OF NATURAL HISTORY. 13 



the mineral kingdom, Nature ceafes to organize, fhe continues to 

 arrange. 



The regular configuration of falts, cryftals, and other precious 

 ftones, has been confidered by fome authors as the refult of an or- 

 ganic procefs. But the uniform figure of falts and chryftals may be 

 the effe£t of certain laws of attradlion peculiar to each fpecles. 

 None of thefe particles can be regarded as a germ or bud. They 

 are only the elements or conftituent parts, which, when applied to 

 each other, form a whole. They never expand or grow, like the 

 embrios of animals or plants. They remain for ever in the fame 

 ftate without diminution or increafe, except when feparated by 

 force, or magnified by an accumulation of frelh matter. The chry- 

 ftalline juice is not affimulated by veflels : It is prepared by a chy- 

 mical operation of Nature. The bodies of plants and animals are 

 machines, exceedingly elaborate, and more or lefs complicated. 

 Thefe machines, by means of different organs, have the power of 

 converting other animals and vegetables into their own fubftance. 

 By this affimulation, all their dimenfions are increafed ; and their 

 various parts uniformly preferve the fame proportions with regard 

 to each other, and continue to perform their refpedive funflions. 

 Befides, organized bodies not only multiply their fpecies, but fome 

 of them poflefs the power of reproducing fuch parts as are forcibly 

 abftradled from them. 



In thefe and many other qualities common to the animal and ve- 

 getable, there is not the fmalleft analogy to be found in the mineral 

 kingdom. Between the moft regular foffils, as falts and chryftals, 

 and the moft imperfed animal or vegetable, the diftance Is Immenfe. 

 Figured fofllls are not more organized than a column or a portico. 

 In the formation of the former. Nature, in that of the latter, man, 

 is the artift. When no fimilarity Is to be difcovered in thofe fof- 



fils 



