K; modern history 



under the penalty of being thrown Into the burning fiery 

 furnace of offended national pride. 



At the first institution of the French Royal Academy of 

 Sciences, towards the middle of the century before the last, 

 8ome of its members occupied themselves with the very 

 useful undertaking of observing and dissecting several ani- 

 mals, of describing and illustrating tliem by figures. The 

 value of their labocirs is sufViciently attested by their having 

 been several times republished in various forms, and trans- 

 lated into Latinj English, and other languages. Being 

 drawn entirely from observation^ their histories will ever 

 possess the value inseparable from faithful delineations of 

 nature. They have described forty-seven animals, and re- 

 presented their external figure and internal structure, in 

 ninety folio plates. As examples of their knowledge, it will 

 be sufiicient to mention, that you will find in their work an 

 account of the cells in the camel's stomacli, which hold the 

 ^vater — a point of structure and economy so strikingly suited 

 to the parched and sandy regions of Asia and Africa, which 

 these animals inhabit : all communication and commerce 

 across these extensive wastes would be impossible without 

 a race of animals possessing that power of bearing the pri- 

 vation of water, which this structure confers. Tliey de- 

 scribe the air-cells and the gastric glands of birds ; and the 

 curious meclianism of the membrana nictitans, or third eye- 

 lid. Of many animals we know little. more, to the present 

 day, than what they have told us. 



When we consider that the Royal Academy of Sciences, 

 to whose members we owe these s})lendid and useful labours, 

 was founded by Louis XiV. and his minister Colbert ; 

 when we re^vlew tlie long list of illustrious names which 

 adorn the annals of that body ; and bring together the 

 almost numberless accessions to every branch of science, 

 wl\ich have been the fruit of their exertions through the 

 reign of their despotic founder, and his no less despotic 

 successors down to the present time : — we are reluctantly 

 compelled to acknowledi];e, that the encouragement of this 

 branch of human knowledge (the sciences) is not confined 



