STUDY X. 329 



nances of the earth, only to difplay to the delight- 

 ed eye thofe of Heaven. 



From this Law of confonance it follows, that 

 what is beft and moft beautiful in Nature, is like- 

 wife mod common, and the mofb frequently re- 

 peated. To it we muft afcribe the varieties of 

 fpecies in each genus, which are fo much the more 

 numerous, in proportion as that genus is ufeful. 

 For example, there is no family in the vegetable 

 kingdom fo neceffary as that of the gramineous, 

 on which fubfift not only all the quadrupeds, but 

 endlefs tribes of birds and infedts ; and there is 

 no one, accordingly, whofe fpecies are fo varied. 

 We fhall take notice, in the Study on Plants, of 

 the reafons of this variety. I (hall only remark, in 

 this place, that it is in the gramineous families 

 Man has found the great diverfity of nutritious 

 grains, from which he derives his chief fubfiftence; 

 and that from reafons of confonance, not only the 

 fpecies, but feveral of the genera, nearly approach 

 to each other, in order that they may prefent fimi- 

 ]ar fervices to Man, under Latitudes entirely dif- 

 ferent. Thus, the millet of Africa, the maize of 

 Brafil, the rice of Afia, the palm-fago of the Mo- 

 luccas, the trunks of which are filled with alimen- 

 tary flower, are in confonance with the corns of 

 Europe. We fhall find confonances of another 

 kind in the fame places, as if it had been the in- 

 tention 



