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It is formed of the successive apposition of different 

 molecules, which, by uniting together under certain re- 

 lations, determine its figure. The plant is a body truly 

 organized, which of itself works the molecules, destined 

 to incorporate themselves with its substance, and to ex- 

 tend it every way, and contains little bodies resembling 

 it, which it nourishes, causes to expand themselves, 

 and by means of which it multiplies its being : nature 

 then seems to make a great chasm in passing from the 

 vegetable to the fossil, &c. There are no bands, 

 no links, hitherto known to us, which unite the vegeta- 

 ble to the mineral kingdom. But shall we form our 

 judgment of the chain of beings by our present degrees 

 of knowledge? Because we here and there discover in it 

 some interruptions, some void spaces, shall we conclude 

 from thence that they are real 7 Shall we imagine that a 

 comet has split the scale of our world, and destroyed the 

 harmony of it 7 We are only beginning to survey the 

 vast cabinets of nature ; and amongst that innumerable 

 multitude of various productions which she has as- 

 sembled, how many are there which we have not so 

 much as seen, and can frame no idea of their existence] 

 Shall we hasten to decide concerning the result of these 

 productions before we have examined them all, or 

 formed an exact list of them 7 The vacancy we suppose 

 left between the vegetable and mineral, will in all pro- 

 bability be one day supplied. There was a similar void 

 betwixt the animal and vegetable : the polypus now fills 

 it up, and sets in a conspicuous light the admirable gra- 

 dation there is among all beings. It is true we cannot 

 form any mean idea betwixt the plant and the fossil ; 

 we do not imagine there is any shadowing between 

 growth and apposition ; but had we formed any con- 

 ception of the properties of the polypus ? If those 

 marine productions, which have been called stony 

 plants, were real plants, they were in some measure one 

 of the links requisite for uniting the vegetable to the 

 mineral kingdom ; but late discoveries have informed 

 us, that these pretended plants are oisly works of certain 

 polypuses, that have the art of cou&iructiug cases for 



