cultura. 4^o. 1716. t. 50. It was publiſhed in Decads, at different times, between the years 1716 and 1727; of which only five were com⯑pleted. The whole was republiſhed in 1734. The deſcriptions are in Latin and Engliſh, and the figures extremely well done in the ſtile of the time. It preſerves its value, as being cited by LINNAEUS, and as containing ſome plants not figured in any other pub⯑lication. [132] A ſpecies of Sedum is the only indigenous plant contained in it.

BRADLEY gave a courſe of Lectures on the Materia Medica, in London, in the year 1729, which he publiſhed in 8^o, in the ſuc⯑ceeding year. He died at the latter end of 1732.

Although BRADLEY's writings do not abound in new diſcoveries, yet they are not deſtitute of intereſting knowledge, collected from contemporary gardeners, and from books. He was an advocate for the circu⯑lation of the ſap, and made ſeveral new ob⯑ſervations on the ſexes of plants, in conſe⯑quence of the production of hybrid ſpecies, by which he added ſtrength to that doc⯑trine. He wrote inſtructively on the gems of trees; on bulbs; on grafting; and par⯑ticularly, on the methods of producing va⯑riegated and double flowers.

On the whole, BRADLEY's writings, coinciding with the growing taſte for gar⯑dening, the introduction of exotics, and improvements in huſbandry, contributed to excite a more philoſophical view of theſe [133] arts, and diffuſe a general and popular knowledge of them throughout the king⯑dom.

The induſtry and talents of BRADLEY were not mean; and though unadorned by learning, were ſufficient to have ſecured to him, that reputable degree of reſpect from poſterity, which it will ever juſtly with⯑hold from him who fails to recommend ſuch qualifications, by integrity and pro⯑priety of conduct. In theſe, unhappily, Mr. BRADLEY was deficient. We learn, from the account given of him by Mr. MARTYN, that he procured the profeſſor⯑ſhip in a clandeſtine and fraudulent man⯑ner, and afterwards neglected to perform the duties of it. The Univerſity, nevertheleſs, allowed him to retain the nominal diſtinction of Profeſſor, and appointed Dr. MARTYN to give the lectures. Near the concluſion of his life, his conduct was ſo unbecoming, that it was in agitation to deprive him of this nominal title.

BLAIR.

Dr. Patrick BLAIR was a native of Scot⯑land, and practiſed phyſic and ſurgery at Dundee; where he made himſelf firſt known as an anatomiſt, by the diſſection of an ele⯑phant, which died near that place, in 1706. He was a Nonjuror, and ſo far attached to the exiled family, as to have been im⯑priſoned in the rebellion in 1715, as a ſuſpected perſon. He afterwards removed to London, where he recommended himſelf to the Royal Society, by ſome Diſcourſes on the Sexes of Flowers. His ſtay in London was not long; he quitted it, and ſettled at Boſton, in Lincolnſhire; where, if I miſtake not, he practiſed phyſic during the remain⯑der of his life. I am not able to aſcer⯑tain the time of his deceaſe; but I con⯑jecture that it was ſoon after the publica⯑tion of the Seventh Decad of his Pharmaco⯑botanologia, in 1728.

Dr. BLAIR's firſt publication was inti⯑tuled "Miſcellaneous Obſervations in Phy⯑ſic, Anatomy, Surgery, and Botanicks." 8^o, 1718. In the botanical part of this [135] work, he inſinuates ſome doubts relating to the method ſuggeſted by PETIVER, and others, of deducing the qualities of vege⯑tables, from the agreement in natural cha⯑racters; and inſtances the Cynogloſſum, as tending to prove the fallacy of this rule. He relates ſeveral inſtances of the poiſonous effects of plants; and thinks the Echium Marinum (Pulmonaria Maritima Lin.) ſhould be ranked in the genus Cynogloſſum, ſince it poſſeſſes a narcotic power. He deſcribes, and figures, ſeveral of the more rare Britiſh plants, which he had diſcover⯑ed in a tour made into Wales. e. g. The Rumex Digynus: Lobelia Dortmanna: Aliſ⯑ma Ranunculoides: Pyrola Rotundifolia: Al⯑chemilla Alpina, &c.

But the work by which Dr. BLAIR ren⯑dered the greateſt ſervice to botany, origi⯑nated with his "Diſcourſe on the Sexes of Plants," read before the Royal Society, and afterwards greatly amplified, and pub⯑liſhed, at the requeſt of ſeveral members of that body, under the title of,

BOTANICK ESSAYS. 1720. 8^o. pp. 414. with four copper-plates. This treatiſe is [136] divided into two parts, containing five eſ⯑ſays. The three firſt, concerning what is proper to plants; the two laſt, what is com⯑mon to plants and animals.

• Eſſay I. On the Structure of Flowers. The Diſtinction and Definition of the ſe⯑veral Parts.
• Eſſay II. Definition of the Fruit, and the ſeveral Kinds.
• Eſſay III. Of the different Methods of diſ⯑poſing Plants. Analyſis of the ſeve⯑ral Methods of Claſſification, with Critical Remarks on each.
• Eſſay IV. On the Generation of Plants. The Concurrence of Sexes neceſſary. Variety of Reaſons in Favour of this Doctrine. The ſeveral Opinions re⯑lating to the Nature and Uſe of the Farina. Mr. MORLAND's Opinion confuted.
• Eſſay V. Of the Nouriſhment of Plants. The Folio Seminalia. The Vegeta⯑tion of Annuals, and of Trees; and the Structure of the Parts explained. That there is a Circulation of the Sap in Vegetables.

[137] Dr. BLAIR's treatiſe, as far as I can find, was the firſt compleat work, at leaſt in the Engliſh language, written on the ſub⯑ject; and the author ſhews himſelf well ac⯑quainted, in general, with all the opinions, and arguments of authors, on the matter of each eſſay. The value of theſe Eſſays muſt not be eſtimated by the meaſure of modern knowledge, though even at this day, they may be read by thoſe not criti⯑cally verſed in the ſubject, with inſtruction and improvement. A view of the ſeveral methods then invented, cannot be ſeen ſo connectedly exhibited in any other Engliſh author. Dr. BLAIR ſtrengthened the ar⯑guments in proof of the Sexes of Plants, by ſound reaſoning, and ſome new experi⯑ments. His reaſons againſt MORLAND's opinion, of the entrance of the Farina in⯑to the Vaſculum ſeminale, and his refuta⯑tion of the Lewenhoekian theory, have met with the ſanction of the moderns. If his theory of vegetation, of the nouriſhment of plants, and his arguments in favour of the circulation of the ſap, do not meet with the approbation of the preſent age, it [138] muſt at leaſt be granted, that they are as rational in the principle of them, as thoſe of his predeceſſors.

Pharmaco-botanologia: or, "An Alphabe⯑tical and Claſſical Diſſertation on all the Britiſh Indigenous and Garden Plants of the New Diſpenſatory." Lond. 1723-1728. 4^o. The genera and ſpecies are de⯑ſcribed, the ſenſible qualities and medicinal powers are ſubjoined, and the pharmaceu⯑tical uſes.

In this work the author notices ſeveral of the more rare Engliſh plants, diſcovered by himſelf in the environs of Boſton. The work was imperfect, being carried no far⯑ther than the letter H.

Dr. BLAIR was the author of the fol⯑lowing papers in the Philoſophical Tranſac⯑tions.

The Anatomy and Oſteology of an Ele⯑phant, with an hiſtorical Account of that Animal. N^o 326. 327. 358. Vol. xxvii. p. 53. and 117. and Vol. xxx. p. 385. This Account was alſo ſeparately publiſhed in 4^o. 1711, illuſtrated with figures.

The heat of the weather when the ani⯑mal died, occaſioned a precipitate diſſection; [139] but the rarity of the occaſion added ſuch zeal to the anatomiſt, that it is matter of ſurpriſe that Dr. BLAIR could ſo amply gratify the comparative anatomiſt, as he has done in this paper. He has ſupplied the deficiency of ſome articles, and illuſtrated others, from the Hiſtory of the Diſſection of an Elephant which periſhed at Dublin; publiſhed by Dr. MOULINS, in 1682.

An Account of the Aſbeſtus, or Lapis Amianthus, found in the county of Angus, in Scotland. N^o 333. Vol. xxvii. p. 434.

A Diſſection of a Child emaciated. N^o 353. Vol. xxx. p. 631. At five months old the child weighed only five pounds. Dr. BLAIR could find no veſtige of the omen⯑tum, and queries whether this atrophy might not originate in the want of that membrane. The abſence of this part was probably the conſequence, rather than the cauſe of this infant's diſeaſe.

An Account of a Boy who lived a con⯑ſiderable Time without Food. N^o 364. Vol. xxxi. p. 28.

A Method of diſcovering the Virtues of Plants by their external Structure. N^o 364. [140] Vol. xxxi. p. 30. Dr. BLAIR thinks it probable that even the ancients were led, in many inſtances, by the compariſon of the habit, to aſcribe ſimilar virtues to plants; and, in others, by the conformity in the ſenſible qualities of taſte and ſmell.

Obſervations on the Generation of Plants. N^o 369. Vol. xxxi. p. 216. An Experi⯑ment by Mr. Philip MILLER, who, on ſepa⯑rating the Male Spinach from the Female, found that the Seeds ripened; but on being ſown, did not vegetate. Inſtances of Hybrid Productions among Savoy and other Cab⯑bage Plants. Obſervations on Variegations in Plants: on the Impregnation of Flowers, by the Bees and other Inſects carrying the Farina from Flower to Flower^*.

DR. WILLIAM SHERARD.

WILLIAM SHERARD, or Sherwood, the ſon of George Sherwood, of Buſhby, in Leiceſterſhire, was born in 1659, and educated at Merchant Taylors' School, till he was entered at St. John's College, Oxford, in the year 1677. Of this college he became a Fellow, and took the degree of Bachelor of Law, Dec. 11, 1683. After this time, he accompanied Lord Viſcount Townſhevd in his travels; and diſcharged [142] his truſt with ſo much reputation, that he was prevailed on to take the charge of Wriotheſly, grandſon of William, firſt Duke of BEDFORD; and made a ſecond tour to the continent, with equal ſatisfaction to the noble family who confided in him.

He returned from this tour, as I con⯑jecture, about the year 1693; and commu⯑nicated to Mr. RAY a Catalogue of Plants, which he had remarked on Mount Jura, Saleve, and the neighbourhood of Geneva. This was publiſhed as a Supplement in RAY's "Sylloge Stirpium Europaearum." About this time we find he was in Ireland, with his friend Sir Arthur RAWDON, at Moyra; of whom mention has been made in the article SLOANE.

In travelling, SHERARD gratified his fa⯑vourite paſſion, and formed connections with the moſt celebrated characters on the continent, HERMAN, BOERHAAVE, and TOURNEFORT. He was very early ſkilled in Engliſh botany; and although his publi⯑cations are few, there is no doubt that he had beſtowed great aſſiduity in the ſtudy of Engliſh plants. Need I allege any farther [143] evidence, than the obligations, already men⯑tioned, which Mr. RAY acknowledges for aſſiſtance in his "Hiſtory of Plants." He travelled early into various parts of England, and was ever attentive to make diſcoveries. He made the tour of the Weſt as far as into Cornwall. He ſearched the iſland of Jerſey, and communicated a Liſt of Plants to Mr. RAY, to be inſerted in the firſt edition of the Synopſis, printed in 1690.

He is ſaid to have been the author of a book publiſhed under the name of Samuel WHARTON, "Schola Botanica; ſive, Cata⯑logus Plantarum quas ab aliquot Annis in Horto Regio Pariſienſi Studioſis indigitavit Joſ. Pet. TOURNEFORT." Amſt. 1689. 12^o. It was reprinted in 1691, and 1699. If indeed SHERARD was the author of this book, he muſt have attended the lectures of TOURNE⯑FORT three ſeveral ſeaſons. It contains a rude ſketch of TOURNEFORT's Method of Botany, exemplified in a large catalogue of plants; among which are innumerable va⯑rieties, ſome new ſpecies collected by TOURNEFORT himſelf in the Pyrenaean [144] Mountains, and others introduced by the care of M. FAGON.

It is to SHERARD alſo, that the learned owe the publication of HERMAN's "Para⯑diſus Batavus, continens plus centum Plantas affabre Aere inciſas, et Deſcriptionibus illuſ⯑tratas." 4^o. Lugd. Bat. 1698. He wrote a preface to this work, in which he relates the difficulties he met with, in reducing the author's papers into method; and which contains an account of other works of HERMAN. This preface is dated from Ge⯑neva, in April 1697; at which time, I ap⯑prehend, SHERARD was on his third tour, on the continent.

In the year 1700, Mr. SHERARD com⯑municated to the Royal Society a Method of making ſeveral China Varniſhes, which were ſent from the Jeſuits in China to the Great Duke of Tuſcany. It was publiſhed in the Philoſophical Tranſactions, N^o 262. Vol. xxii. p. 525. And the next year he communicated to the Society a paper from Dr. J. DEL PASSA, on the poiſonous Ef⯑fects of the Indian Varniſh on the human Skin; which on the naked Skin of Poultry [145] proved quite harmleſs. How ſoon after this time he was engaged in any public employment, I cannot determine: but, in 1702, he was one of the commiſſioners for ſick and wounded ſeamen at Portſmouth; and, I believe, was ſoon after appointed conſul at Smyrna; a department, which, it is probable, his deſire of inveſtigating the plants of the Eaſt had no ſmall ſhare in inducing him to accept. But SHERARD's knowledge and taſte was not confined to the ſtudy of botany. Mr. MARTYN in⯑forms us, that, ‘"in 1705, with Antonio PICENINI, he viſited the ſeven churches of Aſia. In 1709 and 1716, he tranſcribed the Monumenta Teia, and cauſed the Sigean inſcription to be copied and ſent to Eng⯑land; and the learned Dr. CHISHULL de⯑dicates his account of it to him."’ He alſo ſent an account of the iſland raiſed near Santorini, in the Archipelago, on the 12th of May, 1707; which was printed in the Philoſophical Tranſactions, N^o 314. Vol. xxii. p. 67.

During his reſidence at Smyrna, he had a country houſe at a place called Sede [...]. [146] It is not yet forgotten as the reſidence of SHERARD. In 1749, HASSELQUIST vi⯑ſited this retreat, and viewed, with all the enthuſiaſm of a young botaniſt, the ſpot where ‘"the regent of the botanic world,"’ as he ſtiles him, ſpent his ſummers, and cultivated his garden. Here SHERARD collected ſpecimens of all the plants of Na⯑tolia and Greece, and began that famous Herbarium, which at length became the moſt extenſive that had ever been ſeen as the work of one man, ſince it is ſaid final⯑ly to have contained 12,000 ſpecies. And here he is ſaid to have begun the much-celebrated Pinax, to which he continued to make acceſſions throughout his life. He returned into England, in 1718. Soon after which time, he had the degree of Doctor of Laws conferred upon him by the Uni⯑verſity of Oxford.

In 1721, Dr. SHERARD communicated to the Royal Society an Account of the Poiſon Wood Tree of New England, which he had received from Mr. MORE. It does not appear that the ſpecies had been aſcer⯑tained till Dr. SHERARD pointed it out as [147] the Arbor Americana alatis Foliis, &c. Pluk. Phytogr. t. 145. f. 1. (Rhus Vernix Lin.) This obſervation is printed in the Phil. Tranſ. N^o 367. Vol. xxxi. p. 147.

In this year he returned to the continent, and made the tour of Holland, France, and Italy. Whilſt at Paris, he found VAIL⯑LANT in a declining ſtate of health; but, anxious to preſerve his papers from obli⯑vion, VAILLANT had ſolicited BOER⯑HAAVE to purchaſe, and to publiſh them. SHERARD negociated the buſineſs, and ſpent the greateſt part of the ſummer with BOERHAAVE, in reducing the manuſcripts into order. To SHERARD, therefore, prin⯑cipally, the learned owe the Botanicon Pa⯑riſienſe, which was publiſhed in 1727. BOERHAAVE prefixed to this work a Latin letter, written by Dr. SHERARD, giving an account of this tranſaction; which is alſo more fully explained in the preface. It was in this tour, that, being in ſearch of plants in the Alps, he narrowly eſcaped be⯑ing ſhot by a peaſant for a wolf.

On his return, he brought over with him the celebrated DILLENIUS, with [148] whom he had before correſponded, and whom he had encouraged to proſecute his enquiries into the Cryptogamia claſs, and in publiſhing his Plantae Giſſenſes. SHERARD had himſelf been among the earlieſt in England, to promote attention to this hi⯑therto neglected part of nature; and in this DILLENIUS had already excelled all who had written before him.

Although Dr. SHERARD had acquired a conſiderable fortune in Aſia, yet he lived with the greateſt privacy in London, wholly immerſed in the ſtudy of natural hiſtory; except when he went to his brother's ſeat and fine garden at Eltham. Dr. DIL⯑LENIUS aſſiſted him in his chief employ⯑ment, the carrying on his Pinax, or Col⯑lection of all the names, which had been given by botanical writers to each plant; being a continuation of Caſpar BAUHINE's great plan.

Dr. SHERARD was, in a particular man⯑ner, the patron of Mr. Mark CATESBY; and himſelf affixed the Latin names to the plants of "The Natural Hiſtory of Caro⯑lina."

[149] He died Auguſt 12, 1728; and, by his will, gave three thouſand pounds, to pro⯑vide a ſalary for a profeſſor of botany at Oxford, on condition, that Dr. DILLENIUS ſhould be choſen firſt profeſſor. He erected the edifice at the entrance of the garden, for the uſe of the profeſſor; and gave to this eſtabliſhment his botanical library, his Her⯑barium, and the Pinax.

Dr. SHERARD was among the laſt of thoſe ornaments in England, of that aera which LINNAEUS calls ‘"the golden age of botany."’ Having from his earlieſt years a reliſh for the ſtudy of natural hiſtory, and in his youth acquired a knowledge of Engliſh botany, his repeated tours to the continent, and his long reſidence in the Eaſt, afforded ample ſcope for his im⯑provement; and the acquiſition of affluence, joined to his learning, and agreeable quali⯑ties, rendered him, after his return home, a liberal and zealous patron of the ſcience, and of thoſe who cultivated it^*.

[150] Some manuſcripts of Dr. SHERARD's were preſented to the Royal Society by Mr. ELLIS, in the year 1766.

J. SHERARD.

James, the brother of William SHERARD, was born in 1666. He practiſed phyſic as an apothecary in London, and was early and ſtrongly attached to his brother's favourite purſuit. Having become eminent and opu⯑lent in his profeſſion, he cultivated, at his country ſeat, at Eltham, in Kent, one of the richeſt gardens that England ever poſſeſſed. It was alſo the retirement of his brother, the conſul, after his return from Smyrna; and is immortalized by the pen of DILLE⯑NIUS. Mr. SHERARD is not known as an author; but his name frequently occurs in RAY's Synopſis, for his diſcoveries of rare Engliſh plants; of which he had great knowledge, as he is ſaid to have had of na⯑tural hiſtory in general; and his zeal for [151] botany was ſingularly great. To theſe he added a reliſh for the elegant and polite arts; and particularly for muſic, in which he was eminently ſkilled.

He inherited the bulk of his brother's fortune; and, in the latter part of his life, had the degree of Doctor of Phyſic confer⯑red upon him, if I miſtake not, by the Univerſity of Oxford; and was admitted a member of the College of Phyſicians. He married Suſanna, the daughter of Richard Lockwood, Eſq but died without iſſue, Feb. 12, 1737, N.S. and was buried in the church of Evington, near Leiceſter; where his widow erected a monument to his me⯑mory, of which I inſert a copy below^*. She ſurvived him more than four years.

DILLENIUS.

AFTER SHERARD, I am led in chronological courſe, as well as by other aſſociations, to a character of the higheſt worth in botanical ſcience. That harmony of taſte, and co-operation of de⯑ſign, which firſt connected SHERARD and DILLENIUS, hath inſeparably united their names, as long as their works ſhall endure. DILLENIUS, though not an Engliſhman born, is gratefully naturalized by a nation, [154] to whoſe botanical fame he gave an emi⯑nence it had not experienced from the time of RAY. It was no mean ſacrifice to re⯑linquiſh his country, his friends, his con⯑nexions, and his proſpects from a profeſ⯑ſion, which is, at leaſt ſometimes, lucrative, that he might devote himſelf to the culture of ſcience, in a foreign land, where the ex⯑tent of his views was moſt probably bound⯑ed by the precarious hope of a profeſſorſhip alone.

John Jacob DILLENIUS^* was born at Darmſtadt, in Germany, in the year 168 [...]. It appears that he had his education, prin⯑cipally at the univerſity of Gieſſen, a city of Upper Heſſe; and where, probably, his fa⯑mily had conſiderable intereſt and con⯑nexions; ſince I find two of his contempo⯑raries of the ſame name, of whom, one was [155] a profeſſor of medicine, and dean of the fa⯑culty of phyſic at that place; and the other, Poliater, or public phyſician; an office, I believe, not uncommon in Germany, though unknown here; and which DILLENIUS himſelf held in the ſame city. He was very early made a member of the Academia Cu⯑rioſorum Germaniae. He communicated ſe⯑veral papers to that ſociety, which were publiſhed in their Miſcellanea Curioſa. The earlieſt, that I find, was a Diſſertation, in the Third Century of Obſervations, about the year 1715, concerning the plants of Ame⯑rica which are naturalized in Europe. This is a ſubject which might again be taken up by a ſkilful hand, to great advantage. The reſult of obſervation, and communication on this matter, would unqueſtionably prove, that a far greater number of plants than we are aware of, which are now thought to be indigenous in Europe, were of exotic origin. Beſides the moſt obvious method, from the garden to the dunghill, and from thence to the field, amongſt a variety of other cauſes, the importation of grain has introduced a great number: the package of merchan⯑diſe, [156] and the clearing out of ſhips, have been the means of diſperſing many. The Engliſh Flora, as it now ſtands, cannot con⯑tain fewer, perhaps, than ſixty acknowledged ſpecies; and a critical examination would probably inveſtigate a much greater num⯑ber.

In the Fourth Century of the ſame work, we find a critical diſſertation on the (Cahve) coffee of the Arabians: and on European coffee, or ſuch as may be prepared from grain or pulſe. DILLENIUS gives the re⯑ſult of his own preparations made with peaſe, beans, and kidney beans; but ſays, that from rye comes the neareſt to true coffee, and was with difficulty diſtinguiſhed from it.

In the Sixth Century, he has deſcribed and figured four ſpecies of dubious plants; three of the Spergula genus, now Arenariae; and a Veronica.

In the Appendix to this Century, DIL⯑LENIUS gave the firſt ſpecimen of his ac⯑curate examination of ſome plants of the Cryptogamous claſs; which he afterwards purſued ſo greatly to the improvement of [157] botany. In this paper, DILLENIUS treats on the propagation of plants in general; but more particularly on that of the Ferns, or capillary plants; and of the Moſſes, which had hitherto been conſidered as deſtitute of flower and ſeed. He deſcribes the flowers of that genus, which he afterwards called Lichenaſtrum, and which was named by MI⯑CHELI, Jungermannia. He delineates two of the Chara genus; ſome of the Confervae; and ſeveral of the more perfect plants, parti⯑cularly the Chondrilla. He fixed the genus Radiola; Corrigiola, &c. and particularly the Centunculus; and Cameraria, which was afterwards called Montia. To theſe he ſub⯑joins many curious obſervations on the uſe of the petals and ſtamina, all tending to confirm the doctrine of the ſexes of plants; obſerva⯑tions on the root of the Equiſetum; on the duſt of the Antherae, and on the different ſhape of that in the Orchis, which he ſays is conical; and of that in the Ophrys, which is round.

In the Ninth Century of the ſame work, he relates an experiment he made concern⯑ing [158] the Opium which he prepared himſelf, from the poppy of European growth.

In the Eighth Century, he appears as a zoologiſt, in a paper on Leeches; and de⯑ſcribes two ſpecies of the Papilio genus.

