An Account of a Treatise, (Intituled, D. Alberti Halleri Archiatri Regii & Elect. Medicin. Anatomiae, Botan. Praelect. &c. Enumeratio Methodica Stirpium Helvetiae Indigenarum. Qua omnium Brevis Descriptio & Synonymia, Compendium Virium Medicarum, Dubiarum Declaratio, Novarum & Rariorum Uberior Historia & Icones Continentur. Gottingiae, 1742. in Folio) Extracted and Translated from the Latin by William Watson, F. R. S.

I have given these two Methods together, as there may be Occasions when one becomes preferable to the other. IX. An Account of a Treatise, (intitled, D. Alberti Halleri Archiatri Regii & Elekt. Medicin. Anatomiae, Botan. Praelect. &c. Enumeratio Methodica Stirpium Helvetiae indigenarum. Qua omnium brevis Descriptio & Synonymia, Compendium Virium Medecarum, dubiarum Declaratio, novarum & variorum uberior Historia & Icones continentur. Gottingiae, 1742. in Folio) extracted and translated from the Latin by William Watson, F. R. S. Read Feb. 3. 1742-3. This learned and ingenious Performance, in Two Volumes in Folio, contains a Dedication to the Prince of Wales, a Preface, and 794 Pages. In the Preface, the Author first lays down a Geographical Account of Switzerland, being situate from 46 to 48 Degrees in Latitude, and Four Degrees in Longitude; then mentions its various and almost surprising Degrees of Heat and Cold within the Space of a few Miles, arising from the different Arrangement of the Mountains: That it is in some Parts destitute both of Corn and Wood from the Intensity of the Cold; in others, where there are high Moun- Mountains to the North, and Openings to the South, the reflected Heat becomes so troublesome, that the Inhabitants are forced to desert the Towns, and take Shelter in the Woods; that in other Parts the Country is so extremely pleasant, that Tavernier himself, though he had travelled over great Part of the Globe, declared he never had observed any more beautiful. The Author then mentions, that the Plants produced in such Difference of Soils and Situations, must be very numerous; he accordingly met with not only many of the Plants of the warmer Parts of France, almost all the German ones, but even those of Lapland and Spitzberg. These Varieties have been collected in a short time. You gather in the same Day, the Biftorts and Saxifragos which Martens collected in Spitzberg; the yellow Milfoil, Xeranthemum, Ephedra, and other Ornaments of the Southern Part of France. The Progression between both Extremes is so regular, that in going from Bern to Grimsul, you pass first by Chesnut-trees, and other Inhabitants of the warm Countries, then Vines, then Walnut-trees, then Beeches and Oaks, then Firs, then Larch-trees, then Pines, then barren Heaths producing Whortle-berries and such-like, then Rocks, and Plants a Span high, and last of all, beyond which Vegetation ceases, you meet with a Species of round-leaved Willow, not exceeding an Inch in Height, and the hairy Crowfoot of Platerus; beyond this District, the Tops of the Mountains are covered with Snow. This great Variety is not (as it must be in any other Part of the World) the Collection of many Provinces, but furnished within the Space of 17 Leagues; and would be still less, if in going from Se- Sedunum, you ascend Mount Sanetch, whose Top is but seven Leagues from Sedunum [or Syon]. The Author adds, that the Sides of the Mountains produce great Variety of Mosses and Fungus's, that the Pastures furnish an inexpressible Collection of Grasses, of which in this Book he mentions 220 Species. The following Kinds of Plants seem to be wanting in Switzerland, viz. the hotter Kind, such as Thyme, Lavender, and Rosemary; those very frequent in champain Countries; those which are produced in Bogs and putrid Soil; some of those peculiar to the North, and maritime Plants. The Alps contain about 500 Species peculiar to themselves, all diverse, perennial most of them, biting, scented, and frequently with a white Flower; besides many Plants common to other Places. The Author then proceeds to enumerate all the Botanists, who by their Journals and Publications have laboured to oblige the World with Histories and Descriptions of the almost inexhaustible Number of Plants, which the various Soil and Situation of this Country produces; and after having mentioned the Performances of these great Men, he gives some Account of his own Travels, and the Progress of his botanical Studies; that he had gone through Germany, Holland, France, and England, and made very few Observations of the botanic kind, at least had preserved no Specimens of what he had seen; but upon his Arrival at Basil to attend the Lectures of Bernoulli, and study Mathematics there, he was seized, as it were, by the Genius of the Place, where those great Writers the Bauhins had lived, and were public Professors; and whose Chair at that