I92 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



precaution, not one would remain on the fliores 

 where you would with it to grow. The natability 

 of aquatic feeds is, undoubtedly, proportioned to 

 the length of the voyages which they have to per- 

 form, and to the different gravity of the waters in 

 which they are deftined to fwim. There are fome 

 which float in fea-water, and fink in frefh, which 

 is lighter than fea-water by one thirty-fecond part ; 

 fuch precifion is in the balancing of Nature ! I 

 believe that the fruit of the great India cheftnut, 

 which thrives on the mores of the fait creeks of 

 Virginia are in this fituation. In a word, I am fo 

 entirely convinced of all the relations which Na- 

 ture has eftabliihed among her Works, a r to con- 

 clude, that the time when the feeds of aquatic 

 plants drop, is regulated, in moft cafes, by that of 

 the overflowing of the rivers where they grow. 



It is a fpeculation well worthy of the attention 

 of the philofophic mind, to trace thofe vegetable 

 fleets failing along, night and day, with the cur- 

 rent of the rivulets, and arriving, undirected by 

 any pilot, on unknown regions. There are fome 

 which, by the overflowing of the waters, now and 

 then lofe themfelves in the plains. I have feen 

 them, fometimes, accumulated upon each other, 

 in the bed of torrents, prefenting around the peb- 

 bles where they had germinated, waves of verdure 

 of the moft beautiful fca-green. You would have 



thought 



