80 MEMOIR OF 



superintendent of the museum of natural his- 

 tory, which it was proposed should be collected 

 by the society, in addition to their intended 

 cabinet of Scottish antiquities. In 1782, he pub- 

 lished an account of the institution and progress 

 of the Society, which he continued and extended 

 to 1784. It was the intention of Mr Smellie to 

 have delivered a course of lectures on natural 

 history to this society ; but the proposal excited 

 the jealousy of Dr Walker, the professor of 

 natural history in the University, and the idea 

 was in consequence abandoned. The materials 

 were, however, subsequently made use of in the 

 Philosophy of Natural History. 



Mr Smellie then engaged in a general system 

 of natural history; but this was also abandoned 

 from want of pecuniary resources for its publica- 

 tion. As exhibiting a specimen of the progress 

 in the study of Natural History which he had 

 made, we print a syllabus of this work as drawn 

 up by himself. 



I. HISTORY OF THE EARTH. 



1. Of its figure Its dimensions Its motions 

 Its connection with the moon Its relations to 

 the other planets in the solar system, &c. 



2. Of the earth's surface Its divisions into 

 land and water Its continents Islands, moun- 

 tains, and plains Rivers and lakes Seas 

 General productions, &c. 



3. Of the earth's atmosphere General proper- 



