100 APPENDIX. 



system in the three classes of oviparous animals, he had sent a 

 letter, which was read before the Royal Society, and was to be 

 shown to everybody. In this letter he asserted that he had 

 discovered the lacteals in a turtle about four years ago, and 

 in birds and fishes eight years ago, and that he even mentioned 

 these discoveries to others." These assertions (I added) were 

 construed a claim to the discoveries I had made. With this letter 

 I likewise sent him a copy of mine, which had been read before 

 the Royal Society. By these means I thought I should either 

 keep him to the subject in question, or, if he should again wander, 

 the reader would be convinced it was not my fault, but his own, 

 that he now knew not what he had then asserted. 



This letter, however, had no effect. I therefore wrote to 

 him again, hoping he might now be convinced that his claim 

 was ill-founded, and might therefore be induced to retract it, 

 instead of obliging me to prove to the world its invalidity. 

 The following is a copy of the letter which I sent him on that 

 occasion : 



SIR, It is now above six weeks since I wrote to you, de- 

 siring an explanation of your letter of the 8th of June. As 

 you have not given me that explanation, I have now taken up 

 the pen to inform you, that agreeably to your own desire, and 

 in order to justify my conduct towards you, I am commenting 

 upon that letter which you sent me. My comment would be 

 more to the purpose, were I always sure I understood you, but 

 if that satisfaction should still be denied me, I must proceed 

 as well as I can, and I must say, that if I should mistake your 

 meaning, it will not be wilfully, since you might, by an 

 answer, have cleared up all ambiguity. I cannot help regret- 

 ting that this dispute should subsist between us, both on my 

 own account, as I think it hard to have the trouble of proving 

 my right to discoveries which are certainly my own, par- 

 ticularly as it takes up that time which I hoped to employ to 

 a better purpose ; and I likewise regret it on yours, since, in 

 order to maintain my right, I shall be under the necessity of 

 producing some facts and testimonies, which, in my opinion, 

 cannot but lead to conclusions very unfavorable to your repu- 

 tation. And as I should be sorry that one of my first at- 

 tempts to lay the foundation of my own character, should be 

 attended with circumstances which may hurt yours, and really 



