the latter is that which veils over the gills of the Agarici, being a membrane extending from the ftem of the plant to the rim of the pileus.-Parts evidently diftinct and applicable to very different purposes-Linné had confounded them.-All the parts of an Agaric are exhibited, and illuftrated in a rude but fufficiently expreffive plate at the head of the introduction, containing nine figures. Mr. Bolton makes good ufe of thefe parts, in directing the ftudent in his purfuits.

In defcribing an Agaric, every part of the plant should be examined, in respect to the following particulars.

The root, whether tapering, bulbous, compreffed, or of what other figure; note the colour and confiftence of the fibres, and to what they adhere; whether the root produces one fingle ftem, or more than one; and if more, how many: fay in what fituation it grows, and at what feafon. Note, whether it be furnished with a salva, and if there is a volva, fay of what fize, figure, texture, olour, and duration; if it perishes and difappears before the other parts, fay how, and at what age of the plant: under this head, note alfo, the duration of the plant, whether it fprings up and perifhes in the space of a few hours, in one or two days, or whether it abides for weeks.

Of the ftem fay, whether upright or leaning; if leaning, whether in a regular curve, or crooked in various directions; whether hard and firm on being preffed between the fingers, or freely yielding to a gentle preffure; whether folid, and of the fame fubftance throughout, or fiftular, hollow within; whether easily dividing in filaments, or of a brittle spongy fubftance, not divisible in filaments; fay how thick, how tall, of what colour both within and without.

If there be a curtain, fay, at what age of the plant it breaks, and how, of what colour and confiftence it is, and whether it entirely vanishes, or leaves any veftiges.

Of the gills, as before mentioned, fay, if they are in one, two, or three feries; whether broad or narrow, many or few; whether fine or coarse; whether adhering to the ftem by a narrow claw, by a broad base, or not touching the item. Say of what colour from firft to laft. Note, whether they yield a milky fluid, on being wounded or broken; and if fuch a fluid, fay of what colour, taste, and fmell.

Of the pileus, note, what figure it affumes, from first to laft; what its diameter in a state of perfection, or at full growth; whether waved, undulated, or cramped round the margin, or regular and even, whether the furface be smooth and plain, or rugged with scales, or other inequalities; if rugged, fay, whether the matter is of the fame fubftance with, and growing from the pileus, or is of a different fubftance, adhering to the pileus by means of a gluten, or otherwife; and note the colour of these inequalities. If the furface is fmooth, note how it feels to the touch; whether clammy or dry; whether like cloth, filk, velvet, leather, vellum, or what elfe; note, whether it confifts of much flesh or not, and of what fubftance

fubftance and colour within; whether foft and fibrous, or hard brittle; whether diffolving or withering in decay; and note, wh mutations of colour take place on its furface, from the first appea ance above ground, to the utter decay of the plant.'

Such practical hints as thefe are always valuable, and w wifh to give them all the publicity in our power, as they a very likely to produce useful obfervations, which promife to lea to a true knowlege of the specific character of each species, an to a determination of the limits of the feveral varieties. Thu far all is in Mr. Bolton's favour.

In executing his figures, our naturalift feems to have ha his eye continually on the natural air and habit of his fevera fubjects but, in fo coftly a work, it is a pity that the hand o the masterly artift is not obfervable. With a great natura likeness, very often an inelegant penciling prevails; and the colouring is laid on in rather a rude manner, in many inftances We do not mean to fay that thefe defects are obftacles to the knowlege of the fubject: but, charmed as we are by the ele gant and expreffive figures of Mr. Curtis and Mr. Sowerby, we should have no objection to have had our eyes pleased with a beautiful display of the painter's art, while our minds were labouring in fuch abftrufe ftudies.