In 1719, he publiſhed his "Catalogue of Plants growing in the neighbourhood of Gieſſen;" a work which eſtabliſhed his character as one of the moſt accurate botaniſts of the age. It bears the follow⯑ing title:

"Jo. Jac. DILLENII, M.L. Ac. Nat. Cur. Coll. Catalogus Plantarum ſponte circa Giſſam naſcentium, cum Appendice, qua, Plan⯑tae poſt editum Catalogum circa et extra Giſ⯑ſam obſervatae recenſentur, Specierum novarum vel dubiarum Deſcriptiones traduntur, et Ge⯑nera Plantarum nova, Figuris aeneis illuſtrata, deſcribuntur: pro ſupplendis Inſtitutionibus Rei Herbariae Joſephi Pitton TOURNEFOR⯑TII." Frank. ad Maen. 1719. 8^o. Cum tab. xvi. Cat. pp. 240. App. pp. 174. Cui ſubjicitur Examen Reſponſionis Aug. Quir. RIVINI.

It is dedicated to the heads of the uni⯑verſity of Gieſſen; and contains the plants [159] of the neighbourhood, confined to a circuit of not more than a German mile and a half. Of this tract he has given a map in his book.

The author has prefixed "A Critical Ex⯑amination of the Methods of arranging Plants," publiſhed by RAY and KNAUT, who had founded their claſſical diſtinctions on the fruit; and of thoſe publiſhed by RI⯑VINUS, and TOURNEFORT, founded on the flower. In the end, he gave the preference to RAY's ſyſtem, and adhered to it through⯑out his life. His criticiſm on RIVINUS brought upon him the reſentment of the author, at that time far advanced in years, who anſwered his objections. DILLENIUS had written in a ſtile that was but too re⯑prehenſible; and can only be excuſed, in ſome meaſure, as natural to the warmth of a young author; though it has been gene⯑rally acknowledged, that he had the advan⯑tage in the argument.

Nothing can ſhew the early ſkill and in⯑defatigable induſtry of DILLENIUS more ſtrongly, than his being able to produce ſo great a number of plants in ſo ſmall a tract. [160] He has not enumerated fewer than 980 ſpecies, of what were then called the more perfect plants; that is, excluſive of the Muſhroom claſs, and all the Moſſes. DIL⯑LENIUS entered minutely into the examina⯑tion of this claſs; and, by his diligence and diſcoveries, extended the bounds of that field, which the Engliſh botaniſts had ſo ſucceſsfully cultivated before him. More had been done in England in this way than in any other nation. The Pinax of Caſpar BAUHINE contains but fifty ſpecies; ſo little had the Muſci been regarded before. The firſt edition of RAY's Synopſis, printed in 1690, not more than about eighty kinds; whereas by the inveſtigations of the Engliſh botaniſts, particularly of DOODY, SHERARD, VERNON, LLHWYD, ROBIN⯑SON, PETIVER, BOBART, and others, this order was ſo far augmented in the ſecond edition of the ſame work, in 1696, as to contain upwards of 170 ſpecies.

DILLENIUS was, however, the firſt wri⯑ter who examined them with a view to ge⯑nerical characters, and divided the Moſſes, and Muſhrooms, each into ſeparate genera. [161] It is in this book that we firſt meet with Bryum, Hypnum, Mnium, Sphagnum, Liche⯑noides, and Lichenaſtrum, as generical names. The four firſt of theſe, were terms in uſe with the Patres Botanici, although neglected by the reſtorers of the ſcience, who had ranked all under the general term Muſcus; except the Lichen, Lycopodium, and Polytri⯑chum. To demonſtrate his accuracy and diligence, it may be obſerved, that, in the environs of Gieſſen alone, DILLENIUS diſ⯑covered more than 200 ſpecies of Moſſes, of which 140 were new: of the Muſhroom order he enumerates 160, of which up⯑wards of 90 were ſuch as he judged had not been noticed by any author before. The plants in this catalogue are diſpoſed in the order of flowering, throughout all the year. The places of growth are ſub⯑joined, with critical obſervations on many of the ſpecies.

The Appendix contains a liſt of twenty plants, additional to thoſe of the Cata⯑logue, diſcovered in the immediate environs of Gieſſen; and an enumeration of upwards of 100 ſpecies, obſerved by the author, be⯑yond [162] the bounds circumſcribed in the Ca⯑talogue. This renders the book, in a great meaſure, a Flora of the plants of Heſſe. Then follows a deſcription of the new ſpe⯑cies of the Catalogue. Theſe are ſucceeded by the eſtabliſhment of his new genera of Moſſes, Fungi, and a variety of others, a⯑mounting to near 100, of which ſome of former authors are here only amended; but the far greater part are of his own con⯑ſtructing, and entirely new; and the parts of fructification ſeparately delineated, in 16 copper-plates. This part of his work has been of great authority with ſucceeding writers; and many of theſe characters have ſtood the teſt of the Linnaean ſyſtem.

The merit of this work fixed the cha⯑racter of the author, as a perfectly ſcienti⯑fic botaniſt, and attracted the notice of all the eminent profeſſors, and admirers of the ſcience: among others, that of Mr. William, afterwards Dr. SHERARD, to whom we owe that DILLENIUS was brought to Eng⯑land, and in the end fixed in the profeſſor⯑ſhip at Oxford. SHERARD was, at that time, among the few who patronized and cultivated the ſcience in England. He was [163] lately returned from Smyrna; and having regretted the neglect of the Cryptogamia claſs, he was ſo enamoured with the diſco⯑veries of DILLENIUS in that branch, that he entered into correſpondence with him, and procured ſpecimens from him, and afterwards brought him to England. No man was more cloſely devoted to a favourite muſe than DILLENIUS was to Flora; and, after his arrival in England, he purſued his ſtudy with uncommon ardour, and corre⯑ſponding diligence. The acquiſition of ſo able a man, was probably an additional mo⯑tive with the Conſul, to attempt the revi⯑val of botany in the univerſity of Oxford.

DILLENIUS came into England in Au⯑guſt 1721, where he had not long reſided before he undertook a work that was much deſired; that of publiſhing a new edition of the Synopſis Stirpium Britannicarum of RAY. It had been laſt printed in 1696, and was become ſcarce. DILLENIUS hav⯑ing firmly attached himſelf to RAY's ſyſ⯑tem, and even improved it in ſome parts (though he intimates in one of his letters to a friend, that he was not allowed to [164] make all the changes he wiſhed for), and being furniſhed with ample means of en⯑larging the book, by his diſcovery of new ſpecies of Cryptogamia, and by the eſtab⯑liſhment of new genera; being alſo enabled, by the diſcoveries of many ingenious men, whoſe names he enumerates in the preface, greatly to enlarge Engliſh botany; and, through the ſkill and aſſiſtance of Dr. RI⯑CHARDSON, Mr. James SHERARD, and others, being ſufficiently qualified to add the old Britiſh, if I may ſo ſay, to the Eng⯑liſh botany, he publiſhed a third edition in 1724, much to the ſatisfaction of all the lovers of the ſcience throughout Europe. Twenty-four plates of rare plants were add⯑ed to this edition; and, beſides many valu⯑able notes, and emendations in the genera, the addition of new ſpecies was very great. The accumulation to this book from DIL⯑LENIUS's own diſcoveries, and from the communications of others, whoſe names are mentioned in the preface, particularly thoſe of Dr. SHERARD and Dr. RICHARDSON, amounted to near 40 new Fungi, as many Marine plants, upwards of 150 Moſſes, and [165] conſiderably above 200 other plants, which had been diſcovered to be natives of Britain, ſince the publication of the ſecond edition; the whole number of Britiſh plants being about 2200, as they ſtand in this book. But here it may be obſerved, that botaniſts had not at that time ſufficiently eſtabliſhed ſpecific diſtinctions; and this number could not ſtand the teſt of the Linnaean rules, which has ſince reduced the number to fewer than 1800.

DILLENIUS ſeems to have divided his time, before his eſtabliſhment at Oxford, principally between the country reſidence of Mr. James SHERARD, at Eltham, in Kent; the Conſul's houſe in town; and his own lodgings, which, in the year 1728, were in Barking Alley.

In the year 1727, Dr. THRELKELD pub⯑liſhed his Synopſis Stirpium Hibernicarum, in which he had introduced ſome ſevere ſtrictures on DILLENIUS, principally level⯑led at the introduction of his new generical names. He alſo inveighs againſt him for unneceſſarily multiplying the ſpecies of [166] plants. See the articles, Anagallis aquatica, Dens Leonis, Lichenoides, Muſcus trichoides, Stellaria, &c. DILLENIUS, though diſ⯑pleaſed with the harſh and coarſe language of THRELKELD's criticiſms, had temper enough to forbear entering into any con⯑troverſy on this occaſion. He probably did not think THRELKELD's objections of any force ſufficient to influence men of judg⯑ment in the ſcience, as the Iriſh botaniſt had but little regarded any true principles of generical diſtinction. In a letter he wrote ſoon after the publication of the Iriſh Flora, after complaining of the groſſneſs of THRELKELD's cenſures, he informs his correſpondent that there was but one plant recited in the book, which was not known before as a native of Ireland. This, he adds, is the Pſeudo-ſtachys Alpina of Caſpar BAUHINE (Stachys Alpina Lin.); and this he had inſerted on the authority of Mr. HEATON's manuſcript.

About this time he had it in contempla⯑tion, to publiſh a new edition of the Synopſis, with the addition of the old Britiſh names; [167] and the times of flowering—an article neg⯑lected in the former editions. This deſign was laid aſide, and an Appendix intended, for which ample materials were in hand, received from different quarters, particularly from Dr. RICHARDSON, of North Bierly, in Yorkſhire; and from Mr. BREWER, who had reſided two ſeaſons at Bangor, purpoſely to inveſtigate, and collect the plants of Snow⯑don, and the neighbouring parts. BREWER was very ſucceſsful in his reſearches, and ſent at different times great numbers of ſcarce plants to DILLENIUS. This Ap⯑pendix alſo miſcarried. In the mean time, all theſe exertions were favourable to the purpoſe he ever had in view, of completing the Hiſtoria Muſcorum. Wales was a pro⯑ductive ſource of new ſubjects in this way, and DILLENIUS availed himſelf of BREW⯑ER's reſearches.

Whatever might be the preciſe nature of his engagement with the Conſul, it appears that DILLENIUS, being doubtful of the ſucceſs of the Oxford ſcheme, had formed a deſign of reſiding ſome time, [168] if not finally ſettling, in Yorkſhire. In a letter to a correſpondent of that county, dated Dec. 16, 1727, he writes thus: ‘"Pray Sir, how is it to board in that country? if I have done here, and Ox⯑ford fails, as its likely it may do, I could reſolve to go and live there ſome time, if not for good and all; if any ſmall buſineſs ſhould encourage it."’ Ever ſince his reſidence in England, his employ⯑ments had been various, and important, and his aſſiduity as diſtinguiſhed as his abilities. Since his arrival in 1721, he had publiſhed the Synopſis, of which he deſigned, if he did not himſelf engrave, all the figures. He ſoon after began the Hortus Elthamenſis. He collected materials for a new edition of, or Appendix to, the Synopſis. He never loſt ſight of his Hiſtoria Muſcorum. Addi⯑tional to all which, the buſineſs of the Pi⯑nax appears to have been purſued with vigour. In a letter dated Dec. 26, 1727, he ſays, ‘"We have entered almoſt all au⯑thors; but to put it in order, and to write it fair, will require ſome years ſtill."’

[169] In Auguſt 1728, his friend and patron, Conſul SHERARD, died; in conſequence of whoſe will, his eſtabliſhment at Oxford took place ſoon after; the univerſity wav⯑ing the right of nomination, in conſidera⯑tion of Dr. SHERARD's benefaction.

DILLENIUS.

DILLENIUS was now arrived at that ſituation, which had probably been the main object of his wiſhes; and which he conſidered equally as the completion of his hopes, the aſylum againſt future diſap⯑pointments, and the field of all that grati⯑fication, for which his taſte and purſuits prompted him to wiſh, and qualified him to enjoy. Add to all this, he was placed in the ſociety of the learned, in the com⯑pleteſt ſenſe of that word, and at the foun⯑tain of every information, which the ſtores of both antient and modern erudition could diſplay, to an inquiſitive mind.

[171] The plan of the Hortus Elthamenſis had been laid ſo early as the year 1724, imme⯑diately after publiſhing the Synopſis; and ſome of the plants were figured and deſcribed be⯑fore Dr. SHERARD's death. The work was now carried on with vigour, and was print⯑ed in 1732, under the following title:

"HORTUS ELTHAMENSIS, ſeu Planta⯑rum rariorum quas in Horto ſuo Elthami in Cantio coluit Vir ornatiſſimus et praeſtantiſſi⯑mus Jacobus SHERARD, M.D. Soc. Reg. et Coll. Med. Lon. Soc. Gulielmi, P.M. Frater, Delineationes et Deſcriptiones, quarum Hiſto⯑ria vel planè non vel imperfectè à Rei herba⯑riae Scriptoribus tradita fuit. Auctore Jo⯑hanne Jacobo DILLENIO, M.D." Lond. Fol. pp. 437. Tab. 324.

In this elegant and elaborate work, of which LINNAEUS ſays, "eſt opus botanicum quo abſolutius mundum non vidit," are de⯑ſcribed and figured, with the moſt circum⯑ſtantial accuracy, 417 plants, all drawn and etched with his own hand, conſiſting principally of ſuch exotics as were then rare, or had been but lately introduced into Eng⯑land. A few of the more rare Engliſh and [172] Welch plants were included. They are diſ⯑poſed in the alphabetical order. The fi⯑gures are of the natural ſize as much as may be. The ſynonyma of former authors are quoted and accompanied by copious critical examinations and obſervations, the better to aſcertain the ſpecies. Several new genera are eſtabliſhed, many of the new Gerania are figured, and a very copious hiſtory of the genus Meſembryanthemum given; with a ſynoptical view of all the ſpecies, of which fifty-four are deſcribed and figured in this work^*.

We find by the liſt of graduates, that DILLENIUS was admitted to the degree of Doctor of Phyſic in St. John's College, April 3, 1735.

In the ſummer of 1736, LINNAEUS viſit⯑ed the Profeſſor at Oxford; and, although DILLENIUS did not reliſh the ſexual ſyſtem, about that time firſt divulged, yet LIN⯑NAEUS returned with the higheſt opinion of [173] his merit; and, as I have obſerved on an⯑other occaſion, expreſſed himſelf in theſe terms: ‘"In Anglia nullus eſt qui genera cu⯑rat vel intelligat praeterquam DILLENIUS."’

LINNAEUS, after this time, correſponded with him, ſent him his Flora Lapponica, and dedicated to him the Critica Botanica. On which occaſion the Profeſſor ſent his acknowledgments in the following terms, in a letter, dated Aug. 18, 1737: ‘"Vidi, accepi et legi Floram tuam Lapponicam multa cum voluptate; utinam plures iſtiuſmodi nobis proſtarent tali ſtudio, et cura elaboratae, in hac te virum praeſtitiſti."’

During this period, DILLENIUS held fre⯑quent correſpondence and communication with HALLER, whom he eſteemed, proba⯑bly the more, on account of the affinity of his ſyſtem with that of RAY, which he had himſelf adopted. It appears, that he con⯑ſidered HALLER as almoſt the only man qualified to carry on the Pinax, and wiſhed him to have been his ſucceſſor.

About this time, he was employed with Dr. SHAW, in reducing to order and aſcer⯑taining, that learned traveller's collection of [174] Oriental plants. As they were all dried ſpe⯑cimens, and the collection extenſive, con⯑ſiſting of 640 ſpecies, it required the aid of an able hand to diſtinguiſh and apply ſyno⯑nyms to ſo conſiderable a number. This catalogue, therefore, which is annexed, with the engravings of a few of the plants, to the firſt edition of Dr. SHAW's elaborate work, may be conſidered eventually, as the work of the botanical Profeſſor.

After the completion of the Hortus El⯑thamenſis, he purſued his "Hiſtory of Moſſes" with great diligence. It has been obſerved before, that he had extended his reſearches into this part of nature, much further than any preceding botaniſt, having been the firſt diſcoverer of a great number of ſpecies, and having ſeparated thoſe here⯑tofore deſcribed together by the general term Muſcus, into ſeveral genera, under the names of Sphagnum, Fontinalis, Bryum, and Hypnum; taking his diſtinctions, as well from the habit of the plant, (to which the accurate HALLER thought he paid too much regard,) as from the figure and ſituation of that part of the ſructification which is [175] now conſidered as the capſule. By means of the excellent botanical library of the SHERARDS, and free acceſs to their ample Herbarium, and that of Mr. DU BOIS, who had, with Mr. DOODY and ſeveral others, ſignalized themſelves by their diſcoveries this way ſome years before, DILLENIUS enjoyed advantages which perhaps no other ſituation could have afforded. Beſides which, to give himſelf all further opportu⯑nities that Britain allowed of making diſ⯑coveries in this department, he took a jour⯑ney himſelf into Wales, in the ſummer of 1726. In this excurſion he was attended by Samuel BREWER. They examined Cader Idris, and took up their reſidence at Ban⯑gor; ſearched Snowdon, Glyder, the Iſle of Angleſea; and viſited the Iſte of Man. Mr. GREEN, a clergyman of thoſe parts, was uſeful in directing their reſearches, and in aſſiſting DILLENIUS in the Welch names of places, and of plants. The Rev. Little⯑ton BROWN, M.A. Fellow of the Royal Society, is alſo commemorated, as having communicated many ſpecimens of the Cryp⯑togamous tribe to our author, collected by [176] him in Wales, Shropſhire, and Herefordſhire; and thus, by the communications of theſe, and many other friends, whoſe aid he has gratefully acknowledged^*, he was enabled to bring his work to that degree of perfec⯑tion, which would have been impracticable in many other ſituations. In 1741 it was publiſhed from the Sheldon preſs, under the following title:

"HISTORIA MUSCORUM, in qua circi⯑ter ſexcentae Species veteres et novae, ad ſua Genera relatae, deſcribuntur, et Iconibus ge⯑nuinis illuſtrantur; cum Appendice, et Indice Synonymorum. Opera Jo. Jac. DILLENII, M.D. in Univerſitate Oxonienſi Botanices Pro⯑feſſoris SHERARDINI." 4^o. 1741. pp. 552. Tab. 85.

All the ſubjects of this volume were drawn, and engraved with his own hand. It comprehends all thoſe plants which [177] come under the name of Muſci and Algae in the Cryptogamia claſs of the ſexual ſyſ⯑tem, except the Fucuſes, ſome of the Ulvae, Confervae, and a very few others. The au⯑thor's method is throughout as follows; at the head of each genus he gives the ety⯑mology of the name; his reaſons for adopt⯑ing that name, and applying it to the ſub⯑ject; then the definition of his genus, fol⯑lowed by the ſubordinate diſtinctions for the arrangement of the ſpecies.

In treating on each ſpecies, he gives, 1. A new ſpecific character, in terms intended to diſtinguiſh it from others of the ſame genus, or ſubdiviſion. 2. The deſcription of the ſpecies at length; diſtinguiſhing alſo, with great care, the ſeveral varieties; and referring each to the ſeveral figures on his plates. 3. The general places of growth; and under the more rare ſpecies, the par⯑ticular places where they have been found, or from whence he had received them: to theſe is ſubjoined the time when each is found in heads, or in its moſt flouriſhing ſtate. 4. The ſynonym of every author at length, diſpoſed in chronological order; [178] noticing at the ſame time ſuch as are refer⯑able to varieties; and frequently ſubjoining a number of critical obſervations. 5. The uſes of particular kinds, whether in the general oeconomy of nature, or in medicine, or the other arts and conveniences of life. A ſummary view of the uſes of ſeveral kinds appears in the preface; but in the body of the work, DILLENIUS has, with great dili⯑gence, collected numerous authorities on theſe heads; which ſufficiently evince, that this almoſt unnoticed tribe of vegetables hold a more conſiderable importance^* in the ſcale of utility, than a ſuperficial view may ſuggeſt.

[179] When we conſider the minuteneſs of the objects of his inveſtigation, the accuracy of his deſcriptions, the critical examination and nice diſcrimination of each ſpecies, the labour and ſkill the author has exhibited in the ſelection of the ſynonyma, and the diſ⯑poſition of them into chronological order, which is a highly meritorious part of the plan, "The Hiſtory of Moſſes" muſt be conſidered as a very extraordinary perform⯑ance: and, notwithſtanding any ſubſequent improvements in the arrangement of ſpecies, or in the reduction of them in conſequence of more perfect obſervations, or even in the microſcopical diſcoveries of HEDWIG re⯑ſpecting the Genera, DILLENIUS's work muſt long be the baſis of knowledge in this part of nature, and muſt remain with poſ⯑terity as an almoſt unexampled inſtance of patience, ingenuity, and ſcience, in the au⯑thor. This work, moreover, poſſeſſes a ſu⯑periority over every other botanical publica⯑tion [180] that I am acquainted with, in having a complete index of the ſynonyma at length. An addition of the higheſt utility in works of this kind! and which thoſe who are con⯑verſant with the writings of LINNAEUS can⯑not but regret the want of, in the Species Plantarum.

The whole impreſſion of DILLENIUS's "Moſſes" was only 250 copies, of which 50 were on imperial paper. The original edition having become extremely ſcarce^*, an impreſſion of the plates, with the names only annexed, was taken off in the year 1768, and publiſhed by John Millan. I here remark, that this was the firſt book printed in England, in which any of the Linnaean ſpecific characters were exhibited. Both the Flora Lapponica, and the Hortus Cliffortianus, are quoted in this volume.

[181] There is little doubt that DILLENIUS intended to have proſecuted the Funguſſes, as he had done the Moſſes; and he appears to have had this deſign in contemplation early after he came to England. In a letter, written in Dec. 1726, he informs his cor⯑reſpondent, that ‘"He was buſy in painting Fungi;"’ and makes this employment an apology for not anſwering his letters in due time. We know that he correſponded with Dr. DEERING on this ſubject; who was himſelf well ſkilled in the knowledge of theſe productions, and had painted a great number, ſome of which he communicated to the Profeſſor.

I have been informed, that Dr. DILLE⯑NIUS was of a corpulent habit of body: this circumſtance, united to his cloſe appli⯑cation to ſtudy, probably tended to ſhorten his days. He was ſeized with an apoplexy in the laſt week of March, 1747; and died on the 2d of April, in the 60th year of his age.

There is a portrait of him in the pic⯑ture gallery, or ſchool, at Oxford, in which he is repreſented in the academical habit; [182] with this inſcription—Jacobus DILLENIUS. M.D. Botanices Profeſſor primus, in Acade⯑mia Oxonienfi; but I have never heard that any engraving was made from it^*.

I have never been able to acquire that information my curioſity hath prompted me to wiſh for, relating to the domeſtic character, habits, temper, and diſpoſitions of Dr. DILLENIUS. Of thoſe whom I have converſed with, who were his con⯑temporaries, I have learned, that he was modeſt, temperate, and gentle in all his conduct: that he was known to few who did not ſeek him; and, as might be ex⯑pected, from the bent of his ſtudies, and [183] the cloſe application he gave to them, that his habits were of the recluſe kind. If it be allowable to form any opinions of men from the peruſal of their letters, ſome that I have ſeen, written by him, would ſug⯑geſt, that he was naturally endowed with a placid diſpoſition, improved by a philo⯑ſophical calmneſs of mind, which ſecured him in a conſiderable degree from the ef⯑fects of the incidental evils of life. I will at leaſt lay before the reader, in the note^*, [184] a tranſcript from one of his letters, written to a friend, labouring under the preſſure of adverſe fortune; which ſeems to confirm this idea^*.

RICHARDSON.

AMONG thoſe whom DILLENIUS has recorded in the preface to the third edition of RAY's Synopſis, and in his Hiſtoria Muſcorum, as having amplified Eng⯑liſh botany, the names of the SHERARDS, and of Dr. RICHARDSON, obtain a ſuperior diſtinction. The merit of Dr. RICHARD⯑SON, both from his undoubted ſkill in the ſci⯑ence, and his well known patronage of thoſe who cheriſhed it, demand a more particular commemoration than I am able to give; [186] ſince I am unacquainted with any further circumſtances relating to him, than that he was educated a phyſician, and lived at North Bierly, in Yorkſhire. There he reſided upon his own eſtate, which was ample enough to render the practice of phyſic totally unne⯑ceſſary to his well-being, from any lucra⯑tive views. He had travelled into various parts of England, for the inveſtigation of plants, and had been ſucceſsful in his tour into Wales, having more eſpecially made diſcoveries in the Cryptogamia claſs. His garden was well ſtored with exotics, and with a curious collection of Engliſh plants. He was happily ſituated to favour his poſ⯑ſeſſion of the latter, with which his ſtore was repleniſhed from time to time by the aſſiſtance of Samuel BREWER, and Thomas KNOWLTON, both inſtances of ſtrong at⯑tachment to botanical purſuits, and both reſident in the ſame county.

