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To the Editor of the Quarterly Journal of Science, 



Sir, 



The inclosed scheme for illustrating the distributions and 

 connexions of the several grades of physical existence has been 

 floating in my mind for years. It would be tedious to point 

 out the successive stages, from forming the chain of Bonnet 

 into a circle, and believing each link to be composed of smaller 

 links, and these of smaller still, and so on, without any defi- 

 nite number; to the present scale, in which three will be found 

 nearly to pervade the whole. Yet I cannot forbear stating, 

 that as this number was not originally assumed, but only so far 

 admitted as natural affinities seemed to justify the choice, so it 

 is riot now proposed as essential to the system, which attempts 

 to indicate the provinces of nature, and to illustrate their indis- 

 soluble connexions, whatever be their number, and whatever 

 their extent. Should the trine distribution, as I suspect, be 

 found hereafter universally to prevail, for directing my atten- 

 tion to it on ininciple I shall ever feel indebted to my friend, 

 Mr. George Field, whose very philosophic works, ' Tritogenea, 

 &c.,' go far to evidence the truth of that which others had 

 only arbitrarily adopted. 



Should you think the plan sufficiently matured for publica- 

 tion, — and from having seen several of the diagrams, you are 

 aware that it has been considerably extended to particulars, — 

 a more fit vehicle cannot be found than the Journal of Science, 

 I have the honour to remain, 



Yours respectfully, 



G. T. B. 



Illustrations of Nature ; or, the Arrangement of Physical Ex- 

 istence, indicated in Outline, 



Nature, a convenient term to avoid a periphrase, is used to 

 signify the world, the universe, i. e., all physical existences, all 

 natural powers, beings, things ; e. g., attraction is a power in 

 nature ; a man, a being ; a stone, a thing ; thus each and all 

 are parts of nature 3 for nature is a whole which doth of such 

 parts consist. 



