2 20 Of Change of Species. Chap. XIV. 



There are, doubtlefs, more than a Million of Sorts 

 of Plants, all of which would have taken up the 

 Water, and had each as much Right to its Share, or 

 proper Matter in it, as the Doctor's Plants had ; and 

 then there would be but a very fmall (or- a Millionth) 

 Part of it proper to each of his Plants: And thefe 

 leaving all the reft behind, both of the Water where- 

 with the Giafles at firft were filled, when the Plants 

 were put into them •, and alfo of all the additional 

 Water daily fupply'd into them afterwards; I fay, fo 

 much more terreftrial Matter brought into thefe 

 Giafles, in Proportion to the added Water, and fo 

 very fmall a Part as could be proper to each ofjiis 

 plants being carried oft; there muft have rernain'd in 

 thefe Giafles a much greater Quantity of terreftrial 

 Matter at the End of the Experiment, than remained 

 in the Giafles F or G, which had no Plants in them, 

 nor any Water added to, or diminifhed from them ; 

 but the quite contrary appear'd. 6 An :! the Water in 



* the Giafles F and G, at the End of the Experiment, 

 6 exhibited a larger Quantity of terreftrial Matter, 



* than any of thole that had Plants in them did. The 

 c Sediment at the Bottom of the Giafles was greater, 



* and the Nubecula diffufed thro' the Body of the 



* Water thicker.' Had the Cataputia infum'd, with 

 the Two thoufand Five hundred and One Grains of 

 Water, no more than its proper Share of the vegeta- 

 ble Matter, it could not have attained thence an In- 

 creafe of Three Grains and a Quarter, nor even the 

 Thoufandth Part of One Grain. But he found ' this 

 4 terreftrial Matter, contained in all Water, to be of 



* Two Kinds : The one properly, a vegetable Matter, 

 1 but confifting of very different Particles ; fome of 

 c which are proper for the Nourifhment of fome 



* kind of Plants, others for different Sorts, 5 &c. 

 This, indeed, would havebeenamoft wonderful 



Difcovery, and might have given us a great Light, 

 if he had told us in what Language and Character 



thefe 



