The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1850-07-09 00:00:00

2ffrintiturat anZt hortirultural

COLUMN.

Our attention was aroused a week or two back by the
appearance of an article in the Gardener's Chronicle ad-
vocating Dr. Lindley's peculiar views respecting botanical
nomenclature, and as we doubt not, many of our readers-
will be induced to form a favourable opinion of the inno-
vation proposed by the writer, we, deem it our duty to
point out a few of the fallacies of -the scheme by which
Dr. Lindley seeks to obtain for himself a name amongst
the great botanists of the present day.
Writing "for the million" has doubtless some advan-
tages ; it.pays better than the heavy plodding necessary
to writings of sterling merit; it captivates the multitude
and gives the author a noisy but evanescent popularity ;
it however deludes, and consequently proves a real injury ;
for it leads to the belief that there is a royal road to know-
ledge; whereas there is only the patient path of study,
with application and perseverance for our guides. Dr.
Lindley's works are of this kind ; they have produced
much.benefit by directing gardeners-to the study of bo-
tany, but we very much doubt whether they ever did or
ever will make a botanist. _ _ _

The attempt to introduce a new nomenclature into the
science of botany can only be intended to please those who
are too lazy or too ignorant to learn that already in use ;
an object which we think ought to he beneath the aim of
Dr. Lindley, whose talents are undoubted. Thousands,
it istrue, are deterred from the study of science by fear
of the " hard names," or in other words by the difficulty
of acquiring the language of science ; these persons will be
easly caught by the idea that they can escape this diffi-
culty, an idea which the arch-innovator has certainly
held out as a bait, well knowing the certain effects it will
produce.

The apparent advantage of his system is, that the un-
learned may speedily acquire the science of botany with-
out burthening the memory with the difficult names which
are no impediment to the studious man, but which frighten
those who want to know without the trouble of learning.
It is like promising to teach French in six lessons without
the trouble of learning the language of France. The ana-
lysis of the system is, that as the nomenclature of botany
already consists, in the first place, of names formed from
the Greek and Latin tongues, and occasionally other
sources, allowed by acknowledged authorities ; some of
which names are doubtless objectionable ; but the evil is
not very great. Secondly, of the common name, or some
familiar designation in the mother tongue; and thirdly of
the new names of Dr. Lindley, which are hybrids between
the other two. This is really the case, and of coursoit is
apparent that another difficulty is added, rather than ono
removed. Botanical writers will always write their works
in the established language of science, because it is uni-
versal, and they can never be induced to write merely for
the benefit of Dr. Lindley's admirers. The language they
use is known all over the civilized globe, and every author
wishes his reputation to be universal. Neither will the
unscientific abandon their familiar names ; Viola tricolor
will never with them be the Three-coloured Violet ; it will
always enjoy its multiplicity of names,—heartseat e,,pansy,
cum multis aliis, and so also with every other plant. The
scientific man will always write Caryophyllacem, the un-
learned admirer will always say the pink or carnation tribe,
and in addition to these two the Lindleyian botanist must
learn to call the tribe clove-worts, or dianths, or some
equally uncouth terms, perhaps not consisting of so many
letters, but unquestionably less euphonious. The ques-
tion therefore resolves itself simply to this :—Will the bo-
tanist, besides learning the scientific language, in order
that he may be understood in other countries as well as
his own, and the vulgar names that he may interchange
his ideas amongst his unlearned fellow-countrymen; also
learn another distinct, equally difficult, but unnecessary
language, for the amusement of Dr. Lindley and his ad-
mirers !