The present state of botanical knowledge renders it impossible for the
Author of this Work to indulge in a hope, that she can add anything to
the learning and research which distinguish the science: as a humble
follower of those who have added so much to our information on these
subjects, she would walk in their delightful paths, and gather some of
those objects of beauty which lie scattered around her. To endeavour to
place them in an attractive form--to attach to them useful and accurate
information--has been her pleasing task; and she will be amply rewarded
if she should be the means of affording any encouragement, particularly
among her own sex, to a taste for botanical pursuits. One of our
greatest philosophers has declared a "Garden to be among the purest of
human pleasures"; and if we look for a still higher sanction--we have
the divine command to
"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow."
There is no pursuit which fills the mind with more noble and exalted
sentiments than the study of these works of Nature:--wherever we turn
our attention, we shall discover in them ample lessons of instruction
and delight; in the structure of every plant, we shall find the most
exact symmetry, and the most perfect contrivance--and the more minutely
we examine, the more decided traces we discern of that Power
"Who planned, and built, and still upholds a world
So clothed with beauty."
The gratification to be derived from such pursuits, is heightened by
considerations like these, and their utility and value are rendered
still more evident. To use the language of the late excellent and
distinguished SIR JAMES E. SMITH, "Is it not desirable to call the soul
from the feverish agitation of worldly pursuits, to the contemplation
of divine wisdom in the beautiful economy of Nature? Is it not a
privilege to walk with God in the garden of creation, and hold converse
with his providence? If such elevated feelings do not lead to the
study of Nature, it cannot be far pursued without rewarding the student
by exciting them."
In the arrangement of this Work, the Author has aimed at some degree
of novelty in the design, as well as of utility in the information. To
her own sex, to whose particular notice she offers it, she trusts it
may prove a useful and correct guide to their tastes, both in their
selection for a flower garden, and as objects for their pencil. She
has chosen those plants most remarkable for their beauty, and general
adaptation to our borders--and, in order to render the Work more
complete, she has added to every genus those species most desirable for
cultivation.
The Author cannot conclude, without expressing her obligations for the
assistance afforded her by her friend MR. SHEPHERD, Curator of the
Botanic Garden, Liverpool; and her thanks are particularly due to his
able and intelligent coadjutor, MR. HENRY SHEPHERD, F.L.S.
TOXTETH PARK,
_March, 1829_.