32 CLINTON'S 



But it is time to stop these intimations, already too desultory and 

 minute ; and we shall make a few general observations which are inti- 

 mately connected with the flourishing condition of natural knowledge. 



1. The establishment and encouragement of cabinets of natural history 

 are essential to the promotion of this interesting science. Soudder's 

 .Museum iu tills city and J Vale's in Philadelphia, are invaluable institu- 

 tions deserving private and public patronage. 



2. Statistical inquiries ought to be prepared and circulated in every 

 town ; eliciting information on every subject connected with the natural 

 history, geography, agriculture, commerce, and manufactures of the state. 

 An excellent specimen of statistical questions may be seen in the Transac- 

 tions of the Academy of Arts and Sciences of Connecticut. Dr. Dwight's 

 account of New-Haven is a model for writers, on this interesting branch 

 of knowledge, to imitate. 



3. Inquiries ought to be prepared and transmitted to different parts of 

 the world, with a view of obtaining intelligence on ail important subjects 

 relative to science and literature. Specimens of this mode of accumula- 

 ting useful facts may be found in the Transactions of the Royal Society 

 f London : That learned body adopted this plan at their first establish- 

 ment. Our Agricultural Society, in 1793, proposed to the chamber of 

 commerce that standing instructions should be given by the merchants 

 to the captains of vessels sailing to Africa, Asia, and the north of Europe, 

 and the southern and western parts of America, to collect information 

 respecting husbandry ; and the chamber of commerce recommended the 

 measure ; but it is believed that no beneficial result has accrued. 



4. Men of observation and science ought to be employed to explore 

 or.r country with a view to its geology, mineralogy, botany, zoology, and 

 agriculture. They ought not only to examine with their own eyes, but 

 to avail themselves of local information to be derived from intelligent 

 men in every part of the state. By these means a mass of valuable and 

 authentic information may be obtained which can, iu most cases, be 

 acquired in no other way. 



The celebrated Linnaeus often expressed a wish to visit America, in 

 order to explore its vegetable productions. His disciple, Kalm, travelled 

 through this country in 1748, for that purpose. Since the revolutionary 

 war several european princes have sent scientific men here to make col- 

 lections and observations on our natural history. The Michaux, father 

 and son, have thrown great light upon our botany by their inestimable 

 labours. The elder of them published a treatise on the oaks of America, 

 wherein he describes twenty-nine, species and varieties : the younger, 

 who, with much ability, edited and published, in 183, the Flora Boreaii 

 Americana, chiefly the result of his father'* investigations, has also lately 

 completed, at Paris, the Histoire des Arbrr-s Forestiers de L'Ameriqiie 

 Septentrionale, in three volumes. In this work F. Andre Michaux has 

 considered our forest trees more particularly as subsf rvient to commerce 

 aad the arts. The respective performance* of these distinguished and 