Dr. RICHARDSON lived in intimacy and correſpondence with Sir Hans SLOANE, Dr. DILLENIUS, and other celebrated botaniſts of his time. I do not find that he pub⯑liſhed on his favourite amuſement; but his [187] name occurs in the Philoſophical Tranſac⯑tions, as author of the following papers.

On ſubterraneous Trees, or Foſſil Wood, found at Youlé, near York. Vol. xix. p. 526.

Obſervations in Natural Hiſtory in York⯑ſhire. A Boy who lived to ſeventeen years of age, without any Secretion of Urine, in whom Nature ſupplied this deficiency by a conſtant Diarrhoea. On the Trouts of the Welch Lakes; on the Ermine; the Nut⯑hatch; and the Regulus Criſtatus; the He⯑lix Pomatia. Vol. xxviii. p. 167.

A Relation of the Fall of a Water Spout in Lancaſhire, which tore up the ground ſe⯑ven feet deep, formed a deep gulph near half a mile in length, and deſtroyed the ſurface of ten acres of land. Vol. xxx. p. 1097.

A Letter from Dr. Richard RICHARD⯑SON, F.R.S. to Sir Hans SLOANE, Bart. concerning the Voraciouſneſs of the Squilla Aquae dulcis in deſtroying the young Fry of Carp and Tench in Ponds. Vol. xxxviii. p. 331.

A Caſe from Mr. William Wright, Sur⯑geon of Bradford, concerning a large Piece [188] of the Thigh Bone (5½ inches long) taken out, and its place ſupplied by a Callus.

Dr. RICHARDSON died at an advanced age, about the year 1740.

BREWER.

I reluctantly paſs over the names of many others, mentioned in the Synopſis, whoſe ſervices, although they were not writers on the ſubject, might juſtly call for reſpectful notice: but, not being able to produce any ſatisfactory or intereſting anecdotes relating to them, I muſt content myſelf with refer⯑ring the reader to a liſt of them, collected with no ſmall pains, by the preſent Profeſ⯑ſor of Botany at Cambridge, and publiſhed in the Preface to his Plantae Cantabrigien⯑ſes.

Having however mentioned the name of Samuel BREWER, his connection with DIL⯑LENIUS will not allow me to refuſe a pro⯑per tribute to his memory; ſince his paſſion for Engliſh botany, and his ſkill and aſſi⯑duity, enabled him to afford ſingular aſſiſt⯑ance to the Profeſſor, particularly in the ſubjects for his "Hiſtory of Moſſes;" as in [189] ſome inſtances he had done in the Synop⯑ſis, for the plants of Mendip and Chedder Rocks.

He was originally of Trowbridge, in Wilts, in which county he had a ſmall eſtate. He was engaged at one time in the woollen manufactory of that place; but, I believe, proved unſucceſsful in buſineſs. He attended DILLENIUS into Wales, An⯑gleſey, and the Iſle of Man, in the ſummer of 1726; and afterwards remained the win⯑ter, and the greater part of the next year, in that country; making his reſidence at Bangor, and taking his excurſions to Snow⯑don and elſewhere, often accompanied by the Rev. Mr. GREEN, and Mr. William JONES. While in Wales, it was intended that he ſhould have gone over to Ireland, to make a botanical tour through that kingdom; but that expedition never took place. So long a reſidence gave him an op⯑portunity not only of ſeeing the beauties of ſummer plants, but of collecting the Cryp⯑togamia in winter, when they flouriſh moſt. Here he received inſtructions from the Pro⯑feſſor, collected ſpecimens of every thing [190] rare, or unknown to him before, and ſent them to DILLENIUS, to determine the ſpe⯑cies, and fix the names. I have ſeen a ca⯑talogue of more than two hundred plants, many of which were ill aſcertained before, all ſent at one time, with the references to the Synopſis affixed by DILLENIUS. This journey appears to have been deſigned to promote the "Appendix to the Synopſis."

In 1728, Mr. BREWER went into York⯑ſhire, and reſided, I believe, the remainder of his days at Bradford, in that county, in the neighbourhood of Dr. RICHARDSON, by whoſe beneficence he was aſſiſted in various ways. After his retirement into Yorkſhire, he meditated, and nearly finiſhed, a work which was to have borne the title of "The Botanical Guide;" but it never ap⯑peared. I cannot determine the time of his deceaſe, but am aſſured he was living in the year 1742.

HARRISON.

At a ſomewhat later period, we find the name of Thomas HARRISON, a tradeſman at Mancheſter, who furniſhed DILLENIUS [191] with ſpecimens for his hiſtory. In his younger years he had collected a large Her⯑barium. I have been informed by one who inſpected it in the year 1762, that it con⯑tained, at that time, near 4000 ſpecimens, including both exotic and indigenous plant [...]. Among the latter, the Filices were the moſt complete part; the other Cryptogamia being but few, and the collection in general not rich in Britiſh ſpecies. In order to accommodate the ſpecimens to the largeſt ſized paper, luxuriant plants of the ſmaller kinds had been choſen; a circumſtance diſadvantageous to the diſtinctions of ſuch plants.

Mr. HARRISON's Herbarium hath, I be⯑lieve, ſince been purchaſed, at a conſider⯑able price, and is depoſited in the Mancheſ⯑ter library.

COLE.

Mr. Thomas COLE, another of the corre⯑ſpondents of DILLENIUS, was a diſſenting miniſter at Glouceſter, of whom I have heard the following anecdote: That he had col⯑lected an Herbarium, which, in a flight of [192] religious zeal, and repentance, at having miſpent his time in accumulating, he com⯑mitted to the flames. Mr. COLE certainly forgot, at that moment, that the key to uſeful ſcience is the knowledge of things. To collect the productions of nature, in order to admire and contemplate in his works the great Author of all, is in itſelf ſurely not only innocent, but laudable; and, when the view is extended to the utility of man, ſtill more meritorious. If the ſight of Mr. COLE's collection might teach but one peaſant to diſtinguiſh that plant, which could alleviate his own, or the affliction of his neighbour, or his friend, ſurely it had not been made in vain.

IRISH BOTANY.

IRELAND has been ſo little diſtin⯑guiſhed for the production of writers on the ſubject of theſe ſketches, that it has not been in my power, till this late period, to introduce to the reader's notice, any pro⯑feſſed work on the Flora of that kingdom. The diſtracted ſtate of the country, during a great part of the laſt century, had doubt⯑leſs no ſmall ſhare in retarding the progreſs of learning and ſcience among the Iriſh. It does not appear, that, until the middle of that period, any enquiries had been made even into the natural hiſtory of the country in general.

[194] Gerard BOATE, a Dutch phyſician, be⯑gan "Ireland's Natural Hiſtory," which was publiſhed by Samuel HARTLIB in 1652, 12^o. Of this the 10th, 11th, and 12th chapters treat on Agriculture. But the ſecond part of the work, in which the author intended to have given the Vegeta⯑bles, was never publiſhed; if indeed it was ever written.

There is a Mr. Zanche SILLIARD, an apothecary of Dublin, mentioned by PAR⯑KINSON, who ſeems to have poſſeſſed ſome botanical knowledge. But the earlieſt in⯑telligence that I can find of any real bota⯑niſt, a native of Ireland, is of a Mr. HEA⯑TON, a divine, who lived at Dublin. I cannot collect any anecdotes of him; but I find his name attached, as the firſt diſco⯑verer, to many plants in HOW's Phytologia, and to ſome in MERRETT's Pinax; and, from the number and rarity of the ſubjects recorded, he muſt have been a perſon of conſiderable knowledge in his way. It appears from the ſame authorities, that he had been much in England, having pointed out the natural places of many rare plants [195] of this country. He is thought to have left a manuſcript on the ſubject, which it is conjectured was written about the year 1641, and from which THRELKELD took the Iriſh names of plants, who ſays, they were much more copious and exact than he could collect from any living authority. In the number of plants, it greatly exceeds any liſt we have extant of the old Britiſh names, or of thoſe in the Erſe tongue, among the Highlanders.

Towards the latter end of the century, ſome information was received relating to the natural hiſtory of Ireland, from the tour of Dr. LLHWYD, as recorded in the Philo⯑ſophical Tranſactions; and Dr. William SHE⯑RARD, on his viſits to Sir Arthur RAW⯑DON, at Moyra, noticed many of the rare plants of that region.

Soon after this time, the eſtabliſhment of the Philoſophical Society at Dublin contri⯑buted to advance, among other ſciences, that of natural hiſtory; and, of thoſe who exerted themſelves to promote theſe pur⯑ſuits, were the two brothers, Dr. Wil⯑liam and Dr. Thomas MOLYNEUX. Their [196] papers are numerous, and are extant in the Philoſophical Tranſactions.

Dr. Thomas MOLYNEUX was profeſſor of phyſic in the univerſity of Dublin, and phy⯑ſician to the ſtate, and to the army. About the beginning of this century, he drew up ſome account of the ſpontaneous vegetables of Ireland; which evidence, that he had applied to the ſtudy in a ſcientific manner.

He communicated his papers to Dr. THRELKELD, who incorporated ſome of them into the body of his Synopſis, and placed the remainder at the end. Of Dr. THRELKELD I now proceed to give ſome account.

THRELKELD.

Caleb THRELKELD, the author of the firſt treatiſe on the plants of Ireland, was born the 31ſt of May, 1676, at Keiberg, in the pariſh of Kirkoſwald, in Cumberland. In the year 1698, he commenced maſter of arts in the univerſity of Glaſgow, and ſoon after ſettled at Low Huddleſceugh, near the place of his birth, in the character of a diſſenting miniſter. He had acquired a [197] taſte for botany and phyſic during his re⯑ſidence at Glaſgow; and continued to make a conſiderable progreſs in theſe ſtudies, in⯑ſomuch, that, in 1712, he took a doctor's degree in phyſic at Edinburgh; and the next ſpring, having a ſtraight income, and a large family, he removed to Dublin, and ſettled there in the united character of the divine, and phyſician. Finding himſelf like⯑ly to ſucceed, in little more than a year, he ſent for his family, conſiſting of a wife, three ſons, and three daughters. His prac⯑tice as a phyſician, ſoon increaſed, ſo far as to enable him to drop his other character entirely, and devote himſelf wholly to phy⯑ſic. In 1727, he publiſhed his "SYNOPSIS STIRPIUM HIBERNICARUM;" and died, after a ſhort ſickneſs, of a violent fever, at his houſe in Mark's Alley, Frances Street, April 28, 1728; and was buried in the new burial ground belonging to St. Patrick's, near Cavan Street; to which place his ob⯑ſequies were attended by a ſet of children, educated by a ſociety of gentlemen, to which inſtitution he had acted as phyſician. And my memorialiſt adds, that he was much re⯑gretted [198] by the poor, to whom he had been, both as a man, and as a phyſician, a kind benefactor.

It does not appear that Dr. THRELKELD publiſhed any other work than the follow⯑ing, though he meditated a general hiſtory of plants:

"SYNOPSIS STIRPIUM HIBERNICA⯑RUM, alphabetice diſpoſitarum; five, Com⯑mentatio de Plantis indigenis, praeſertim Dublinenſibus inſtituta. Being a ſhort Treatiſe of Native Plants, eſpecially ſuch as grow ſpontaneouſly in the vicinity of Dublin; with their Latin, Engliſh, and Iriſh Names, and an Abridgment of their Virtues; with ſeveral new Diſcoveries. With an Appendix of Obſervations made upon Plants, by Dr. MOLYNEUX, Phy⯑ſician to the State in Ireland. The firſt Eſſay of the Kind in the Kingdom of Ireland. Auctore CALEB THRELKELD, M.D. Dublin, 1727." 8^o. pp. 262.

The author, after a dedication to the Archbiſhop of Armagh, and a preface, which, though written in a quaint ſtile, proves him to have been a man of ſome [199] erudition in the ſcience, enumerates all the plants he had obſerved in the environs of Dublin, and of all ſuch as he had gained authentic intelligence, from other parts of the kingdom. He gives, firſt, the old La⯑tin names, generally from Caſpar BAU⯑HINE's Pinax; then the Engliſh name; and afterwards the Iriſh; ſubjoining ſome account of the quality of the plant, and its uſe in medicine, and oeconomy.

He has moreover interſperſed ſome curi⯑ous obſervations: to inſtance, under the Betula, or Birch Tree, he ſays, ‘"The Iriſh grammarians remark, that all the names of the Iriſh letters, are names of trees."’

Under Braſſica, he obſerves, ‘"That the word is only the Celtic Praiſſeagh put into a Latin termination; the Latin be⯑ing no other than the Celtic language cloathed with the Aeolic dialect, as Eng⯑liſh is the Saxon or Dutch language cloathed with Normandy French, as all antiquaries will allow."’

It is obſervable, that THRELKELD no⯑tices the good effects of the Lythrum Sa⯑licaria, in a dyſentery: a ſimple ſince his [200] time ſo ſtrongly recommended by De HAEN^* in the ſame diſorder; and in ob⯑ſtinate diarrhoeas. He alſo ſpeaks in high terms, and from his own experience, of the powers uſually attributed to the Meny⯑anthes trifoliata, or Bog-bean. He quotes from Dr. VAUGHAN a caſe of the fatal ef⯑fect of the Mackenbay, or Euphorbia Hy⯑berna. Dr. MOLYNEUX has obſerved, that the Geniſta ſpinoſa, or Whins (Ulex euro⯑peus Lin.) although common in other parts of Ireland, is not ſeen in the pro⯑vince of Connaught. A ſingular fact, if the obſervation be ſufficiently accurate.

In the Appendix, printed from the papers of Dr. MOLYNEUX, the reader meets with ſeveral curious obſervations. Among others, an inſtance of the effects of the roots of common Henbane upon ſeveral perſons, who having eaten them inſtead of ſkirrets, were affected with vertiginous ſymptoms, and in one caſe a frenzy enſued, which held the perſon two or three days. The work con⯑cludes with the Index of Iriſh names of [201] plants, from the manuſcript ſuppoſed to have been written, as heretofore obſerved, by Mr. HEATON.

THRELKELD's Flora is not rich in the number of plants, ſince it does not contain more than 535 ſpecies. The author ap⯑pears to have been better acquainted with the hiſtory of plants than with plants them⯑ſelves; and ſeems not to have ſtudied bota⯑ny in a ſyſtematic way, as may be inferred from his ſtrictures on the third edition of RAY's Synopſis, noticed under the article DILLENIUS.

KEOGH.

"Botanologia Univerſalis Hibernica; or, A General Iriſh Herbal, calculated for this Kingdom; giving an Account of the Herbs, Shrubs, and Trees, naturally pro⯑duced therein, in Engliſh, Iriſh, and La⯑tin; with a true Deſcription of them, and their Medicinal Virtues and Qualities. By John KEOGH, A.B. Chaplain to the Right Hon. the Lord Kingſton. Corke. 1735." 4^o.

[202] Not having ſeen this work, I cannot give the reader any further information relating to it.

SMITH's HISTORIES.

In the County Hiſtories of Ireland, publiſh⯑ed under the direction of the Phyſico-hiſ⯑torical Society of Dublin by Charles SMITH, we meet with catalogues of the rare plants in each diſtrict. Theſe liſts, however, not being drawn up with ſufficient knowledge of the ſubject, want that authenticity, which the critical botaniſt would expect, and have not greatly enlarged the botany of Ireland.

In that of "The antient and preſent State of the County of Down," 1744, 8^o, the author ſpeaks of the Savin as indigenous—a privilege which will ſcarcely be allowed to it in that kingdom; although Dr. MO⯑LYNEUX, and after him THRELKELD, had recorded it. When it is recollected for what nefarious purpoſes it was originally intro⯑duced into many gardens, it may readily be conjectured to be the perpetuated offspring [203] of original culture, in a favourable ſitua⯑tion.

In that of "The County of Waterford," many very common plants, and a conſider⯑able number of the marine ſpecies. There occurs alſo a caſe, confirming the poiſonous quality of the Hemlock Dropwort.

In that of "The County of Cork," 1750, 2 vols. 8^o, ſeveral of the Alpine, and other rare plants, occur; ſuch are the Dryas oc⯑topetala, Sedum daſyphyllum, Euphorbia hy⯑berna: but what will the critical botaniſt ſay, when he ſees in this liſt the Androſae⯑mum Aſcyron!

Ireland may with reaſon be proud to enumerate, among its choice productions of Flora, the Arbutus of Killarney; neverthe⯑leſs, its right as an aboriginal, is with great probability of truth conteſted by Mr. SMITH, in his "Hiſtory of the County of Kerry," 1756, 8^o; in which he conſiders it as having been introduced by the Monks of St. Finnian, who founded the abbey in the ſixth century.

I conclude my remarks on Iriſh botany with obſerving, that the varied clime, the [204] different ſite of the country throughout Ireland; its mountains, lakes, creeks, and moors, unqueſtionably afford ſcope to a great variety of vegetables; and the poverty of THRELKELD's Flora has left a rich harveſt to the Iriſh botaniſt: for, notwith⯑ſtanding the conſiderable time elapſed ſince the publication of his book, and the lauda⯑ble attempts of the Dublin Society, I know not that Ireland has ſince been examined by any perſon of acknowledged abilities in the ſcience. What might not ſuch an ad⯑venturer expect, from a country, which nurtures on its mountains the Andromeda Daboecia, the Dryas octopetala, and the Saxifraga umbroſa of the Alps; and, on the borders of its enchanting lakes, the Ar⯑butus Unedo of Greece.

MARTYN.

AT the dawn of learning, the ſeeds of botany had been firſt ſown in Eng⯑land, by Dr. TURNER, at Cambridge. They can ſcarcely, however, be ſaid to have ger⯑minated, until a century afterwards, under the foſtering care of Mr. RAY. By his cultivation, they took root, although not invigorated by public ſupport. In the mean time, through the munificence of the Earl of DANBY, Oxford experienced the benefit of a public inſtitution in aid of this ſcience, and botany flouriſhed under the care of MO⯑RISON. [206] After his time, to the eſtabliſh⯑ment of DILLENIUS, it languiſhed; no pub⯑lication marked its progreſs; and its hiſtory at Oxford is void of intereſting facts. Nearly the ſame languor prevailed after the time of Mr. RAY at Cambridge, and botany attained no ſtrength till the time of Dr. MARTYN, who, under the patronage of the univerſity, gave the firſt public lecture in that depart⯑ment, in the year 1727.

Of this learned botaniſt, I am now, in the order of time, to preſent the reader with ſome account: and here I find myſelf agree⯑ably anticipated by the relation of his life and writings, prefixed to his "Diſſertations on the Aeneids of VIRGIL," printed in 1770, 12^o, and drawn up by his moſt reſpectable ſon, and ſucceſſor in the profeſſorſhip; with whoſe friendſhip and correſpondence, I have on this occaſion a ſincere pleaſure in ac⯑knowledging, I have long been honoured. Hence I ſhall briefly recite from theſe anec⯑dotes, only the leading circumſtances in the life of Dr. MARTYN, as connected with his profeſſorial character; and conclude with a ſhort account of his botanical writings.

[207] John MARTYN was born in the city of London, Sept. 12, 1699, and was deſigned by his father for the profeſſion of a mer⯑chant; but his early and ſtrong propenſity to learning and ſcience, in the end over-ruled that deſign. He had from his youth an attachment to botany; and this taſte was further excited by his acquaintance with Mr. WILMER, afterwards demonſtrator at Chelſea Garden; and confirmed by an inti⯑macy with, and the countenance of, Dr. SHERARD, in the year 1719. In the year 1720, he tranſlated from the French, Dr. TOURNEFORT's "Hiſtory of the Plants growing about Paris;" and having pro⯑jected a like catalogue of the plants about London, he collected, with unwearied dili⯑gence, the native plants of the environs; making for this purpoſe ſometimes very ex⯑tenſive excurſions, and almoſt ever on foot. He had once conceived a ſcheme for form⯑ing a method from the Seed-leaves, and had ſown a great number of ſeeds in order to obſerve the difference between them. He early became acquainted with DILLENIUS, and co-operated with him in forming a ſo⯑ciety [208] of botaniſts, which conſiſted of ſeven⯑teen members. This ſociety kept together till the year 1726. He continued, during the years 1723 and 1724, to make his excur⯑ſions in ſearch of plants more frequent, and extended them farther, into Middleſex, Sur⯑rey, Eſſex, and Kent. At the ſame time he ſtudied Inſects, continued his obſervations on the Seed-leaves, and made many others on the Sexes of Plants. He had, ſeveral years before this time, tranſlated from the Latin, an ode on that ſubject, preſented to CAMERARIUS, and printed in that Author's epiſtle De Sexu Plantarum. The tranſlation may be ſeen in BLAIR's "Botanic Eſſays."

In the ſummer of 1724, he travelled into Wales, by Bath and Briſtol, returning by Hereford, Worceſter, and Oxford; by which he extended the objects of his ſtudies, and augmented his collection of Engliſh plants; inſomuch, that at length it comprehended 1400 ſpecimens.

In 1725 and 1726, he read lectures in botany in London, and was recommended by Dr. SHERARD and Sir Hans SLOANE to exerciſe the ſame function at Cambridge; [209] where, on the death of BRADLEY, he was choſen Profeſſor of Botany; and continued to give lectures for ſeveral years, until the want of a garden, and his long abſence from the buſineſs of phyſic, which he had engaged in, rendered it incommodious to him.

In 1727, Dr. MARTYN was admitted a member of the Royal Society; and was ſo active in the committee for regulating the library and muſeum, in 1731, that he had his bond for annual payment cancelled by an order of council, as an acknowledgment of his ſervices.

In 1730, he was admitted of Emanuel College, with an intention to have pro⯑ceeded regularly with the degrees in phyſic; but his marriage, and his attention to the practice of the profeſſion, prevented him from finiſhing his deſign. In the mean time, he read lectures in Botany and the Materia Medica, both at Cambridge and in London, in the years 1730 and 1731. In the beginning of the year 1733, he was elected Profeſſor of Botany by the unani⯑mous voice of the univerſity.

[210] Dr. MARTYN had practiſed phyſic for three years in the city, but on account of an aſthmatic complaint, removed in the year 1730 to Chelſea; where he continued the exerciſe of that proſeſſion, until his retire⯑ment to Streatham, in 1752. In 1761, he reſigned his profeſſorſhip; and ſoon after, in gratitude for the favour of having choſen him, and his ſon after him, to this poſt, he preſented to the univerſity his botanical li⯑brary, conſiſting of upwards of 200 vo⯑lumes; his Hortus Siccus of Exotics, con⯑taining 2600 ſpecimens; near 250 drawings of Fungi; his collection of Seeds, and Seed Veſſels; and his Materia Medica.

He removed to Chelſea about a year be⯑fore his death; which event took place on the 29th of January, 1768.

The Profeſſor was the author of the fol⯑lowing publications:

TABULAE SYNOPTICAE Plantarum Offi⯑cinalium ad Methodum Raianam diſpoſitae. 1726. fol. pp. 20. Dedicated to Sir Hans SLOANE.

METHODUS PLANTARUM circa Canta⯑brigiam naſcentium. 1727. 12^o. pp. 132. [211] This is Mr. RAY's Alphabetical Catalogue, reduced to the order of his ſyſtem, with the generic characters taken from RAY's Me⯑thodus emendata et aucta, from VAILLANT, DILLENIUS, SCHEUCHZER, and others, much improved and corrected by Mr. MAR⯑TYN's own obſervations. All the plants of Mr. RAY's two Appendices, of 1663 and 1685, now become extremely rare, amount⯑ing to 84 ſpecies, are inſerted in this ma⯑nual, which was printed for the uſe of his pupils, on his firſt reading lectures at Cam⯑bridge. A ſheet and an half of a new edition, containing more than 150 ſpecies, not con⯑tained in RAY's Catalogue, was printed as part of a new edition; but it was not car⯑ried farther: theſe were, Submarine Plants, Funguſes, Moſſes, Capillaries, Apetalous and Juliferous Plants. And, as the genius of RAY ſtill continued to animate his ſucceſ⯑ſors, the Cambridge Flora has ſince been much augmented and improved, not only by the ſkill and aſſiduity of the preſent Profeſſor, and the labours of the late Mr. LYONS, but more recently ſtill, by the [212] diligent reſearches and accurate diſcrimina⯑tions of the Rev. Mr. RELHAN.

