such comparisons as will enable us to understand the leading points of our Science, and then we can fill up the outline at our leisure. Such is the plan of the present Course; but before entering more into detail, some account of those individuals who have contributed to advance the study of Botany, as well as of those who have severally framed systems of classification of plants, together with a succinct description of their respective modes of arrangement, may not be uninteresting. I shall commence with a short memoir of Cæsalpinus, who was the first inventor of a system of plants; and as this Botanist, for he deserves the appellation, flourished towards the close of the sixteenth century, and as systematic Botany formed such an important epoch, I propose to date its origin from this great Philosopher.
We will divide the history of the Science into five æras:[1]—
I. From Cæsalpinus to Morrison, or from 1583 to 1669.[2]
II. From Morrison to Tournefort, or from 1669 to 1694.[3]
III. From Tournefort to Vaillant, or from 1694 to 1717.[4]
IV. From Vaillant to Linnæus, or from 1717 to 1735.[5]
V. From Linnæus to Smith, or from 1735 to 1791.[6]
- ↑ The Author here begs to observe, that he has ommitted to print in detail that portion of his Lecture which related to those individuals who have contributed by their labours and publications to advance the Science or Botany; because he considered the publication memoirs of them would be rendered superfluous by the excellent ones which will be found in most of the Elementary Works on Botany, as well as Biographical Dictionaries, to which he refers his readers. He, however, now inserts a list of their names, as a respectful record to which they are so justly entitled.
- ↑ I. From 1583 to 1669.—Cæsalpinus, Dalechamps, Joachim Camerarius, Tabernæmontanus, Thalius. Rauwolff, Prosper Alpini, John Bauhin, Columna, Caspar Bauhin, Spigelius, Besler, Jungermann, Parkinson, Ferrari. Cornutius, Lœsel, Ray, Ambrosini, Hoffmann, Elsholz, Bocconi, Aldrovandus.
- ↑ II. From 1669 to 1694.—Morrison, Barellier, Van Sterrebeck, Rudolph Camerarius, Plukenet, Amman, Dodart, Breynius, Van Rheede, Menzel, Commelyn, Hermann, Rivinus, Petiver, Plumier.
- ↑ III. From 1694 to 1717.—Tournefort, Zwinger, Sloane, Bobart, Sherrard, Rudbeck. Anthony de Jussieu, Boerhaave, Kæmpfer, Fouillèe.
- ↑ IV. From 1717 to 1785.—Vaillant, Ruppius, Dillenius, Monti, Buxbaum, Bernard de Jussieu, Micheli, Geoffroy.
- ↑ From 1735 to 1791.—Linnæus, Haller, Miller, Burmann, Cronovius, Gleditsch, Ruphius, Gmelin, Schreber, Ch. Linnè, Forster, Gœrtner, and Banks.
