PREFACE. 



EVERY Preface, befide occafional or explanatory 

 remarks, fliould contain not only the general 

 defign of the work, but the motives and circumftan- 

 ces which induced the author to write upon that par- 

 ticular fubjed. If this plan had been univerfally obfer- 

 ved, prefaces would have exhibited a fliort, but a cu- 

 rious and ufeful, hiftory both of literature and of au- 

 thors. Influenced by this idea, I Ihall give a very 

 compendious account of the origin, defign, and pro- 

 grefs of the following Avork. 



About fifteen years ago, in a converfation with the 

 late worthy, refpe6lable, and ingenious Lord Kajies, 

 upon the too general negledl of natural knowledge, 

 his Lordfhip fuggefled the idea of ccmpofing a book 

 on the Philosophy of Natural History. In 

 a work of this kind, he propofed that the produclions . 

 of Nature, which to us are almoll infinite, fliould, in- 



ftcad 



