on Thursday and Friday, the "fifth and fixth days of this in

ftant March 1673-4, was deli"vered of four children at one "birth, viz. three fons and one

But what particular circumftances of conftitution, or state of health, can capacitate the male to become the father of more than one child at a birth, or how this could be effected, fhould it be wifhed, remains among thofe fecrets of nature which our want of facts and obfervations renders us utterly incapable to fpeculate upon.

It feems probable, and these two obfervations, as well as Spallanzani's, and other late experiments, would rather incline us to fuppofe, that these numerous births do depend moft on the ftructure and ftate of the female organs; but nothing, that I know of, has ever been difcovered in this obfcure matter.

The occurrence of four born at once we find to be much more uncommon; and, I think, Haller's conjecture rather than calculation of its happening once in 20,000 births, very mach under-rated, as it appears that once in 100,000 would be much nearer the truth. Of this, however, we have feveral well authenticated cafes which have happened in this ifland. In the year 1674, there was published in London a quarto pamphlet, intituled, "The fruitful Wonder, of a "frange Relation, from Kingfton

upon Thames, of a woman who,

"children, and perfect in every part, which lived twenty-four

hours, and then died, all much "about the fame time, with feve"ral other examples of numerous "births, from credible hiftorians, "with the phyfical and aftrologi"cal reafons for the fame. "J. P. Student in Phyfic."

By

Dr. Plott, in his Hiftory of Staf fordshire, p. 194, mentions Elea nor, the wife of Henry Diven, of Watlington, who was delivered of four children at a birth in the year 1675.

Sir Robert Sibbald, in his Scotia Illuftrata, after mentioning a afe of three born at once, adds, " Imo " in variis regni locis repertæ funt "malieres quæ quatuor fœtus uno "partu ediderunt;" but makes no mention of more..

In the Gentleman's Magazine, which is reckoned a pretty authentic record of the times, we have the following accounts of numerous births.

Ann Boynton, of Henfbridge, in Somerfetfhire, was this day, June 1, 1736, delivered of three daughters and one fon; one of the daughters died, the reft are likely to live. The mother has been married but four years, and has had twice twins before, which completes the number of eight children at three births.

October 3, 1743, at Rate, in Berkfhire, Joan Galloway was delivered of two boys and two girls, three of whom were alive.

In January, 1746, the wife of
Plumes,

Plumer, a labouring man, at MillWimley, near Hitchin, Hertfordfhire, was delivered of three living boys and one dead.

August 22, 1746, the wife of Williams, of Coventry-ftreet, Piccadilly, was delivered of two boys and two girls, all likely to live.

June, 1752, a woman in the parifh of Tillicultrie, near Stirling, in Scotland, was delivered of four children, which were all immediately baptized, and all died at the fame time next morning.

In September, 1757, a poor woman, of Burton Ferry, Glamorganfhire, was delivered of three boys and a girl.

Dr. Hamilton before mentioned writes, that, not many years ago, a woman was delivered of four children, at Pennycuick, the feat of Sir John Clark, Bart. near Edinburgh, when he was advanced to the middle of her last month of pregnancy, and that fome of thefe children lived two or three years. He further fays, that, five years ago, he attended a woman at Edinburgh, who, in the feventh month of her pregnancy, after a journey of thirty miles, was fuddenly delivered of four children, all perfect and well grown for the time, of which one was born dead, and three alive; but thefe three died next day. He further adds, that thefe are the only cafes of quadruplets, or any larger number, he had ever heard of, as born in Scotland, in his memory.

Though cafes fimilar to the prefent, of five children born at once, are still much more uncommon; and though Haller's affertion of their not happening above once in a million of births, may be reckoned a very moderate calculation, yet we

are not altogether without fuch inftances in this country.

From the Gentleman's Magazine we learn, that on the 5th of October, 1736, a woman at a milk-cellar, in the Strand, was delivered of three boys and two girls at one birth; and that in March, 1739, at Wells, in Somerset fhire, a wo man was delivered of four fons and a daughter, all alive, all chriftened, and all then feeming likely to live.