The effential character of each species is given in Latin :-we muft recall our expreffion,-oftener in the worst of what is called Dog-Latin. It feems as if two or three perfons were employed on this part of the work; for fome are expreffed in a true and proper ftyle, as Agaricus croceus, No. LIX. A. ftipitatus luteus, fipitis parte inferiori & pileo conico villofis, lamellis albis numerefis denfis. Others are given in what may be called media Latinitatis, as Agaricus luridus, No. XXVI. 4. fipitatus, pileo conico grifeo vifcido, margine inæquale, lamellis integris profundis fordide cæruleus, ftipite folidâ arcuatâ. Here only gender and declenfion are murdered. We may obferve by the way, that we are told this grows on Gibbethill. Some are in the true infimæ Latinitatis,-as, Sphæria VIRDIS, NO. CLII. S. fimplex globofa virida cortice granulatâ, granula fusea. We really have not hunted for these inftances of Parnathan reformation. We may fay of the book, Ipfe capi voluit,-each volume opened in thefe places. Whoever will hunt after game of this fort, will be fure to find sport : but, seriously speaking, we wonder that Mr. Bolton, when he was preparing fo coftly a publication, and was willing to appear in Latin, did not take better care, and get fome learned friend, (furely he must have many equal to the tafk,) to correct fuch ridiculous faults:-a common fchool-boy could have done it. In our character as protectors and promoters of sci

ence

ence and literature, we must ask, why would he not content himself with that to which he feems equal, plain English? Why is the science to be fo overloaded with coftly imperfections? Is a man's merit raised by meddling with the jargon of literature?——We could fay a great deal more to the fame purpose: but we flatter ourselves that Mr. Bolton is ready to acknowlege his offence. His merit lies in great obfervation and practical knowlege; and this would be very fufficient, were he to communicate his subject to others by word of mouth: but when he proceeds farther to the art (we will not deem it in him, the trade,) of book-making, many other requifites are neceffary:-Correct language, tafte in the difpofition of subjects, an elegant execution of them, and, in fhort, that happy talent, with which few are bleffed, of conftituting a complete whole. The London Cockney Naturalift will not find his fubjects in Bond-ftreet, nor in Cheapfide: but, having a more fcientific tafte than his more learned country practitioner, will execute his plan, the materials for which he collects from various diftances, far more correctly. The Country Naturalift has to boaft of more intimate knowlege of his fubjects: but his mind is not habituated to move in the elegant line of refined life, nor is his hand correct in expreffing what he would wifh.-Evidently, then, they each want mutual affiftance; and if ever Mr. Bolton wifhes to appear again in print, we hope he will profit from our friendly hint. Let him collect for himself, and let him fubmit his language to scholars, and his drawings to an acknowleged artist.

We must beg to difpute a point of practical observation with Mr. Bolton-Speaking of the Boletus elegans, which was found in the hollow of an old elm-tree root, in August 1786,' he fays, it did not make its appearance there in 1787, but in 1788 on the 28th of July another fpecimen grew in the felf fame fpot; fo that this fpecies feems to be biennial in its nature.' [See Introduction, p. xx.] There is no proof at all of this. In the first place, no general conclufion can be drawn from a fingle instance; and 2dly, If the circumftances of growth and appearance are to give the notion of the powers of vegetation in any fpecies, all things must be thrown into confufion;-and, by the fame rule, fome must be decennials, and fome twentennials, and, in fhort, we must coin new terms to express all these novel irregularities. We know nothing of the culture of Fungi from feed. Affertions have been made :-but affertions (to gain credit with fober-minded people,) must be founded in actual and repeated experiments.

We mentioned our intention of taking fome notice of the continuation of the Introduction in the third volume. We

would

would wish to bring forward a very ingenious remark of Mr. Thomas Flintoff of Guisborough in Yorkshire, on the motion of the fibres in the fearlet clathrus; it is contained in a letter from that Gentleman to Mr. Edward Robson of Darlington, who tranfmitted it to Mr. Bolton.