Time was very worthily filled by Starhelinus: That he began to collect, describe, and compile, with so great Hopes of Success, however remote, that he even attempted the Work before us, at a time when he was scarcely acquainted with the more common Plants. A Work of this kind had been begun by John Gesner of Zurich, a Descendant of the famous Conrad Gesner's, and a Friend of our Author's, for which Task he was very well qualified by his many laborious Researches; but at length his bad State of Health would not permit him to proceed in a Science, where he must not be confined only to his Closet, but climb up almost inaccessible Mountains, sometimes nearly perishing with Cold, and, possibly, in the same Day, almost stifled with Heat. This Gentleman not only sent our Author a great many Plants, but granted him whatever he had occasion for of his Collection, which consisted of a great Number of valuable Specimens, of which he alone was possessed. Our Author specifies likewise, what Parts of the Alps have been looked over, and what remain hitherto unattempted; and then shews how large a Field is yet behind, for future Botanists to exercise their Genius upon; and that these Mountains have rather been cursorily passed over by Persons travelling over them to remote Places, often at an improper Season, than carefully examined; from whence it happens, that many not only of Mosses, but of the most perfect Plants, have either been omitted, or so negligently described, that it is impossible to reduce them to the Genus to which they belong. Add to this, that the Fungus's, and the very small Plants, such as the Centunculus, Sedum tetrapetalon, &c. were overlooked looked by the antient Botanists, and seem to have been reserved for the Industry and Perspicuity of the Vaillant's, Dillenius's, and Michelis, of the present Age. Our Author then candidly confesses, that although he had herborized upon many different Parts of this Country for Nine Years, he could by no means promise a full and perfect Enumeration of its Plants; for the Descriptions of the more antient Writers, especially the Grasses mentioned by Caspar Bauhin, are so obscure, that it is scarcely possible to know many of them by those means; that some Plants are inserted by Authors, which have occurred to no body since their Time; that others, if not quite lost, he never could meet with, notwithstanding he travelled for that Purpose to the Places where they have been said to be found; which may in some measure be owing to our Author's being short-sighted, from which Defect (he believes) he may, no doubt, have passed over some Plants, which he had been particularly in quest of: That he had received some Specimens so ill preserved, as not to be able to discover their generical Marks; and, lastly, that it is almost impossible to save any Seeds of the Plants of the Alps, or see them in that State, on account of the Snows falling so early as the latter End of August, and Beginning of September, whereby the Mountains are covered, and rendered unpasable. Surrounded with Difficulties, he despairs of perfecting his Catalogue; but hopes he shall have the Reader's Pardon, after he is apprised of the Means our Author took against them. First, he carefully marked out the Characters of all his Plants, the Day he collected them; for not being prejudiced in favour of any artificial Method, he looked over the Composition of the Flower with regard to its Petals, Calyx, and Seed-vessel, after the manner of Professor Boerhaave, at a Time when nobody had considered the Stamina and Tubes as generical Notes: That he compared with his Plants the botanical Writers of more than Two Centuries, whose Names are mentioned at the End of the Preface, beginning in order of Time with Brunfelsius, and concluding with the late Work of Monsieur Geoffroy: That he had examined their Descriptions of Plants, and compared them with their Figures, and made himself a Pinax of the Plants of Switzerland, even to the present Time. Our Author, in the Work before us, has never inserted a doubtful Plant, without mentioning his Scruple, nor any but what he himself has seen, without an Asterisk. He has added to the End of the Work, those which he could with but little Certainty refer to any Class; and, contrary to the Practice of some late Writers, he never enumerates Variety, nor ever regards Proportion as a Mark of specific Difference, if even a less Plant produces Flowers twice as big as a larger Plant of the same Species, and holds that Size when planted in Gardens, and continues the Difference to its Posterity. As to the Method and Order of this Work, our Author has been as short, and at the same time as descriptive, as possible. He has given the Synonymes of most good Authors: He generally first affixes the Name the Discoverer gave it, unless a very improper