'34 



never admit, with the author, " that they 

 " were selected as being the most compe- 

 " tent judges of the subject that could be 

 *' named in the kingdom*" — because the 

 document itself furnishes evident and 

 abundant proof, that they were by no 

 means conversant with the subject ; and 

 therefore could not possibly distinguish, 

 between appearances extremely common 

 and such as were extraordinary : indeed, 

 we do not find an attempt to discriminate 

 between them. On the contrary, in eve- 

 ry part, they seem to consider all the fa- 

 vourable appearances exhibited, as en- 

 tirely of the latter sort. 



In speaking of forest trees that had 

 been cut down, they tell us, ** the uni- 

 *' form result of these experiments ap- 

 " peared, that those stems to which the 

 " Composition had been applied^ had shot 



* Preface to second Edition. 



