^6d THE PHILOSOPHY 



gies, when the phenomena may be folved upon the princi- 

 ples of found philofophy ? 



The learned Dr. Hope, late Profeflcr of Botany in the 

 Univerfity of Edinburgh, who was a ftrenuous fupporter of 

 Vegetable fexes, thought he had almoft eftablifhed the theo- 

 ry by the following experiment upon the lychnis dioica, of 

 which two varieties are natives of Scotland, the one bearing 

 white, and the other red flowers. The Do6tor, about twelve 

 years ago, raifed a white female and a red male under the 

 fame glafs-bell, which was funk {q far in the foil as to prevent 

 all communication with other vegetables. The bell termi- 

 nated in a tube, which, for the occafional introduction of a 

 little frefh air, was ftufted with mofs. The feeds of the 

 white female were fown next feafon ; and, inftead of \vhite, 

 the plants produced red flowers, in confequence, it was 

 imagined, of the influence of the male upon the female. 

 He likewife aflerted, that the red kind, when left to Nature, 

 never brought forth white flowers, nor the white kind red 

 flowers. 



Upon this experiment we have to remark, 1. That noth- 

 ing is more dangerous, or more fallacious in philofophy, than 

 the aflumption of general pofltions without an accurate in- 

 veftigation. The Doctor advanced, for example, that the 

 red and white lychnis, when in a natural ftate, never change 

 their colours. This pofltion is neither capable of admifiion 

 nor denial ; becaufe no experiment, nor inquiry, feems ever 

 to have been made on the fubjefl: : Yet it is aflumed as a 

 premifc to the ccnclufion, that the change of the white into 

 a red lychnis was occafioned by the influence of the red male 

 upon the white female. 



2. That hybrids, or mules, uniformly participate of both 

 the fpecies or varieties by which they are engendered. A jack- 

 afs and mare never produce a Ample afs or horfe, but a mule, 

 or mixture of the two. It fhould feem, however, that this 



