stimulus; and like Cowper's tea, is 'the cup that cheers, buf not inebriates.' A true botanist will, perhaps, be incited bya deeper enthusiasm. It will be to him meat and drink, to explore new botanical localities, to discover new plants, and to describe the wonders he has examined. No mountain is too steep or lofty for his ascent, no marsh too difficult for him to penetrate, no forest too deep and entangled for him to thread. He explores with the feelings of a discoverer recesses before unobserved even by the searching eye of the botanist, retreats before untrodden by scientific feet. But as few minds are susceptible of this overpowering enthusiasm, this exclusive devotion to one object, and as this pursuit must, in the great majority of cases, be intermingled with others of more direct and immediate utility, and pursued rather as an amusement of the leisure hours, sometimes occurring in the life of the most busy ; and as it besides can only be prosecuted with advantage during the months of spring and summer, this effect is not often to be expected. Most learners will give it but a secondary place in their attention, and pursue it only as a relief from more serious studies.

3. Botany deserves attention as affording a pleasant and healthful exercise, as calling one often to breathe the pure air of the hills, and thus refreshing body and mind by the influence of rural scenery, and the invigorating breezes of the country. It serves also to call away the youthful attention from frivolous and dissipating amusements. To the melancholy, the retiring, and the indolent it affords strong inducement to bodily exertion, and a pleasant means of throwing off sorrows, real or imaginary, which might otherwise give the character too deep a tinge of abstraction, too strong a tendency to dejection. To invalids this kind of exercise is particularly useful; and we have known those who have attributed their restoration to perfect health to this cause alone.*

4. It teaches habits of attentive and accurate observation. No progress can be made in this science without the closest attention to minute distinctions, to shades of difference in the meaning of terms, to slight varieties of form and colour, imperceptible to the common eye. None but those, whose early education has been neglected; and, who have in maturer years

*There is one precaution important to health, but not always observed by persons interested in this pursuit, and from the neglect of which suffering has been experienced; namely, that in botanical excursions particular care should be taken to keep the feet dry.

undertaken the prosecution of the exact sciences, will easily appreciate the value of such habits. If the young mind be once thoroughly accustomed to them, their effects will be perceptible in the whole of its future progress, giving an accuracy and certainty to all its acquisitions, scarcely to be acquired but by the study of natural science.

5. Botany is useful in teaching habits of order, and arrangement. The system, regularity, and classification. introduced into this science by Linnæus, and brought nearly to perfection by succeeding botanists, cannot but have a favourable effect on the mind of the learner. The study of the natural affinities of plants, under what appears at first view an infinite variety and irreconcileable incongruity; or the observation of what is called the natural orders, will in another way produce a similar effect. The student finds these orders, in some of their external marks and their properties, perfectly distinct, while in others they blend and run into each other, like the colours of the rainbow.

6. Botany has several important practical uses. To the chemist it affords new and abundant materials for dyes, and for various compounds. To the physician it is nearly indispensable, since it makes him intimately acquainted with the external characters and medicinal properties of those plants reputed to possess healing powers. He is thus taught what to introduce into his own practice, and what to reject as useless or hurtful. Medical botany, however, is a branch of the science so distinct, and so closely allied to chemistry, and other branches of medical science, as to render its pursuit in schools improper and indeed impracticable. To the gardener and scientific farmer, the uses of this science are numerous and obvious. With them it should always be connected with geology and entomology,-with the former, that the soil best adapted to any product may be judiciously selected; with the latter, that the nature, habits, and noxious properties of insects may be fully understood, and the best means of destroying the most pernicious adopted. To the above mentioned classes, then, botany may be made an important auxiliary in supplying the wants, natural or artificial, of the present state of society, and a source of emolument to him who understands and can apply

it.

In

7. It promotes the moral improvement of the young. this respect it yields to none of the sciences except astronomy. It does not fill the mind with those grand and magnificent

views, and those sublime reflections excited by the contemplation of the heavenly bodies. But it has the advantage of being pursued without the assistance of observatories and expensive instruments, and of adaptation to the capacities of an ordinary mind, undisciplined in the severe training of the mathematics. It has an advantage over zoology in all its branches, in that it does not require those revolting cruelties, and that destruction of animal life, without which that science can scarcely be pursued to advantage. It is preferable to chemistry, as it can be learned with less expense, without apparatus, except a common microscope, without danger, and without the sacrifice of health. But we do not wish in recommending a pursuit to which we ourselves are partial, to depreciate the merits of the other sciences. Let them all be pursued as opportunity offers, and inclination prompts. One of them always tends to throw light upon another. There is an indissoluble connexion between them all; and we have no sympathies with those who can see no beauty or utility in that particular species of knowledge to the acquisition of which they themselves are not earnestly given. What we wish to inculcate is, that botany is not a frivolous or useless acquisition; that it is worthy of the noblest and most cultivated intellect; that the reflections it excites are of the most pleasing, the purest, the most ennobling kind; that it presents to the eye of him who can read its characters an ever open book of various knowledge, calling constantly for admiration and wonder, continually exciting to the praise of the great Contriver of so many perfections; exhibiting curious analogies and wonderful laws; peculiarities of structure varied in ten thousand different forms. We envy not him who can look upon all this without an expansion of heart; who can contemplate it without deep and beneficent moral impressions. We envy not that worshipper of the great Creator, whose piety is not warmed and purified by the contemplation of such objects. We believe no one can return from a botanical excursion with a mind soured by misanthropy, with peevishness or malice corroding his soul. For the time, at least, he is satisfied with himself, and with all around him. From this book of religion no one learns bigotry-none to prefer the narrow interests of a party, to the exercise of exalted piety. We do not say, that a botanist will never be a narrow minded man but we believe that the natural tendencies of botanical pursuits are altogether good.

