ON THE STUDY OF 



and their various movements had not altogether 

 escaped observation, though subjected to a fan- 

 ciful arrangement, and to a total ignorance of the 

 principles by which they were regulated ; while 

 the whole face of nature, and many of its phe- 

 nomena, had called forth the most elevated sen- 

 timents that ever graced the human pen. 



But still the knowledge of mankind was ex- 

 tremely limited. The sciences had hardly made 

 one advance towards existence; and a vast variety 

 of the productions of the earth, which since have 

 been converted to the most useful purposes, had 

 not, even in their more simple state, been dis- 

 covered, or at least been rendered applicable 

 to human conveniences. 



As man became more associated, emulation, 

 and a variety of new propensities, would arise, 

 and call forth his exertions to make discoveries 

 of substances that might be rendered subservient 

 to his taste, to his appetite, and to his desire for 

 pre-eminence ; and his wants being more than 

 supplied, his attention would be gradually di- 

 rected to luxuries, and to those improving means 

 of attack and defence which the advancing state 

 of society, and the competition to which it would 

 give rise, might render necessary ; thereby 

 bringing- into use a great variety of natural 

 productions, of the application of which in for- 

 mer times he was totally ignorant. 



As population increased, he would from rie- 



