XI. TO WALTHAM ABBEY. 



tion of Nature, is, on the contrary, a master- 

 piece of wisdom, and a proof of benevolence 

 of the Deity. What genius must it have 

 required for man to penetrate so far into the 

 secrets of creation ! What accuracy of ob- 



/ 



iervation! What boldness, and even what 

 justness, in his calculations ! What rapki 

 strides have the sciences made since their 

 first introduction ! 



While astronomers scan the most distant 

 limits of the firmament, and each day make 

 new discoveries in those regions where the 

 sight cannot penetrate without the aid of 

 the telescope, other men of science traverse 

 the earth, examine its surface, and explore 

 its interior, in order to study the minerals 

 which it contains, class the different groups 

 of animals which inhabit it, separate those 

 of the air from those of the water, those or- 

 ganized nearly like ourselves, from others ha- 

 ving only an incomplete organization, endea 

 vour to discover the characters and properties 

 of plants, to determine the manner in which 

 they ought to be classed, analyze natural 