HISTORIA PLANTARUM RARIORUM Decades quinque. Fol. max. 1728-1732. This was the moſt ſumptuous and magni⯑ficent work of the kind, that had ever been attempted in England. It was dedicated to the Royal Society, and was deſigned to contain ſuch curious plants, as had not been figured before, in their natural ſize and co⯑lours; with the deſcriptions, and the cul⯑ture and uſes. The extraordinary expence of this work prevented its progreſs. The plates were mezzotinto, and printed in pro⯑per colours. Theſe Decads, among many other rarities, contain ſeveral Gerania, the Milleria, Martynia, Gronovia, Turnera, ſe⯑veral Paſſiflorae, Caſſiae, and many North-American plants.

In 1729, having entertained a deſign of reading a courſe of lectures at Oxford, he pub⯑liſhed "The firſt Lecture of a Courſe of Bo⯑tany, being an Introduction to the reſt." 8^o. 1729. pp. 24. tab. 84. It is an explana⯑tion of the technical terms of the ſcience.

[213] In the year 1720, Dr. MARTYN, as hath been obſerved, had made a Tranſlation of TOURNEFORT's "Hiſtory of Plants about Paris;" and at the ſame time meditated a Catalogue of thoſe of the environs of London. The latter was never finiſhed; nor was the Tranſlation publiſhed, till twelve years afterwards, when it appeared under the following title: "TOURNEFORT's Hiſ⯑tory of Plants growing about Paris, with their Uſes in Phyſic; and a Mechanical Account of the Operation of Medicines. Tranſlated into Engliſh, with many Ad⯑ditions, and accommodated to the Plants growing in Great Britain." In 2 vols. 8^o. 1732.

"The Six Alphabets" of TOURNEFORT are reduced into one; all the uſeful obſer⯑vations, both from the edition which came out by the united care of SHERARD and BOERHAAVE, and from that which was publiſhed by Bernard de JUSSIEU, are ex⯑tracted. The Tranſlator added alſo the Engliſh names, and the places where the plants grow in England. He diſpoſed the Moſſes according to DILLENIUS's method; [214] and the Muſhrooms and Capillary Plants, after a new method of his own.

Of the papers publiſhed by Dr. MAR⯑TYN, in the Philoſophical Tranſactions, the following have relation to the ſubject of this work.

Rare Plants obſerved in a Journey into the Peak of Derbyſhire. N^o 407. Vol. xxxvi. p. 22 and 28. In this paper, the Author has taken occaſion to ſeparate the Lac⯑tuca ſylveſtris murorum flore luteo of BAU⯑HINE and RAY from that genus, and gives it the name of Scariola. LINNAEUS juſtifies the diſtinction, but calls the genus Phrenan⯑thes.

An Account of a new Species of Fungus. N^o 475. Vol. xliii. p. 263; with a Figure. Dr. MARTYN claſſed this ſingular pro⯑duction among the Boleti. He takes the opportunity, in this paper, of exhibiting a Synoptical Table of his diſtribution of the whole order of Fungi: of which it is ſuffi⯑cient to ſay, that it does not materially dif⯑fer from that of DILLENIUS. The figure was copied in BLACKSTONE's Specimen Bo⯑tanicum; and the Fungus has been conſi⯑dered [215] by the author of the Flora Anglica, as a variety of the Clavaria Hypoxylon Lin.

A Remark concerning the Sex of Holly. Vol. xlviii. p. 613. Dr. MARTYN firſt obſerved the Holly Tree to be Dioecious, in his own garden at Streatham, in Surry. Dr. WATSON, Mr. MILLER, and ſubſequent botaniſts, not only found his obſervations true, but diſcovered, that the ſame trees bore alſo hermaphrodite flowers. This oc⯑caſioned the removal of it, in the Flora An⯑glica, to the claſs Polygamia. But as it does not appear that the remaining ſpecies of the Ilex are ſubject to the ſame change, the genus ſtands in the works of LINNAEUS in the Tetrandrous claſs as before.

It is not without the ſtricteſt juſtice that the term indefatigable is applied to this learned man. His avocations from buſineſs were wholly devoted to the cauſe of litera⯑ture, which he contributed to ſerve in va⯑rious ways. The numerous works he was engaged in, and the variety of his manuſcript remains, amply teſtify this truth. At one time he was concerned in a periodical pa⯑per. He was a coadjutor with Mr. EAMES, [216] in abridging the Philoſophical Tranſactions; and was employed in writing the firſt three volumes of the "General Dictionary," in which the lives of BELLONIUS, BOCCONE, and BRUNSFELSIUS, were written by him. He tranſlated BOERHAAVE's "Treatiſe on the Powers of Medicine;" HARRIS's "Treatiſe on the Acute Diſeaſes of Infants;" and, jointly with Mr. CHAMBERS, gave, in 5 volumes in octavo, in 1742, a Tranſlation, or rather an "Abridgment of Philoſophical Papers, from the Memoirs of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris."

Dr. MARTYN was the author of thir⯑teen papers, printed in the Philoſophical Tranſactions. His Tranſlation of the Geor⯑gics and Bucolics of VIRGIL, with his notes upon this his favourite poet, hath extended his fame among the learned of all nations. To the claſſical reader in general, they af⯑ford ample ſatisfaction; but to thoſe who join to ſuch elegant enjoyment, a knowledge of the learned Editor's favourite ſcience, theſe volumes muſt afford a gratification, which they will in vain ſeek for elſewhere. His great knowledge both of antient and mo⯑dern [217] ſcience, relating to plants, enabled him to appropriate the modern appellations, with a degree of judgment, that has been highly approved of by thoſe who know the difficulty of the undertaking, under that almoſt total want of ſpecific diſtinction, which occurs in the writings of the an⯑cients.

In the year 1737, our Author entered into correſpondence with LINNAEUS. It is one of thoſe notices that can only oc⯑cur to a lover of ſimilar ſtudies, that he was, if not the firſt, at leaſt one of the earlieſt Engliſh writers, who announced the northern genius to the Britiſh reader. This was done by the Profeſſor's extract from the Flora Lapponica, printed in the edition of the Georgics in 1741. It was ſome years afterwards, before the ſyſtem of the Swede made any progreſs in England.

I ſhall only remark further, that beſides the obligations which literature in general owes to this learned Profeſſor, that which I call more ſtrictly Engliſh botany, received conſiderable augmentation from his labours; particularly from his methodizing "The [218] Cambridge Catalogue" of Mr. RAY, and from the additions he made to his Tranſla⯑tion of TOURNEFORT's book^*.

CATESBY.

ALTHOUGH the ingenious author, whom I commemorate in this chap⯑ter, does not ſtrictly rank among the im⯑provers of indigenous botany; yet I cannot paſs over in ſilence, a man, to whom the ſcience owes one of its moſt elegant, and ſuperb productions. Mr. Mark CATESBY was, I believe, one of thoſe men, whom a paſſion for natural hiſtory very early al⯑lured from the intereſting purſuits of life; and it led him at length to croſs the Atlan⯑tic, that he might read the volume of na⯑ture in a country but imperfectly explored, and where her beauties were diſplayed in a [220] more extended and magnificent ſcale, than the narrow bounds of his native country exhibited. It is but too true, that the world at large will for ever treat with ridicule and diſdain that man, who, thus deſerting the paths that lead to riches, to preſerment, or to honour, gives himſelf up to what are commonly deemed unimportant and trifling occupations. Few will give him credit for that ſecret ſatisfaction, for that inexhauſti⯑ble pleaſure, which the inveſtigation of na⯑ture, in all her objects, inceſſantly holds forth to his mind; or believe, that ſuch employment can poſſibly compenſate for the ſolid treaſures of gain.

Mark CATESBY was born about the lat⯑ter end of 1679, or the beginning of the next year. He acquaints us himſelf, that he had very early a propenſity to the ſtudy of nature; and that his wiſh for higher gratifications in this way, firſt led him to London, which he emphatically ſtiles ‘"the center of ſcience;"’ and afterwards impelled him to ſeek further ſources, in diſtant parts of the globe. The reſidence of ſome re⯑lations [221] in Virginia favoured his deſign; and he went to that country in 1712, where he ſtaid ſeven years, admiring, and collecting the various productions of the country, without having laid any direct plan for the work he afterwards accompliſhed. During this reſidence, he communicated ſeeds and ſpecimens of plants, both dried, and in a growing ſtate, to Mr. DALE, of Braintree, in Eſſex; and, ſome of his obſervations on the country, being communicated by this means to Dr. William SHERARD, procured him the friendſhip and patronage of that gentleman. On his return to England, in 1719, he was encouraged by the aſſiſtance of ſeveral of the nobility, of Sir Hans SLOANE, Dr. SHERARD, and other natu⯑raliſts, whoſe names he has recorded, to return to America, with the profeſſed de⯑ſign of deſcribing, delineating, and painting the more curious objects of nature. Caro⯑lina was fixed on, as the place of his reſi⯑dence, where he arrived in May 1722. He firſt examined the lower parts of the coun⯑try, making excurſions from Charles Town; [222] and afterwards ſojourned, for ſome time, a⯑mong the Indians in the mountainous regions at and about Fort Moore. He then extend⯑ed his reſearches through Georgia and Flo⯑rida; and having ſpent nearly three years on the continent, he viſited the Bahama Iſlands, taking his reſidence in the Iſle of Providence; carrying on his plan, and par⯑ticularly making collections of fiſhes, and ſubmarine productions.

On his return to England, in the year 1726, his labours having met with the ap⯑probation of his patrons, Mr. CATESBY made himſelf maſter of the art of Etching; and, retiring to Hoxton, employed himſelf in carrying on his great work, which he publiſhed in numbers of twenty plants each. The firſt appeared in the latter end of the year 1730; and the firſt volume, conſiſting of 100 plates, was finiſhed in 1732: the ſecond, in 1743; and the Appendix, of twenty plates, in the year 1748.

A regular account of each number, writ⯑ten by Dr. Cromwell MORTIMER, Secretary of the Royal Society, was laid before the [223] Society as it appeared, and printed in the Philoſophical Tranſactions; in which the Doctor has ſometimes interſperſed illuſtra⯑tive obſervations. See N^o 415. 420. 426. for Vol. i.; N^o 432. 438. 441. 449. 484. for Vol. ii.; and N^o 486. for the Appen⯑dix.

The whole work bears the following title: "The Natural Hiſtory of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Iſlands; con⯑taining the Figures of Birds, Beaſts, Fiſhes, Serpents, Inſects, and Plants; particularly the Foreſt Trees, Shrubs, and Plants, not hitherto deſcribed, or very incorrectly ſigured by Authors; to⯑gether with their Deſcriptions, in French and Engliſh. To which are added, Ob⯑ſervations on the Air, Soil, and Waters: With Remarks upon Agriculture, Grain, Pulſe, Roots. To the whole is pre⯑fixed a new and correct Map of the Countries treated of." By Mark CATES⯑BY, F.R.S. Tom. I. 1731. pp. 100. tab. 100. Tom. II. 1743. pp. 100. tab. 100. Account of Carolina, &c. pp. 44. Appen⯑dix, [224] tab. 20. pp. 20. Fol. imperial, fig. 407.

The number of ſubjects deſcribed and figured in this work ſtands as below:

In this ſpendid performance, the curious are gratified with the figures of many of the moſt beautiful trees, ſhrubs, and herbaceous plants, that adorn the gardens of the pre⯑ſent time. Many alſo of the moſt uſeful in the arts, and conveniences of life, and ſeveral of thoſe uſed in medicine, are here for the firſt time exhibited in the true pro⯑portion, and natural colours. It is only to be regretted, that, in this work, a ſeparate exhibition of the flower in all its parts ſhould be wanting; in defect of which, ſeveral curious articles have not been aſcertained. It is a requiſite of modern date, and with⯑out [225] it, every figure, eſpecially of a new ſpe⯑cies, muſt be deemed imperfect.

Moſt of the plates of plants exhibit alſo ſome ſubject of the animal kingdom. To theſe my plan does not extend; but I will in the note^*, enumerate ſome of the moſt remarkable of the vegetable claſs. As Mr. [226] CATESBY etched all the figures himſelf, from his own paintings, and the coloured copies were at firſt done under his own in⯑ſpection, and wherever it was poſſible, every ſubject in its natural ſize, this work was the moſt ſplendid of its kind that England had ever produced. I do not know that it [227] had been equalled on the continent, unleſs by that of Madam MERIAN, which, how⯑ever, falls greatly ſhort in extent. Seventy-two Plates of CATESBY's work were copied by the Nuremberg artiſts, and publiſhed in 1750. His "Obſervations on Carolina, &c." were ſeparately printed in folio, at the ſame place, in 1767.

[228] Mr. CATESBY was the author of a pa⯑per, printed in the forty-fourth volume of the Philoſophical Tranſactions, p. 435, "On Birds of Paſſage;" in which, in oppoſition to the opinion that birds lie torpid in ca⯑verns, and at the bottom of waters, he pro⯑duces a variety of reaſons, and ſeveral facts, [229] which his reſidence in America offered, in ſupport of their migration in ſearch of pro⯑per food. His voyages acroſs the Atlantic, had taught him the ability of theſe wan⯑derers to take long flights. He mentions, in another place, his having ſeen Hawks, Swallows, and a ſpecies of Owl, in 26 deg. of N. latitude, at the diſtance of 600 leagues from land. He ſhews, that birds unknown before to the country, find their way annu⯑ally into various parts of North America, ſince the introduction of ſeveral kinds of grain: of this the Rice-bird, Emberiza ory⯑zivora, and the white-faced Duck, Anas diſcors, are, among others, inſtances too ſufficiently known and felt by the inhabi⯑tants.

Mr. CATESBY was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society ſoon after his ſecond re⯑turn from America, and lived in acquaint⯑ance and friendſhip with many of the moſt reſpectable members of that body; being ‘"greatly eſteemed for his modeſty, inge⯑nuity, and upright behaviour."’

Before his death, he removed from Hox⯑ton to Fulham, and afterwards to London; [230] and died at his houſe behind St. Luke's church, in Old Street, Dec. 23, 1749, aged 70, leaving a widow and two children^*.

His work has been re-publiſhed in 1754 and in 1771. To the laſt edition a Linnaean index has been annexed; but it is by no means ſo copious or perfect as a work of ſuch merit and magnificence demands.

HOUSTON.

THOSE who are converſant with the writings of MILLER, will recollect the frequent mention of the name of Dr. William HOUSTON; and that the exotic botany of England was greatly enriched by his means. If I err not, Mr. HOUSTON went firſt to the Weſt Indies, in the charac⯑ter of a ſurgeon; and, upon his return, after two years reſidence at Leyden, took degrees in phyſic under BOERHAAVE. This was in 1728 and 1729. At Leyden, he inſtitu⯑ted a ſet of Experiments on Brutes; ſome [232] of which were made in concert with the late celebrated Van SWIETEN. They were afterwards publiſhed in the Philoſophical Tranſactions, Vol. xxxix. under the title of "Experimenta de Perforatione Thoracis, ejuſ⯑que in Reſpiratione Effectibus." The reſult of which proved, contrary to the common⯑ly received opinion, that animals could live and breathe for ſome time, although air was freely admitted into both cavities of the thorax.

It appears that he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society ſoon after his return from Holland; and that he went immedi⯑ately to the Weſt Indies. I am not able to aſcertain his fixed reſidence in that part of the world, although I conjecture, it was principally at the Logwood Settlement; from whence he ſent a deſcription and figure of the Dorſtenia Contrayerva, which were pub⯑liſhed in the Philoſophical Tranſactions, Vol. xxxvii. This was the firſt authentic account received of that drug, although known in England from the time of Sir Francis DRAKE, or earlier. He alſo ſent to his friend at Chelſea, the ſeeds of many rare and [233] new plants, collected by him in the iſlands of Jamaica and Cuba; in the province of Venezuela, and about Vera Crux.

He fell a ſacrifice to the heat of the cli⯑mate, and died in July 1733. He left, in manuſcript, a Catalogue of Plants, collect⯑ed by himſelf in the places above men⯑tioned; together with ſome engravings done by his own hand. Theſe came into the hands of Mr. MILLER; and, after his deceaſe, into the poſſeſſion of Sir Joſeph BANKS, who, out of reſpect to the memory of ſo deſerving a man, gratified the bota⯑niſts with the publication of them, under the following title:

"RELIQUIAE HOUSTONIANAE, ſeu Plan⯑tarum in America meridionali, à Gulielmo HOUSTON, M.D. R.S.S. collectarum Icones, manu propria, aere inciſae; cum Deſcriptioni⯑bus è Schedis ejuſdem in Bibliotheca Joſephi BANKS, Baronetti, R.S.P. aſſervatis." 4^o. 1781. pp. 12. tab. xxvi.

They contain the characters and deſcrip⯑tions of fifteen genera, and eleven ſpecies; of which, the laſt were all natives of the country about Vera Crux. HOUSTON's [234] new genera are deſcribed in the method and terms of TOURNEFORT's ſyſtem; and all, except one, conſecrated to the memory of botaniſts; and, in this publication, they are referred to the denominations of the Lin⯑naean ſyſtem, as far as poſſible^*.

DOUGLAS.

Of the genera conſtituted by HOUSTON, we find the Douglaſſia, in honour of James DOUGLAS, F.R.S. a celebrated ſurgeon and anatomiſt, afterwards M.D. and honorary Fellow of the College of Phyſicians, and Phyſician to Queen Caroline; whom it is juſt to introduce into theſe anecdotes, ſince he obtained a reputable rank among thoſe, who in botany have been ſtiled "Monogra⯑phers," from having ſeparately written on a ſingle ſpecies or genus. He publiſhed a very ſcientific deſcription of the Amaryllis ſarnienſis, under the title of "Lilium ſarni⯑enſe; or, a Deſcription of the Guernſey [235] Lily: to which is added, the Botanical Diſſection of the Coffee-berry." Fol. 1725. pp. 35, and 22. tab. 2.

The roots of this beautiful ornament of our preſent ſtoves, were ſcattered from the wreck of a ſhip on the coaſt of that iſland; and being protected, as it has been thought, among the ſand, by the Sea Reed, Arundo arenaria, after the interval of ſome years, ſprung up, to the ſurprize of the inhabi⯑tants, and the delight of the floriſts and bo⯑taniſts. This phenomenon will appear leſs wonderful in our days, when it is known, from the elegant work of Dr. THUNBERG, that from the congeniality of climate between England and Japan, one-fourth part of the indigenous plants of that very diſtant coun⯑try, appear to be alſo natives of England.

In his "Obſervations on the Coffee," Dr. DOUGLAS obſerves, that it was firſt mentioned by RAUWOLF in 1573, and firſt ſent into Europe to CLUSIUS. See Cluſ. Exotic. p. 236.

Dr. DOUGLAS, beſides many papers on Pathological and Surgical ſubjects, written between the years 1707 and 1732, which [236] were printed in the Philoſophical Tranſac⯑tions, drew up "A Botanical Deſcription of the Saffron of the Shops;" accom⯑panied by a figure, which was alſo pub⯑liſhed in the ſame collections, Vol. xxxii. p. 441; and in Vol. xxxv. the moſt com⯑plete account to be met with concerning the "Culture and Management of it," as practiſed at Saffron Walden. In the ſame volume, "An Account of the different Kinds of Ipecacuanha;" the true diſtinc⯑tions of which were at that time but little underſtood.

The knowledge of Dr. DOUGLAS was not confined to exotic botany: he was ac⯑quainted with the plants of his own coun⯑try; and his name occurs in RAY's Synopſis, as having noticed ſome rare ſpecies^*.

KNOWLTON.

Thomas KNOWLTON was, in the earlier part of his life, gardener to Conſul SHE⯑RARD; but I find him in that ſtation at Loneſborough, in Yorkſhire, in the ſervice of the Earl of BURLINGTON, in the year 1728; in which place, I believe, he ſpent the greater part, if not the whole, of the remainder of his life. His zeal for Engliſh botany was uncommonly great, and recom⯑mended him ſucceſsfully to the learned bo⯑taniſts of this country. From Sir Hans SLOANE, he received eminent civilities. He merits notice in theſe memoirs, were it only to record his diſcovery of that ſingu⯑lar production, the Globe Conferva, or Moor Balls (Conferva Aegagrophila Lin.); which he firſt found in Wallingfen Mere. I have read a letter from him to a correſpondent, written in the year 1728; and another in 1729: in one of which he relates his hav⯑ing waded near a quarter of a mile into the lake to collect them; which is not done [240] without ſome difficulty, as they lie at the depth of from two to three feet. At an⯑other time he was more ſucceſsful, and col⯑lected near a buſhel at once. He deſcribes them to his friend, under the name of Pil⯑las, or globular Balls of Moſs, of the ſize of a tennis ball.

Mr. Thomas KNOWLTON was a man of general curioſity and obſervation; and, a⯑mongſt other matters, not inattentive to the purſuits of the antiquary.

We find Extracts of Two Letters from him "to Mr. Mark CATESBY, F.R.S. concerning the Situation of the ancient Town Delgovicia, and of two Men of an extraordinary Bulk and Weight." Phil. Tranſ. Vol. xliv. p. 100. This Roman ſta⯑tion was diſcovered on the Wolds, within two miles of Pocklington. Alſo,

"An Account of two extraordinary Deers Horns, found under Ground in different Parts of Yorkſhire." Phil. Tranſ. Vol. xliv. p. 124; with figures. Theſe were of two kinds: one ſeems to anſwer to the fi⯑gure of an horn, as deſcribed in Phil. Tranſ. N^o 422. p. 257; the other was adjudged [241] to be the horns of the Mooſe Deer, ſo fre⯑quently dug up in Ireland, and were thought to be the firſt of the kind diſcovered in England.

Mr. KNOWLTON died in the year 1782, at the advanced age of ninety.

GORDON.

James GORDON, of Mile End, eminent for his ſucceſsful cultivation of exotics, was well acquainted with Engliſh botany. I know not that he made himſelf known by any publications. He maintained a corre⯑ſpondence with LINNAEUS; and had the reſpect paid to him by the late Mr. ELLIS, of having the Loblolly Bay of CATESBY called by his name, when ſeparated from the Hypericum genus.

MILLER.

Philip MILLER was born in the year 1691. His father was gardener to the Company of Apothecaries at Chelſea; and his ſon ſucceeded him in that office, in the year 1722. He raiſed himſelf by his merit, from a ſtate of obſcurity, to a degree of [242] eminence, but rarely if ever before equalled, in the character of a gardener. It is not uncommon to give the term of Botaniſt, to any man that can recite by memory, the plants of his garden. Mr. MILLER roſe much above this attainment. He added to the knowledge of the theory and practice of gardening, that of the ſtructure and cha⯑racters of plants, and was early and practi⯑cally verſed in the methods of RAY and TOURNEFORT. Habituated to the uſe of theſe, from his younger years, it was not without reluctance that he was brought to adopt the ſyſtem of LINNAEUS; but he was convinced, at length, by the arguments of the late Sir William WATSON and Mr. HUDSON, and embraced it. To his ſuperior ſkill in his art, the curious owe the culture and preſervation of a variety of fine plants, which, in leſs ſkilful hands, would have failed, at that time, to adorn the conſerva⯑tories of England.

His objects were not confined to exotics: few were better acquainted with the indi⯑genous plants, of which, he ſucceſſively cul⯑tivated moſt of the rare ſpecies.

[243] He maintained a correſpondence with many of the moſt eminent botaniſts on the continent: among others, with LINNAEUS, who ſaid of his Dictionary, Non erit Lexi⯑con Hortulanorum, ſed Botanicorum. By foreigners he was emphatically ſtiled Hor⯑tulanorum Princeps. He was admitted a member of the Botanical Academy of Flo⯑rence, and of the Royal Society of London, in which he was occaſionally honoured by being choſen of the council. Mr. MIL⯑LER was the only perſon I ever knew, who remembered to have ſeen Mr. RAY. I ſhall not eaſily forget the pleaſure that enlightened his countenance, it ſo ſtrongly expreſſed the Virgilium tantum vidi, when, in ſpeaking of that revered man, he related to me that incident of his youth.

Mr. MILLER's infirmities induced him to reſign his office in the Garden, a little time before his deceaſe, which took place December 18, 1771, in the 80th year of his age. He left a very large Herbarium of Exotics, principally the produce of the Chel⯑ſea Garden.

