The Delaware register, or, Farmers', manufacturers' & mechanics' advocate. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1828-1829, 1829-02-07


among other things. TO plants. In his History of
the World" he has given some account of upwards
OF ooo species, but as might be expected his facts
and descriptions often inaccurate and so devoid of
order, that the only distinction which lie makes use of
49, the obvious but very uncertain of trees, shrubs
and herbs
From the time of PL1NY downwards for several
hundred years, we scarcely read of any person who
made figure as a botanist. At length OTro BRuN-
FELs a native of MentZ, who died at Berne in 1884,
may be said to have taken the lead in Botanical stu
dies, having contributed largely thereto by the produc-
ton and publication of his " Historic Plantarum Al
gentorate."
BRuNFELs was followed by considerable number
OF minor, but very dgent and useful botansts, down
to the time of CONRAD GrsNGR, who was born al
Zurich in 1916, and while yet hatdly Qcie Than bow
discovered an Unsuitable desire fo hnag ledge and Tie
powers Of an almost uni,eil. Genius accompanct.
with an industry and perseverance which led ilm 10
explore the wild and romantic scenery Of his natv,
'nountdns and to examine what struck him az new
md unusual in tie vegetable kingdom with the exc oil
botanst. He extended his researches over the Airs
md visited France and Italy, and whenever, in Tie
course of his travels, he happened TO find plants which,
e had not before, he delineated them or cntenv
oTed to have them conveyed home and cultivated in
MS garden. Unhapply, however, when lie had got
eady upwards OF 1000 very neatly executed figures
nd was the point Of sending the fruit Of 80 wears
Dor to the press, lie seized with tie plague them
'ging at Zurich and died soon after in bis museum
Where he had been carried at his own desire, having
only reached the age of 40 years being nevertheless
to use le words OF ToURNEroEr, the father Of natural
history and the original cOnrilcr of systematic ar
rangement In the department of botany.
DIR ANDREW C.EsALnNUs Florentlne, proceeding |
upon this idea of system suggested by GEsNER
made the first attempt at regular arrangement. In
his work DE Plantis, published in 1883 he distrb-
uted the plants which he has described in it to the
number of 1920, into Is classes, of which the distn-
gushing characters were taken from the fruit
The most eminent Botanists however, of this peri
cd were the two brothers, john and CASPER BAUH1N.
natives of Lyons. They both inherited from nature
strong prediction for the study of plants and the
effect which their skill and assiduitv had eventually
on the state of science was such, that HALLER has
dated one of the periods of its history from the time
when they flourlshed. JOHN travelled widely through
Italy, Switzerland and the contiguous parts of France
and made several observation-disclosures, who was al
most 20 years younger followed at some distance Of
time nearly in the track and after each of them
had, in other respects, devoted the greater part of
long life to the examination of the vegetable king
dom, and had maturey consulted the writings of their n
predecessors they at length had the honor of compile
ting i'll the wedigested result of their abors more
valuable present to the science than it had hitherto
received from any two individuals AS to those Bot $
anists who followed the BAUHINs for more than half
century, it is not necessary that should enter in
to detail. Their abors, though useful, were not in
general marked by any peculiar skill, or attended by
any very remarkable consequences. ,
pIa,fc- I,,co.1 IL 1