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 purpofes-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 roor, 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 ore; and if more, how many: fay in what fituation it grows, and at what fealon. Note, whether it be furnished with a volva, and if there is a volva, 1ay of what fize, figure, texture, colour, 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 fub flance throughout, or fiftular, hollow within; whether easily dividing in filaments, or of a brittle spongy fubftance, not divifible 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 vestiges.

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 coarfe; whether adhering to the ftem by a narrow claw, by a broad bafe, or not touching the item. Say of what colour from firkt to laft. Note, whether they yield a milky fluid, on being wounded or broken; and if fuch a fluid, fay of what colour, tafte, and Imell.

Of the pileus, note, what figure it affumes, from first to last; 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 fmooth 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 thefe 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 soft and fibrous, or hard and brittle; whether diffolving or withering in decay; and note, what mutations of colour take place on its furface, from the first appearance above ground, to the utter decay of the plant.'

Such practical hints as these are always valuable, and we with to give them all the publicity in our power, as they are very likely to produce useful obfervations, which promise to lead to a true knowlege of the specific character of each fpecies, and to a determination of the limits of the several varieties. Thus far all is in Mr. Bolton's favour.

In executing his figures, our naturalift feems to have had his eye continually on the natural air and habit of his feveral fubjects: but, in fo coftly a work, it is a pity that the hand of the masterly artift is not obfervable.-With a great natural 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 say that these defects are obftacles to the knowlege of the fubject: but, charmed as we are by the elegant and expreffive figures of Mr. Curtis and Mr. Sowerby, we should have no objection to have had our eyes pleased with a beautiful difplay 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, must recall our expreffion,-oftener in the worft of what is called Dog-Latin. It feems as if two or three persons were employed on this part of the work; for fome are expreffed in a true and proper ftyle, as Agaricus croceus, No. LIX. A. fipitatus luteus, fipitis parte inferiori & pileo conico villofis, lamellis albis numerofis denfis. Others are given in what may be called media Latinitatis, as Agaricus luridus, No. XXVI. A. fipitatus, pileo conico grifeo vifcido, margine inæquale, lamellis integris profundis fordide cæruleus, ftipite folidâ arcuatâ. Here only gender and declenfion are murdered. We may ob ferve by the way, that we are told this grows on Gibbethill. Some are in the true infima Latinitatis,-as, Sphæria VIRDIS, No. CLII. S. fimplex globofa virida cortice granulatâ, granula fufca. We really have not hunted for thefe inftances of Parnaffian reformation. We may fay of the book, Ipfe capi voluit,-each volume opened in these places. Whoever will hunt after game of this fort, will be fure to find fport: but, feriously 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 muft have many equal to the task,) to correct fuch ridiculous faults:-a common school-boy could have done it. In our character as protectors and promoters of fei

ence

ence and literature, we must afk, 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 railed by meddling with the jargon of literature?We could say 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 fubject 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-freet, 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 distances, far more correctly. The Country Naturalift has to boast 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 affistance; and if ever Mr. Bolton wishes 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 inftance; 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 scarlet clathrus; it is contained in a letter from that Gentleman to Mr. Edward Robfon of Darlington, who tranfmitted it to Mr. Bolton.

I have enclosed a fpecimen of a wonderful little plant. The Balk is about a line in length, bearing at the top a round head, about the fize of a rape feed, at the first 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 juft opening at the top: one of thefe I laid on the talck in the flider, and viewed it through the Gilver fpeculum. At the firft I was much furprized, to fee 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. I next took the little bundle of fibres quite out, and the animal motion was then fo exceeding ftrong, 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 distinguished 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 smalleft at each end, which, together with their vermicular motion, gave them the ftrongest resemblance of little live worms. I examined many of them, at various times, and always found the motion precifely the fame; but strongest when recent, and on the first bursting. 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 handfomely restores 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 study of English Fungi: his work is abfolutely neceffary to all who would be mafters 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, fhould not prefume on the mere foundnefs and quantity of knowlege contained within; fome refpect muft 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 Hiftory of British Ferns, fee Rev. vol. lxxvi. p. 129.

Good:

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 hastily 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 inftances, 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 reafonably contribute to the comfort and benefit of his fellow-creatures. His theology, he would fuppofe, and we will not difpute 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 exiftence of God, in his three characters, energies, or actions, of our Creator, Redeemer, and Infpirer of good thoughts, refolu

6

* See our General Index; and vols. Ixxi. and lxxix.

Page 137. 140, 141.

REV. JUNE 1792.

tions