FIR.ST EDITION. Xl 



or by my felicitations to have >een drawn into a dif- 

 agreeable predicament. 



It remains to do juftice to thefe friends. ce To ren- 

 der honour to whom honour is due j praife to whom 

 praife," i^ the part not only of the chriftian, but of 

 every honeft roan. In the optical part of this work I 

 have been materially aflifted by a gentleman of known 

 and dittingu'fhed abilities, who taught publicly for a 

 feries of yeatb the feveral branches of natural phi- 

 lofophy, but who will not permit me to make my ac- 

 knowledgments in a more particular manner. For, 

 I m; j .y fay, the whole of the animal economy, I am 

 indebted to my valuable and fcientific friend DC. Bel- 

 cher, of Maidftone, as well as for moft eficntial affift- 

 ance in the mineralogy and the vegetable fyftem, and 

 for reviling and correcting feveral other parts. It 

 would be impoiTible to fpecify the authors from whorn 

 I have extracted my materials : I have inferted re- 

 ferences as frequently as I could with convenience. 

 In fome inftances the reference was neglected in the 

 copying of my original notes; and in fome, the facts 

 were commonly known, and diffufed through a mul- 

 titude of authors. 



