genera are combined; for the first, Serapias Latifolia and Palustris, we would retain the name of Epipactis; and the second, Serapias Grandiflora and Ensifolia, we would call Campycles. After Arethusa Divaricata, referred to Pogonia of Jussieu, four plants from New Holland succeed, all constituting as many genera, which are named Caladenia, Glossodia, Pterostylis, and Caleya. Limodorum Tuberosum, long known in many of our collections by Mr. Salisbury's name of Cathea, so expressive of its habit, and published in the Horticultural Transactions, is here called Calopogon: but we suppose that Mr. Brown has not seen it alive, for it has Anthera Mobilis, and should have been placed in his fourth section. This fourth section commences with Limodorum Tankervilliæ, the Pachyne of Salisbury, here referred to Bletia of Ruiz and Pavon; a genus to which the others of the Limodorum of our gardens, named Gyas in the Horticultural Transactions, may possibly belong. Geodorum of the late Mr. Jackson is also joined to Limodorum Recurvum, the Otandra of Mr. Salisbury. If they really be congeners, we should not hesitate to prefer the latter name, which so well expresses the essential character of the genus. Calypso of the Paradisus Londinensis, a plant of North America, which we now believe with Mr. Brown to be a distinct species from the Swedish one, is retained by that name rather than Cytherea, afterward given to it in the Paradisus Londinensis, in consequence of Petit Thouars having previously used the name of Calypso for a plant which Mr. Brown refers to Salacia. The succeeding genera are Malaxis, Corallorrhiza of Haller, two of the Cymbidium named Isochilus, Ornithidium of Mr. Salisbury, Pleurothallis, Aerides, Dendrobium, Cymbidium, Brassia, Oncidium, Cyrtopodium, Brassavola, Broughtonia, Epidendrum; and these, with Vanilla, finish the monandrous genera of Orchidea in which Kew garden is so very rich. Of diandrous genera in this order, Cypripedium is the only one yet known to botanists, which now perhaps ought to be divided, separating those with a cloven labellum by the name of Schizopedium; and the last new species in the Kew catalogue, which has five distinct petals, we would call Criogenes. Three species of the singular genus Stylidium, which has so irritable a Columna genitalium, succeed the Orchidea and Gunnera with Aristolochia finish the class. Under MONOECIA, 64 species of that extensive genus Carex are mentioned, as well as several Urtica, the latter hardly to be found in any other garden; but in no natural order does the Kew collection excel all others more than in Palms; and, though now widely dispersed in the sexual system, the following are monoicous, Cocos Nucifera, Aculeata, and Fusiformis, Bactris minor, Elate Sylvestris, and Sagus Metroxylon. Much pains have REV. SEPT. 1814. G been been taken in determining the species of Quercus; and a new generic character of Castanea is given, distinguishing it from Fagus, to which Linné had joined it. Ostrya is also separated from Carpinus: but in Pinus no alterations are made, even the Dammara being left in it. Of five species of Sterculia, each unquestionably constitutes a separate genus. In the class DIOECIA, 64 species of Salix are recorded, and the Paper Mulberry Tree, devoted by Ventenat to the memory of an exellent botanist, Broussonet, is here published under his name. Of Leucadendron, 17 species are mentioned; of which we apprehend the 1st, Protea Argentea, (as already mentioned,) is sui generis; the 2d has been named Gissonia by Mr. Salisbury, who has also distinguished such of the others as have a flat winged fruit by the name of Euryspermum. Future botanists, who may study this difficult branch of the science, will be as much surprized as we are, that so excellent a carpologist as Mr. Brown should only make sections, under one commonname, of plants with such dissimilar fruits. It is also worthy of notice that the seeds of Euryspermum lose their vegetative powers in a few months; while those of Protea Argentea remain sound for many years, and those of Gissonia came up in three successive years in the garden of the late Right Hon. Charles Greville, being sown for the purpose of determining this point. Three rare dioicous Palms, Elais, Chamadorea, and Borassus, are now inserted, with seven species of Zamia; a genus in which we sce very little immediate affinity to Palms. As Kew garden is so abundant in Palms, we must not omit another, the Latania, which, from being monadelphous, is torn away from its relatives, and pushed down to the bottom of the class; and we regret to finish these details by prophesying that these unnatural dislocations of genera, extorted by a strict adherence to the principles of the Linnéan system, will only hasten the universal paralytic stroke that awaits it. It has already received a partial shock, as far as the Flora of France is concerned, in Decandolle's inestimable synopsis. CRYPTOGAMIA. Into this class few plants are admitted, except Filices, which botanists have lately studied and divided much more naturally than in any of the works of Linné; and the arrangement is generally that of Willdenow. Diplazium of Swartz is also retained, which surely ought not to be separated from Asplenium. Isoëtes and Pilularia, two genera now made an order with the name of Hydropterides, close Mr. Aiton's long labours, and our own. These, though trifling in comparison with his, we hope may have diffused, like the Hindostan flower which blossomed in the vicinity of the Rose, some of the original perfumes of Kew garden; at least, they will have served to to convince even such of our readers as have only a trifling knowlege of botany, that the high commendations of the work, with which we previously endeavoured to attract their attention to it, were impartially and conscientiously bestowed. We must now advert to the very useful Epitome of the Hortus which Mr. Aiton has so judiciously formed, and of which two different editions are published. One contains the names of all the plants at Kew, arranged according to the Linnéan system, in one column, their English names in a second, their native country in a third, the epoch of their introduction into Great Britain in a fourth, and their time of flowering in a fifth. Excepting, therefore, that it is confined to plants in the garden, this edition is similar to Donn's catalogue; with this difference, that the mode of arrangement is new, and more suited to the capacities of all gardeners. The other edition furnishes, in an additional column, references to figures; names in Italics indicate that the plants are published under the same name as in Hortus Kerwensis: but such as are printed in Roman letters denote that the plants so quoted will be found under