1j^ -^- ^ y -y-y--ifesb ¥ Sjé ¥ -3^—3fÊ^f--*Jc—^--î;î--5fs—3je—3^-^--^;--^—^-->{ÿ~^-9(f—sJe--^ï—j^e—3^—sjf—aj;—jjc. .
T H E
P R E F A C E .
AL T H O U G H the Author does not here mean to give a Preface at large, referring that until the firfl
volume* containing thirty-fix numbers or two hundred and fixteen plants, fhall be completed; yet he
prefumes it will be fatisfa&ory to his fubfcribers and the. public, to be informed a little more fully of the
nature and defign of the work; as it will alfo give him an opportunity o f anfwering fome few objections that
have been made to the plan o f it..
The primary defign of it, then, is to facilitate a knowledge of the plants of our own country, and eftablifh
each fpecies and variety on a firm bafis: this the Author.confiders as the grand defideratum at* prefent; this
arduous talk once accomplished, a way will be opened, and a foundation laid, for numberlefs improvements
in Medicine, Agriculture, &c. 1
To be enabled to do this, he means to take the greateft pains in the examination of thofe plants which he
figures; to have them drawn from liying fpecimens moft exjpreffivc of the general habit or appearance of the
plant as it grows wild; to place each plant, as much as is confiftent, in the moft pleating point of view- and
to be very particular in the delineation and defcription of the feveral parts of the flower and fruit more
efpecially where they characterize the plant.
And in order that he may obtain a more perfeft knowledge o f each plant ; that he may fee it in every ft age
of its growth, from the germination to the maturity of its feed; that he may Compare and contraft the feveral
fpecies together; that he may make experiments to elucidate the nature of fuch as are ob feu re, or bring into more
general ufe thofe which bid fair to be of advantage to the public ; he is no,w cultivating each o f them in a garden
near the city, into which, by the kind afliftance of his friends, he has already introduced, in the courfe o f one year
about five hundred different fpecies, including fixty of that moft valuable tribe o f plants the grafles . * *
Although the afcer.taimng and fixing of the plants will be his principal objea, yet to make the work more
ufeful to the public, as well as lnftruftive and entertaining to the young botamft, his utmoft endeavours will be
ufed to lay before them whatever maybe found ufeful in old botanic writers; and here they muft not be
furprifed to find many of the numerous and imaginary virtues, which they attributed to almoft every plant
purpofely omitted: the difeoveries made by modern authors, particularly relative to Agriculture and Furnl
Oeconomy, will be carefully attended to; as here feems to be a field juft opening to view! from whence the
public is likely to draw great and laftmg advantages : and as the knowledge of the plants themfelves is firft
neceflary, and for want of which, indeed, the experimental farmer cannot effectually communicate his
improvements, he finds himfelf peculiarly happy in contributing his fliare to the public o-ood.
He is neverthelefs fenfible how inadequate his abilities, or indeed the abilities o f any one perfon are to render
a work of this kind any ways complete; he therefore refpeafully Solicits the afliftance of thofe who wifh well
to-the improvement of Englifh Botany and Engli/h Agriculture: any information they fhall be pleafed to
communicate, fhall with thofe favours he has already received from divers of his friends be gratefully
acknowledged; and to induce them the more readily to communicate, he has fubjoined a catalogue of thofe
plants which (with many others) are already drawn, and which he intends fhall form the next Fafciculus
is forry it has not been in his power to publifh his numbers fo faft as was originally propofed • the delay has
chiefly been occafioned by the lofs o f one o f his principal artifts, whofe place is now fupplied by two others equally
eminent; fo that the drawing and engraving, which before fell to the fliare of one perfon, beino- now divided
betwixt two, he flatters himfelf he fhall be able to publifh a number once a month, or fix weelts at furtheft_
he is however determined never to Sacrifice the accuracy or utility of the work to hurry— on this principle he
has been at the expence o f having fome of his plates engraven twice, and even three times over, before he could
venture to publifh them. As the delay has originated from this Source, he hopes none of his fubfcribers that have
hitherto jo generoufly contributed to the carrying on o f the work, will withdraw that afliftance, which alone can
enable him to profecute it with advantage to the public, credit to himfelf, and fatisfa&ion to them.
been luggefted to the Author, that it •vvould have been better received, if, inftead of purfuing the prefent plan he
had publuhed thofe plants only which were not figured in the Flora Danica, a work now carrying on in Denmark
under the aulpices of the King: but a few moments reflexion, muft, he prefumes, be fufficient, to convince every
unprejudiced perfon how inadequate fuch a partial publication would have been to the making a knowledge of the
plants of our country more general among ourfelves— at beft fuch a work could only anfwer the purpofe of thofe
tew individuals who are m pofleflion f § that part of the Flora Danica already publifhed; and as that is ftill going on
| Ut the[amre Planu wo“ ld be by both Authors; thus, theButomusumbdlatus,Solanum
JJutcamara, and Ervum hirfutum, have been publifhed in the Flora Danica fince they were publifhed in the Flora
Londmenfis, fo that in the end even thpfe perfons would be obliged to purchafe duplicates of the fame plant.
Another reafon why the Author could not adopt the plan propofed to hint, was the limited fcale of the Flora
uamca .which containsi the figures and names of the plants only, but gives us no account of their DroDerties
nor teaches us how to diflinguilh the difficult plants from one another; the plates likewife being Jmoll folio
cannot admit many of the plants of their natural fize, feveral of the graffes for inllance, as the F%uca flmtans
and Atrtt oquatm m obliged to be fo cut and dimmilhed as fcarceTy to be known. Many otlier obieaions
might fie urged without any view to depreciate a work which, though not fo complete in fome refpeas as could
be wilhed, has exceeding great merit;-but thefe will probably be deemed.fufficient. P
The