[244] In the year 1728, Mr. MILLER com⯑municated to the Royal Society, "A Me⯑thod of raiſing ſome Exotic Seeds, which have been judged almoſt impoſſible to be raiſed in England." Phil. Tranſ. N^o 403. Vol. xxxv. p. 485. This conſiſted in ſuf⯑fering the Seeds to germinate in a bark bed, and then tranſplanting them into earth. By this method, he ſucceeded with all the hard-ſhelled fruits and ſeeds. He inſtances the Cocoa Nut; the Bonduc, or Nickar Tree (Guilandina Bonduc Lin.); the Abrus precatorius; the Horſe Eye Bean (Dolichos urens); and ſeveral others.

"An Account of Bulbous Roots flower⯑ing in Bottles filled with Water." N^o 418. Vol. xxxvii. p. 81. This method of pro⯑curing early Hyacinths, Tulips, and Nar⯑ciſſuſes, at that time lately diſcovered, is now well known, and daily practiſed.

Although he did not prefix his name to it, he was the author of "A Catalogue of Trees, Shrubs, and Flowers, which are hardy enough to bear the cold of our cli⯑mate, and the open air; and are propa⯑gated [245] in the gardens near London." Fol. 1730. p. 90. tab. 21. The plates are co⯑loured, the arrangement is alphabetical, and the generical characters given. The Cata⯑logue conſiſts chiefly of Trees and Shrubs; among which are ſeveral of the Coniferous kinds. Some varieties are interſperſed.

"CATALOGUS PLANTARUM OFFICI⯑NALIUM quae in Horto Botanico Chelſeiano aluntur." 1730. 8^o. pp. 152.

In 1731, he publiſhed his "Gardener's Dictionary," in folio, which has paſſed through many ſucceſſive editions; in each of which it received ſuch improvements, and augmentations, as have rendered it in the end the moſt complete body of garden⯑ing extant. It has been tranſlated into va⯑rious languages; and the reception it has every where met with, is a ſufficient proof of its ſuperiority. The new edition of it, now under the care of Profeſſor MARTYN, we doubt not, will extend to a late period, the reputation both of the author, and of the editor.

In the ſame, or the ſucceeding year, he publiſhed "The Gardener's Kalender," in 8^o; [246] which has run through numerous edi⯑tions, and has been a manual, in its way, for the whole kingdom. To an edition of this work, in 1761, the author prefixed "A Short Introduction to the Knowledge of the Science of Botany;" in which he explains the Linnaean terms of art, and il⯑luſtrates the characters of the claſſes in five copper-plates. This introduction was alſo ſold ſeparately.

Mr. MILLER held an extenſive corre⯑ſpondence with perſons in diſtant parts of the globe. From the Cape of Good Hope, from Siberia, from North America, and par⯑ticularly, by means of Dr. William HOUS⯑TON, from the Weſt Indies, his garden, for a long ſeries of years, received a plentiful and perpetual ſupply of rare, and frequently of new ſpecies, which his ſucceſsful culture ſel⯑dom failed to preſerve. It was the remark of foreigners, that Chelſea exhibited the trea⯑ſures of both the Indies. Theſe advantages enabled MILLER to execute, what it was in the power of few to attempt—His "Figures of Plants, adapted to his Dic⯑tionary," which he began to publiſh in [247] numbers in 1755, and which were com⯑pleted in 300 tables, making two volumes in folio, in 1760, were drawn from plants of his own garden. His original deſign was very extenſive; no leſs than to give one, or more ſpecies, of all the genera: but it was found to be impracticable; and it was therefore confined to ſuch as were the moſt beautiful, uſeful, and uncommon. Each number was accompanied with ſeve⯑ral pages of letter-preſs, containing the deſcriptions, and an account of the claſſes to which they belong, according to the ſyſ⯑tems of RAY, TOURNEFORT, and LIN⯑NAEUS. As this work is well known, I ſhall only obſerve, that whether we conſider the rarity of the ſubjects, the ſpeciouſneſs of thoſe he ſelected for his purpoſe, or the ge⯑neral execution of the whole, England had not before produced any work, except the Hortus Elthamenſis, and CATESBY's Caro⯑lina, ſo ſuperb and extenſive. In one re⯑ſpect, MILLER's plates had the advantage of the above mentioned, as they exhibited, much more frequently, the ſeparate figures of the parts of fructification.

[248] "The Method of cultivating Madder, as it is practiſed by the Dutch in Zealand." 4^o. 1758. Intended to excite the Engliſh, by the cultivation of this important article of trade, to ſuperſede the importation of it from the Dutch; who have ‘"received from hence, for many years paſt, more than 180,000 pounds a year for this root;"’ and which, if properly carried on, would ‘"em⯑ploy a great number of hands from the time harveſt is over till the ſpring, which is generally a dead time of the year."’

"A Letter to Mr. WATSON, relating to a Miſtake of Profeſſor GMELIN, con⯑cerning the Spondylium vulgare hirſutum." C.B. Phil. Tranſ. Vol. xlviii. p. 153.

MILLER adduces ſeveral reaſons to prove, that the common Cow-Parſnep of Siberia, which the inhabitants make an ar⯑ticle of food, is not the common Cow-Parſnep (Heracleum Spondylium) of Caſpar BAUHINE; but the Spondylium maximum of BREYNIUS: and further remarks the miſtakes that have ariſen from conſidering the common plants of one country as the common plants of another. On which oc⯑caſion [249] he obſerves, that the Parietaria, ſo frequent in England, is not the Parietaria Officinarum of Caſpar BAUHINE, but the P. Ocymi folio of that author. In this ſup⯑poſition, however, we may obſerve, that Mr. MILLER has not been followed by Eng⯑liſh botaniſts of later date.

"A Letter to the Rev. Thomas BIRCH, D.D. Secretary to the Royal Society." Phil. Tranſ. Vol. xlix. p. 161. And,

"Remarks upon the Letter of Mr. John ELLIS, F.R.S. to Philip Carteret WEBB, Eſq." in Vol. l. p. 430.

Theſe letters relate to a diſcovery made by the Abbé MAZEAS, and the Abbé SAU⯑VAGES, on the black ſtaining quality of three ſeveral ſpecies of American Sumach. Neither the lixivium of wood aſhes, nor boiling wa⯑ter with ſoap, had any effect in weakening the tinge made by the juices of theſe plants. They were, 1. The Poiſon Aſh, or Toxico⯑dendrum Carolinianum foliis pinnatis (Rhus vernix Lin.) 2. Toxicodendron triphyllum folio ſinuato pubeſcente Tourn. (Rhus Toxicoden⯑drum). 3. Toxicodendrum triphyllum glabrum (Rhus radicans). Mr. MILLER conſiders the [250] Abbe's diſcovery as having been long before anticipated by KAEMPFER; and adduces many reaſons to prove, that the Sitzdſiu, or Arbor vernicifera legitima, p. 791. fig. 792. of that author, or the Varniſh Tree of Japan, is no other than the firſt of theſe ſpecies, of which the ſtaining quality is re⯑corded by KAEMPFER. This poſition drew Mr. MILLER into a controverſy with Mr. ELLIS, who ſtrongly inſiſted, that the Ameri⯑can and Japaneſe Toxicodendra were different plants. Mr. MILLER defends his opinion in the "Remarks." It is ſufficient at this time to obſerve, that ſubſequent botaniſts of the firſt note, ſuch as LINAENUS, REI⯑CHARD, and THUNBERG, have counte⯑nanced MILLER's opinion, by placing them under the ſame ſpecific diſtinction with the Rhus vernix ^*.

BLACKWELL.

IT is a ſingular fact, that phyſic is in⯑debted for the moſt complete ſet of figures of the medicinal plants, to the ge⯑nius and induſtry of a lady, exerted on an occaſion that redounded highly to her praiſe.

The name of Mrs. Elizabeth BLACK⯑WELL is well known, both from her own [252] merit, and the fate of her unfortunate huſ⯑band, who, condemned for crimes of ſtate, ſuffered death on the ſcaffold in Sweden, in the year 1747.

We are informed, ſhe was the daughter of a merchant in the neighbourhood of Aberdeen; of which city Dr. Alexander BLACKWELL, her huſband, was a native, and where he received an univerſity educa⯑tion, and was early diſtinguiſhed for his claſſical knowledge. By ſome, he is ſaid only to have aſſumed the title of Doctor, after his ſucceſsful attendance on the King of Sweden; but I believe, the more proba⯑ble account is, that of his having taken the degree of Doctor of Phyſic under BOER⯑HAAVE at Leyden. After having failed in his attempt to introduce himſelf into prac⯑tice, firſt in Scotland, and afterwards in London, he became corrector to a printing preſs, and ſoon after commenced printer himſelf. But being proſecuted by the trade, and at length involved in debt, was thrown into priſon. To relieve theſe diſtreſſes, Mrs. BLACKWELL, having a genius for drawing and painting, exerted all her talents; and, [253] underſtanding that an Herbal of Medicinal Plants was greatly wanted, ſhe exhibited to Sir Hans SLOANE, Dr. MEAD, and other phyſicians, ſome ſpecimens of her art in painting plants, who approved ſo highly of them, as to encourage her to pro⯑ſecute a work, by the profits of which ſhe is ſaid to have procured her huſband's li⯑berty, after a confinement of two years.

Mr. RAND, an eminent apothecary, was at that time Demonſtrator to the Company of Apothecaries, in the Garden at Chelſea. By his advice ſhe took up her reſidence op⯑poſite the Phyſic Garden, in order to faci⯑litate her deſign, by receiving the plants as freſh as poſſible. He not only promoted her work with the public, but, together with Mr. Philip MILLER, afforded her all poſſible direction and aſſiſtance in the exe⯑cution of it. After ſhe had completed the drawings, ſhe engraved them on copper, and coloured the prints with her own hands.

During her abode at Chelſea, ſhe was fre⯑quently viſited by perſons of quality, and many ſcientific people, who admired her [254] performances, and patronized her under⯑taking.

On publiſhing the firſt volume, in 1737, ſhe obtained a recommendation from Dr. MEAD, Dr. SHERARD, Mr. RAND, and others, to be prefixed to it. And being allowed to preſent, in perſon, a copy to the College of Phyſicians, that body made her a preſent, and gave her a public teſtimonial of their approbation; with leave to prefix it to her book. The ſecond volume was finiſhed in 1739, and the whole publiſhed under the following title:

"A curious Herbal, containing 500 Cuts of the moſt uſeful Plants which are now uſed in the Practice of Phyſic, engraved on folio copper-plates, after drawings taken from the life. By ELIZABETH BLACKWELL. To which is added, a ſhort Deſcription of the Plants, and their common Uſes in Phyſic. 1739." 2 vol. fol.

The drawings are in general faithful; and if there is wanting that accuracy, which modern improvements have rendered neceſ⯑ſary, in delineating the more minute parts, [255] yet, upon the whole, the figures are ſuffi⯑ciently diſtinctive of the ſubject.

Each plate is accompanied with an en⯑graved page, containing the Latin and Eng⯑liſh officinal names, followed by a ſhort deſcription of the plant, and a ſummary of its qualities, and uſes. After theſe occur the name in various other languages. Theſe illuſtrations were the ſhare her huſband took in the work. This ill-fated man, after his failure in phyſic, and in printing, became an unſucceſsful candidate for the place of Secretary to the Society for the Encourage⯑ment of Learning. He was made Super⯑intendant of the Works belonging to the Duke of CHANDOS at Cannons, and experi⯑enced thoſe diſappointments incident to projectors. He formed ſchemes in agricul⯑ture, and wrote a treatiſe on the ſubject, which, we are told, was the cauſe of his being engaged in Sweden. In that king⯑dom, he drained marſhes, practiſed phyſic, and was even employed in that capacity for the king. At length he was involved in ſome ſtate cabals, or, as ſome accounts have it, in a plot with Count TESSIN, for which [256] he loſt his life, proteſting his innocence to the laſt.

So reſpectable a performance as Mrs. BLACKWELL's, attracted the attention of phyſicians on the continent. TREW, of Norimberg, in the year 1750, engaged an artiſt of that place to copy Mrs. BLACK⯑WELL's plates, and himſelf ſupplied ſeveral defects in the drawings. He ſubſtituted ſome entirely new figures in the room of the ori⯑ginals, very conſiderably reformed and am⯑plified the text, tranſlated it into German and Latin, and planned the addition of a ſixth century of plates. He prefixed a moſt elaborate and learned Catalogue of Botani⯑cal Authors, but did not live to finiſh the work. The Fifth Century was publiſhed in 1765; and Dr. TREW dying in 1769, the ſupplemental volume, exhibiting plants omitted by Mrs. BLACKWELL, articles newly introduced into practice, and figures of the poiſonous ſpecies, was conducted by LUDWIG, BOSE, and BOEHMER, and printed in 1773. Thus reformed, TREW's edition ſurpaſſes any other work of the ſame deſign. If there are imperfections in it, [257] they were unavoidable, ariſing from the im⯑practicability of procuring recent ſpecimens in ſome inſtances, and from an almoſt to⯑tal ignorance of the origin of others, defects ſtill unſupplied in various articles.

DEERING.

Charles DEERING was a native of Saxony: He took his degrees in phyſic at Leyden; and, as Mr. MARTYN informs us, came to Eng⯑land firſt, in the train of a foreign ambaſſa⯑dor. This happened, I conjecture, before, or about the year 1720. He practiſed phy⯑ſic and midwifery in London; and having a ſtrong bias to the ſtudy of botany, became one of the members of the ſociety eſtab⯑liſhed by Dr. DILLENIUS and Mr. MAR⯑TYN, which ſubſiſted from the year 1721 to 1726.

In the year 1736, he removed to Notting⯑ham, under the recommendation of Sir Hans SLOANE. At this time he was married; but his wife did not long ſurvive the re⯑moval to that place. He was at firſt well received; and is ſaid to have been very ſuc⯑ceſsful in his treatment of the ſmall-pox, [258] which diſeaſe was highly epidemical at that place, ſoon after his ſettling there. But he incurred the cenſure of the faculty, by his pretenſions to a noſtrum. He publiſhed "An Account of an improved Method of treating the Small-pox, in a Letter to Sir Thomas PARKYNS, Bart." 8^o. 1737. pp. 52. By this tract it appears, that his medicine was of the antiphlogiſtic kind, and his regimen the cool one, which at that time had been adopted by very few, as ge⯑neral practice.

Dr. DEERING ſhewed his attachment to his botanical purſuits, by his aſſiduity in collecting ſuch ample materials for his Ca⯑talogue in leſs than two years after fixing at Nottingham. He publiſhed it under the fol⯑lowing title:

"A CATALOGUE OF PLANTS naturally growing and commonly cultivated in divers Parts of England, more eſpecially about Nottingham: containing the moſt known Latin and Engliſh Names of the ſeveral Plants; the Tribe they belong to; the Time of their flowering; and of thoſe which are either Officinals or otherwiſe, [259] of any known Efficacy, ſuch Virtues are briefly mentioned as may be depended upon. To which is added, a general Diſtribution of Plants according to Mr. RAY; with an Explanation of ſome bo⯑tanical and phyſical Terms; and an al⯑phabetical Liſt of Plants in Flower, for every Month in the Year. By Charles DEERING, M.D. Nottingham." 8^o. 1738. pp. 264.

The arrangement is alphabetical, and the number of plants about 850. The author was particularly attached to the ſubjects of the Cryptogamia claſs, in which his re⯑ſearches had been very ſucceſsful. Of the number above mentioned, more than 200 belonged to the orders of Fungi, Muſci, and Algae; among which, we meet with 27 which he conſidered as nondeſcripts, and 10 others not to be met with in the third edi⯑tion of RAY's Synopſis. He was aſſiſted in this branch by his correſpondence with the learned Profeſſor at Oxford, who conſidered ſome of his diſcoveries as new, and ſpeaks of his knowledge and aſſiduity in terms of applauſe. In page 89 of his poſthumous [260] work, the Nottinghamia Vetus et Nova, there occurs a liſt of ſome plants, diſcovered by the author after the publication of this Catalogue. Theſe are principally of the Cryptogamous kind. Several of the more rare plants of the environs eſcaped the ob⯑ſervation of this aſſiduous man; among which may be mentioned particularly, that moſt virulent of all our Engliſh produc⯑tions, the Cicuta viroſa, or, long-leaved Water Hemlock; which I remember to have ſeen growing in the Leen, near the Rock-holes, in Nottingham Park. That the Addenda to his "Catalogue" were not more copious may be attributed to his ſubſequent misfortunes, which undoubtedly damped the ardour of his purſuit.

Notwithſtanding his early ſucceſs, that ‘"adverſe fatality,"’ which he himſelf alludes to in his "Letter on the Small-pox," ſtill attended him. He was, unhappily, not en⯑dowed with that degree of prudence, and e⯑quanimity of temper, which are ſo neceſſary to the practice of phyſic; inſomuch, that he very early loſt the little intereſt which his character and ſucceſs had at firſt gained. [261] But as I would rather dwell on his merits, than on his failings, I ſhall obſerve, that be⯑ſides his acquaintance with the antient lan⯑guages, he was maſter of many of the mo⯑dern tongues. His knowledge of that ſci⯑ence which gives him a place in this ſketch, was very conſiderable, and will be perpetu⯑ated, ſo long as DILLENIUS's "Hiſtory" ſhall preſerve eſtimation. He had a know⯑ledge of deſigning, and was an ingenious mechanic. After his failure in Phyſic, his friends attempted ſeveral ſchemes to alleviate his neceſſities. They procured him, among others, a commiſſion in the regiment raiſed at Nottingham, on account of the rebellion. But this proved more honourable than profitable to him. He was afterwards em⯑ployed in a way more agreeable to his ge⯑nius, and talents; being furniſhed with ma⯑terials, and enabled by the aſſiſtance of John PLUMTREE, Eſq and others, to write the Hiſtory of Nottingham, which he dedicated to the Duke of NEWCASTLE. But he did not live to receive the reward of this la⯑bour. He had been troubled with the gout at a very early period, having been afflicted [262] with it in his nineteenth year, and in the latter ſtage of his life, he ſuffered long confinements in this diſeaſe, and became aſthmatical. Being at length reduced to a degree of poverty, and dependance, which his ſpirit could not ſuſtain, oppreſſed with calamity, and complicated diſeaſe, he died April 12, 1749. Two of his principal cre⯑ditors adminiſtered to his effects, and buried him in St. Peter's church-yard, oppoſite the houſe in which he reſided.

He left an Hortus Siccus of the plants of his "Catalogue," conſiſting of upwards of 600 ſpecies, in eight volumes, of the quarto form; beſides ſeparate tables of the Moſſes, and a volume of paintings of the Fungi, ac⯑curately done by his own hand. Some part, if not the whole, of this collection, was, I believe, purchaſed by the Honourable Roth⯑well WILLOUGHBY, who had been one of his benefactors, while living, and inherited a portion of that taſte, which diſtinguiſhed his family in the time of Mr. RAY. He left alſo a manuſcript treatiſe, in Latin, De Re obſtetricaria.

[263] His poſthumous work was publiſhed by his adminiſtrators, George AYSCOUGH, prin⯑ter, and Thomas WILLINGTON, druggiſt, under the following title:

"NOTTINGHAMIA VETUS et NOVA: or, An Hiſtorical Account of the ancient and preſent State of the Town of Not⯑tingham, gathered from the Remains of Antiquity, and collected from authentic Manuſcripts, and ancient as well as mo⯑dern Hiſtorians; adorned with beautiful copper-plates. By Charles DEERING, M.D. Nottingham. 1751." 4^o. pp. 370.

It is embelliſhed with 24 copper-plates; among which are a plan, and two views of the town; a ground plan of the old caſtle; two views of the preſent caſtle; the three churches; and many other buildings. A view of the "Rock-holes" in the park; ſup⯑poſed by Dr. STUKELEY to have been the work of the Britons, enlarged and altered by the Saxons. But one of the moſt re⯑markable articles in this volume is, a com⯑plete deſcription of that curious machine the ſtocking-frame, invented two centuries ago by William LEE, M.A. of St. John's Col⯑lege, [264] Cambridge, a native of Woodborough, near Nottingham. I know not that ſo full an account of this complicated machine is elſewhere to be ſeen. All the parts are ſeparately, and minutely deſcribed, in the technical terms; and illuſtrated by two views of the whole, and by a large table, delineating with great accuracy, every con⯑ſtituent part of the machine.

WILSON.

The ſubject of this article, like Tho⯑mas WILLISEL, and Samuel BREWER, is another inſtance of that unconquerable at⯑tachment to a favourite branch of know⯑ledge, which ſometimes engroſſes the minds of thoſe, who, by their lot, have not been exempted from labouring in the lower, and mechanical offices of life.

From information which I received, more than twenty years ago, concerning John WILSON, I learned that he was originally an inhabitant of Kendal, in Weſtmoreland; and was employed in the manufacture of knit ſtockings, for which that town was ſo famous. That, at one time, he gave weekly [265] leſſons on botany, alternately, at that place, and at Newcaſtle. That many pupils re⯑ſorted to him from the neighbouring parts of Scotland; inſomuch, that in ſome ſea⯑ſons, he received ſixty pounds a year, as the premium of his labours.

I muſt not, however, omit to obſerve, that this account does not coincide with another, which I have ſince met with in the "Britiſh Topography;" the reſpectable author of which informs us, ‘"That WIL⯑SON was a ſhoemaker, and by his intenſe application to his favourite ſtudy, lived moſt of his life in a ſtate of indigence. A cow, of which his wife had the care, was the ſole ſupport of his family: and ſuch was his infatuation, that he was once tempted to part with that moſt uſe⯑ful animal, to purchaſe MORISON's vo⯑luminous work, had not a neighbouring lady preſented him with the book, and reſcued the poor man and his family from beggary and ruin."’

In this repreſentation of WILSON's con⯑duct, while men of ſympathizing minds, [266] and ſimilar taſte, muſt deplore that hard fate which reduced him to ſuch neceſſity, they muſt yet more ſtrongly cenſure a raſh⯑neſs, which could tempt him to riſk, in ſo eſſential a manner, the welfare of his fa⯑mily.

As WILSON exhibited to the public, a ſingular proof of his knowledge in this his principal object, I am inclined to believe, that he muſt, originally, either have had ſome grammar education, or, impelled by his genius, muſt afterwards have acquired a knowledge of the Latin language. How elſe (except on the ſuppoſition of extraordi⯑nary aſſiſtance, of which I have no informa⯑tion) could he have made uſe of MORISON's "Hiſtory," or have tranſlated RAY's Sy⯑nopſis! In 1744, he publiſhed "A SY⯑NOPSIS OF BRITISH PLANTS in Mr. RAY's METHOD; with their Characters, Deſcriptions, Places of Growth, Time of Flowering, and phyſical Virtues, accord⯑ing to the moſt accurate Obſervations, and the beſt modern Authors; together with a Botanical Dictionary, illuſtrated [267] with ſeveral Figures. By John WILSON. Newcaſtle upon Tyne." 8^o. 1744. pp. 272.

Throughout this work, the author has prefixed copious characters to each genus, taken, as it appears, from RAY and TOURNE⯑FORT; into many of which, in conformity to RAY's method, he introduces the form of the leaves, and the habit of the plant. By this means, having added, in moſt in⯑ſtances, ſhort deſcriptions of the ſpecies, his book was an uſeful pocket manual, as far as it extended; for he begins with the Ca⯑pillary plants, and ends with the Bulbous rooted. He ſubjoins the particular places of the rare plants in the northern parts of England, from his own obſervations, and, partly from a manuſcript of Mr. LAW⯑SON's. His remarks on the properties and virtues, additional to thoſe from RAY, he has principally extracted from MILLER's "Botanicum Officinale."

WILSON has made ſome tranſpoſitions in the diſtribution of his ſubjects in this vo⯑lume, which prove that he had attentively examined plants, and was well acquainted [268] with the ſyſtem of RAY. Some of his al⯑terations will ſtand the teſt of modern accu⯑racy, though others may be leſs happy.

He has placed all the ſpecies of the Fu⯑maria genus together, in the Papilionaceous claſs; and, agreeably to the hint which DILLENIUS gives in the Synopſis, p. 316, has referred the Plantains, and Sponges, to the Monopetalous flowers ſucceeded by dry ſeed veſſels. The removal of the Lyſima⯑chiae ſiliquoſae, the two Papavera corniculata, the Chelidonium, and the Balſamine, to the Si⯑liquoſe or Tetradynamous claſs of LINNAEUS, is leſs to be approved. By theſe changes, he has nearly annihilated RAY's twenty⯑ſecond claſs of Britiſh herbs. In tranſ⯑poſing of ſpecies, he has made more nume⯑rous alterations; ſome of which are ſuffi⯑ciently juſtified by modern improvements. Thus he has brought under one genus the Scordium and Scorodonia. He has referred the Raphanus ruſticanus to the Cochlearia genus, as TOURNEFORT had done. The Chelidonium genus is ſeparated from the Papaver, and a new characteriſtic note framed, but the name Papaver corniculatum [269] preſerved. The only two plants met with in this book, which do not occur in the Synopſis of RAY, are ſuch as have a doubt⯑ful title to the appellation of indigenous: they are the Valeriana rubra, and Allium Schaenopraſum.