other names in the books to which a reference is made. Here, therefore, compressed into a narrow compass, we have the whole contents of the five volumes of the larger work, except the generic and specific characters of the plants, some few synonyms, and the names of the persons who introduced them; adapted for the use not only of practical gardeners, but of ladies and gentlemen who are amateurs rather than proficients in the sister-sciences of horticulture and botany. Both impressions of the Epitome have even this advantage over the Hortus itself, that they have the addition of an Appendix containing more than 300 species cultivated at Kew, partly omissions in the Hortus, and partly new plants; and also of a selection of the best sorts of fruits and esculent vegetables: which last is a new feature in a work of this kind, and will be found eminently serviceable to gardeners, as well as to such of their masters as attend to the produce of their ground and delight in the good supply of their table. ART. XIII. Lara, a Tale. Jacqueline, a Tale. Crown 8vo. 5s. 6d. Boards. Murray. 1814. A LTHOUGH these little pieces are anonymous, the general voice has already assigned to each its author; and not only has it positively ascribed the former of them to Lord Byron, but so many circumstances concur to support that opinion, that we deem no apology necessary for treating it as his Lordship's pro duction. What motive may have induced him to publish it without his name, we know not, and can hardly conjecture. If it be from a wish not to appear to break the promise given in the preface to The Corsair of silence for five years, we do not approve the evasion; and perhaps his Lordship's readers would be ready to assure him that such a promise could be no more considered as binding, than a lover's vow not again to see his mistress for a similar period. Is it, then, that the author considered Lara as less worthy of his fame than the other publications on which it rested? Many will, no doubt, suggest an answer to this question in the affirmative; indeed, within our observation, many have already done so, and, as is usual in such cases, have readily declared their acquiescence in the supposed opinion of the writer by deciding on the inferiority of Lara. To such an opinion, however, we can no more assent than to the former conjecture; and, had we less ground than we have in the received and uncontradicted judgment of the public for ascribing this tale to Lord Byron's pen, we should have so allotted it, and have deemed it worthy of his genius. From a few lines of introduction prefixed to this poem, the author appears to entertain a sort of undecided intention that it should be treated as a continuation of The Corsair.' The reader of Lara,' he says, ' may probably regard it as a sequel to a Poem that recently appeared,' &c. We know not why this is not distinctly avowed, unless the writer means it to be understood that he will not consider himself as censurable for any want of connection or consistency with the former tale, or for any thing of which the effect may be to interrupt the harmony of the two. The connection, however, is so obvious that no reasonable doubt can be entertained that Lara and The Corsair are one and the same fictitious personage. Nor, indeed, do we find any material difficulty in the way, except one, which we shall point out. In perusing The Corsair, many passages seemed designedly to lead us to inquire what previous circumstances had made the hero the being that he was. In the present tale, so far from that inquiry being answered, another is perpetually excited, — viz. what made Lara become such a personage as he appeared under the other appellation? In short, the circumstances of Lara, at the outset of his career, give no clue to his subsequent character; although, in the account of his actions in that subsequent character, we are frequently told (or rather led to suppose) that his crimes had resulted from some events in his earlier career.Lord Byron seems to entertain what we consider as a very erroneous partiality for fragments. Whatever the effect of such pieces may be in exciting interest, it is clear that no moral influence can be produced if actions be not ascribed to some mo tive; and even the most indifferent reader is seldom satisfied, whether the fictitious objects of his attention be good or bad, without a cause being assigned for their virtue or their vice, When a human being is represented in such glowing colours of wickedness, and yet with such a mysterious mixture of tenderness and feeling, as The Corsair exhibited, every reader naturally suggests to himself the indulgence of some of the more violent passions of our nature as the cause which has made such a character what it is. Different readers would probably vary in this supposition : but all, we imagine, would expect, in a continuation of the Tale, to learn the nature of the passion to which the author meant to ascribe the production of such a being. That expectation will in this instance be disappointed; and we regret that the opportunity has been lost for producing the fine moral effect which might have been given to these poems, by imputing the practice of Gaming to the early life of the hero. No other vice would account for his actions; and none would suit so well with the nature of his crimes. A sort of desperate venture defies all chances in the character of The Corsair, and equally pervades that of Lara; for which no source could be assigned so satisfactory as that overwhelming passion which " sets every thing on a cast," and then, with unnatural resolution, " will stand the hazard of the die." The style and versification of Lara are similar to those of The Corsair; the couplets are even more regular; and certainly less of the broken and dramatic style appears than we observed in that poem. If fewer spirited passages occur, the deficiency is to be ascribed to the nature of the actions of which the tale is composed; and, altogether, its faults, in point of composition, are fewer than those of its predecessor, although its beauties are less striking. The great merit of which it may boast consists in the nice discrimination of character, and the peculiar boldness of the traits which it describes. Most of the first canto is occupied by a delineation of the hero; and this is done with so much justness of remark, while all the details are conceived with such a poetic spirit, that a part which, in most other hands, would seem unreasonably long and tedious, possesses a singular charm and interest throughout. We transcribe a few of these passages, which will be amply sufficient, we think, to identify The Corsair : Tis quickly seen Whate'er he be, 'twas not what he had been ; G3 A high |