The appearance of Mr. Buffon's work, however, induced the Doctor to change his plan; and inftead of tranflating an ancient writer, he refolved to imitate the last and best of the modern who had written on natural history.

The Doctor acknowledges to have the higheft obligations to Buffon, as far as Buffon's labours extend; and he could not, we imagine, have chofen to himself a better guide.

The Doctor feems to profefs, that from his firft intention of a tranflation, to his execution of this work, his great object was to fend out an agreeable work, and without flattery, this we think he has effected.

We will not prefume to decide whether the adept will find himself enlightened, or his information extended; but undoubtedly the common reader will find his curio fity gratified, and that time agree ably difpofed of which he beftows on this work; and this feems to have been the object of the writer; and an author who has effected what he has propofed, is undoubtedly intitled to all the praife that the nature of the work he has undertaken can pretend to.

It is the Doctor's first chapter that we offer as a fpecimen of his abilities in reprefenting a grave matter in an agreeable manner.

"THE world may be confidered as one vaft manfion, where man has been admitted to enjoy, to admire, and to be grateful. The first defires of favage nature are merely to gratify the importunities of fenfual appetite, and to neglect the contemplation of things, barely fatisfied with their enjoyment; the beauties of nature, and all the

wonders of creation, have but little charms for a being taken up in obviating the wants of the day, and anxious for precarious fubfiftence.

Our philofophers, therefore, who have teftified fuch furprize at the want of curiofity in the ignorant, feem not to confider that they are ufually employed in making provifions of a more important nature; in providing rather for the neceffities than the amusements of life. It is not till our more preffing wants are fufficiently fupplied, that we can attend to the calls of curiofity; fo that in every age scientific refine ment has been the lateft effort of human industry.

But human curiofity, though, at firft, flowly excited,' being at laft poffeffed of leifure for indulging its propenfity, becomes one of the greatest amufements of life, and gives higher fatisfactions than what even the fenfes can afford. A man of this difpofition turns all nature into a magnificent theatre, replete with objects of wonder and furprize, and fitted up chiefly for his happinefs and entertainment; he induftriously examines all things, from the minutest infect to the most finished animal; and, when his limited organs can no longer make the difquifition, he fends out his imagination upon new enquiries.

Nothing, therefore, can be more auguft and ftriking than the idea which his reafon, aided by his imagination, furnithes of the universe around him, Aftronomers tell us that this earth which we inhabit forms but a very minute part in that great affemblage of bodies of which the world is compofed, It is a million of times lefs than the fun, by which it is enlightened. The planets also, which, like it,

R 2

are

are fubordinate to the fun's influence, exceed the earth one thousand times in magnitude. Thefe, which were at first fuppofed to wander in the heavens without any fixed path, and that took their name from their apparent deviations, have long been found to perform their circuits with great exactnefs and ftrict regularity. They have been discovered as forming with our earth a fyftem of bodies circulating round the fun, all obedient to one law, and impelled by one common influence.

Modern philofophy has taught us to believe, that, when the great author of nature began the work of creation, he chofe to operate by fecond caufes; and that, fufpending the conftant exertion of his power, he endued matter with a quality by which the univerfal œconomy of nature might be continued without his immediate af fiftance. This quality is called attraction; a fort of approximating influence, which all bodies, whether terreftial or celeftial, are found to poffefs, and which in all increafes as the quantity of matter in each increases. The fun, by far the greatest body in our fyftem, is, of confequence, poffeft of much the greatest share of this attracting power; and all the planets, of which our earth is one, are of courfe entirely subject to its fuperior inAuence. Were this power, therefore, left uncontrolled by any other, the fun muft quickly have attracted all the bodies of our celeftial fyftem to itfelf; but it is equally counteracted by another power of equal efficacy; namely, a progreffive force which each planet received when it was impelled forward, by the divine architect, upon

its first formation. The heavenly bodies of our fyftem being thus acted upon by two oppofings powers; namely, by that of attraction, which draws them towards the fun; and that of impulfion, which drives them ftrait forward into the great void of space; they purfue a track between thefe contrary directions; and each, like a ftone whirled about in a fling. obeying two oppofite forces, circulates round its great center of heat and motion.

In this manner, therefore, is the harmony of our planetary fyftem preferved. The fun, in the midft, gives heat, and light, and circular motion to the planets which furround it: Mercury, Venus, the Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, perform their conftant circuits at different distances, each taking up a time to complete its revolutions, proportioned to the greatness of the circle which it is to describe. 'I he leffer planets alfo, which are attendants upon fome of the greater, are fubject to the fame laws; they circulate with the fame exactness; and are, in the fame manner, influ. enced by their respective centres of motion.

Befides thofe bodies which make a part of our peculiar fyftem, and which may be faid to refide within its great circumference; there are others, that frequently come among us, from the most diftant tracts of fpace, and that feem like danger. ous intruders upon the beautiful fimplicity of nature. These are comets, whofe appearance was once fo terrible to mankind, and the theory of which is fo little underftood at prefent: all we know, is, that their number is much greater. than that of the planets; and that, like thefe, they roll in orbits, in

fome

fome measure obedient to Solar influence. Aftronomers have endeavoured to calculate the returning periods of many of them; but experience has not, as yet, confirmed the veracity of their inveftigations indeed, who can tell, when thofe wanderers have made their excurfions into other worlds and diftant fyftems, what obftacles may be found to oppose their progrefs, to accelerate their motions, or retard their return?

But what we have hitherto attempted to sketch, is but a small part of the great fabric in which the Deity has thought proper to manifeft his wisdom and omnipotence. There are multitudes of other bodies difperft over the face of the heavens that lie too remote for examination: thefe have no motion, fuch as the planets are found to poffefs, and are, therefore, called fixed stars; and from their extreme brilliancy, and their immenfe diftance, philofophers have heen induced to fuppofe them to be funs resembling that which enlivens our fyftem: as the imagination alfo, once excited, is feldom content to ftop, it has furnished each with an attendant fyftem of planets belonging to itself, and has even induced fome to deplore the fate of thofe fytems, whofe imagined funs, which fometimes happens, have become no longer vifible.

But conjectures of this kind, which no reasoning can afcrtain, nor experiment reach, are rather amufing than ufeful. Though we fee the greatnefs and wifdom of the Deity in all the feeming worlds that furround us, it is our chief concern

to trace him in that which we inhabit. The examination of the earth, the wonders of its contrivance, the hiftory of its advantages, or of the feeming defects of its formation, are the proper business of the natural historian. A defcrip. tion of this earth, its animals, vege tables, and minerals, is the most delightful entertainment the mind can be furnished with, as it is the most interesting and useful. I would beg leave, therefore, to conclude these common-place fpeculations, with an observation, which, I hope, is not entirely fo.

An ufe, hitherto not much infifted upon, that may refult from the contemplation of celeftial magnificence, is, that it will teach us to make an allowance for the apparent irregularities we find below. Whenever we can examine the works of the Deity at a proper point of diftance, fo as to take in the whole of his defign, we fee nothing but uniformity, beauty, and precifion. The heavens prefent us with a plan, which, though inexpreffibly magnificent, is yet regular beyond the power of invention. Whenever, therefore, we find any apparent defects in the earth, which we are about to confider, instead of attempting to reafon ourselves into an opinion that they are beautiful, it will be wifer to fay, that we do not behold them at the proper point of distance, and that our eye is laid too close to the objects to take in the regularity of their connexion. In fhort, we may conclude, that God, who is regular in his great productions, acts with equal uniformity in the little.