I-50 Col. Velley'j Remarks on the, Nature 



by the general conformity of the laws of Nature, and exulting in 

 the confutation with which modern difcoveries had overwhelmed 

 the former prevailing theories, it is not matter of furprife that they 

 fliould have eftablifhed the laws of florefcence upon fo flrift a dogma. 

 Science, too long infulted by the prepofterous tenets of equivocal 

 generation, had already turned away in difguft from the ancient 

 writers, who favoured that ill-founded do£lrine. The principles of 

 vegetable life now became the obje6l of philofophical difcuflion ; 

 and the important difcovery of Harvey, which had long fincc 

 brought to light the circulation of the blood, feems, by an eafy 

 tranfition, to have diredted the refearches of Hales towards a fimilar 

 principle in vegetable bodies ; when, at length, the propulfion of 

 the fap became beautifully exemplified by his- unerring ftaticks. 

 Every day brought forth new difcoveries ; and thofe plants which 

 had apparently furnilhed the ftrongeft arguments to the opponents 

 of the fyftem, were now compelled to difclofe their myfterious oecc- 

 nomy, and, by exhibiting the hidden fources of their impregnating 

 powers, feemed at once to eflabliih the univerfal extent of the 

 newly eftabhihed dodlrine. When Linnaeus firft announced the dif- 

 covery of feeds in the Mofs, was it to be expefted that he ihould 

 withhold his credit from the florefcence of the F«c/«, when brought 

 to light by one of the moft refpeitable philofophers of his day ? 

 The florefcence however of thcFucas, as it is.ftated in th^ Nereis 

 Britannica to exift, derives no fupport fioni that, of the fubmeifctl 

 plants. On the contrary, the latter tend to efl:ablifli a flrong argu- 

 ment againft the abovemcntioned theory. Almoll all thole aquatic 

 plants that are fertilized by adual pollen, a fubftance known to be 

 immifcible with water, emerge at the time of their impregnation. 

 Let us examine, as next in fuccelFion, the very few which do not 

 .emerge. And firft the Ifoetes feems to prefent itfelf, whofe flower 



is 