I believe he died about the year 1750, or ſoon after. He left the remaining part of his work, on the Graminaceous and Cryp⯑togamous tribes, compleat in manuſcript. In the year 1762, a perſon of Newcaſtle, into whoſe hands the manuſcript had paſſed, meditated the publication of it, with a new edition of the work now ſpo⯑ken of, which was out of print, and much called for; but the deſign never took effect.

BLACKSTONE.

IN 1737, John BLACKSTONE, an apo⯑thecary, in Fleet Street, London, pub⯑liſhed "FASCICULUS PLANTARUM CIR⯑CA HAREFIELD SPONTE NASCENTIUM:" with an Appendix, containing ſome ſhort notes relating to Harefield. 12^o. pp. 118. The order obſerved in this ſmall local cata⯑logue is alphabetical, and the ſynonyms taken from Caſpar BAUHINE's Pinax, from GERARD, PARKINSON, and others in common uſe. Theſe are followed by the [271] general place of growth, the particular ſpot in the inſtances of rare plants, and the time of flowering. As ſcarcely any of the Moſſes, or Fungi, are introduced, the number is ſmall; only 527 ſpecies. The account of Harefield is very brief.

The ſame author publiſhed alſo, "SPE⯑CIMEN BOTANICUM quo Plantarum plurium rariorum Angliae indigenarum Loci natales illuſtrantur. Authore J. BLACKSTONE." 8^o. 1746. pp. 106. This ſmall volume exhibits the particular places of growth of 366 ſpecies of the more rare Engliſh plants, and was ſo far a valuable addition to RAY's Synopſis. The arrangement is the ſame as in the Harefield Catalogue, and the ſyno⯑nyms drawn from the ſame authors; with the addition of a few from the works of LINNAEUS. It is embelliſhed with two elegant engravings: one repreſenting that ſingular variety of the Clavaria Hypoxylon, firſt figured in the Philoſophical Tranſactions, N^o 475. and deſcribed as a Boletus: the other the Lycoperdon fornicatum, Fl. Ang. ed. 2. p. 644; but firſt deſcribed and figured in N^o 474. by the late Sir William WATSON.

[272] The Loci natales, or, as ſome modern botaniſts quaintly ſpeak, the Habitats, of a great number of the ſubjects in this little work, were communicated by the friends and correſpondents of the author; of whom, as they hereby contributed to enlarge the bounds of Engliſh botany, it is but juſt to record their names.

From Yorkſhire, the author was ſupplied with a great number by Mr. THORNBECK, a ſurgeon and expert botaniſt, at Ingleton, a ſpot rich in the choiceſt objects of a curious obſerver. Mr. DAWSON, a ſurgeon of Leeds, communicated alſo many rare ſpe⯑cies: as did Mr. VERNON, of Whitchurch, in Cheſhire.

The obſervations of the late Sir William WATSON, Sir John HILL, Dr. WILMER, and Mr. HURLOCK, contributed to enrich this little Flora. I find alſo a manuſcript Catalogue of Plants growing about Feverſ⯑ham frequently referred to, written by John BATEMAN, A.M. This manuſcript has ſince been the baſis of a little work, pub⯑liſhed by the late Edward JACOB, F.S.A. under the title of "Plantae Faverſhamienſes." [273] Lond. 8^o. 1777. pp. 127. To which is annexed, a view of the Foſſil Bodies of the iſland of Shepey. The plan of this catalogue is exactly that of Mr. WARNER's, in the "Plantae Woodfordienſes."

In this volume, Mr. BLACKSTONE has introduced a few plants, not before record⯑ed as natives of this iſland: ſuch are, the Epimedium alpinum; Ariſtolochia Clematitis; Limonium reticulatum; Fritillaria Meleagris; and Dentaria bulbifera. Subſequent authors have not allowed complete naturalization to the Epimedium, and probably that of ſome of the others is but of modern date. The two laſt were obſerved by Mr. BLACKSTONE in the environs of Harefield.

The author intended another volume of the Specimen, for which he had collected materials. He had alſo a taſte for Topo⯑graphical Antiquities, and had made col⯑lections in that way, but did not live to publiſh them. He died in 1753^*.

[274] The "Specimen Botanicum" of Mr. BLACKSTONE, I conſider as the laſt book publiſhed in England, on the indigenous botany, before the ſyſtem of LINNAEUS had gained the aſcendancy over that of RAY: nor, unleſs it were within my plan to re⯑count ſingle papers, occaſionally printed in the Philoſophical Tranſactions, or in other collections, am I able to mention any work of importance on exotic botany, before this revolution took place, which was not built upon, or at leaſt did not exhibit ſome prin⯑ciples of, the new ſyſtem. Whilſt this event was taking place, which cannot be computed at fewer than twenty years, com⯑mencing from 1740, there were, however, ſeveral eminent and learned men, who, al⯑though they did not diſtinguiſh themſelves by publiſhing ſeparate tracts on the ſcience, were occaſionally improving it, by their [275] various diſcoveries and communications, and, ever awake to its welfare, by the pa⯑tronage they extended towards it. I cannot omit to mention ſome of theſe, though it be out of my power either to do ſufficient juſtice to their ſervices myſelf, or to point out, in ſome inſtances, ſuch memorials re⯑lating to their lives, as might properly gra⯑tify that curioſity, which eſteem for their characters naturally excites.

COLLINSON.

As prior in point of time, I mention Mr. Peter COLLINSON, to whoſe name is at⯑tached all that reſpect which is due to bene⯑volence and virtue. I have the ſatisfaction of referring the reader to ſome account of Mr. COLLINSON, printed in 1770: and to fur⯑ther anecdotes, by Dr. LETTSOM, at the end of his "Memoirs of Dr. FOTHERGILL;" to which is annexed, a liſt of Mr. COLLIN⯑SON's papers, printed in the Philoſophical Tranſactions, and in the Gentleman's Maga⯑zine ^*. In Mr. COLLINSON's time, England received large acceſſions to exotic botany [276] from all parts of the globe; to which no one contributed more than himſelf, through his various correſpondence, eſpecially in America. He was indefatigable in his ex⯑ertions to procure the ſeeds of curious and uſeful vegetables, and equally free in diſtri⯑buting them. Natural Hiſtory in all its parts, Planting, and Horticulture, were his delight. He cultivated the choiceſt exotics, and the rareſt Engliſh plants. His garden contained, at one time, a more complete aſſortment of the Orchis genus, than, per⯑haps, had ever been ſeen in one collection before. He died Auguſt 11, 1768, in the 75th year of his age^*.

Numerous were the channels by which England was enriched with the ſeeds and ſpecimens of American productions. BAR⯑TRAM was conſtantly employed in collect⯑ing. Governor COLDEN, of New York, and Dr. MICHELL, in Virginia, were frequent in their communications to MILLER, to CATESBY, to COLLINSON, and others. For [277] Dr. FOTHERGILL's inceſſant exertions in the ſame deſigns, being at a later period, are too well known to be repeated here. Governor COLDEN ſent to LINNAEUS up⯑wards of 200 ſpecies, the account of which was printed in the Upſal Acts for 1743 and 1744; and LINNAEUS, in his Flora Zey⯑lanica, gave to a plant of the Tetrandrous claſs, the name of his correſpondent.

LOGAN.

Several ingenious gentlemen in America purſued botanical inveſtigations with great ſucceſs about this period. James LOGAN, Eſq afterwards Preſident of the Council, and Chief Juſtice of Penſylvania, inſtituted a ſet of Experiments on the Maiz, relating to the ſexes of plants. They were firſt communicated in a letter to Peter COLLIN⯑SON, F.R.S. in 1735; and were printed in the Philoſophical Tranſactions, Vol. xxxvi. p. 192. They were afterwards enlarged, and publiſhed in Latin, at Leyden, in 1739, under the title of "Experimenta et Melete⯑mata de Plantarum Generatione;" and repub⯑liſhed with an Engliſh tranſlation, if I miſ⯑take [278] not, by Dr. FOTHERGILL, in 8^o. 1747. pp. 39. They have been conſidered, and appealed to, as among the moſt deciſive in eſtabliſhing the doctrine they were intended to illuſtrate and confirm.

MITCHELL.

Dr. John MITCHELL, then reſident at Urbana, in Virginia, ſent over, in 1741, the deſcriptions of thirty genera of plants, of which ſix were entirely new; others were corrected and amended. Among the moſt remarkable are, the Ginſeng of America, Panax quinquefolium: the Liquid Ambar Styraciflua: the Malacodendron, afterwards called by CATESBY, STEWARTIA, in ho⯑nour of the Earl of BUTE: the Zizania aquatica. In the introduction, Dr. MIT⯑CHELL diſcourſes on the principles of bo⯑tany, and appears to have paid attention to the Hybrid productions. This paper was ſeparately publiſhed, in 4^o. at Nurenburgh, in 1769.

In 1743, he ſent over to Mr. COLLIN⯑SON, an ingenious "Eſſay on the Cauſes of the different Colours of People in diffe⯑rent [279] Climates." It was deſigned as a ſo⯑lution of the prize problem from the Aca⯑demy of Bourdeaux; but was publiſhed in the Philoſophical Tranſactions, Vol. xliii. pp. 102-150.

The queſtion concerning the cauſe of the black colour of the ſkin in Negroes, has exerciſed the pens of many philoſophers and anatomiſts. What has perplexed the queſ⯑tion the more is, that theſe ingenious wri⯑ters (among whom are principally Malpighi, Boyle, Winſlow, Meckel, and Barrere) have differed about matters of fact that ſhould ſeem to be cognizable by the ſenſes.

It would be improper in this work to purſue the learned author through all his ingenious details and curious ſcholia on this ſubject; it muſt be ſufficient to obſerve, that, on the Newtonian doctrine of the cauſes of colours, he deduces the colour of the ſkin of Negroes from the ſtructure, after eſtabliſhing certain propoſitions: 1. That the colour of White People proceeds from the colour which the epidermis tranſmits. 2. That the denſity of the ſkins of Negroes allows of no tranſmiſſion of colour. 3. The [280] part of the ſkin which appears black in Negroes, is the corpus reticulare cutis, and external lamella of the epidermis. 4. That the colour does not proceed from any black humour or fluid parts contained in their ſkins. 5. That the epidermis, eſpecially its external lamella, is divided into two parts, by its pores and ſcales, 200 times leſs than the particles of bodies, on which their co⯑lours depend. Hence Dr. MITCHELL con⯑cludes, ‘"that the proximate cauſe of the colour of Negroes is threefold; viz. the opacity of their ſkins, proceeding from the thickneſs and denſity of the texture, which obſtructs the tranſmiſſion of the rays of light from the white and red parts below them; together with their greater refrac⯑tive power, which abſorbs thoſe rays; and the ſmallneſs of the particles of their ſkins, which hinder them to reflect any light."’ After which, he diſcourſes on the influence of the ſun, and the modes of life among the inhabitants of hot countries, as the remote cauſes of the colour of Negroes and In⯑dians.

Dr. MITCHELL returned to England, I [281] believe, about the year 1747 or 1748; be⯑came a Fellow of the Royal Society; and was the writer of an inſtructive memoir "On the Preparation and Uſes of the various Kinds of Pot-Aſh." Phil. Tranſ. Vol. xlv. p. 541-563. And of "A Letter concerning the Force of Electrical Co⯑heſion." Vol. li. p. 390.

WARNER.

Richard WARNER, Eſq of Woodford-Row, in Eſſex, merits a particular remem⯑branch at this period, for his regard to the ſcience of botany, and the reſpect and ho⯑nour he ever ſhewed to the lovers of it. ‘"He was bred to the law,"’ as we are in⯑formed in the 'Anecdotes of Mr. William BOWYER,' ‘"and had chambers in Lin⯑coln's Inn; but, being poſſeſſed of a genteel fortune, reſided at a good old houſe on Woodford Green."’ Here he maintained a botanical garden, and was very ſucceſsful in the cultivation of rare exotics. He was not unacquainted with indigenous plants. The herborizations of the Company of Apothecaries were, once in the ſeaſon, [282] uſually directed to the environs of Wood⯑ford, where, after the reſearches of the day, at the table of Mr. WARNER, the pro⯑ducts of Flora were diſplayed. The reſult of the inveſtigations made in that neigh⯑bourhood, was publiſhed by Mr. WAR⯑NER, under the title of "Plantae Wood⯑fordienſes; or, a Catalogue of the more perfect Plants growing ſpontaneouſly about Woodford, in Eſſex." Lond. 1771. 8^o. pp. 238. As none of the Graminaceous, or Cryptogamous tribes, are introduced, the liſt does not exceed 518 ſpecies. The or⯑der is alphabetical, by the names from RAY's Synopſis; after which follow the ſpecific character at length, from HUD⯑SON's "Flora Anglica," the Linnaean claſs and order, the Engliſh name, place, and time of flowering. In the Preface, the au⯑thor enumerates the names of more than twenty of his friends, among whom are many of thoſe alluded to above, by whoſe joint aſſiſtance he was enabled to enlarge his work beyond what his own obſervations might otherwiſe have allowed. Mr. WAR⯑NER was alſo diſtinguiſhed for his polite [283] learning; and eminently ſo, for his critical knowledge in the writings of Shakeſpeare, of whoſe plays he had long meditated to give a new edition; but deſiſted, on the ap⯑pearance of Mr. Steevens's propoſals. In 1768, he publiſhed "A Letter to David Garrick, Eſq concerning a Gloſſary to the Plays of Shakeſpeare." 8^o. This Gloſſary he continued to augment, to the laſt days of his life. He tranſlated the Comedies of Plautus, left undone by Thornton, which were publiſhed in 1772 and 1774.

Mr. WARNER, in his youth, as is re⯑lated of the great LINNAEUS, had been re⯑markably fond of dancing; nor, till his paſſion ‘"for that diverſion ſubſided, did he convert the largeſt room in his houſe into a library."’ He died April 11, 1775; and bequeathed his valuable books to Wad⯑ham College, Oxford, where he received his education; and left to the ſame Society an exhibition for a botanical lecture.

EHRET.

AMONG the various contingencies which favoured the introduction of the Linnaean ſyſtem into England, it is not unimportant to mention the effect of the admirable pencil of the late Mr. EHRET. This ingenious artiſt brought with him, not only a general taſte for botany, but a particular knowledge of the principles, on which the ſyſtem of LINNAEUS was found⯑ed; and was among the firſt who diſplayed it, in the ſpecimens of his art.

The father of George Dyoniſius EHRET was gardener to the Prince of Baden Dur⯑lach ^*. [285] Young EHRET very early ſhewed a taſte for drawing, and painting the flowers of the garden. And although he received no inſtructions, yet ſuch was his proficien⯑cy, that, whilſt a very young man, he had painted 500 plants with a ſkill and accu⯑racy that was almoſt unexampled, under the diſadvantages of ſo total a want of in⯑ſtruction as our young artiſt had experi⯑enced. His merit, however, remained long unknown, or at leaſt ineffectually noticed, until it was diſcovered by a gentleman of curioſity and judgment, who viſited the garden, of which his father was the ſuper⯑intendant. Fortunately for young EHRET, this ſtranger was a phyſician and a friend of the celebrated Dr. TREW, of Norimberg, to whom he juſtly ſuppoſed theſe paintings would be acceptable. EHRET by this means was introduced to TREW, who immediately purchaſed the whole 500 paintings, and ge⯑nerouſly gave him double the price at which the young artiſt had modeſtly valued them. [286] The liberality of TREW, by which EHRET put 4000 florins into his pocket, inſpired him with confidence in his own abilities, and ſuch a ſhare of ambition as inclined him to quit his home, and ſeek at once to raiſe his for⯑tune, and to gratify the deſire he had to ſee the world. It appears that he was too much elated with his ſucceſs; and, as the effect of ſome ſhare of vanity, and a want of oeco⯑nomy not unuſual in young men, he ſoon diſſipated this ſum, and, in queſt of adven⯑tures, went to Baſil, with the laſt, and thoſe only a few, of his florins in his pocket. Here, ſhutting himſelf up, he, with great diligence, and ſingular exertion, ſtimulated now by preſſing neceſſity, ſoon exhibited numerous ſpecimens of his art; and, though he had learned to ſet a higher value upon them, found a demand beyond his induſ⯑try to ſupply. Having thus recruited his finances, he journeyed into France, and re⯑ſided ſome time at Montpelier, where he taught his art to a lady of fortune, who re⯑warded him generouſly, and, on his wiſh to remove, paid his expences to Lyons and Pa⯑ris. At the latter city he became known to JUSSIEU, and was for ſome time employed [287] to paint the plants of the Royal Garden, under that eminent Profeſſor's inſpection. After a certain time, he exchanged his ſitu⯑ation at Paris, for that of London; but not ſucceeding to his mind, he ſoon returned to the continent. The preciſe time of his being firſt in England, I cannot aſcertain; but it was, I conjecture, before his employ⯑ment in the garden of Mr. CLIFFORD, where LINNAEUS found him in the year 1736. From LINNAEUS himſelf he was taught attention to the parts of the flower, and hence became early inſtructed in the principles of the ſexual ſyſtem. His fine taſte, and botanical accuracy, were, I ap⯑prehend, firſt publicly manifeſted in the figures of the Hortus Cliſſortianus, pub⯑liſhed in 1737; and, from that time, EH⯑RET became ſtrongly attached to the prin⯑ciples of the Swede.

He returned to England about the year 1740, or ſoon after that period: and here he ſpent the remainder of his days. His firſt patron in this country was Taylor WHITE, Eſq for whom he finiſhed 300 paintings of plants. He ſoon after procured the patro⯑nage of Dr. MEAD, for whom he painted [288] 200, and who generouſly advanced his price. In conſequence of this countenance and protection, he obtained encouragement from Sir Hans SLOANE, and many other opulent lovers of his art. Dr. FOTHERGILL pro⯑cured large collections from him; and the late eminent patroneſs of natural hiſtory, the Ducheſs of PORTLAND, poſſeſſed, beſides near 300 paintings of exotics, upwards of 500 of Engliſh plants, done on vellum, and highly finiſhed, by this admirable artiſt.

Another of his patrons, and to whoſe obliging information I owe great part of the foregoing anecdotes relating to him, was Ralph WILLETT, Eſq of Merly, in Dorſet⯑ſhire; at whoſe ſeat Mr. EHRET was ac⯑cuſtomed, for many years, to ſpend ſeveral weeks in the ſummer ſeaſon, and in whoſe friendſhip Mr. EHRET repoſed, as executor in the laſt arrangement of his affairs. The library at Merly exhibits a copious collec⯑tion of exotics, done by EHRET: not fewer than 230 finiſhed ſpecimens on vellum; beſides ſeventy on paper; and more than 500 in an unfiniſhed ſtate.

The firſt publiſhed ſpecimens of his pen⯑cil, after his ſettlement in England, that I [289] am acquainted with, were exhibited in the 44th volume of the Philoſophical Tranſactions, N^o 478. for January and February 1746; by the figure of the Keratophyton flabelli⯑forme of RAY (Gorgonia verrucoſa Lin.) for a paper written by Sir Hans SLOANE: and by two excellent figures of the Oe⯑nanthe erocata, and Cieuta viroſa, in the ſame volume, intended to illuſtrate Mr. WATSON's obſervations on the fatal Qua⯑lities of thoſe Plants.

Very early after his arrival in this king⯑dom, he began to paint figures of the rareſt products of the Engliſh gardens, for his friend and firſt patron Dr. TREW; for whom, in the end, he finiſhed 300. Of theſe, at different periods, 100 were engraved, and publiſhed in Decads, under the following title:

"PLANTAE SELECTAE, quarum Ima⯑gines ad exemplaria naturalia Londini in hortis curioſorum nutrita, manu artificioſa pinxit Georgius Dionyſius EHRET, Germa⯑nus, collegit nominibus notiſque illuſtravit Chr. Jacob. TREW, M.D. Norib. in Aes in⯑eidit et vivis coloribus repreſentavit Jo. Jac. [290] Haid. Auguſtanus." Decuria I. 1750. fol. reg.—Decur. X. 1773.

Seven Decads of this work were publiſh⯑ed at Dr. TREW's expence, during his life⯑time; and the remaining three by Dr. VO⯑GEL, after his deceaſe. The whole is exe⯑cuted in ſo ſplendid a manner, as to conſti⯑tute, at this day, one of the fineſt orna⯑ments of the botanical library.

The only publication of any importance in England, in which Mr. EHRET was en⯑gaged throughout, as far as I can find, was BROWN's "Natural Hiſtory of Jamaica," printed in 1756, for which he drew all the figures, amounting to 40 tables. As they were principally taken from prepared and dried ſpecimens, they cannot be numbered among his capital performances.

Mr. EHRET drew, and himſelf engraved, a ſet of tables of Exotics, two or three on each plate, to the number of fifteen; each table containing alſo a Butterfly of exotic origin. Theſe were publiſhed at London, in 1748-1759. The laſt of theſe exhi⯑bits the Cape Jaſmine, Gardenia florida, which had flowered for the firſt time in [291] England, in the garden of Mr. WARNER, at Woodford, in the year 1758. A deſcrip⯑tion of this elegant plant; the generical character of the Laurus Saſſafras; and the deſcription of a new Lithoſpermum, all writ⯑ten by Mr. EHRET, were printed in the "Nova Acta Academiae Curioſorum." Tom. II. Norimb. 1761.

An Account of the Ophrys ſcapo nudo foliis radicalibus ovato-oblongis, dimidii ſcapi longitudine, deſcribed by GRONOVIUS in his "Flora Virginica;" with a figure. Vol. liii. p. 81. The Ophrys lilifolia of LINNAEUS: it was ſent from Philadelphia by Mr. BARTRAM, and flowered in Eng⯑land, for the firſt time, in the garden of Mr. COLLINSON, in the year 1758.

An Account of a new Peruvian plant lately introduced into the Engliſh gar⯑dens; with a figure. Vol. liii. p. 131. This is the Nolana proſtrata Lin. which flowered in the garden at Chelſea, for the firſt time in England, in 1761, now very common.

A Deſcription of the Andrachne, with its botanical character, and a figure. Vol. [292] lvii. p. 114. The Arbutus Andrachne, which firſt flowered in England, in 1766, in the garden of Dr. FOTHERGILL.

His ingenuity and knowledge of nature raiſed him to a degree of reputation among the literati, and obtained him the diſtinction of being choſen a Fellow of the Royal So⯑ciety. Beſides the profit accruing from thoſe numerous exhibitions of his pencil, he applied for many years, with great aſſidui⯑ty, to the buſineſs of teaching his art; and if his ingenuity did not meet with a reward equal to his merit, yet his labours, in the end, proved ſufficiently lucrative, to afford him a moderate independence; though, to the laſt, he ceaſed not to employ his pencil.

He died in September 1770, in the 60th year of his age^*.

Mr. EHRET married the ſiſter of Philip Miller, of Chelſea, by whom he left one ſon.

[293] He was well verſed in the botany of this country, and delighted in painting the indi⯑genous plants. He was ever beſt pleaſed when employed by ſcientific people; ſince his wiſh was always to follow nature, and to exhibit on his piece the true characters, without the ſmalleſt deviation for the ſake of embelliſhment. Having early imbibed the principles of Linnaeus's ſyſtem, he at⯑tended to the diſcrimination of the parts on which it was founded, with an accuracy that commanded obſervance; and while his excellence in delineating and painting drew admiration, and diffuſed a taſte for the ſtudy of plants, the truth of his pencil in⯑ſtructed thoſe who beheld it in the prin⯑ciples of the ſcience.

HILL.

About the year 1751, Dr. HILL began to publiſh on the ſubject of botany. His "Hiſtory of Plants," printed in that year, although compiled and tranſlated princi⯑pally from LINNAEUS, was not adapted to indigenous botany, nor ſufficiently calcu⯑lated to inſtruct the ſtudent in the ultimate [294] part of any ſyſtem, the ſpecific diſtinctions; ſince LINNAEUS had not as yet completed the exemplification by modelling the cha⯑racter throughout the whole; the Species Plantarum not being publiſhed till the year 1753.