one; and then proceeding usually as the Authors lived, sets down the Appellations of Conrad Gesner, Gesner, Cordus, Dodoneus, Lobel, Tabernemontanus, Hortus Aichstadiensis of Basil Besler, Clusius, Caspar and John Bauhin, Morisson, Tournefort, and others, who have lived since them, either as they have discovered a new Plant, or illustrated an old one with a new Description, Figure, or Character. With regard to Method, he says he might have disposed them alphabetically, followed Boerhaave's Method, or Linneus's, but was fearful of making unnatural Distortions; especially as he was not writing an universal History of Plants. He thinks it not at all proper to dispose Plants in the same Class, unless their Affinity is perfect; and lays it down as a Foundation, upon which alone a natural Method can be formed, that however different Plants may seem in one Characteristic, those should be placed together which agree in most others; and however alike they may be in one Point, that those be separated which differ in many others. The Neglect of this Axiom has made all Methods unnatural. The Author then apologizes for giving new Names to some Plants, but he could not omit inserting some that were more expressive, and give them the Preference to old ones, that imported little or nothing, although they had the Sanction of Antiquity; but he scarce ever has changed the generical Names, because amongst things that are in themselves indifferent, Custom should be always complied with; and as all generical Names are arbitrary, scarce any can be thought of to contain enough to distinguish the Plant by; but the specific Name ought to be a short Definition and Compendium of its nicest Differences: And although this may sometimes be thought too long, long, the Marks of Difference in many kinds will not permit them to be contracted. After he has acquainted the Reader with his Objections, and told his Reasons, he proceeds to that Part of his Work, which is intituled, *Nomina Scriptorum & Editionum*; and has given a Specimen of his great Erudition in a very laborious and learned History of almost all Botanical Authors, for more than Two Centuries: He therein points out their Excellencies and Defects, shews which of them were Originals, and which Plagiaries; gives an Account of all their Publications and Editions, and deduces the Rise and Progress of Botany through all its Stages, from the general Darkness of the 15th Century, to the nice Distinctions of the present Time. This may be esteemed a very valuable Performance. It may not be improper to exhibit from it, the different Characters of Two Books in the Author's own Words, whereby some Judgment may be formed of the rest. First, mentioning *Clusii rariorum Stirpium per Hispaniam observatarum*, he says, "Cordus was restored to the World in Clusius. He, with incredible Labour, collected the Plants of Spain, Languedoc, England, the Alps, Austria, some Parts of Hungary, and those about Frankfort: He afterwards drew them, and published their Figures very expressively, and with great Neatness. He alone doubled the Number of Plants before known, although indeed many have been attributed to him, which are concealed in the Works of Cordus, Aretius, and Gesner." Our Author afterwards, speaking of Fabregou's *Description des Plantes qui naissent autour de Paris*, says, "Nothing can be more more audacious than this Writer; he often quar- rels with good Authors, and obtrudes upon them long since dead, arbitrary Definitions proposed by himself. The Synonymes of his Plants, and the Definitions of his Species, are very much confused: He takes, with the utmost Impudence, the Names of Vaillant and Tournefort, but with ridiculous Alterations. Besides, to my great Abhorrence, he inserts a very great Number of Plants most cer- tainly Exotic, as growing about Paris; and, lest any thing should be wanting to spoil this Work, the typographical Errors are infinite." Before I give an Account of our Author's System of Botany, it will be necessary to mention the different Parts of Plants, from which other Authors have formed theirs. Conrad Gesner was the first who dis- covered, that Plants might be distinguished into Ge- nera from their different manner of bearing Fruit, as appears by his posthumous Letters published by Ca- merarius; but Cesalpinus first reduced it into Prac- tice. Cesalpinus, I say, Ray, Herman, whose Plan is much improved by Boerhaave, and Knaut's Sy- stems, are formed from the Fruit; Tournefort's, from the Figure of the Flower; Rivinus's, which is fol- lowed by Ruppius, from the Number and Equality of the Petals; Magnol's, from the Calyx; Linneus's, from the Stamina, Pistillum, and Sex of the Flower; and our Author, his principally from the Number and Disposition of the Stamina, and likewise from the manner of Fruiting. I have, at the End of this