Chap. III.] Natural II istori/. \\\ 



branch of study commenced, and lins boon ovrr 

 since gradiiaJJy extending itself over the civilised 

 world. 



At an early period of the eighteenth century, 

 many persons were busily employed in collecting 

 and publishing facts in Natural History, especially 

 in Zoology and Botany. Among these the nam*^ 

 of the learned and indefatigable Albert Seba de- 

 serves particular notice. He resided in liollaiid, 

 was intimate with Boerhaave, and compiled hi.s 

 large work on Natural History under the patronage 

 of that eminent naturalist and pliysician. 'Hiis 

 w^ork, under the title of Thesaurus Rcruvi Natiira 

 liuw,y w^as published in 1754, in four vols, folio. 

 But though these inquirers rendered important 

 service to this department of philosophy, it was 

 rather by communicating a knowledge of details, 

 than by enlightened and correct philosophising on 

 the subjects which came before them. Scarcely 

 any thing had been effected, on a great .scale, pre- 

 vious to the appearance of Linuccus, an illustrious 

 Swede, who, by his first publications, in 17^^, giive 

 a new aspect to the whole science, and commenced 

 what has been with much justice styled the " golden 

 age" of Natural History. — Almost every thing that 

 had been done in the great business of Classifica' 

 tion, before his time, was confused, and exceedingly 

 defective; and, in some of the kingdoms of nature, 

 few attempts of the kind had been made. It is 

 not necessary to remind the intelligent reader how 

 much this deficiency must have perplexed and re- 

 tarded the inquirer, at every step of his course. It 

 was reserved for Linnaeus, a man equally distin- 

 guished for the benevolence and piety of liis heart, 



