& LETTER 1. j 



It is indeed, my dear Sir, a singular pleasure to 

 me to coincide with the dictates of your own under- 

 standing in recommending to your attention a science 

 which I perceive that you now think, and am con- 

 vinced that you will soon find, not less agreeable to 

 study, than important to know. A knowledge of na- 

 tural history has always been esteemed an elegant 

 accomplishment in a gentleman, as well as necessary 

 to the philosopher, and, indeed, it is useful to^every 

 one, whatever his station in life may be. 



Natural history, or natural philosophy, considered 

 in its full extent, takes in an immense circuit, and 

 comprises an innumerable variety of objects'. Its 

 range is indeed as wide as the universe itself; and it 

 exhibits to our view all the various forms of animate 

 and inanimate matter ; or, in other words, all the ob- 

 jects that have or have riot life, of xvhich the world is 

 composed. It describes the structure of the universe : 

 the motions, magnitudes and relative distances of the 

 planets belonging to the solar system, and their dis- 

 tance from the sun, their" common centre round which 

 they make their ceaseless revolutions. It then des- 

 cends to the description of this globe which we in- 

 habit, and which is called the earth, and exhibits to 

 our contemplation its pavts and productions from the 

 greatest to the smallest objects. The beasts of the 

 earth, the fishes of the sea, the fowls of the air, the 

 various trees, plants and flowers that diversify the 

 landscape with an endless variety, all come within 

 the limits of natural history. More need not be said 

 to convince you that such a study must be exceed- 

 ingly interesting and agreeable. Every day you will 

 discover new objects of ^attention ; every excursion 

 will present to your view a variety of scenes beautiful 

 or sublime : at home or abroad, in your closet or in 

 the field, you will possess in your mind a resource 

 against ennui : you will never be at a loss for expe- 

 dients for passing your time, not to be driven to seek 

 amusement in the insipidity of the card-table, or the 

 senseless roar of Bacchanalian revels. 



The sciences which have for their objectthe invei- 



