( no ) 



perfections, for no doubt this minute plant pofleflos as many per- 

 ♦edtions as an entire tree. 



When I had fteeped fome of thefe feeds in water for a few hours, 

 and then opened them, I could diftinguilh, as well in that part which 

 would produce a root as in the young leaves, a great number of vef- 

 fels with their divifions or cells, but as foon as the liquor evaporated, 

 all thofe vellels difappeared. 



Fig. 25, HIK exhibits the fame plant as is fliewn in fg. 24,. 

 with this ditference only, that whereas the former was drawn in a 

 pofition to Ihew only the fides of the leaves, in this figure the plant 

 was so placed before the microfcope as to Ihew the breadth of the 

 leaves. 



I am at times called upon to defend the fyllem I have advanced 

 refpe<fling the propagation of animals (which is often the cafe with 

 many eminent perfons who come to vifi.t me), and they continually 

 objed: to what I have delivered refpedling the abundant provifion 

 made by Nature in the firft rudiments of the young of each fpecies, 

 of which few come to perfection, whereas (fay they) Nature does 

 nothing in vain. Tlie anfwer I generally make to this obje<ftion is, 

 by obferving what multitudes of feeds are produced by trees, of 

 which the prcfent is a ftrong inftance. For, Avhen we fee that a 

 common Fig contains in it between four and five hundred feeds or 

 grains, and that each Fig-tree may every year produce many Figs, 

 and from each perfeft feed a whole tree may fpring ; and confe- 

 quently that a fpacc of ground planted with Fig-trees may, in one 

 year, produce fo many feeds as would fufficc to fow, not only an 

 entire kingdom, but the whole furface of the earth, and that this is 

 not only the cafe m ith Figs, but in every kind of tree whatfoever : 

 when, I fay, we continually fee thefe things, I cannot but give it 

 as my opinion (with due deference to better judgment) that we 

 ought not to call in queftion for what purpofe fuch a fuperabundant 

 provifion is made, but that it would become us better with reverence 

 to acknowledge the Omnifcicnce of the Supreme Being, who has 



