THE PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. XI 



of a few literary friends at Oxford, rofe gra- 

 dually to that fplendid zenith, at which a Halley 

 was their fecretaryj and a Newton their prefi- 

 dent. 



Although it is my humble opinion, that, in 

 order to enfure our luccefs and permanence, we 

 muft keep a middle courie> between a languid 

 remiflhefs and an over zealous activity, and that 

 the tree, which you have aufpiciouily planted, 

 will produce fairer bloffoms, and more exquifite 

 fruit, if it be not at flrft expofed to too great a 

 glare of funfhine, yet I take the liberty of fubmit- 

 ting to your con fi deration a few general ideas on 

 the plan of your Society \ alluring you, that, whe- 

 ther you reject or approve them, your correction 

 will give me both pleafure and inftrucrion, as your 

 flattering attentions have already conferred on me 

 the higheft honour. 



It is your delign, I conceive, to take an ample 

 fpace for your learned investigations, bounding 

 them only by the geographical limits of Afia ; lo 

 that confidering Hindaftan as a centre, and turn- 

 ing your eyes in idea to the north, you have on 

 your right many important kingdoms in the eaftern 

 peninfula ; the ancient and wonderful empire of 

 China, with all her Tartarian dependencies ; and 

 that of Japan, with the duller of precious iflands, 

 in which many fmgular curiofities have too long 

 been concealed. Before you lies that prodigious 

 chain of mountains which formerly, perhaps, were 

 a barrier againft the violence of the lea ; and be- 

 yond them the very interesting country of Tibet* 

 and the vaft regions of Tartary, from which, as 



from 