Extract, abridged it according to the Order of the Classes, Genera, and Species. Through- Throughout the Body of this Work, our Author has ranged his Plants after this Method; and when he mentions a particular Plant, he first gives the generical Name, and its Inventor; then lays down the Form of the Flower, and the Manner of distinguishing this Plant from others of the same Species; then quotes the Synonymes, then the Place of its natural Growth, afterwards the Description of its Root and Leaves; and lastly, collects all the Evidence on both Sides, with regard to its Uses as a Medicine, or the contrary. I think it not improper to give here Part of the History of one Plant, as a Specimen of the rest. The Author, speaking, p. 298. of Veratrum, or white Hellebore of the Shops, after mentioning the generical Name, Form of the Flower, 29 Synonymes of different Writers, the Place of Growth, and the Form of its Root, says, "This Plant is universally agreed to be hurtful, though Brassavola, p. 531. found some People hardy enough to give a Drachm at a Dose, without any Corrector; which Dose even Welsch and Herman have allowed in Infusion to Daemoniacs, also Matthiolus, p. 1222. with good Success, to Lunatics. Hermann in like Cases gives the Root in Substance, from 15 to 30 Grains. Notwithstanding which, we find in the Ephemerides naturae curios. Anno 1mo Obs. 65. that One Scruple has certainly produced Convulsions; and Wepfer mentions a Dog killed with the same Dose, and Fallopius de Purgant. likewise many strangled therewith. Lentilius, p. 868. takes Notice of violent Vomitings occasioned by the Root's being given by Mistake, instead of Solomon's-seal. The Acta Hafni. Anno v. Observ. 55. say, that those most hardy Mortals, who live in the Northern Parts of the World, and purge themselves with this Plant, receive great Mischief in their Eyes therefrom, even sometimes to be followed by Blindness. See also its terrible Effects in the Breslau Transactions, Anno 1725. Even amongst the Antients, notwithstanding that both sorts of Hellebore were produced in Anticyra, the black was only made use of in Purges, on account of the emetic Quality of the white. See Pausanias, Lib. X. pag. 623. Alleyne will scarcely admit it to be safe given in Powder as a Sternutatory. But if the Juice of this Plant, with its full Powers, shall by any Method get into the Blood, it is so quick a Poison, that the Animal immediately dies, if wounded even in a slight manner, and the Juice applied thereto. See Crato, Epist. II. pag. 226. Matthiolus found this Experiment true upon Hens. See pag. 1226. Epistolar. pag. 219. And that the Putrefaction excited thereby was so great, that the Flesh immediately was grown soft. See Arceus de Curand. Vuln. Lib. I. pag. 70. Nor does the Cause seem to be obscure, seeing that the Roots, being chewed, fire the Mouth and Throat, and pour forth a very sharp Liquor, not unlike that of Lime. Geoffroy de Mat. Medic. Vol. II. p. 226. But Conrad Gesner, in the Work published by himself, assures us, that his Oxymel Elleboratum may be given to Two Drachms without any Mischief, and that it is very useful to promote the Menses, Expectoration, and Sweat." This may serve as a Specimen of our Author's great Industry and Exactness; which he adheres to throughout the whole Work, where a Plant has by any, whether antient or modern, medical Writer or Historian, been celebrated for medicinal Purposes, or its Uses in the Art of Dying. His Descriptions are so exact, that it is almost impossible, that any Person, ever so little conversant with Botany, should mistake one Plant for another. His Figures, of which there are 24 Tables, are finely engraved, and with great Accuracy, as appears from comparing them with their Descriptions. His Method is very natural, and not difficult to comprehend when considered; though at first View it seems more so than Ray's, Tournefort's, or Boerhaave's: And indeed there have been already so many Botanical Systems, such warm Controversies among Authors, so many bad Names, such great Confusion, that as often as there appears a new System, it sends forth a Panic throughout the Botanical World; as it adds to the Number of Names already too great, and tends to the Discouragement of those who are desirous of being acquainted with Plants. But our Author's System being, as I said before, very natural, and as he gives but few new generical Names, and at the same time when he gives his own, mentions those of most good Authors; these Considerations take off many Objections, to which some late Botanic Writers are liable. In the Work before us, the Author takes in only the Plants of Switzerland; but I believe his Plan may be extended to a general History, which, if executed with the same Accuracy as the present Work, cannot but be a most valuable Performance. 1. Plantæ,