13 



many important facts, and the still more important discovery 

 which forms the ground-work of my own theory. 



That nature has a decided tendency to the formation of circles, 

 I cannot for one moment doubt. If there be yet doubters on that 

 subject, — if there be yet those who deem the discovery of Mr. 

 MacLeay a mere invention of his own, let them consider the plan 

 of the universe, as established by the celebrated Newton, — let them 

 behold the glorious sun, a circular centre of light and life ; let 

 them observe the circular attendant worlds, which revolve in circles 

 about him, and which are themselves attended by circular moons, 

 whose progression is still in circles : the very days of the year, a 

 varied effect of the same universally operating cause, proclaim 

 the existence of a circle, by lengthening and shortening until 

 they arrive at the very day from which our observations began. 

 These facts, these unquestionable facts, while they beautifully 

 illustrate the existence of circles in the grand primary distri- 

 bution of nature, point quite as decidedly to another conclusion, 

 which it is my aim also to establish — that there is a tendency 

 universally developed, in a greater or less degree, in all minor or 

 less important circles to arrange themselves round major or more 

 important ones. Systematists, although fully allowing the ex- 

 istence of this tendency in this the primary or highest system of 

 nature which human intellect has hitherto been able to grasp ; 

 yet its application in detail to the systematic arrangement of 

 the numerous objects of natural history has hitherto been totally 

 neglected. It can hardly be supposed that the idea has never 

 occurred to any of the illustrious writers who have devoted 

 their time and talents to this interestinsr subject : it has most 

 probably occurred, and been rejected as insupportable. It may 

 perhaps be, that the apparent difficulty of arranging the objects 

 of natural history thus, as it were, in a mass, has operated some- 

 what against the proposal or adoption of a plan like the present ; 

 but if we come to consider the question with the cool deliberation 

 which an inquiry of this kind requires, I trust it will be generally 

 considered that our first object is to discover, if possible, nature's 

 plan ; our second to adapt it to our own artificial ideas. Should 

 the present, or any future scheme, prove incontrovertible, — and 

 incontrovertible the real system of nature must be, whenever 



