5(r ANIMALCULA OF INFUSIONS. 23^ 



Tlie Anatomy of Plants, by Malplghi and Grew, 

 and Duhamel's Phyfique des Arbres, have in a 

 manner traced the hiftory of herbs and trees. 

 They have communicated much information on 

 the ftru^ture and ufe of flowers, feeds, and fruits 5 

 and they have brought the principal vifcera of 

 the plant into view. The Vegetable Statics of 

 Hales teach us the power of leaves, or their 

 principal province in the mechanifm of v %jeta- 

 tion. Les Recherches fur V ufage de Feuilles have 

 added fome fads to the number already known. 

 But the botanical microfcope has not made the 

 fame progTefG,becaufe i^. has not been fo much cul- 

 tivated ; and becaufe it requires eyes made on pur- 

 pofe. What v/e owe on this fubjeft to Hook and 

 Micheli, though precious, is very little in com- 

 parifon to what we might expecl from the affi- 

 duous refcarches of our bed obfervers. Here are 

 the terns aujirales of the vegetable world, as ani- 

 malcula are thofe of the animal. How much may 

 the figure, the nature of life, the manner of nu- 

 trition, increment and propagation of microf- 

 copic plants, ftimulate the curiofity of a natural- 

 ift who can obferve and refled ! How much does 

 the economy of this part of the vegetable king- 

 dom, fo confiderable and fo little known, differ 

 from the other parts of it ! How great is the ha- 

 zard of error by taking analogy for our guide ! 

 Let us judge them by the real and improbable 



fa<2;s 