I mean not to enter on any detail of his numerous writings, ſince they are well known, and moſt of them poſterior to the limits of my plan. Although it may be difficult to reconcile the praiſes this au⯑thor beſtows on LINNAEUS, in many of his writings, with the cenſures contained in his "Britiſh Herbal," yet his works had a fa⯑vourable influence in promoting the ſcience in general, though not the Linnaean modifi⯑cation of it in particular^*.

WATSON.

AMONG thoſe learned botaniſts of England, who early recognized the prevailing excellencies of the Linnaean ſyſ⯑tem, muſt be ranked the late Sir William WATSON. At a period when Botany was feebly ſupported in theſe kingdoms, after the deceaſe of the SHERARDS, and the re⯑tirement of SLOANE, his talents and his zeal enabled him, as far as the influence of [296] an individual could extend, to ſuſtain and promote this ſcience, not only with his own countrymen, but with thoſe learn⯑ed foreigners who viſited this kingdom. Whilſt, therefore, juſtice to his character and attainments, in the ſubject of this work, demand conſideration, I feel an addi⯑tional motive to pay a tribute to his me⯑mory, ariſing from a grateful remembrance of the friendſhip and correſpondence with which he honoured me.

Sir William WATSON was born in 1715, in St. John's Street, near Smithſield. His fa⯑ther was a reputable tradeſman in that ſtreet, and died, leaving him very young. When he had attained to a proper age, he was ſent to Merchant Taylor's School; and from thence was apprenticed to Mr. Richardſon, apothecary, in 1730.

In his youth he had a ſtrong propenſity to the ſtudy of natural hiſtory, and parti⯑cularly to that of plants. This led him to make frequent excurſions in a morning, ſe⯑veral miles from London; ſo that he became early well acquainted with the Loci natales of the indigenous plants of the environs of [297] London; and, during his apprenticeſhip, he gained the honorary premium given annu⯑ally by the Apothecaries Company, to ſuch young men as exhibit a ſuperiority in the knowledge of plants, in thoſe excurſions made by the Demonſtrator of Chelſea Gar⯑den; and inſtituted for the purpoſe of ini⯑tiating the apprentices of the Company in a ſcience ſo neceſſary to the profeſſion. This premium, as hath been obſerved in the courſe of the preceding pages, conſiſted of a handſomely bound copy of RAY's Synopſis. He continued, at times, throughout his life, to attend on theſe occaſions, and meet his former aſſociates with great pleaſure and delight.

In 1738, Mr. WATSON married, and ſet up in buſineſs for himſelf. His ſkill, his activity, and diligence in his profeſſion, ſoon diſtinguiſhed him among his acquaintance; as did his taſte for natural hiſtory, and his general knowledge of philoſophical ſubjects among the members of the Royal Society, of which honourable body he was elected a member early in the year 1741; his two firſt communications being printed in the [298] 41ſt volume of the Philoſophical Tranſac⯑tions.

Soon after his admiſſion into the Royal Society, Mr. WATSON diſtinguiſhed him⯑ſelf as a botaniſt. His earlieſt paper on this ſubject was, "An Account of the ce⯑lebrated HALLER's Enumeratio Stirpium Helvetiae, extracted from the Latin, and illuſtrated with a Conſpectus of the au⯑thor's method, and with various obſer⯑vations." This was printed in the Phi⯑loſophical Tranſactions ^a.

In the ſame volume^b, and in the ſuc⯑ceeding^c, he excited the attention of the curious in this way, by ſome "Critical Re⯑marks on the Rev. Mr. PICKERING's Paper concerning the Seeds of Muſh⯑rooms," which, that gentleman having ſeen a ſhort time before, conſidered as a new diſcovery; whereas Mr. WATSON ſhewed, that they had been demonſtrated ſeveral years prior to that period, by M. MICHELI, in his "Nova Plantarum Genera," printed at Florence in 1729.

[299] But that which attracted the attention of foreign botaniſts particularly, was his de⯑ſcription of a rare and elegant ſpecies of Fungus, called from its form Geaſter ^d. This was written in Latin, and accompa⯑nied with an engraving. It has ſince been called Lycoperdon fornicatum.

In the ſame volume are inſerted ſome very inſtructive obſervations on the Cicuta, or Common Hemlock; occaſioned by the death of two of the Dutch ſoldiers, quartered at Waltham Abbey, in Eſſex; which hap⯑pened in conſequence of their having eaten this herb inſtead of Greens^e.

The death of two of the French priſoners in 1746, occaſioned by their eating the roots of the Hemlock Dropwort, produced from Mr. WATSON a paper, which in an eminent manner exemplified his ſkill in the knowledge of plants. It abounds with curious and critical obſervations on that plant, and on the Sium Erucae folio of Caſ⯑par BAUHINE (Cicuta viroſa Lin.) with which it had been frequently confounded; [300] as both had alſo been commonly miſtaken for Water Parſnep. It is accompanied with engravings of the plants, from the excel⯑lent drawings of Mr. EHRET^f.

In the 45^th volume of the Philoſophical Tranſactions, is printed a Tranſlation, by Mr. WATSON, of a Letter to Sir Hans SLOANE, from Dr. GARCIN, of Neuchatel, containing a complete hiſtory of the Cypreſs of the an⯑tients; the Henna, or Alcanna of the Ara⯑bians, called by LINNAEUS Lawſonia inermis; a Shrub, famous for its uſe, both in medi⯑cine, and as a dye, all over the Eaſt, inſo⯑much that, at Conſtantinople, the duty on this drug amounts to 18,000 ducats annu⯑ally^g.

In 1748, Mr. WATSON had an opportu⯑nity of ſhewing attention to M. KALM, dur⯑ing his abode in England, which was from February till Auguſt, when he embarked for America. He introduced him to the curi⯑ous gardens, and accompanied him in ſeve⯑ral botanical excurſions in the environs of London. This eminent pupil of LINNAEUS, [301] who was a Swediſh divine, on his return home, became Profeſſor of Oeconomy at Abo, where he died Nov. 16, 1779, aged 63.

The ſame civilities were manifeſted by Dr. WATSON to the preſent eminent Dr. PALLAS, of Peterſburgh, during his abode in England, which was from July 1761, to April 1762.

In 1749, in company with Dr. MIT⯑CHELL, Mr. WATSON examined the re⯑mains of the garden, formerly belonging to the TRADESCANTS; of whom, ſee chap. 14. of this work. They found the Arbu⯑tus, and the Cupreſſus Americana, with other exotics, in a vigorous ſtate, after having ſuſ⯑tained the winters of this climate for 120 years. This ſituation had alſo afforded a proof, not often exemplified, of the large ſize to which the Common Buck-Thorn will grow. They found one about 20 feet high, and near a foot in diameter^h.

In 1751, were laid before the public, ſome very curious and intereſting particu⯑lars, relating to the ſexes of plants, which [302] tended to confirm the truth of that doctrine in a remarkable manner. Theſe were oc⯑caſioned by a letter from Mr. MYLINS, of Berlin, informing Mr. WATSON, that a tree of the Palma major foliis flabelliformibus, which, although it had borne fruit for 30 years paſt, had never brought any to per⯑fection, until the flowers of a male-tree, brought from Leipſic, 20 German miles diſ⯑tant, had been ſuſpended over its branches. After this operation, the tree yielded, the firſt year, above 100, and the ſecond, upon repeating the experiment, above 2000 ripe fruit; from which 11 young Palm-trees had been propagatedⁱ.

In the ſame volume are ſome remarks on the caſe of two women in Brabant, who had been nearly poiſoned by eating the leaves of what had been called White Henbane; but Mr. WATSON proved, that it muſt have been the Hyoſeyamas niger, ſince the white does not grow ſpontaneouſly in that coun⯑try. The ſame letter confirms the poiſon⯑ous effect of the Yew-tree upon horſes^k.

[303] Mr. WATSON paid the ſame tribute, in 1751, to the memory of Dr. Henry COMP⯑TON, Biſhop of London, the friend and pa⯑tron of Mr. RAY, as he had done to that of the TRADESCANTS; and gives a liſt of 33 exotic trees, which were then remaining in the garden at Fulham. From this cata⯑logue may be inferred, not only the original ſplendour of the garden, and the zeal and taſte the Biſhop ſhewed in the cultivation of ſuch numerous curioſities, but the facility with which trees of very different latitudes may become naturalized in England ^l.

In the ſame volume, page 301, we find "An Account of the Cinnamon Tree;" occaſioned by a large ſpecimen, equal in ſize to a walking cane, ſent over by Mr. ROBINS to Dr. LETHERLAND, and which was exhibited to the inſpection of the Royal Society. From this Account we learn, that three Cinnamon Trees, which were intend⯑ed to have been ſent to Jamaica, were grow⯑ing in the garden of Hampton Court in the reign of King William.

[304] In the year 1752, Mr. WATSON laid before the Royal Society two rare Engliſh plants; the Lathraea Squamaria, and the Dentaria bulbifera: the latter unnoticed both by Mr. RAY and DILLENIUS. Theſe were diſcovered by Mr. BLACKSTONE, near Harefield ^m.

He alſo deſcribes, in this volume, that ſingular vegetable production, noticed be⯑fore under the article of Thomas KNOWL⯑TON, as firſt diſcovered by him, and called Moor Balls, the Conferva Aegagropila of LINNAEUSⁿ.

Mr. WATSON, about this time, was the firſt, as I apprehend, who communicated to the Engliſh reader, an Account of a Re⯑volution which was about to take place among the learned, in Botany and Zoolo⯑gy, reſpecting the removal of a large body of marine productions, which had hereto⯑fore been ranked among vegetables; but which were now proved to be of animal origin, and ſtand under the name of Zoo⯑phytes, in the preſent Syſtem of Nature. It [305] may be eaſily ſeen that this reſpects the Corals, Corallines, Eſcharae, Madrepores, Sponges, &c. and although even GESNER, IMPERATUS, and RUMPHIUS, had ſome obſcure ideas relating to the dubious ſtruc⯑ture of this claſs, yet the full diſcovery, that theſe ſubſtances were the fabrications of Polypes, was owing to M. PEYSSONNEL, phyſician at Guadaloupe. This gentleman had imbibed this opinion firſt, in 1723, at Marſeilles; and confirmed it, in 1725, on the coaſt of Barbary. While in Guada⯑loupe, he wrote a volume of 400 pages in 4^o. in proof of this ſubject, which he tranſ⯑mitted in manuſcript to the Royal So⯑ciety of London. This treatiſe, in which the author ſeemed to have put the matter out of doubt, as to the animal origin of theſe bodies, was tranſlated, analyzed, and abridged, in 1752, by Mr. WATSON; and publiſhed in the Philoſophical Tranſ⯑actions ^o, at a time when the learned were wavering in their opinions on this matter. M. TREMBLY's inveſtigation re⯑ſpecting [306] the Freſh Water Polypes had pav⯑ed the way for the reception of PEYSSON⯑NEL's truths; and Mr. WATSON himſelf, in company with M. TREMBLY, had an opportunity, on the coaſt of Suſſex, when on a viſit at the Duke of RICHMOND's, in one of thoſe annual excurſions^p which for many years he ſeldom failed to make in the ſummer ſeaſon, of verifying M. PEYS⯑SONNEL's [307] ſyſtem, in viewing the Polypes of the Corallines.

In 1753, was printed, "An Account of the Second Volume of the Flora Sibirica of GMELIN;" exhibiting ſome extracts relating to the cure of the venereal diſeaſe, in Siberia, by the decoction of a ſpecies of Cirſium, and an Iris: and on the diſtil⯑lation of a ſpirituous liquor from the ^q Spondylium, or Cow-Parſnep.

In the ſame volume of the Tranſactions ^r, ſome Obſervations, tending to determine what was the Byſſus of the antients; occa⯑ſioned by a ſubſtance which was ſent over by Profeſſor BOSE, of Wittemberg. It prov⯑ed to be no other than the common Byſſus velutina, in a bleached ſtate; whereas the Byſſus of the antients was judged by Mr. WATSON to be, moſt probably, a Cotton; which is confirmed in a very elaborate and critical Diſſertation, written by Dr. Rein⯑hold FORSTER, and publiſhed in 1776.

Remarks, additional to thoſe of Dr. MARTYN, on the Sex of the Holly-Tree; [308] which juſtified the removal of it from the Tetrandrous to the Potygamous claſs^s.

"Some Obſervations upon the Agaric lately applied after Amputations, with re⯑gard to the determining its Species^t." Some doubts had ariſen relating to the exact ſpecies of the Styptic Agaric, which had juſt then excited the attention of the ſur⯑geons, both in France and England. Mr. WATSON having written afterwards to M. Bernard de JUSSIEU at Paris, was aſſur⯑ed that the French ſurgeons had uſed the Agaricus pedis equini facie of TOURNEFORT, which is the Boletus igniarius Lin.^u.

In 1754, Mr. WATSON wrote an Ac⯑count of the firſt Edition of the Species Plantarum of LINNAEUS; which was pub⯑liſhed in the Gentleman's Magazine, p. 555 for that year. It is not only highly worthy of being read, for the uſeful information, and curious critical matter it contains; but alſo on account of its having produced from that celebrated Profeſſor, a handſome letter, [309] written in Latin; in which he takes occa⯑ſion to acknowledge the candour, and ſkill of the author, in high terms; and vindi⯑cates himſelf for having, in his work above⯑mentioned, given to the Meadia (a plant ſo called by CATESBY, in honour of Dr. MEAD) a different name. LINNAEUS's Letter was printed the ſucceeding year, in the ſame publication^w.

In 1758, he had occaſion to confirm the fatal effects of the Oenanthe crocata, or Hemlock Dropwort, by the death of a per⯑ſon at Havant, in Hampſhire, from having taken about four ſpoonfuls of the juice of the root, inſtead of that of the Water-Parſ⯑nep. It was obſerved, that in this in⯑ſtance, as in that of the French priſoners, all the ſufferers were affected with the locked jaw^x.

Theſe talents, it may be eaſily imagined, rendered him a welcome viſitor to Sir [310] Hans SLOANE, who had retired to Chel⯑ſea in 1740. In fact, he enjoyed no ſmall ſhare of the favour and eſteem of that veteran in ſcience; and was honoured ſo far, as to be nominated one of the Truſtees of the Britiſh Muſeum by Sir Hans him⯑ſelf, who died Jan. 11, 1753.

After its eſtabliſhment in Montagu Houſe, Mr. WATSON was very aſſiduous, not only in the internal arrangement of ſubjects, but alſo in getting the garden furniſhed with plants; inſomuch that, in the firſt year of its eſtabliſhment, in 1756, it contained no fewer than 600 ſpecies, all in a flouriſhing ſtate.

Having given ample ſpecimens of the ge⯑nius and abilities of Mr. WATSON, as a na⯑turaliſt, we muſt now conſider his talents in ſome other branches of knowledge. Among theſe, nothing contributed ſo much to ex⯑tend his fame, and enlarge his connexions with men of ſcience, as his diſcoveries in [311] electricity. He became early enamoured with the phaenomena of this wonderful agent in nature; an attention to which had been ſome time before excited, among the philoſophers of Europe; and particularly in England, by Mr. Stephen GRAY, of the Charter-Houſe; Granville WHELER, Eſq Dr. DESAGULIERS; and others.

About the year 1744, Mr. WATSON took it up, and made ſeveral important diſ⯑coveries in it. At this time, it was no ſmall advancement in the progreſs of elec⯑tricity, to be able to fire ſpirit of wine. He was the firſt in England who effected this, and he performed it, both by the direct, and the repulſive power of electricity. He afterwards fired inflammable air, gunpow⯑der, and inflammable oils, by the ſame means. He alſo inſtituted ſeveral other experiments, which helped to enlarge the power of the electrician; but the moſt important of his diſcoveries was, the prov⯑ing, that the electric power was not created by the globe or tube, but only collected by them. Dr. FRANKLIN, and Mr. WIL⯑SON, [312] were alike fortunate, about the ſame time. It is eaſy to ſee the extreme utility of this diſcovery in conducting all ſubſe⯑quent experiments. It ſoon led to what he called ‘"the circulation of the electric matter."’

Beſides theſe valuable diſcoveries, the Hiſtorian of Electricity informs us, that Mr. WATSON firſt obſerved the different colour of the ſpark, as drawn from diffe⯑rent bodies; that electricity ſuffered no re⯑fraction in paſſing through glaſs; that the power of electricity was not affected by the preſence or abſence of fire, ſince the ſparks were equally ſtrong from a freezing mix⯑ture, as from red hot iron; that flame and ſmoke were conductors of electricity; and that the ſtroke was, as the points of contact of the non-electrics on the outſide of the glaſs. This inveſtigation led to the coat⯑ing of phials, in order to increaſe the power of accumulation; and qualified him emi⯑nently to be the principal actor in thoſe famous experiments, which were made on the Thames, and at Shooter's Hill, in the [313] years 1747 and 1748; in one of which, the electrical circuit was extended four miles, in order to prove the velocity of electricity; the reſult of which convinced the atten⯑dants that it was inſtantaneous^y.

It ought alſo to be remembered, that [314] Mr. WATSON conducted ſome other expe⯑riments, with ſo much ſagacity and addreſs, relating to the impracticability of tranſ⯑mitting odours, and the power of purgatives through glaſs; and thoſe relating to the exhibition of what was called the "Glory round the Head," or the "Beatification," boaſted to have been done by ſome philoſo⯑phers on the continent; that he procured, at length, an acknowledgment from Mr. BOSE, of what he called "an Embelliſh⯑ment," in conducting the experiments; a procedure totally incompatible with the true ſpirit of a philoſopher!

Mr. WATSON's firſt papers on the ſubject of Electricity, were addreſſed, in three let⯑ters, to Martin FOLKES, Eſq Preſident of the Royal Society, dated in March, April, and October 1745; and were publiſhed in the Philoſophical Tranſactions ^z, under the title of "Experiments and Obſervations tending to illuſtrate the Nature and Pro⯑perties of Electricity." Theſe were fol⯑lowed in the beginning of the next year [315] (1746) by "Farther Experiments, &c.^a;" and theſe by "A Sequel to the Experi⯑ments, &c."

Theſe tracts were collected, and ſepa⯑rately publiſhed in octavo, and reached to a third or fourth edition. They were of ſo intereſting a nature, that they gave him the lead, as it were, in this branch of phi⯑loſophy; and were not only the means of raiſing him to a high degree of eſtimation at home, but of extending his fame throughout all Europe. His houſe became the reſort of the moſt ingenious and illuſ⯑trious experimental philoſophers that Eng⯑land could boaſt.

Several of the nobility attended on theſe occaſions; and his preſent Majeſty GEORGE III. when Prince of Wales, honoured him with his preſence. In fact, there needs no greater confirmation of his merit, at that early time, as an electrician, than the pub⯑lic teſtimony conferred upon him by the Royal Society, which, in 1745, preſented him with Sir Godfrey COPLEY's medal, for his diſcoveries in electricity.

[316] After this mark of diſtinction, Mr. WAT⯑SON continued to proſecute electrical ſtudies and experiments, and to write on the ſub⯑ject for many years. Between the year 1745, the date of his firſt paper, and the year 1764, that of the laſt, we find all thoſe papers which I have recited below^b. [317] After writing the laſt of theſe, he was ap⯑pointed, by the Royal Society, one of the Committee in 1772, to examine into the ſtate of the powder-magazines at Purfleet; and with the Honourable Mr. CAVENDISH, Dr. FRANKLIN, and Mr. ROBERTSON, [318] fixed on pointed conductors as preferable to blunt ones; and again, was of the Com⯑mittee in 1778, after the experiments of Mr. WILSON in the Pantheon.

WATSON.

AS Mr. WATSON had conſtantly lived in London, he had been a curious obſerver of the wonderful increaſe and im⯑provement of that vaſt city. He was ac⯑quainted, in no ordinary degree, with its hiſtory, and its police in general; and had particularly attended to thoſe circumſtances that were more immediately the objects of [320] the philoſopher and the phyſician. This knowledge enabled him frequently to ſug⯑geſt uſeful hints; one of which highly de⯑ſerves to be mentioned, as it reſpects an object of great importance to the public.

In the hard winter of 1756, he wrote "Some Obſervations on preventing the freezing of Water in the Leaden Pipes of the City of London;" occaſioned by the injudicious and ineffectual method, practiſed frequently, of ſtrewing dung in the ſtreets over the pipes. Theſe were printed in the Gentleman's Magazine ^a for January 1757, p. 6. in which is pointed [321] out a ſucceſsful method of effecting the purpoſe, which he had himſelf employed in the ſevere winter of 1739-40. Other inſtances, beſides this, occur, of his atten⯑tion to whatever might advance the wel⯑fare of the public. So early as the year 1742, he had laid before the Royal So⯑ciety "Some Obſervations upon Mr. Sut⯑ton's Invention to extract the foul and ſtinking Air from the Well and other Parts of Ships: With critical Remarks upon the Uſe of Windſails." In which he ſuggeſts ſeveral improvements in that uſeful invention^b.

In 1753, he publiſhed Mr. Appleby's Proceſs for rendering Sea-water freſh^c.

In 1768, an Account of Mr. Charles MILLER's Experiments on the ſowing of Wheat, and dividing the Root; by which means were produced, in one year, from one grain, 21, 109 ears, which yielded three pecks and three quarters of clean corn, weighing forty-ſeven pounds ſeven ounces; [322] and the number of grains, calculated by the number in one ounce, might be 576,840^d. It is to be feared that this method can ſcarcely be reduced to advantageous practice on a large and agricultural plan.

In the ſame year, an Account of the Oil extracted from the American Earth-nut, or, more properly, Ground Peaſe ^e. This plant, like a few others of the ſame claſs, has the ſingular property of protruding its ſeed-veſſel into the ground, where it ripens the fruit; hence it is named by RAY, Ara⯑chis Hypogaios. The oil of this pulfe is ſo mild and well taſted, and withal ſo eaſily procured, that it might bid fair to ſuper⯑ſede that of olives, or even oil of almonds. It is cultivated in North Carolina, and might advantageouſly be raiſed in the Sugar Iſlands^f.

As from the earlieſt times of the Royal Society, it had been cuſtomary to requeſt of ſome member, properly qualified from his knowledge of the ſubject, to review, and [323] lay before that body at their uſual meetings, any ſuch extracts from the numerous pub⯑lications which were ſent to the Society, relating to diſcoveries in philoſophy and the arts, as promiſed to be of general utility, that they might be recorded in the Philoſo⯑phical Tranſactions, this office did not un⯑frequently fall upon Mr. WATSON. We find ſeveral papers of this nature bearing his name. Beſides thoſe which I have enu⯑merated, relating to natural hiſtory ſtrictly, and electricity, are the following, as re⯑cited below^g.

Of his productions which have a more immediate reference to phyſic, the firſt was publiſhed in the Philoſophical Tranſactions, N^o 459. "A Caſe wherein Part of the Lungs were coughed up." And in the ſucceeding Number, "An Obſervation re⯑lating [324] to Hydatides voided per Vagi⯑nem ^h."

In 1744, an Account, and Analyſis, of a Stone, which, when firſt taken out of the ſtomach of a coach-horſe, weighed three pounds two ounces avoirdupois weight, and meaſured ſeventeen inches by ſixteen.

On examination, it appeared to be not ſo much a concretion of the kind called Ega⯑gropila, as of the bezoardic textureⁱ. Mr. WATSON had afterwards an opportunity of exhibiting to the Society a Calculus, taken from the belly of a mare, which weighed fifteen pounds twelve ounces. Even this, however, was exceeded by one from a dray⯑horſe belonging to Sir Henry Hicks at Dept⯑ford, which weighed nineteen pounds, ex⯑cluſive of ſome of the cruſt broken off^k.

In 1749, he laid before the Royal Socie⯑ty, "An Account of the Vomito Prieto of Carthagena," called on the ſpot La Chap⯑petonade. This was extracted from Don ULLOA's Voyage to South America, juſt [325] then publiſhed at Madrid ^l. This diſeaſe is deſcribed by SAUVAGES under the name of Vomitus rabioſus.

In the ſame volume, "Caſes of the Fae⯑tus in Utero being differently affected by the Small-pox." In one of theſe, a fe⯑male child was born with evident marks of the ſmall-pox upon her, and was not ſuſ⯑ceptible of the diſeaſe when inoculated at four years old with her brother, who paſſed through it very favourably. The girl grew pale, and loſt her appetite; but her indiſ⯑poſition wore off in two or three days. The other is the caſe of a lady, who had the ſmall-pox to a great degree when ſeven months gone with child, which was at the ſame period of pregnancy under which the mother of the above-mentioned child paſſed through the diſtemper. The offspring of this lady, however, went through the diſ⯑eaſe in the natural way, at the age of four or five years^m.

