20 



Laws in England, and in other rontomporary stalps of 

 Europe. 



Tlic Lecturer then observed that he had to call attention 

 to a lighter and more agreeable subject than that on which 

 they had been engaged. It however happened very fre- 

 quently, that the degree of study and anxious attention re- 

 quired on the part of the Lecturer, bore an inverse propor- 

 tion to the degree of pleasure or entertainment afforded to 

 an Audience. He then took a review of the state of Learn- 

 ing—adverting to its decline from the fall of the Western 

 Empire to its revival in the 16th Century,— to its temporary 

 revival in intermediate times — its revival, on the decline and 

 fall of the Empire of the East, in the Countries of the West by 

 the retirement of learned Greeks into Italy, and the conse- 

 quent introduction of their language and philosophy, and to 

 their disciples the restorers of useful and polite learning in 

 the Western World. He noticed the slow progress of re- 

 viving Science, and the general and particular causes whi< h 

 retarded it in Europe in the middle ages, and particularly in 

 England— the changes which took place in the state of some 

 of the Sciences,— and particularly alluded to the Mathema- 

 tical Sciences and the Science or Art of Alchemy, of which 

 a curious account was given. In conclusion he noticed the 

 persons who for their labours as Historians were worthy to be 

 remembered, as also some writers on Government and Laws, 

 and those who had relieved the dimness of the age by 

 their success in the pursuit of general Literature. 



April 13. — Mr. Hunt delivered a Lecture on Animal and 

 Human Instinct. After referring to the conflicting opinions 

 and confused views of various naturalists, all of whom seemed 

 to differ from each other, he attempted to elucidate the sub- 

 ject by taking a condensed but comprehensive view of all 

 the actions and movements of the animated world, which he 

 divided into three classes; involuntary, instinctive, and ra- 

 tional, the former being common to every vital structure, both 

 vegetable and animal ; and the two latter being possessed in 

 various proportions both by man and every class of the lower 

 animals. He then proceeded to enumerate instances of the 

 instinctive and the rational actions both in man and animals, 

 defining instinct, " a natural propensity prior to experience 

 and independent of instruction, tending to self-preservation or 

 the perpetuity of the race ;" while to rational actions he 

 assigned the distinction of being always the result of instruc- 

 tion or deliberation, and directed to some end of which the 

 animal is conscious, and for the accomplishment of which he 

 is capable of selecting and adopting appropriate means. 

 Various striking anecdotes were introduced to illustrate and 



