Destiny.” 
Obituary of Dr Samuel George Morton. 337 
the shaded portions of the circles included within the great circle of 
the system. of nature representing the maxima of development of 
generic ideas, and the dotted area, z, the region of their minimum 
productions. 
In venturing on a speculation of this kind I am aware that it is 
subject to much misrepresentation and liable to be misunderstood; the 
more so since the suggestion must precede the demonstration. At 
present it can scarcely be received as more than a suggestion ; one 
put forth as worthy of consideration. But in issuing it I do so keep- 
ing in view a vast number of individual facts, and base it upon the 
results of investigations of no small extent. To lay these before the 
scientific world in detailed and tabulated shape will be the work of 
more leisure than can at present be given to the task. In the hope 
of acquiring fresh data for this investigation, I, rashly as some may 
think, make public this hypothesis. That it is the only one of its 
class which holds out a prospect of eliminating the germs of truth 
contained in the conflicting theories at present more or less in vogue, 
and the only one with which the presence of species of any group of 
organized beings at any geological epoch will not disagree, are surely 
considerations that should secure for it a friendly reception. If it 
be as true, as I believe it to be, then the truth that it contains is 
most important ; if it prove in the end to be a misinterpretation, it 
will at least have served the good purpose of stimulating inquiry in 
a fresh direction.—( Proceedings of the Royal Institution, London.) 
~ Obituary of Dr Samuel George Morton. 
America has sustained a very great loss from the death 
of the learned and highly accomplished Dr Morton. He be- 
longed to the Society of Friends. His school education 
he complained much of. He had an early passion for poeti- 
eal reading and composition—and many of his verses are 
considerably above mediocrity—for example, his “ Spirit of 
“Spirit of Light! thou glance divine, 
Of Heaven’s immortal fire, 
I kneel before thy hallowed shrine, 
To worship and admire. 
I cannot trace thy glorious flight, 
Nor dream where thou dost dwell ; 
Yet canst thou guard my steps aright, 
By thine unearthly spell. 
VOL. LVII. NO. C(XIV.—OCTOBER 1854. Yy 