All who were acquainted with the ex⯑tent [326] of Mr. WATSON's knowledge in the practice of phyſic, in natural hiſtory, and experimental philoſophy, were not ſurpriſed to ſee him riſe into the higher line of his profeſſion. This event took place in 1757, previous to which he had been choſen a member of the Royal Academy of Madrid; and he was created doctor of phyſic by the Univerſity of Halle, under a diploma, bear⯑ing date September the 6th. The ſame ho⯑nour was conferred upon him by that of Wit⯑temberg about the ſame time. Soon after which he was disfranchiſed from the Com⯑pany of Apothecaries. He became a li⯑centiate of the College of Phyſicians in 1759.

This alteration in his circumſtances and proſpects, hazardous as it might be confi⯑dered by ſome, occaſioned no diminution in his emoluments, but far the contrary. He had before this time removed from Alderſ⯑gate Street to Lincoln's Inn Fields, where he lived the remainder of his days; and now he found himſelf at greater liberty to purſue his ſtudies, and carry on at more leiſure the extenſive literary connnexion in which he [327] was engaged, both at home and abroad. He kept up a cloſe correſpondence with Dr. HUXHAM for many years. We find among his correſpondents abroad, the names of M. PEYSSONNEL, CLAIRAUT, BOSE, the Abbé NOLLET, M. ALLEMAND, M. JUS⯑SIEU, and many others, as may be ſeen from the letters communicated by him to the Royal Society.

In October 1762, Dr. WATSON was choſen one of the phyſicians to the Found⯑ling Hoſpital, which office he held during the remainder of his life.

We find alſo two zoological articles laid before the Royal Society by Dr. WATSON. The firſt of theſe relates to the inſect called the Vegetable Fly, which had impoſed on the credulity of many, under the idea of its being an inſect flying about with a vegetable growing on its back: whereas in fact it was nothing more than a fungus of the Clavaria genus, growing from the dead nymph of a Cicada, as well as from any other putrid animal ſubſtancesⁿ. The firſt author who ſeems to have counte⯑nanced [328] this error, was Father TORRUBIA, in his "Apparato para la Hiſtoria naturali Eſpanola," printed at Madrid. Fol. 1754. He deſcribes and figures a prickly plant, vegetating from a dead waſp. Both theſe productions are figured by Mr. EDWARDS, in the third part of his "Gleanings," tab. 335, 336.

The ſecond paper is a Deſcription, ac⯑companied by a large engraving of the American Armadillo, called Daſypus no⯑vemcinctus by LINNAEUS, the nine-banded Armadillo^o.

In 1758, was printed part of a letter to Dr. HUXHAM, being an account of ſome extraordinary effects ariſing from convul⯑ſions, in a young lady, which ended in a deprivation of ſpeech, and temporary blind⯑neſs. Theſe ſymptoms laſted fourteen months, and were at laſt ſuddenly removed after ſhe had heated herſelf by four hours dancing^p.

"Some Obſervations relating to the Lyn⯑curium of the Antients;" tending to prove [329] that it was the Tourmalin of the mo⯑derns^q.

In 1762, a Letter to Dr. HUXHAM, containing ſome Remarks on the Influenza of that year, and on the Dyſentery which ſucceeded it^r.

Obſervations upon the Effects of Elec⯑tricity, applied to a Tetanus, or muſcular rigidity, of four months continuance. For the firſt three weeks the ſtiffneſs was con⯑fined to the jaw, but afterwards extended to a total rigidity of the ſpine. Electriza⯑tion was continued for ten weeks with a ſenſible advantage, and the girl was wholly reſtored to health^s.

In 1764, Dr. WATSON laid before the Royal Society "An Account of what ap⯑peared on opening the Body of an Aſth⯑matic Perſon." This was a young man, aged twenty-eight, who died after being afflicted with an aſthma only two months. The lungs were found in an extraordinarily emphyſematous ſtate, and the pulmonary [330] vein varicoſe in a great degree. A ſoreneſs of the cheſt, ſucceeded by a cough and a ſhortneſs of breath, had in this young man's caſe immediately ſucceeded a violent and long-continued vomiting; to which cauſe Dr. WATSON was inclined to attribute the origin of this diſeaſe^t.

Part of a Letter to Dr. HUXHAM, giving ſome account of the late cold weather, dated London, Feb. 14, 1767. By this it appears that the thermometer in London ſtood, when at the loweſt, on the 19th, at eight in the morning, at 15″½: and on the ſame day, at Norwich, it was obſerved as low as ſeven degrees^u.

In 1768, Dr. WATSON publiſhed "An Account of a Series of Experiments, in⯑ſtituted with a view of aſcertaining the moſt ſucceſsful Method of inoculating the Small-pox." 8^o. Theſe experiments were deſigned to prove whether there was any ſpecific virtue in preparatory medi⯑cines: whether the diſeaſe was more fa⯑vourable when the matter was taken from [331] the natural, or the artificial pock: and, whether the crude lymph, or the highly-concocted matter, produced different effects. The reſult was, what ſucceeding and am⯑ple experience has confirmed, that after due abſtinence from animal food, and heat⯑ing liquors, it is of ſmall importance what kind of variolous matter is uſed; and that no preparatory ſpecifics are to be re⯑garded.

Of Dr. WATSON's papers on medical ſubjects, printed in other publications, it will be unneceſſary to give a detailed ac⯑count; as they are well known to medical practitioners in general. Nevertheleſs, that the liſt of his productions may be complete, I ſhall recite them briefly.

"An Account of the good Effects of Mag⯑neſia in ſevere Vomitings^x."

"Obſervations on the Hydrocephalus in⯑ternus ^y."

"An Account of the Putrid Meaſles, as [332] they were obſerved in London in the years 1763 and 1768^z.

"An Appendix to the Paper on the Hy⯑drocephalus internus ^a."

This diſeaſe, on which Dr. WHYTT, Dr. WATSON, and others, have lately writ⯑ten in ſo inſtructive a manner, deſerves to be accurately noticed, and the knowledge of it ſtrongly inculcated; as, in the coun⯑try at leaſt, it is not unfrequently miſta⯑ken, and treated as a putrid and comatoſe fever.

As Dr. WATSON lived in intimacy with the moſt illuſtrious and learned Fellows of the Royal Society; ſo he was himſelf one of its moſt active members, and ever zealous in promoting the ends of that in⯑ſtitution. For many years he was a fre⯑quent member of the council; and, during the preſidentſhip of Sir John PRINGLE, was elected one of the vice-preſidents; which honourable office he continued to fill to the [333] end of his days. He was a moſt conſtant attendant on the public meetings of the Society; and on the private aſſociations of its members, eſpecially on that formerly held every Thurſday, at the Mitre, in Fleet Street, and now at the Crown and Anchor Tavern, in the Strand.

In 1784, Dr. WATSON was choſen a Fellow of the Royal College of Phyſi⯑cians; and made one of the Elects. In the ſucceeding year, he communicated to the College, "An Account of a diſeaſe occa⯑ſioned by tranſplanting a Tooth." This was inſerted in the Medical Tranſactions; and this, I believe, was the laſt paper he wrote^b.

In 1786, he had the honour of knight⯑hood conferred upon him; being one of the body deputed by the College to congratu⯑late his Majeſty on his eſcape from aſſaſſi⯑nation.

In general, Sir William WATSON enjoyed a firm ſtate of health. It was ſometimes interrupted by fits of the gout; but theſe ſeldom confined him long to the houſe. In [334] the year 1786, the decline of his health was very viſible to his friends, and his ſtrength was greatly diminiſhed, together with much of that vivacity which ſo ſtrongly marked his character. He died May 10, 1787.

Sir William WATSON had a natural ac⯑tivity both of mind and body, that never allowed him to be indolent in the ſlighteſt degree. He was a moſt exact oeconomiſt of his time, and throughout life a very early riſer, being up uſually in ſummer at ſix o'clock, and frequently ſooner; thus ſecur⯑ing to himſelf daily two or three uninter⯑rupted hours for ſtudy. In his younger days, theſe early hours, as I have before obſerved, were frequently given up to the purpoſes of ſimpling; but, in riper years, they were devoted to ſtudy. He read much and carefully; and his ardent and unremit⯑ting deſire to be acquainted with the pro⯑greſs of all thoſe ſciences which were his objects, joined to a vigorous and retentive memory, enabled him to treaſure up a vaſt ſtock of knowledge. What he thus ac⯑quired, he freely diſpenſed. His mode of conveying information was clear, forcible, [335] and energetic, and juſtified the encomium beſtowed upon him by a learned foreigner, in a letter to a correſpondent^c.

His attention, however, was by no means confined to the ſubjects of his own profeſ⯑ſion, or thoſe of philoſophy at large. He was a careful obſerver of men, and of the manners of the age; and the extraordinary endowment of his memory had furniſhed him with a great variety of intereſting and entertaining anecdotes, concerning the cha⯑racters and circumſtances of his time^d.

On all ſubjects, his liberal and commu⯑nicative diſpoſition, and his courteous be⯑haviour, encouraged enquiry; and thoſe who ſought for information from him, ſel⯑dom [336] departed without it. In his epiſtolary correſpondence he was copious and preciſe; and ſuch as enjoyed the privilege and plea⯑ſure of it, experienced in his punctuality another qualification which greatly en⯑hanced its value.

Some of the firſt of Sir William WAT⯑SON's papers in the Philoſophical Tranſac⯑tions, evince his early proficiency in the ſcience of Botany, and eſpecially his ac⯑quaintance with the Engliſh ſpecies: nor was he leſs ſkilled in exotics in his riper years. That he was very ſoon conſidered on the continent as highly reſpectable in this light, is manifeſt from his having been one of the few in England, whom Mr. CLIFFORD gratified with a copy of the Hortus Clif⯑fortianus; a work, at its firſt publication, only attainable by thoſe whoſe ſtudies and acquirements in the ſubject of it, entitled them to receive it from the munificence of Mr. CLIFFORD himſelf. In fact, all learn⯑ed foreigners, of the ſame bias in their ſtu⯑dies, brought letters of recommendation to him; and, on their return, failed not, both in their correſpondence and in their wri⯑tings, [337] to bear honourable teſtimony to his learning and abilities.

Sir William WATSON had learned to know plants by the ſyſtem and nomencla⯑ture of RAY, when trivial names were unknown; and he was ſo ſingularly happy in a tenacious memory, as to be able to repeat, with wonderful promptitude, the long names which had been in uſe from the times of BAUHINE, GERARD, and PARKINSON; a taſk from which botaniſts are relieved, by the introduction of the Linnaean trivial epithets. He lived to ſee the ſyſtem of his much-honoured country⯑man give way to that of the Swede, which began to take place in England about this period; and with which alſo he made him⯑ſelf acquainted. His knowledge of plants, and the hiſtory of them in the various au⯑thors, was ſo eminently extenſive, that his opinion was frequently appealed to as deci⯑ſive on the ſubject; and by ſome of his in⯑timate friends he was uſually called ‘"The living Lexicon of Botany."’ Had it been the lot of Sir William WATSON to have been devoted to Botany as an official em⯑ployment; [338] or had the more important avocations of his profeſſion allowed a fur⯑ther indulgence to his favourite bias, ſuch an union of natural endowments and ac⯑quired knowledge as he poſſeſſed, muſt have placed him very high among the na⯑turaliſts of this age.

It remains for me to do juſtice to the worth of Sir William WATSON as a phy⯑ſician, and as a member of ſociety. But as theſe parts of his character have been already delineated with great truth and diſ⯑crimination by my much-reſpected friend Dr. GARTHSHORE, I ſhall conclude this account by ſome extracts from the Memo⯑rial read by him to a ſociety of phyſicians, of which Sir William had been the preſi⯑dent.

‘"As a phyſician, his humanity, aſſiduity, and caution, were eminently conſpicuous; and his exact obſervance of the duties of ſocial politeneſs muſt ever be remember⯑ed with pleaſure by all thoſe who en⯑joyed the happineſs of his acquaintance. The ſmile of benignity was always diſ⯑played on his countenance; he invaria⯑bly [339] continued the general, the ready, and the obliging friend of mankind; he was reſpectful to the elder and ſuperior, en⯑couraging to the younger, and pleaſant and eaſy to all with whom he had any intercourſe. The ſame affability and good humour which adorned his character in public life, were preſerved alſo in the bo⯑ſom of his family, and endeared him to thoſe who were more immediately around him. He was ſcarcely ever out of tem⯑per, was always benignant and kind to his friends and relations—and, it would be injurious to his memory not to men⯑tion an anecdote which equally diſplays his humanity, and the warmth with which he intereſted himſelf in the caſes of his patients—Not many years before his death, he was waked ſuddenly one morning very early by his ſervant, who came to inform him that his houſe had been broken open, and that his plate (which was of conſiderable value) was ſtolen—"Is that all?" ſaid he, coolly—I was afraid you had brought me ſome alarming meſſage from Mr. —, con⯑cerning [340] whoſe dangerous ſituation I have been very uneaſy all night^e."’

LINNAEUS.

AS I am now arrived beyond the pe⯑riod, when the name of LINNAEUS began to be celebrated throughout Europe, it will be neceſſary to recur to the circum⯑ſtances of his viſit to this country, that the introduction and full eſtabliſhment of his ſyſtem in this kingdom, may be better illuſtrated. Here, had his reception been [342] more encouraging to his wiſhes, it has been ſaid, he was diſpoſed to have taken up his reſidence. He had been ſome time in Hol⯑land, under the patronage, and in the houſe, of Mr. CLIFFORD. He had taken his de⯑gree of doctor in phyſic. He had gained the eſteem of BOERHAAVE, and from him brought letters of recommendation to the literati of England.

The fame of Sir Hans SLOANE and his Muſeum, and the eſteem in which LIN⯑NAEUS held the character of DILLENIUS, added to the deſire of inſpecting the She⯑rardian Pinax, were among the moſt power⯑ful motives that induced the Swede to viſit England. This event took place in the ſpring of 1736. I am only able to aſcer⯑tain the ſeaſon of the year, from being in⯑formed of the pleaſure he expreſſed, in meeting in the fields with thoſe produc⯑tions of England, that are not ſpontaneouſly growing in Sweden. His delight particu⯑larly, in ſeeing under the hedges the Hya⯑cinth in full flower, can only be conceived by thoſe who poſſeſs ſome ſhare of that bo⯑tanical ardour which he poſſeſſed.

[343] At this time, the ſexual ſyſtem exiſted only in its outline. Enough of it, how⯑ever, was manifeſted in the Florula Lap⯑ponica, printed in the Acta Upſalienſia, for the years 1732 and 1733, and in the firſt ſketch of the Syſtema, in 1735, to exhibit its novelty. I know not that the Funda⯑menta Botanica, the Bibliotheca, and the Muſa Cliffortiana, although they bear date in 1736, had reached England before the author: yet, notwithſtanding the warm recommendation of BOERHAAVE, Sir Hans SLOANE, conſidered at that time as the Mecaenas of Botany in this iſland, gave the author, and his ſyſtem, an unfavourable reception. At the age of ſeventy-ſix, we need not be ſurpriſed that the veteran ſhould not feel diſpoſed to learn a new ſyſtem, from a young man, whom he could not but conſider as an adventurer, both in fortune, in fame, and in ſcience. SLOANE, more⯑over, had never paid ſufficient attention to the improvement of ſcience in the con⯑ſtruction of generical characters; and this circumſtance, probably, ſet him at a far⯑ther diſtance from embracing the ſyſtem of [344] LINNAEUS, which exhibited an arrange⯑ment ſo widely different from the unde⯑fined aſſemblage of the Hiſtory of Ja⯑maica.

It muſt not however be underſtood, that Sir Hans SLOANE remained inſenſible to the genius and accompliſhments of LIN⯑NAEUS: on the contrary, when he after⯑wards ſent him his Flora Lapponica, Sir Hans SLOANE wrote him a letter, bearing date Dec. 20, 1737, expreſſive of the great pleaſure he received in the peruſal of it; exhorting him to elucidate the remaining parts of the natural hiſtory of his country, on the ſame plan.

DILLENIUS was highly ſenſible of his merit, and gave him the moſt polite recep⯑tion. But that he who had been ſo long verſed in the ſyſtems of TOURNEFORT and RAY, and after having given improvement to the latter, by which he had deſerved and received the applauſe, not of England alone, but of all Europe, ſhould abandon that ſyſ⯑tem, to embrace the hitherto uncounte⯑nanced novelties of LINNAEUS, could not reaſonably be expected.

[345] The journey into England however, was, on the whole, highly gratifying to LIN⯑NAEUS. He beheld with aſtoniſhment the collections of SLOANE, and, with rapture, the Herbaria of PETIVER, PLUKENET, BU⯑DELLE, and of many others there repoſit⯑ed, whoſe names were familiar to him. At Oxford he inſpected, with no leſs ſatisfac⯑tion, the Pinax of SHERARD, which he had eagerly wiſhed to ſee publiſhed, and of which DILLENIUS had compleated about a fourth part. But an undertaking of that nature and extent, after the death of the firſt projector of it, demanded a patronage and an expence, not eaſily obtained.

About the time LINNAEUS made his tour into this country, indigenous botany was on the whole in a languiſhing ſtate. It no longer felt that degree of ſupport, which the SHERARDS, and Sir HANS, had afford⯑ed it. The Conſul was dead; and the de⯑clining years of Dr. James SHERARD, and of Sir Hans SLOANE, began to withdraw them from the buſtle, and almoſt from the buſineſs, of life. After the publication of RAY's Synopſis by DILLENIUS, in 1724, [346] no work of magnitude on the Engliſh bota⯑ny, except the Hiſtoria Muſcorum, in 1741, took place for many years; not that there were wanting ſeveral individuals, who were eminent for their knowledge of indigenous botany, and zealous in propagating it: as inſtances, I refer to the names of WATSON, COLLINSON, MILLER, and BLACKSTONE. The arrival however of LINNAEUS in Eng⯑land, and the conſequent promulgation of his method, excited that curioſity which novelty will ever attract, and, although his ſyſtem might be but little reliſhed at the inſtant, by the Engliſh naturaliſts in gene⯑ral, there were yet a few into whoſe minds his doctrines ſilently inſinuated themſelves, and gained approbation.

In the year 1737, the next after LIN⯑NAEUS left England, he publiſhed the Ge⯑nera Plantarum, which compleatly un⯑folded the ſexual ſyſtem, as far as related to claſſical and generical characters; and in the ſame year exemplified it in the ſpecies, by the Flora Lapponica, and the Hortus Cliffortianus. At the ſame time, anxious as it ſhould ſeem above all, to gain the ap⯑probation [347] of DILLENIUS, he dedicated to him the Critica Botanica; in which he ex⯑plains his reaſons for the change of names, and for the eſtabliſhment of new diſtinc⯑tions, both of which, he well knew, would be conſidered as dangerous innovations.

Theſe volumes ſoon found their way into the libraries of the curious in England; though the Hortus Cliffortianus was, at firſt, only diſperſed through the munificence of Mr. CLIFFORD. The ſimplicity of the claſſical characters as the baſis, the uni⯑formity of the generical notes, confined wholly to the parts of fructification, and that preciſion which marked the ſpecific diſtinctions, advantages, of which all fore⯑going ſyſtems were deſtitute, ſoon com⯑manded the aſſent of the unprejudiced; and an interval of a few years, gave LINNAEUS's method a decided ſuperiority with Engliſh botaniſts.

After the eſtabliſhment of LINNAEUS in the profeſſorſhip in the year 1741, the pub⯑lication of the Theſes, afterwards, in a col⯑lected form, called the Amoenitates Acade⯑micae, commenced, and, in leſs than ten [348] years, two volumes had been publiſhed. Theſe tracts, by the variety of uſeful and entertaining knowledge, with which they abound, equally extended and augmented the reputation of LINNAEUS. They con⯑vinced his oppoſers, that his knowledge was not bounded by mere nomenclature, and ſyſtematic arrangement, as was re⯑proachfully objected.

CONCLUSION.

In England, Dr. MARTYN, in his Vir⯑gil, publiſhed in 1740; DILLENIUS, in his Hiſtoria Muſcorum, 1741; and BLACK⯑STONE, in his Specimen Botanicum, 1746, had referred to the writings of LINNAEUS; and occaſionally his name had been men⯑tioned in the Philoſophical Tranſactions, and other periodical works: but, as yet, no tranſlation of any part of his writings, or any publication on his plan, had been made in this country, until, in 1754, a Swediſh pupil of the Upſal ſchool arranged, by the generic and trivial names only, all the plants of RAY's Synopſis, according to the ſyſtem of his maſter. This little tract was im⯑mediately [349] tranſmitted to the Royal Society, and excited much attention among thoſe profeſſed ſtudents, and lovers of Engliſh botany, who obtained the peruſal of it.

In 1756, Dr. BROWNE claſſed all his Jamaica plants, amounting to 1200 ſpecies, in the ſame method. The drawings having been made by EHRET, had the advantage of ſeparate delineations of the flower and fruit.

In 1759, Mr. STILLINGFLEET pub⯑liſhed a Tranſlation of ſeveral Tracts from the Amoenitates; and, by his own valuable additions, his inſtructive Preface, the judi⯑cious and learned notes interſperſed through⯑out the book, by his own "Calendar of Flora," confirming and illuſtrating that of the Swede, greatly conduced to exalt the reputation of LINNAEUS in England. Of this learned and excellent man, the reader will find ſome memoirs in the Gentleman's Magazine for 1776, which were afterwards incorporated into "Anecdotes of Mr. Bow⯑yer" (ſee p. 300), and into the Biogra⯑phia Dramatica, 2d edition, 1782.

The next year, Mr. LEE, by his Tranſ⯑lation [350] of the Elements of the Sexual Syſtem, much contributed to facilitate the know⯑ledge, and extend the progreſs and popu⯑larity of it, among the leſs learned of his countrymen, or ſuch as were unable to re⯑cur to the Fundamenta, or Philoſophia Bo⯑tanica of the author.

At this juncture, it is material among thoſe circumſtances which accelerated the progreſs of the new ſyſtem, to mention the arrival of the late much-lamented Dr. SO⯑LANDER, who came into England on the firſt of July, 1760. His name, and the connexion he was known to bear as the favourite pupil of his great maſter, had of themſelves ſome ſhare in exciting a curio⯑ſity which led to information; whilſt his perfect acquaintance with the whole ſcheme enabled him to explain its minuteſt parts, and elucidate all thoſe obſcurities with which, on a ſuperficial view it was thought to be enveloped. I add to this, that the urbanity of his manners, and his readineſs to afford every aſſiſtance in his power, joined to that clearneſs and energy with which he effected it, not only brought [351] conviction of its excellence in thoſe who were inclined to receive it, but conciliated the minds, and diſpelled the prejudices, of many who had been averſe to it.

By all theſe preliminary advances, the learned were prepared to ſee the Engliſh botany modelled according to the rules of the Linnaean ſchool. Dr. HILL ſeized the firſt opportunity of attempting it, in his Flora Britannica, 1760; but it was execu⯑ted in a manner ſo unworthy of his abili⯑ties, that his work can have no claim to the merit of having anſwered the occaſion: and thus the credit of the atchievement fell to the lot of Mr. William HUDSON, F.R.S. who, to an extenſive knowledge of Engliſh plants, acquired by an attention to nature, had, by his reſidence in the Britiſh Muſeum, all the auxiliary reſources that could favour his deſign: acceſs particularly to the Her⯑baria of almoſt all the aſſiſtants of RAY and DILLENIUS, mentioned in the Synopſis, gave him the opportunity of comparing the individual ſpecimens of that work with his own; and thus enabled him to diſpel a multitude of doubts and uncertainties, in [352] which, otherwiſe, his application of the ſy⯑nonyma might have been involved.

The ſexual ſyſtem was received nearly about the ſame time in the univerſities of Britain; being publicly taught by Mr. Profeſſor MARTYN, at Cambridge, and by Dr. HOPE, at Edinburgh. The adoption of it by theſe learned Profeſſors, I conſider, therefore, as the aera of the eſtabliſhment of the Linnaean ſyſtem in Britain—a ſyſtem, which, if I may be allowed the expreſſion, had given the author of it a literary domi⯑nion over the vegetable kingdom; which, in the rapidity of its extenſion, and the ſtrength of its influence, had not perhaps been paralleled in the annals of ſcience.