In the Commercium Literarium Norimbergenfe, for the year 1731, we have two such cases; one happening in Upper Saxony, the other near Prague, in Bohemia; in each of which five children were born and chriftened, all of whom were arrived to that equal degree of maturity, which rendered it probable, they were all conceived about the fame time.

I learned from two foreign profeffors, when in London last winter, that they had each heard of a case of five children born near Paris, and near Ghent in Flanders; but the particulars not being fent as promifed, I prefume they may have been mifinformed.

When we advance farther we get into the region of tradition and improbability; and it would ill become me to trouble a, Society, whofe profeffed object is truth and science, with the numerous and wonderful relations which many grave and learned authors have recorded as facts they themselves believed; yet I ftill think we have no authority to reject abfolutely every relation of this kind, when Ambrofe Parey, a very honeft though credulous man, tells, that in his time, in the parish of Sceaux,near Chambellay between Sarte and Maine, the mother of the

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then

then living lord of the noble houfe of Maldemeure had, in the first year of her marriage, brought forth twins, in the fecond triplets, in the third four, in the fourth five, and in the fifth year fix children, at one birth, of which labour fhe died; and when he adds, that of thefe laft fix one is yet alive, and is now Lord of Maldemeure, how can we difbelieve this circumftance? This ftory may very poffibly be inaccurately stated, yet the whole cannot be a fiction, as it was published among the very people, and in the age when it happened, and never has been fince contradicted fo far as we know. Though the wonderful regularity of the progrefs gives an appearance of fable to the whole, yet we must believe the thing to be poffible: and that this then exifting lord might be the only one of the fix who lived long enough to be born at the full time, in a mature ftate; the whole, or most of the other five, as we have fometimes feen in cafes of twins, having been born as dead abortions, which had never arrived to a bulk fufficient to interfere with his growth.

I leave the learned to pay what degree of credit they pleafe to the wonderful relations we read of the extreme fertility of the women of Egypt, Arabia, and other warm countries, as recorded by Ariftotle, by Pliny, and by Albucafis, where three, four, five, and fix children are faid to have been frequenly born at once, and the greatest part of these reared to maturity; and will only fay, that though a late traveller, M. Savary, gives ample tettimony of the extreme general fertility of Egypt in all vegetable and animal productions, and particularly of its abundant population, he

mentions nothing of the numerous births recorded by the ancient naturalifts and hiftorians.

Of ftill more fruitful births I will pafs over a number of inftances which I could adduce from Johannes Rhodius, Lucas Schroeckius, Cafpar Baubin, Johannes Helvigius, Bianchi, and others, and finishwith one cafe more, recorded by Petrus Borelli in his Second Century of Obfervations, published at Paris in the year 1656; a collection indeed filled with many wonderful ftories, though by a man of equal integrity, and ingenuity: he tells us, that in the year 1650, just five years before, the lady of the then prefent Lord Darre produced at one birth eight perfect children, which he owns was a very unusual event in that country.

I think it totally unneceffary to purfue this inquiry farther; but muft obferve that the prefent is the only cafe I have found, where the children were all females; that the males have in all the other cafes been at least equal, and generally the moft numerous; that in many of them, at least a part was dead born; and that moft commonly the reft died in a fhort time. It is thence clear, that thofe numerous births are certainly unfavourable to population, as very few indeed of thofe children can be carried to near the full term of pregnancy, and fewer ftill to that degree of ftrength that admits of their being reared, where more than two are born at one time.

As from Mr. John Hunter's very curious Experiments and Obfervations, read lately to this Society, on the Procreation of Swine, we are led to believe, that a certain determined number of ova, capa

ble

ble of receiving male impregnation, are originally formed in each ovarium; and which number, when exhaufted, the female conftitution has no power to renew; if this be the true account of the economy of nature in this particular, which has every appearance of probability, thofe numerous births mutt occafion a very fruitless profufion and wafte of the human race, and become every way detrimental to its increase.

