2S4 A new View of Vegetable Life. 



At the I)cgimiiiic; of tliis letter, I said that the curious forma- 

 tion just discovered, agreed with tlie general laws of fialure iu 

 the viineral, as well as animal world. But I should rather, 

 perhaps, have said " they ohpear to agree*." 



I shall now explain what I mean hv the assertion. — All metals 

 vhen first shooting carry the appcaiaiice of leaves ixndjlowers. 

 But when examined they are alwavs to be divided into the re- 

 gular forms belonging to each sej)arate metal, as octugonals, pen- 

 tagonals, &c. &c. though they carry the appearance of leaves 

 and Jlower^: as is seen in the arborescent silver' ore from the 

 mines of Potnsi; — in the common iron ore, when condjined with 

 salt, at Dawlish; — in the arborescent cojjper, and zinc tree. 

 But they arc all (as I said) to be reduced into their primitive 

 forms, and it is merely by their diminutive size, and their at- 

 traction for each other, that they carry the appearance of a 

 branch. 



But in animal life by what principle are they made to receive 

 the same form ? I have seen the scale of a beetle when broken, 

 recover and renew itself hv the same means, forming branches 

 thicker and thicker, till the whole became one mass ; vet never 

 growing beyond the boundary line given it, the creature being 

 confined for a few days, and regularly examined in the micro- 

 scope, till the whole scale was completed and restored to its per- 

 fect state. I found also a shrimp with })art of the claw broken, 

 and evidently renewing in ti>e same manner : but it appeared 

 tome to resemble the metallic manner: that is, to be divided into 

 octaedrons rather than the coral form of lime : but part of it 

 had grown so thick it was difficult to develop the exact -^hapet- 

 A fly also, while I detained it in confinement had a part of its 

 wing restored in the same apparent way, and one ])art of it 

 (some moisture oozing from the interior) absolutely grew after 

 the creature was dead. But 1 Iiad some most curious trials re- 

 specting a butterfly that are most wonderful, but too long for 

 this place. But if any naturalist will try these experiments, he 

 will, I believe, find them just and correct. 



* Some nqua-foi'tis I liad by me, liecame, in dissohnn^ copper, not of a 

 £/';c cotour, but a fine prctn; Imt adding the mercury, it soon cliani:,ed to 

 ft beautiful blue, and made a most admirable mixture ; for it misiht be seen 

 to vcjietatc in a few minutes lime, and [irodiiced iji a fen' lionrs vigorous 

 branches of two inclies in length: when tiie iiranclies are formed, it looi<s 

 exactly like Moclia stone. The experiment is certainly important, as ex- 

 plaining how ramifications are produced in the fissures of slate, flints, 

 abates, Florentine marbles ; and, perhaps, even in their very substance at 

 the time of their formation, by the intermixture of saline and metalline 

 particles; and also how metals dissolved by and incorjjoiattd "ith the sa- 

 line juices of the earth are formed into branches and seem to vegetate. 



t Of conr-e these, though belon;;ing to animals, must be classed as of th? 

 earths, aud divisible into the forms that sort of liinc adopts. 



Still 



