ON THE GENERAL DIFFUSION OF KNOWLEDGE. 



them appear to be possessed of a considerable 

 degree of sagacity, and to be fond of each other s 

 society.* 



In short, it may be affirmed without the least 

 hesitation, that the beauties and varieties which 

 exist in those regions of creation which are in 

 visible to the unassisted eye, are far more nu 

 merous than all that appears to a common ob 

 server in the visible economy of nature. How 

 far this scene of creating Power and Intelligence 

 may extend beyond the range of our microscopic 

 instruments, it is impossible for mortals to deter 

 mine; for the finer our glasses are, and the 

 higher the magnifying powers we apply, the 

 more numerous and varied are the objects which 

 they exhibit to our view. And as the largest 

 telescope is insufficient to convey our views to 

 the boundaries of the great universe, so we may 

 justly conclude, that the most powerful micros 

 cope that has been or ever will be constructed, 

 will be altogether insufficient to guide our views 

 to the utmost limits of the descending scale of 

 creation. But what we already know of these 

 unexplored and inexplorable regions, gives us an 

 amazing conception of the intelligence and wis 

 dom of the Creator, of the immensity of his 

 nature, and of the infinity of ideas which, during 

 every portion of past duration, must have been 

 present before his All-Comprehensive Mind. 

 What an immense space in the scale of animal 

 life intervenes between an animalcule which 

 appears only the sir.e of a visible point, when 

 magnified 500,000 times, and a whaii, a hun 

 dred feet long and twenty broad ! The proportion 

 of bulk between the one of these beings and the 

 other is nearly as 34,560,000,000,000,000,000 

 to 1. Yet all the intermediate space is filled 

 up with animated beings of every form and order ! 

 A similar variety obtains in the vegetable king 

 dom. It has been calculated, that some plants 

 which grow on rose leaves, and other shrubs, are 

 so small that it would require more than a thou 

 sand of them to equal in bulk a single plant of 

 moss ; and if we compare a stem of moss, which is 



* The following extract from Mr. Baker s descrip 

 tion of the hair-like animalcule will illustrate some 

 of these positions. A small quantity of the matter 

 containing these animalcules having been put into 

 a jar of water, it so happened, that one part went 

 down immediately to the bottom, while the other 

 continued floating on the top. &quot;When things had 

 remained for some time in this condition, each of 

 th*se swarms of animalcules began to grow weary 

 of its situation, and had a mind to change its quar 

 ters. Both armies, therefore, set out at the same 

 time, the one proceeding upwards and the other 

 downwards ; so that after some time they met in the 

 middle. A desire of knowing how they would he- 

 have on this occasion, engaged the observer to 

 watch them carefully ; and to his surprise, he saw 

 the army that was marching upwards, open to the 

 right and left, to make room for those that were 

 descending. Thus, without confusion or intermix 

 ture, each held on its way; the anny that was going 

 up marching in two columns to the top, and the 

 other proceeding in one column to the bottom, as if 

 each had been under the direction of wise leaders. 



generally not above l-60th of an inch, with some 

 of the large trees in Guinea and Brazil of twen 

 ty feet diameter, we shall find the bulk of the 

 one will exceed that of the other no less than 

 2,985,984,000,000 times, which multiplied by 

 1000 will produce 2,985,984,000,000,000, the 

 number of times, which the large tree exceeds 

 the rose-leaf plant. Yet this immense interval 

 is filled up with plants and trees of every form and 

 size ! With good reason, then, may we adopt 

 the language of the inspired writers, &quot; How 

 manifold are thy works, O Lord ! In wisdom 

 hast thou made them all. O the depth of the 

 riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of 

 God ! Marvellous things doth He which we can 

 not comprehend.&quot;* 



* The figures of microscopical objects contained 

 in the engravings Nos. I. and II., will convey a ruile 

 idea of some of the objects to which I have now al 

 luded. 



No. I. Fig. i. represents the scale of a si le -fish as 

 it appears through a pood microscope. ODEF, re 

 presents that part of the scale which appears on the 

 outside of the fish, and ABCD, the part which ml- 

 heres to the skin, being furrowed, that it may hold 

 the faster. It is terminated by pointed spikes, every 

 alternate one being longer than the interjacent ones. 

 Fig. 2, is the scale of a haddock, which appears di 

 varicated like a piece of net- work. Fie. 3, repre 

 sents a small portion orfibre of tt\e feather cf a pta- 

 cock, only l-30th of an inch in extent, as it appears in 

 the microscope. The small fibres of these feathers 

 appear, through this instrument, no less beautiful 

 than the whole feather does to the naked eye. Each 

 of the sprigs or hairs on each side of the fibre, as CD, 

 DC, appears to consist of a multitude of bright shin 

 ing parts which are a congeries of small plates, as 

 eee, &c. The under sides of each of these plates are 

 very dark and opaque, reflecting all the rays thrown 

 upon them like the foil of a looking glass; but their 

 upper sides seem to consist of a multitude of exceed 

 ingly thin plated bodies, lying close together, which, 

 by various positions of the light, reflect first one 

 colour and then another, in a most vivid and sur 

 prising manner. Fig. 4, 5, 6, 7, represent some of 

 the different kinds of feathers which constitute the 

 dust which adheres to the wings of moths and but 

 terflies, and which, in the microscope, appear tinced 

 with a variety of colours. Each of these feathers is 

 an object so small as to be scarcely perceptible to ;he 

 naked eye. 



Explanation of the figures on No. II. Fig. 1. re 

 presents a mite, which has eight legs, with five or 

 six joints in each, two feelers, a sir.all head in pro 

 portion to its body, a sharp snout and mouth like 

 that of a mole, and two little eyes. The body is of an 

 oval form, with a number of hairs like bristles is 

 suing from it, and the legs terminate in two hooked 

 claws. Fig. 2. represents a microscopic animal 

 which was found in an infusion of ancmony. The 

 surface of its back is covered with a fine mask in U&amp;gt;e 

 form of a human face, it has three feet on each side, 

 and a tail which comes out from under the mask. 

 Fig. 3, is an animalcula found in the infusion of eld 

 hay. A, shows the head, with the mouth opened 

 wide, and its lips furnished with numerous hairs; 

 B, is its forked tail, D, its intestines, and C, its heart, 

 which may be seen in regular motion. The circum 

 ference of the body appears indented like the teeth 

 of a saw. Fig. 4, shows the Whetl animal or For- 

 ticclla. It is found in rain-water that has stood some 

 days in leaden gutters, or in hollows of lead on the 

 tops of houses. The most remarkable part of this 

 animalcula is its wheel work, which consists of two 

 semicircular instruments, round the edges of which 

 many little fibrillse move themselves very brisVJy 

 sometimes with a kind of rotation, and sometimes 



