150 | Col. VELLE Xs Remarks on the Nature. 
by the general conformity of the laws of Nature, and exulting in 
the confutation with which modern diícoveries had overwhelmed 
the former prevailing theóries, it is not matter of furprife that they 
fhould have eftablithed the laws of florefcence upon fo ftri& a dogma. 
Science, too long infulted by the. prepofterous tenets of equivocal 
. generation, had already turned away in difguft from the ancient 
writers, who favoured that ill-founded doctrine. The principles of 
vegetable life now became the obje& of philofophical difcuffion ; 
cand the important difcovery of Harvey, which had long. fince 
brought to light the circulation of the blood, feems, by an eafy 
tranfition, to have dire&ed the refearches of Hales towards a fimilar 
principle in vegetable bodies ; when, at. length, the propulfion of 
the fap became beautifully exemplified by his unerring ftaticks. 
Every day brought forth new difcoverics; and thofe plants which 
had apparently furnithed the ftrongeft arguments to the opponents 
nomy, and, by exhibiting the hidden fources of their impregnating - 
powers, feemed at once to eftablith the univerfal extent of the - 
newly eftablifhed doctrine. When Linnzus firt announced the dif- 
covery of feeds in the Mofs, was it to be expected that he thould. 
withhold his credit from the florefcence of the Fucus, when brought 
to light by one of the moft refpectable philofophers of his day? 
The florefi ence however of the Fucus, -as_it is ftated in the ANereis 
Britannita to exit, derives no fupport from that of the fobmeric] 
plants. On the contrary, the latter tend to eftablith a {trong argue 
. ment againft the abovementioned theory.. Almoft all thofe aquatic 
immiícible with water, emerge at the time of their impregnation, 
Let us examine, as next in fucceffion, the very few which do. not 
emerge. And firft the fetes Íeems to prefent itfelf, whofe flower 
l is 
