Page images
PDF
EPUB

mushrooms was afcertained, it was found that they would more properly conftitute a tribe, which M. Perfoon has now divided into ten clearly difcriminated gencra.

The fphæria, which forms the firft genus, resembles the more perfect vegetables in its feminiferous capfules.. The xylari, though feparated from the fphæria by Schrank, are arranged under this genus, on account of the fituation of the capfules, and their gelatinous fluid.

The hericia are arranged with this tribe, on account of their form, and the abfence of a pileus: they are divided into two families, as they are ramofe or fimple.

Of the merulium, our author has given few fpecies, and thefe are of a conoid form. The pileus, diftinguished by a barren difcus, joins with the ftalk.

In the leotia the pileus is fo diftinct as to render it furprizing that the 1. lubrica fhould ever be deemed clavaria. It rather refembles the helvellæ, from which, however, it is diftinguished by the flefby, equal pileus.

The fpathularia, of which there is only one fpecies, resembles the helvellæ in the membranaceous pileus, and the elasticity with which the feeds are feparated. The compreffed figure, however, of the former, and its connection with the ftalk, having the resemblance of a fpatha, occafioned the feparation.

The geogloffum, we think, might be united with the laft-mentioned genus.

The genus clavaria, ftrictly fo called, has feveral divifions; I. the ramofe, again divided according to the greater or lefs thickness of the trunk; 2. the cefpitole, fome of which have a diftinct fub-pellucid ftipes, others an homogeneous fuperficies; 3. the folitariæ, which are of a conoid form. All the fpecies are fleshy and rigid, with a fertile membrane reaching to the point: they grow in woody places, attached fometimes to the trunks and branches of trees, fometimes to dead leaves. Many of them are probably efculent.

The merifmata are divided into those which have erect and diftinct branches, and fuch as have irregular branches, either membranous or tubercular. Thefe moftly reft on the ground, and are connected with bodies in the neighbourhood: many of them exhale a fœtid smell.

The acrofpermum has been united with the tremella by many authors. The elongated and raised form, and the fmooth furface, chiefly diftinguith the former from the fatter. The fpecies of this genus are either fimple, or branched.

The ifaria contains various fpecies, which are of the falleft kind, in their fubftance dry, generally white,

fometimes with a fmooth, fometimes with a farinaceous furface. The farina, viewed through a microscope, appears to confift of threads connecting the branches, whence the ifaria appears to have fome affinity with the genus botrytis. Thefe fungi often grow on putrid fubftances; fometimes on other fungi, particularly the larger agarics; and fome are parafitic plants on the chryfalides of infects.

It is an ingenious fuggeftion of this writer, that the curious appearances of the grafshopper, on that account called lanata, may be fungi of this genus, though generally confidered as part of the animal. The appendix caudiformis, as it is called, is rarely found; and our author advifes naturalifts, who can purfue the animal in its native haunts of South America and India, to examine whether it occurs in the living infect. In one fpecies from the mufeum of M. Blumenbach, it appeared of a very tender fragile fubftance, greatly refembling a fungus.

We have thus given the outline of our author's plan. The minute fpecific diftinctions we cannot point out with advantage in an article of this kind; but we highly commend their accuracy, and would advife the fcientific botanift to examine the publication with care.

The drawings of the plates are accurate; and they are well coloured. They chiefly contain the fpecies of the numerous genus clavaria, though a few others are added.

Tentamen Difpofitionis Methodice Fungorum in Claffes, Ordines, Genera, et Familias, cum Supplemento adjecto, Auctore C. H. Perfoon. Lipfiæ. 1797.

An Effay towards a Methodical Diftribution of Mushrooms into Claffes, Orders, Genera, and Families, with a Suppiement. 8vo. Imported by Efcher.

IN

N this fyftem, the fungi are arranged according to the form, fituation, proportion, and fubftance of their different parts. The claffes are two, entitled angiothecium and gymnothecium. The former contains thofe fungi in which the receptaculum is fhut, having, within, cells not confpicuous, or being filled with a fpermatic duft. The fecond contains thofe in which the receptaculum is open, with cells in particular parts, covered with a feminiferous fluid or dew.

The orders of the first clafs are, I. fclerocarpum, where the covering is hard and tough, containing a gelatinous fubftance; 2. dermatocarpum, in which the receptacle is chiefly membranaceous, filled with threads and powder; 3. farcocarpum, of which the covering is ficfhy and folid.

The first order of the fecond clafs is the farcothecium, the receptacle of which contains folid flethy veficles, unconnected with it. The other orders are litothecium, the cells of which are diffolved in a vilcid fluid; hymenothe-. cium, &c.

To mention the genera would be tedious. It will be fufficient to obferve that M. Perfoon's arrangement is clear and comprehenfive.

Défenfe de L'Ordre Social contre les Principes de la Ré volution Françaife. Par M. L'Abbé D. V. V. G. de L. Londres. 1798.

Vindication of Social Order against the Principles of the French Revolution. 8vo. Dulau.

THIS work is divided into fourteen chapters, in which the author confiders, at fome length, the subjects of civil fociety and government, of liberty and equality, the fove reignty of the people, religion, and other topics.

In the difcuffion of thefe, points, we find many truths displayed in an agreeable manner.

