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SCIENCE 



[Vol. LV, No. 1414 



these times much hope to see it) that one college 

 in each University were erected, and appropriated 

 to this study, as well as there are to Medicine, 

 and the Civil Law. There would be no need of 

 making a body of scholars and fellows, with cer- 

 tain endowments as in other colleges. It would 

 sufSce, if after the manner of Halls in Oxford, 

 there were only four professors constituted (for 

 it would be too much work for only one Master, 

 or principal as they call him there) to teach these 

 four parts of it. First Aration, and all things 

 relating to it. Second, Pasturage. Thirdly, 

 Gardens, Orchards, Vineyards, and Woods. 

 Fourthly, All parts of Eural (Economy, which 

 would contain the government of Bees, Swine, 

 Poultry, Decoys, Ponds, etc., and all that which 

 Varro calls Villaticas Pastiones, together with 

 the sports of the field and the Domestical Con- 

 servation and uses of all that is brought in by 

 Industry abroad. The business of these Profes- 

 rsors should be ... to instruct their pupils in 

 -the whole method and course of this study, which 

 anight be run through perhaps with diligence in a 

 ^ear or two. 



The above essay was written about the year 

 1659 to 1665, and it is very interesting to note 

 that till more than a century after, in 1796, 

 was a Department of Rural Economy organ- 

 ized at Oxford, and Professor John Sibforth 

 elected to be the first head of the department. 

 We do not find references to agricultural col- 

 leges again, however, till the beginning of the 

 nineteenth century. It will therefore be ob- 

 served that Cowley was distinctly in advance 

 of his times. Bacon had suggested schools for 

 experimental research, but did not suggest the 

 idea of an agricultural college. We do unques- 

 tionably notice Bacon's influence on Cowley in 

 many respects, and especially in his "Proposi- 

 tion for the Advancement of Experimental 

 Philosophy." In the organization of the 

 Royal Society in 1662, Cowley evidently saw a 

 partial realization of his philosophy as out- 

 lined in the "Proposition," and he became one 

 of the original members of the society. 



Heretofore we have known Cowley the poet 

 and Cowley the essayist, but he has not before 

 been known as Cowley the scientist, and 

 Cowley the educator. A modern critic has 

 said of him that he had "delicacy of feeling 

 and unfeigned enthusiasm for the nobler and 

 purer joys of life, for great literature, friend- 

 ship, science, and natm-e." In this fair esti- 



mate by Dr. Gough, we have Cowley the 

 scientist, as well as the poet and essayist. 



In reviewing the early agricultural literature, 

 I find references to a "CoUedge of Experi- 

 ments," by Gabriel Plattes in 1639, and "An 

 Essay for Advancement of Husbandry Learn- 

 ing: or Proposition for the erecting Colledge 

 of Husbandry, etc.," by Samuel Hartlib in 

 1651. In this last the writer had no such clear 

 conception of the proposition as Cowley had. 

 Adolphus Speed in his essay "Adam out of 

 Eden," 1659, suggests "Diverse excellent Ex- 

 periments Touching the Advancement of Hus- 

 bandry." 



If the readers of Science have more de- 

 tailed information on this matter I should 

 like them to offer it to the public through 

 these columns. A study of these books on 

 English husbandry has renewed my interest in 

 Cato, Varro and Columella on Ancient Hus- 

 bandry, and I, for one, would like to see these 

 valuable treatises on agriculture brought out 

 in such a series as the Loeb Classical Library. 



R. J. H. DeLoach 

 The Aemour Corpobations, 

 Chicago 



THE LOST FOXHALL JAW; ROBERT 



HANHAM COLLYER 

 Since the note concerning Dr. Collyer print- 

 ed in the issue of Science for January 20 was 

 written, the records of the Berkshire Medical 

 College have been searched and they indicate 

 that Dr. Collyer was not of American birth, as 

 supposed by Mr. J. Reid Moir and the writer, 

 but of English birth, inasmuch as the registra- 

 tion entry is: "To the President and Profes- 

 sors of the Berkshire Medical College. This 

 Thesis [on the Progression of Animal Life] is 

 respectfully dedicated by R. H. Collyer, A.B. — 

 of the Isle of Jersey, British Channel, Pitts- 

 field, Massachusetts, November 1st, 1839."" 

 This registration renders it unlikely that 

 further records of Dr. Collyer himself will be 

 found in the United States. Mr. Moir is now 

 searching the British university records, also 

 the records of the Isle of Jersey. In the forth- 

 coming niunber of Natural History (Novem- 

 ber-December) appears a full account of Dr. 

 CoUyer's discovery. 



Henet Faiepield Osboen 

 Januabt 16, 1922 



