1815.] «Smithson Tennant, Esq. ; 11 
suffered nothing to escape him, and was continually gaining new 
information from a variety of interesting sources, But although 
the knowledge thus acquired was remarkable for its correctness, and 
complete for the purposes of its possessor; yet the industry and 
perseverance, by which it ought to have been embodied and made 
permanent for the benefit of others, were too often altogether 
wanting. The ardour and energy of Mr. Vennant’s mind cor 
‘operated, unfortunately in this respect, with his want of method 
‘and of systematic habits of application; since he was constantly 
pressing on to new discoveries, instead of arranging and bringing 
to perfection those which he had already made.—His memory was 
a great storehouse of discoveries and hints for discovery, of ascer- 
tained facts, probable conjectures, and ingenious trains of reasoning, 
relative to the various important subjects, upon which he had at any 
time been engaged, These he was continually treasuring up, with 
the intention of reducing them to order and preparing them for use 
at a more convenient season. But that period rarely arrived. In 
the carelessness of intellectual wealth, he neglected the stores of 
knowledge which he had accumulated, and suffered them to remain 
useless and unproductive, till his attention was recalled to them, 
perhaps after a long course of years, by some new fact or discovery, 
some remark in conversation, or other accidental occurrence. It 
is yet to be ascertained, by a careful examiuation of his papers, 
whether any fragments of this great body of knowledge still re- 
main, which can now be converted to use; whether any of his 
various discoveries not hitherto made public (some of which un- 
questionably were important) are capable of being traced out and 
understood from the loose and imperfect hints which his scattered 
notes may furnish. But there is too much reason to believe that the 
far greater part of them existed only in the mind of their author, 
and that with him they have unfortunately perished! 
(To be continued.) 
Articie IT. 
Account of a Toad found in the Trunk of a Beech. 
By ‘Thomas Lauder Dick, Esq. 
(To Dr. Thomson.) 
SIR, 
In your Journal for this month, which has just reached me, I 
observe some queries have been proposed relative to toads found in 
rocks and trees. 1 agree with you, that in every such instance some 
fissure will be found communicating with the external air, nor have 
Lever heard of any well-authenticated case to the contrary. Il am 
led to trouble you with this, not with any view of throwing light on 
