The Express.
London, England, 1847-01-08 00:00:00

NEW EDITION of LINDLEY'S SCHOOL BOTANY.
Io demy Ovo, price Ss. 6d.,

.•
SCHOOI BOTANY
Or,tbe RUDIMENTS of BOTANICAL SCIENCE.
Br JOHN LINDLET, BALD., ERA.,
Prokeece of Botany in University College, London.

A New Edition : with Numerous Alterations and nearly
Four Hundred Illustrations.
• :*
_ . .

This work nes originally prepared, In haste, to meet a regulation
of the Univernity of lamilon, by which it was required of all students,
that, two years previowily to proceeding to their first degree, they
should be examined, among other eubjecta "TM characters and
&Bemires of the principal natural damns and orders of /Dante ba-
lconied to the Mora of Europa, in the botanical classification of De
Candolle."
The obvioun purpose of thin regulation was to make young men
acquainted with the names and properties of the vitioti that
surrounds them; or that, after receiving what ts coiled a liberal
adoration, they might not be thrown upon the world, ignorant of
the moon, at least, of the enameled plants of their own country.
In the opinion of the author, the measure wen edeulated to demi a
real good. and to ',imply a wide gap in the common routine of •
school, where it in mud desirable tied some natural history should be
introduced, if It be only to relieve the tedium of the lees attractive
studies to which young pension are necessarily subjected.
But it was also Important for the she of its substantial utility.
There may be a difference of opinion en to the advantage of Tending
muck time upon the study of botany ; but there is one opinion only
sato the importance of knowing the name', of the plants of which man
ham to make use, or which he in continually meeting with. Mere is
not at the present day a tenon of any intelligenee, ignorant of such
Wince, who doss not revel that some portion of his youth should not
have teen devoted to this kind of inquiry.
The Doeletthire gentleman who put hirnself to considerable trouble
and no small expense to carry a sack of I lornteam seed from Timms
to London, would hare been Sited the exertion had he known that
the Hornbeam grew in abundance on Ids own estate; and It may be
mfely averted that every one of that celebrated court piety whith
dinmered • prodigy in the beautiful tree in Windeor Park, would
have been glad if their early education had are::: them the mortifies.
lean of Inning from Lord M. that the tree 111 question was only the
Spanish Chennut.
Whatever the future intentions of • student of botany may be, It Is
iudispennable that the fir. t step to be taken should he that of gaining
an aormaintariee with the common planet of his own country. to the
thence of that, he cannot make a single mare in advance. He must
first master the rudiments of the wiener, and ouster them correctly.
Thin little cook boo been prepared for the purpose of enabling him to
do ea It contains all that it is memory to know in order to make •
hit beginning. and it includenno more; so that if any one should have
the pat once to mower the whole contents of the volume, be would
then be in a position to carry his inquiries onwards with ewe. But it
is not really necessary to became acquainted with all the plants here
mentioned.
The reason why en many nonce. are introduced, which are damn
Importance, is to enable the teacher to obtain et leant some part of
them to illustrate his teaching. Local clicunutances, and especially
our uncertain MIAOW., will always render it difficult to proems every
thing here mentioned; but no conceivable ciretunneno • can, in this
country, oar impediment.; to the examination of a large pert.
In selecting the subjecui with which the etudes.' is to be made
acquainted, thole have been generally chosen which are within any
nsim's reach ; aD4 to render the eequhiltion of them more nay, the
vulgar Damen are added. A very email PIM of money will enable
every schoolmaster to cultivate the whole in • garden, where they
may be constantly et hand.
In framing the technical characters of genera and venni, all the
more minute distinctions, the detection of which requires the old of •
microwsme, have been intentionally disresmrded ; and attention Mason
menially called to those which are obvious enough to be theerved by
Mr one haring • pocket lens.
hch of the Europe= natural order. I regard or the "pets-
ea," will he apparent, from the prominence given here to certain
mature' orders beyond ahem. The teacher is not, however, noon.
mended altogether to omit those which are lasted to be comparatively
thimportant. The when course will be to make the students
thoroughly acquainted, in the Inn instance, with the natural order
which are marked from I. to LK X Hi., and then to explain more
briefly the tlifferenori of those to which no numbers ere prefixed.
In ennel union, the teacher is particularly recommended to take care
,hat in addition to e man penknife. each nu lent in provided with •
packet tens of about a halt-inch foe., and a few quires of paper ;
the former to win him in ethmining, and the latter in drying, the
fresh specimens of plants daily brought before him. There is no
method no certain as the latter, to ...Item SOW‘g Penns to esti-
mate correctly the differences between one plant and another; and,
It in presuMed, no one will think of teaching Botany, without an
ample supply of fresh specimens, which he mat distribute among
ti elan., for the purpose of brine examined and studied at leisure.
Indeed, it le useless too study botany, tutees thin provision la made
fee the acquisition of tare habits of observation which render
natural hi-tory so peculiarly useful as a branch of mental training.
When widen, do not enjoy the advantages of • eompnent
bother, their Arse plan will be to put thin book into the hands of an
buelligent gardener, and to induce him to furnish them weekly with
the plants that are named in it. At home they can compare the
definition+ which thee ma, find with the plants thennelrcs, and this
kind of practice Is, of all Others, the most certain to lead to &dna.
*eon. remits.
None of the woodcuts employed In the doe edition hate been
Introduced on this recesion. Kaperierice show. that, for purposes
Or teaching, is ts iroinpennable that as much accuracy as is attainable
should be observed in preparing the illustrations. To the untrained
else, plush are too much alike in ; 11l executed, or much
ffimin Lobed, woodcuts increase this reacniblanee, and consequently
=&more than inidniet. The cute now employed will, it is
render it imecasible that any mistake thould be made by
men the most Mesperienced as to the plants to which they belong.
The facilities, indeed, offered to artists by Mr. Palmer's (Itypho-
irephie promo, or melon°u• modes of ingrasing, which have been
chicly employed en this 002451011, Inere little to desire on the wore
ef meaner.
Unseemly College, Lawton.

oarrasTs.
CitarreaL —OP PLANTS IN GE%E.ItiIL.

IL—CL4.S.I.S OFKANTs.
111.—OP THE SUBDIVISIONS OP ECOOLIS,
It-0F 771 AT.ANTPLORAL 1100P703.
V.—op CALYCIPLORAI, EXOOENs.
ODROLUFLORAL EIOGENe.
Vo.—oF mONOCHLUITDEOUS EXOCIENS.
ENDOCHNB.
IL-0P CRTPTOOASIS, or ACROGENS.
Zradssri a EnaN Mbbilhals.