004 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1748. 



neighbourhood. This date had always hitherto been read 1182, the first two 

 figures, as they are seen from the ground, having both the appearance of a one ; 

 with this difference only, that the second seems pretty much thicker than the 

 first. And this led Mr. W. on viewing it in that situation to suspect it might 

 be a 3, like that in the Cambridge date, published in the Philosophical Trans- 

 actions, N° 474. And accordingly having by means of a long ladder an oppor- 

 tunity of going up to it, he found on a near inspection, that it was really so, as 

 he had apprehended. For the small curves in the second figure being filled up 

 with moss gave it the appearance of a broad and straight line, when seen at a 

 considerable distance. The house, where this date remains, is by tradition said 

 to have belonged anciently to a knight templer; but however that might be, the 

 date must have been placed there long afterwards; as that order of knights was 

 destroyed on the 7th of January, in the year 1307. 



j4 Summary of some Observations on the Generation, Composition, and Decom- 

 position of Animal and Vegetable Substances. By Mr. Turberville Needham, 

 F.R.S. 'n°690, p. 615. 



After a review of the hypotheses entertained by different philosophers on the 

 subject of generation, Mr. N. proceeds to give an account of experiments made 

 by Mr. de Buffon and himself, on seed infusions. The first 4 infusions, among 

 them one of almond-germs carefully picked out from between the two lobes and 

 kernel, he mixed up at his own lodgings, and then closed them in phials with 

 corks. The observations that occurred, were, first, a separation or digestion of 

 the parts of these substances, and a continual flying off of the most volatile. 

 These offuscated his glasses at every instant, and, according to the mixtures, 

 yielded a fetid or an agi'eeable odour ; particularly that of the almond-germs, one 

 strongly spirituous. Eight days after they had been infused, he began to per- 

 ceive a languid motion in some of the seed particles, that before seemed dead; 

 such as gave him encouragement to prosecute his inquiry. It was visible, that 

 the motion, though it had then no one characteristic of spontaneity, yet spnmg 

 from an effort of something teeming as it were within the particle, and not from 

 any fermentation in the liquid, or other extraneous cause. A distinct atom 

 would often detach itself from others of the same or less dimensions; and while 

 these others remained absolutely unmoved, advance progressively for the space of 

 8 or 10 of its own diameters, or move in a little orbit, then fall off languid, rest 

 between 2 others, and detach itself again and again, with a continuation of the 

 same phenomena. The consequences of these were obvious, the motion was 

 not spontaneous; for these atoms avoided no obstacle, nor had any other cha- 

 racteristic of spontaneity. It was not from any commotion in the fluid, fer- 

 mentation, or the flying off of volatile parts ; because a large atom would fre- 