8. It is acquired without serious difficulty. Patience and perseverance, and the recollection of many hard names, are indeed necessary. But what valuable object can be acquired at a less sacrifice? Who would complain at being sometimes baffled in his researches, at having a few obstacles formidable in appearance to surmount, when the advantages to be gained are so many and great? And indeed the difficulties to be encountered are rather imaginary than real. Before a determined purpose, and steady resolution, the mountains terrific at a distance, vanish into mole-hills. Few of our instructers are at present qualified to teach this most interesting branch of study. But none need long remain unqualified,-one learns the science, indeed, with more ease with the assistance of a competent master; but it can be acquired without. Coloured plates and dried specimens are useful, but their assistance even, can be dispensed with. We speak not of theoretical possibility, but of what we have seen accomplished.

9. Botany is peculiarly fitted for introduction into a girls' school. It is admirably adapted to the tastes, feelings, and capacities of females, as is demonstrated by the fact that the majority of our botanists are females. Boys are less easily interested in it; more apt to be careless and harsh in their treatment of specimens, and too much attached to rude and boisterous sports. Girls, on the contrary, are apt to take delight in examining the most minute peculiarities of flowers, in pressing and preserving specimens, and in delineating the most remarkable with the lead pencil, or in water colours. Their enthusiasm, therefore, will generally be easily awakened. They will almost always regard it as an elegant accomplishment, and worthy some portion of their time and attention. Their active amusements, and bodily exercises too are more restricted by custom than those of boys; and they, therefore, seize with more avidity the opportunity of gaining in this way, at the same time, air and exercise, amusement and instruction. In them this relaxation is more important and more certain to have a beneficial influence on the health and spirits.

With regard to the proper elementary works, Mrs. Wakefield's book is perhaps not inferior in interest and proper adaptation to the mind of a beginner to any other on this subject; but being an English publication, the illustrative examples are of course, such as would be most likely to fall under the eye of an inhabitant of that country. It is not therefore so well adapted to the wants of an American student, as an original

work on a similar plan might be, if prepared by a citizen of our own country. The Grammar of Botany, which forms an introduction to Eaton's Manual is without illustrative figures, concise, and somewhat dry. We have, at least, in using it found few pupils, who could either understand its definitions, or become interested in the study of it. Locke's work is not wanting in fulness and accuracy, nor in suitable illustrations. But it presents to the eye of the beginner such a formidable array of technicalities, as nearly to terrify him from the endeavour. We however thought this for a long time the best in use. But Nuttall's Introduction to Botany, is a work possessing decided advantages over all which we have examined. The scholar is led on in this by an easy and natural process. He takes a flower and analyzes it, learns its constituent parts; their names and offices. He then proceeds to others of the same family, till he insensibly and in a most pleasing way, notices for himself resemblances and differences; learns the language of the science; and classifies the products of his own researches.

For the youngest classes the Child's Botany will be found a useful and delightful manual. Bigelow's Plants of Boston, is altogether superior to any work which has yet appeared in this country. The universal approbation which this book has received, makes it superfluous to say more. It does not, however, describe exotics; nor does it profess to comprehend every species found in New-England. To those, therefore, who would pursue the science to any great extent, Eaton's Manual is necessary. Reference to this book, however, should be avoided by the beginner, when he can obtain adequate satisfaction elsewhere; since its extreme and faulty brevity in description, the too frequent use of characters and abbreviations, and a certain quaintness in style, which the author acknowledges, make it uninteresting and often unsatisfactory. We say unsatisfactory, becanse the student will, in numerous instances, find it impossible to ascertain whether the plant, the description of which he is reading, be the same with the one which he holds in his hand, or whether it belong to a widely different species. The Encyclopedias will occasionally be highly advantageous to those who can have access to them. But, after all, botany is a science not to be learned so much from books as from daily examination of specimens, and by means of frequent and devious rambles in the fields, the meadows, and the woods. He will teach it best, who oftenest an