OF NATURAL HISTORY. 191 



6. Sight united ivith Smell, Hearing, and Tajle. 



This union would augment our ftatue's mode of exiftence, extend 

 tlie chain of his ideas, and multiply the objefts of his attention, of 

 his defires, and of his enjoyments. But he would ftill continue to 

 perceive himfelf alone, and could have no idea of external objedls. 

 He would fee, fniell, tafte, and hear, without knowing that he had 

 eyes, nofe, mouth, or ears, nor even that he had a body. With the 

 fame colour before his eyes, if a fucceffion of fmells, favours, and 

 founds, were prefented to him, he would confider himfelf as a co- 

 lour fucceffively odoriferous, favoury, and fonorous. If the fame 

 odour were conftantly prefent with him, he would confider himfelf 

 as a favoury, fonorous, and coloured odour. 



7. Of Touching alone. 



The fmalleft degree of fentiment, or feeling, which a man limited 

 to the fenfe of touching could have, would arife from the adion of 

 different parts of the body, and particularly from the motion of re- 

 fpiration. This the Abbe calls the fundamental fentiment, becaufe 

 with it life commences. As foon as this fundamental fentiment has 

 undergone any change, the ftatue is confcious of his own exiftence. 

 When not ftruck by any external body, and placed in a temperate 

 tranquil air, of an equal degree of heat, he would only recognife his 

 exiftence by the confufed Impreffion refulting from the motion of 

 refpiration. He cannot diftinguifh the different parts of his body, 

 and confequently has no idea of extenfion. Different feelings per- 

 ceived at the fame time convey a confufed fenfation only. But, when 

 beat and cold are felt in fucceffion, he diftinguifhes them, and re- 

 tains 