I

⚫ I have enclosed a fpecimen of a wonderful little plant. The falk is about a line in length, bearing at the top a round head, about the fize of a rape feed, at the firit very tender, and contains a liquor like milk; from that they turn to a beautiful orange colour, and after that to an olive. When mature, and fit for examination, I looked at a great many of them through the explacator; and fome amongst them were just opening at the top: one of thefe I laid on the talck in the flider, and viewed it through the filver fpeculum. At the first I was much furprized, to see a part of the fibres, that had got through the rupture, moving like the legs of a fly when laid on its back. I then burft it with the point of a pin, and was furprized ftill more, when I faw it had the appearance of a little bundle of worms entangled together, or fibres all alive, next took the little bundle of fibres quite out, and the animal motion was then so exceeding strong, as to turn it half round, first one way and then another, and two or three times it got out of the focus. Almost every fibre had a different motion; fome of them twined one round another, and then untwined again, while others were bending, extending, coiling, waving, &c. The fibres had many little balls adhering to their fides, which I take to be the feeds: I obferved many of thefe were difengaged at every motion of the fibres. I diftinguifhed many of the fibres, and they appeared under the lens as thick as a horfe-hair, and were all exactly of the fame length, which was, to my apprehenfion, about two inches; they were fmalleft at each end, which, together with their vermicular motion, gave them the ftrongest refemblance of little live worms. I examined many of them, at various times, and always found the motion precifely the fame; but ftrongest when recent, and on the first burfting. The feeds appeared like gunpowder, finely granulated.'

By fome mistake, this remark is here attributed to Mr. Robfon. However, in a letter which we have received from that Gentleman, he very handsomely reftores it to the right owner.

We take our leave for the prefent of Mr. Bolton, heartily thanking him for having laid fo good a foundation for the ftudy of English Fungi: his work is abfolutely neceffary to all who would be masters of the fubject. Mr. Bolton will obferve, that nothing which we have faid, in the way of criticism, takes from his character as a very laborious and intelligent botanist. It is no impeachment of his abilities in this line, to say that we think him blameable in not profiting from Mr. Aiton's fenfible declaration in his Hortus Kewenfis, that he was favoured with the "affiftance of men more learned than himself." [See the Dedication to the King.] It is naturally to be expected from

modern

modern publications, that they fhould complete the fubject, to the time in which they offer their fentiments: but a book, like a gentleman, should not prefume on the mere foundness and quantity of knowlege contained within; fome respect must be paid to the fashion of the times; and it must be allowed that the most profound scholar is not excufeable, if he lays afide the attention due to exteriors.

For our account of Mr. Bolton's Filices Britannica, or History of British Ferns, fee Rev. vol. lxxvi. p. 129.

ART. XVII. Thirteen Sermons to Seamen; preached on board of his Majefty's Ship, Leander, in the Bay of Gibraltar. By Percival Stockdale. 8vo. pp. 620. 5s. Boards. Deighton. 1791.

THIS

"HIS author has frequently engaged our attention *, and as we have not failed (we hope,) to treat him with due regard, neither have we neglected to point out, with candour, any defects which discovered themselves to us in his publications. In his various writings, fome of which have, perhaps, been rather too haftily produced, we have obferved the marks of genius, and of an acquaintance with fubjects of learning; we have farther remarked with pleasure, that whatever peculiarities might attend them, they are accompanied, in other instances, with good fenfe; and are generally directed to promote the great purposes of piety and morality. In the prefent volume, we find little matter for objection, and much to approve.

The author pleads occafionally for the established church in which he officiates; and has alfo fpoken unfavourably of those who diffent from it; yet we cannot regard him as a bigot, nor rank him with thofe, who, either through ignorance or fuperftition, or policy, declaim in fupport of what others have deemed indefenfible. Several of his fentiments in this collection, as well as in his former productions, intimate to us that he is a friend to liberty, civil and religious,-to every thing that may justly and reasonably contribute to the comfort and benefit of his fellow-creatures. His theology, he would fuppofe, and we will not dispute it, accords with the declared tenets of our establishment: yet we cannot but remark the manner in which he speaks of one great article; concerning which he thus expreffes himself,-+ the ever bleffed Trinity-or the existence of God, in his three characters, energies, or actions, of our Creator, Redeemer, and Infpirer of good thoughts, refolu

* See our General Index; and vols. Ixxi. and lxxix. + Page 137. 140, 141.