138 THE AQUARIAN NATURALIST. 



and spectacles into the air; and could he but have 

 added, " they will have aquaria wherein to keep them 

 alive," his well-powdered peruke would, as we may 

 imagine, have speedily followed them in his frantic 

 exultation. 



It is wonderful with what difficulty the plainest 

 truths are admitted by those whose minds are pre- 

 judiced against them. The researches of Peyssonnel 

 and the enthusiasm of Jussieu met with a reception 

 equally repulsive among their contemporaries, at least 

 in this country, and the mineral theory still found 

 advocates. Even in the year 1753 we find no less 

 a personage than Henry Baker, the author of the 

 celebrated work, " Employment for the Microscope," 

 gravely writing as follows : 



"The rocks in the sea on which these corals are 

 produced are undoubtedly replete with mineral salts, 

 some whereof, near their surface, being dissolved by 

 the sea-water, must consequently saturate with their 

 saline particles the water around them to a small 

 distance, where, blending with the stony matter with 

 which sea- water always abounds, little masses will be 

 constituted here and there, and attached to the rocks. 

 Such adhering masses may be termed roots, which 

 roots attracting the saline and stony particles accord- 

 ing to certain laws in nature, may produce branched 

 or other figures, and increase gradually by apposition 

 of particles, becoming thicker near the bottom, where 

 the saline matter is more abounding, but tapering or 

 diminishing towards the extremities, where the mine- 

 ral salts must be fewer in proportion to their distance 

 from the rock whence they originally proceed ; and 