We alfo obferve fome difputable pofitions in which we do not difagree with the writer: for inftance, we readily admit, that religion is effential to the welfare of a nation; and the advantages of certain establishments are ftated very convincingly to us, while we can make every allowance for the abuses that are infeparable from all human inftitutions. It is remarked by our author, that, in the whole hiftory of empires, there is no revolution which can be compared with that of France. Others were only momentary and local convulfions which terminated in a transfer of power from one party or faction to another, or at most in a change of the form of government. Foreigners took no intereft in them, except as far as they might be connected with the leaders of either party; and, whatever was their iffue, the troubles of one nation did not endanger the conftitution of every other, This is true; but what follows is not correct. • Without any provocation on the part of government, without pretences, without vifible chiefs, in the midft of profound peace, and under a humane, virtuous, and beloved prince, a kingdom was overturned by the fole force of opinion.' There certainly were provocations on the part of government, and well-founded pretences for a change of fome kind. This, however, is a point which we need not difcufs at prefent. Let us rather attend to thofe fentiments of our author, which unfold his plan of remedy for France, and for every country endangered by France.

1

[ocr errors]

The revolution of September, 1797, (when the repre fentatives of the people were banifhed by the fuccefsful party, without the form of a trial,) was, in the opinion of our author, neceffary to convince the French that, in popular flates, it is always a faction which governs, rather than the people, or the law. As affairs now ftand, France has no alternative but the tyranny of the directory, or the legitimate authority of the king. The republic is at an end. The people will have it no longer. They reject with firmnefs all republican inftitutions. They are deaf to the reiterated complaints and proclamations of the di-. rectory, and the adminiftrative body. They may, perhaps, yield to force; but their averfion to the republic will be increafed by the refpect which they are obliged to pay to it. The directory will no longer acknowledge the conftitution of 1795, or any other in which the people have an influence. The defpots know that the fame public opinion which chofe fo many of their enemies into the councils, at the elections in 1797, will not fail to produce the fame effect hereafter.

The

Similar in its origin to the English republic, that of France will refemble it in its end. After the death of Cromwell, England, equally weary of parliamentary anarchy and protectoral tyranny, looked for no peace but in placing on the throne the fon of the beheaded monarch. directorial body, which has coerced the legislature, deftroyed the national reprefentation, and robbed the people of their conftitutional rights, is the Cromwell of the French republic. This directory will fall; and with it all the reft of the republic, its denominations and forms, will difappear. The extent of France, its population, its continental pofition, and its connection with the other nations of Europe, will, ftill lefs than in England, procure peace or tranquillity by any other means than the re-eftablifhment of royalty. Monarchical government is the chief reftorative for all nations exhaufted by civil difcord.

In whatever manner the principles of the revolution may be modified, we can never expect domeftic peace.. The French republic will always be convulfed by irreconcileable parties. It will be the object of the reigning faction to deftroy the fovereignty of the people, and the right of infurrection; and the party in oppofition will not ceafe to roufe thefe principles in order to gain poffeffion of power. If, in a fociety compofed of fuch difcordant :elements, there fhould be a ftate of repofe, it must be the repofe of dejection and defpair. It will be the peace which, tyrants give. Ubi falitudinem faciunt, (fays Tacitus,)> pacem appellant,Robespierre, when he had decimated.

the convention, and the triumvirs after deftroying the le giflative body, boafted that they had given peace to France. While the present government fubfifts, France cannot expect peace with foreign nations. A powerful republic, however wifely conftituted and firmly confolidated, cannot. preferve internal peace, but by external war. The Roman fenate knew no other means of preventing or quelling fedition than the propofal of war; and, when Rome had no more enemies to combat, it fell by its own hands. It is not merely as a republic, however, that France is con demned to perpetual warfare. The avowed principles and intereft of the governing party, place her in a state of permanent war with all the nations in the world. The French republic confiders itfelf as called to extend, by force of arms, the empire of liberty and philosophy, as Mohammed affected to believe that he had been fent from heaven to propagate the true religion; and even the Moslem fanaticifm was not more ardent or formidable than that of the Jacobins. We need not employ conjecture upon the views of the French government; they have been unfolded to all Europe. The fpeeches and meffages of the directory, of the minifters and ambaffadors of France, are fo many manifeftoes iffued against all fovereigns, and all governments. Enmity is declared by the directory against every nation that will not receive a conftitution detefted in the country in which it was firft tried.

Befides the influence of principles and of fanaticism, let us confider the intereft of the chiefs. Every thing fhows that the members of the directory are not defirous of peace. They have frequently had it in their power to conclude a war more difaftrous to victorious France, than to its enemies. But they never take measures for promoting a, general peace; and they confented to separate treaties, only with a view of deceiving certain powers, and of furnishing themselves with means for the deftruction of those powers. To the directory war is neceffary. It affords pretences for confifcations and revolutionary measures, and diverts the people from inquiries into their real fituation.

After additional remarks on this fubject, the defender of focial order returns to his favourite panacea, the restoration of monarchy; and, as he feems to be of opinion that fuch an event is not very diftant, he prepares for it by pointing out the perfon of the monarch. I have observed before, with Montefquieu, that hereditary right is an inftitution in favour of the people, rather than of the reigning family. The good which it produces, by preventing the troubles incident to elective governments, is more than a balance to the evil that may be occafioned by the bereditary APP. VOL. XXIV. NEW ARR.

Q ૧

« PreviousContinue »