la The fiEfi, tR Dec. 22, 



cious clafs of animals in the world : for there is fcarce- 

 ly room to doubt, that if the mod fagacious animal 

 in the order of the elephant, and the loweft individual 

 as to intelleftual powers among the human fpecies, had 

 been left entirely to themfelves, . as individuals, the 

 elephant virould have appeared to be the wifell animal 

 of the two. 



V This progrefiive knowledge of man, confidered as an 

 aggregate body, though it has never, that I know, been 

 hitherto contrafted with that of other animals, has long 

 been an obje£t of human attention ; and this ftate of 

 advancement has been denoted by the name of the pro- 

 grefs of human fociety — the advancement of man in 

 civilization — the progrefs from rudenefs to civilization, 



&c and to man confidered in this aggregate capacity, 



mud be referred the words, manners, habit, cuftom, 

 falhion, and innumerable others of a fimilar nature, 

 which it is not neceffary here to enumerate. 



Man has been diilinguiflied as a facial animal ; but 

 this is by no means a diftindlive peculiarity. Many 

 other animals feci the influence of the focial principle 

 in an equal, or perhaps fuperior degree to man. All 

 the gregarious animals feek fociety, and fhun folitude 

 with an equal folicitudeas man; and moll of thefe, in 

 cafes of danger, imite with equal alacrity and firmnefs ? 

 in their common defence, fo as to derive, in this wav, 

 an aggregate power which they could not individu- : 

 ally have poffelTed. The ox, the horfe, theafs, dofo; 

 the fheep even, though unjuftly charafterifed by natu- 

 ralifts, as the mod ftupid of all animals, when in a ftate 

 of nature, unite in a firm phalanx for common de- 

 fence, and prefent an armed front to the enemy fo clofe- 

 ly compared, as to be impenetrable to the fox or wolf, 

 who dare not attempt a direct attack, but muft watch 

 an opportunity of ftealing upon them, when unprepar- 

 ed, to obtain their prej'. And the economy of the 

 bee, whofe joint labours difcover an aggregate effort of 

 an ittimenfe number of individuals, conduced with the 



