INTRODUCTION. 9 



truths of Revelation may be understood by man, 

 though man may know what God has done, in order 

 that man may enjoy everlasting happiness, yet, without a 

 careful study of the works of God, man cannot be so 

 impressed with the exalted nature of that Being, as to 

 estimate the astonishing goodness which condescended 

 to notice one so low. 



Were it at all necessary, it would be easy to multi- 

 ply proofs of the neglect of the study of Nature, and 

 illustrations of the loss, both in pleasure and profit, 

 which society suffers through that neglect; but it 

 is always a much easier matter to point out a fault, 

 than to show how that fault is to be corrected. It 

 does not appear that the fault is altogether in society, 

 at least not directly ; for whenever a work on 

 natural subjects appears in a form intelligible to the 

 public, it is sought after and read with more avidity 

 than any other publication, so strong is the bias to 

 know something of the phenomena around us, that 

 we restrain it with reluctance even under the most 

 untoward circumstances. 



One discouragement, and that of a very inveterate 

 nature, arises from the form and nomenclature of 

 the modern systems. Nature herself does not speak 

 in an unknown tongue ; and therefore a plain man 

 pauses when he finds the objects with which he is 

 most familiar, named and described in a language 

 different from that which he himself speaks. On the 

 other hand, as these names and descriptions are 

 familiar to the learned of all countries, they save a 

 little trouble to them. But while, by this means, the 

 progress of a few of the more profound and systematic 



