140 BERTHA'S VISIT TO HER 



Scripture to which he had alluded ; and he 

 added, that though we are now ignorant of the 

 particular object of the ceremonies and minute 

 directions for the sacrifices and offerings, we may 

 perceive that solemnity and reverence were 

 strongly enforced in all, with an exactness of 

 obedience to lesser regulations, which shews that 

 neither must we neglect the smaller duties while 

 we obey the * weightier matters of the law.' 



6th. A number of curious circumstances 

 were mentioned at breakfast in a conversation 

 on the force of habit, not only in animals, but in 

 vegetables; and my uncle thinks it is a subject 

 on which further inquiry would not be more in- 

 teresting to the philosopher than useful to the 

 farmer and gardener. I have only time to write 

 a very little of what he said. 



He told us that there are several plants, which 

 have been naturalised in cold climates by bring- 

 ing them there step by step. Rice he gave as 

 one instance : it is a native of the East Indies, 

 within the torrid zone, but was early cultivated 

 in South Carolina, the Canaries, and the northern 

 parts of Africa ; and about a hundred years ago 

 it was sown in Italy. It has ever since been 

 creeping towards the north of Europe, and there 

 are now very large plantations of rice on the 

 banks of the Weser. It is, however, necessary in 

 Germany to use the seed, which has been ripened 