From the united teftimony of all the foregoing cafes, it is undeniably clear, that the females of the human fpecies, though moft commonly uniparous, are, in certain circumstances to us unknown, every now and then capable of very far exceeding their usual number; and I muft again repeat, that it does not appear that we can fet any bounds to the powers of nature in that refpect; or pretend, as fome have done, with certainty to fay, what may be the utmoft limits of human fertility.

femblance to an aigrette; the point of which is at the root of the nose, and it rifes into the hair, above the forehead, of which it occupies above an inch in width, from the margin to the fontenelle. In this part the colour of the hair is white, and it is curly like the hair of negroes in general, and thicker in that part than on any other part of its head. In the middle of its forehead and on the aigrette, is a large black pot; on the external fide next to the temples, about one half of each eye-lid, both upper and under, is black, and the remaining half next to the nofe is white.

The eyes are black and lively; a little to the left and towards the middle of the chin a white fpot begins, which is long in proportion to its breadth, but of lefs magnitude than that of the forehead: it ftretches under the chin to the upper part of the throat. The neck, the upper and under part of the cheft, the fhoulders, the back, loins and buttocks to the junction with the thighs, and the pudendum, are of the colour of her face, but the loins and the thicker part of the buttocks are of a deeper black.

The arms from the upper and middle part are white, and interfperfed with black spots. There are fome fmaller and more numerous about her knees than elsewhere.

Upon the large black fpots there are alfo many fmaller and blacker, which are very glaring. Many of thefe fpots divide into four, five, and fix rays, refembling a ftar, which are not observed but by a close inspection, and then they are very vifible. In feveral parts those fpots, being of different fhades, give an exact picture of lunar cclipfes, as they are commonly reprefented in the books of astronoE 3

my.

my. The hands, the middle part of the fore arms, the inferior and middle parts of the legs and feet are black, which have a pretty ftriking resemblance to gloves and to buikins.

The white that prevails over the breaft, and over the belly, arms, and thighs, has a lively appearance. The ikin is foft, fmooth, and fleek.

Adelaide has fine features; we meet with few negroes of fo beautiful a form. In her temper fhe is cheerful, gay, and fportful, and as tall as children of her age generally are, and hath evidently a very delicate temperament, yet enjoys pretty good health, neither hath the eyes nor ears, nor any particularity in her features, or external conformation, like what may be feen at the firft infpection in those who are called white negroes, whofe fkin is altogether of a dead white colour, and whofe woolly white hair and features resemble those of their negro parents.

From this detail we may remark, that the alteration of the natural colour of Adelaide takes place over the fame parts of the body, for the most part, as over the body of Maria Sabina, of whom Monf. Buffon gives an account; and confidering it as a well authenticated fact, from all the information that, has been received of Adelaide, that the had a negro father and negro mother, we are led to believe, that the English account under the portrait of Maria Sabina is exact, and not afferted merely for the fake of covering the honour of the mother, and of the fociety in which the was a flave.

The pyed mulatto boy is named Jean Pierre. He is a month younger

than Adelaide; but from his figure, which is robuft, he appears to be fix months older. He as well as Adelaide both belong to Monf. le Vallois. He was born at Grandterre, Guadaloupe, of a negro wench named Carolina, and of a white man, an European, whose name I did not learn.

A certificate which Monf. le Vallois has with him, legally authenticated by Monf. Blin, lieutenant judge, given from under the hand of Monf. des Effart, king's phyfician, and of Monf. Cumin, king's furgeon, at Grandterre, Guadaloupe, attefts that Adelaide was born at Gros-Iflet in St. Lucia, that Bridget her mother is a negro of the Ibo nation, and now reckoned to be about twenty-five years old, and that her father, whofe name is Raphael, is a negro of the Mina nation. In this certificate it is farther declared, that the father of Jean Pierre has white spots (that is of a deeper white than his natural fkin) of the fame shape and in the fame parts of the body as the fon, and that the mother and one of the brothers of this boy's European father have like white fpots, and in the fame parts of the body.

However it may be in respect to thofe obfervations concerning the fuppofed refemblance of the white fpots they may bear about them, to thofe which mark Jean Pierre, it fuffices to take notice here, that his body is entirely of the colour of a mulatto, except that he has from nature a white aigrette in his forehead like that of Adelaide. The hair in that part is white mixed with black, which is not fo in Adelaide. The ftomach and the legs, from two inches above the ancies

to