In occupying the situation of the last 

 gentleman who taught in this place, Sir 

 Everard Home, who has pursued the path of 

 science which Mr. Hunter pointed out, with 

 a considerable talent for observation, and 

 with a degree of zeal and industry, scarcely 

 to be expected from one whose time and at- 

 tention have been otherwise so much en- 

 gaged ; I also, equally with him, feel in- 

 terested in impressing on the minds of 

 my audience, the advantages we have de- 

 rived from the labours of Mr. Hunter, 

 and from pursuing that mode of study 

 and enquiry which he adopted, and in- 

 culcated : and I am desirous on the pre- 

 sent occasion, to engage your attention 

 in the consideration of the probability 

 and rationality of his theory of life. 



The term theory, in philosophical lan- 

 guage, like hypothesis, denotes the most 

 plausible and rational mode of accounting 



