EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. Iv 



" America, which are caught alive on thefe coafts ; and 

 ** this is put beyond the reach of doubt, fince there was 

 " found, on the coaft of Scotland, a part of the mad of the 

 <« Tilbury man of war, which took fire, and was burnt near 

 ** Jamaica." 



Mr. Pemmnt has negle£led to inform us at what feafon 

 thofe feeds, and thofe turtles, reach the weftern coaft of 

 Scotland. Such omifîion of dates is an eflential defe6l, 

 though very common with Travellers, who frequently ne- 

 glcd thofe of even their own particular obfervations. It is 

 only, however, by means of thefe dates, that we are enabled 

 to take a glimpfe of the combined harmonies of Nature. 

 What fliall we think, then, of the tafte of our Compilers 

 of Voyages and Travels, who retrench thefe as tedious and 

 unimportant circumftances ? It is eafy to fee, notwith- 

 standing, in the prefent cafe, that the feeds from the rivers 

 of Jamaica, and the turtles of America, arrive in Winter 

 on the coafts of the Hebrides and of the Orkneys, being 

 driven thither, according to Mr. Pennant , by the " wefterly 

 " winds and currents," which " predominate there," fays 

 he, *^ two-thirds of the year." 



Now, it is well known that the wefterly winds blow 

 there all the Winter through \ which is confirmed, in this 

 relation, by it's own proper teftimony, and, in the fame 

 Colledion, by other Travellers to Scotland. After all, it 

 cannot poflibly be the Weft-wind which wafts thefe feeds 

 and thefe tortoifes fo far from Jamaica northward. The 

 winds have no hold of bodies level with the furface of 

 the water ; and, afturedly, thofe from the Weft could not 

 drive them to the North. Nay, Currents from the Weft 

 could not polFibly produce this effect, for they would hurl 



d 4 them 



