360 Changes of Plants, and Animals, 



object is, entirely, to recommend useful practice. I hold 

 no opinions contrary to those geherally received, as to 

 causes of renovation, or changes, of vegetable, or other 

 productions. As to changes of locality, or substitution, 

 of animals in a state of nature, I never conceived any 

 other mode of supplying the places of those which had 

 been destroyed, or had migrated, than that of other ani- 

 mals roaming, from other quarters, to fill the vacant 

 haunts. If any objectionable opinions are held by others 

 on these subjects, let themhe responsible for their cor- 

 rectness, or futility. There is, certainly, something unac- 

 countable, to persons of common observation, in the 

 facts, both as to timber, plants, and animals; and, for this 

 reason, they were, at first, denied. It is only to preserve 

 tht practical force of them from being lost in contro- 

 versv about causes, that I have troubled the society. 

 If I had considered the case merely personal, I should 

 not have deemed it of sufficient importance to notice. 

 Yet I am charged by some Furnisher, in the employ of 

 the Review-Maker (who, cursorily and acetosely, glides 

 through our first volume) with "impiety" and "unphilo- 

 sophical absurdity ;" and sentiments are attributed to 

 me, which I never held; — to wit, — that ''new and spon- 

 taneous productions are brought into existence^ by a 

 new order of things. "^^ If this scribe means an "order" not 

 warranted by Scripture, and the opinions of wise and 

 good men ; I acknowledge, or believe in, no such new 

 or old, " order of things." 



The arrogance and fastidious prejudices of many of 

 the tvro wTiters of articles in British periodical publi- 



