1820.] the Rev. Dr. Hales. 163 



to form some notion of its total capacity, and of its different 

 cavities. This ingenious idea, which would have done honour 

 to Ruysch or to Winslow, was the fruit of the reflections of a 

 student of anatomy. How great expectations might have been 

 formed of the discoveries of his mature years. 



When we consider the astonishing progress which Hales made 

 in every branch of physics, we should be tempted to conclude 

 that he devoted the whole of his time to these pursuits. But 

 this would be a great mistake. His physical studies did not in 

 the least interfere with those which had been the chief niutive 

 for his repairing to Cambridge ; and he had made such progress 

 in his theological studies that those persons who had the direc- 

 tion of the College being afraid that so promising an associate 

 should escape them, got him made a fellow before the age of 25 

 years, and though at the time there was no vacant fellowship. 

 He took successively all his degrees, and soon after was named 

 Dean of Ely ; so firmly was his ecclesiastical reputation esta- 

 bhshed. It is a difficult task for most persons to acquire a com- 

 petent knowledge of a single science ; but Dr. Hales had 

 abilities sufficient to render hmiself almost equally well skilled 

 in them all. 



As soon as he had taken orders, he was, appointed curate of 

 Teddington, in the county of Middlesex ; afterwards he got the 

 living of Orlock, in the county of Somerset, which he exchanged 

 for the living of Farringdon, in Hampshire, and in all these 

 situations he performed his clerical duties with the utmost pi'O- 

 priety, and to the entire satisfaction of his parishioners. He was 

 elected a fellow of the Royal Society in the year 1718, and the 

 year following he began to read to that learned body some 

 experiments upon the effect of the heat of the sun in elevating 

 the sap in trees. The Society, struck with the importance of his 

 investigations, exhorted him to continue them. He comphed 

 with their request ; and in the year 1 727 published the fruits of 

 his researches under the title of " Statical Essays ; containing 

 vegetable Statics ; or an Account of some statical Experiments 

 on the Sap in Vegetables, being an Essay towards a natural 

 History of Vegetation ; of Use to those who are curious in the 

 Culture and Improvement of Gardening, Ike. Also a Specimen 

 of an Attempt to analyze the Air by a great Variety of Chymio- 

 Statical Experimenis, which were read at several Meetings 

 before the Royal Society." This work, which immediately raised 

 the author to the very first rank among British philosophers, 

 was dedicated to George II. at that time Prince of Wales. 



Few books were ever more favouiablv received by the public, 

 and few ever deserved a better reception. Most of the experi- 

 ments were quite new, and the hand of genius was every where 

 conspicuous in them, which is alone capable of opening a new 

 road to great discoveries. He made no attempt to rear any 



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