PREFACE. a3 
his abilities, Sir John Sinclair was kind enough 
to lay it before the Highland Society, who 
were fo good as to honour him with one of 
their higheft premiums, for his unremitting 
and fuccefsful attention, during a period of no 
lefs than 26 years, in acquiring a knowledge 
‘of the operations of bees ; and for the various 
difcoveries made by him, tending to multiply 
the number of hives, and quantity of honey 
and wax in this kingdom, contained in his 
communications to the fociety, and now laid 
before the public, in this treatife. 
This encouragement led the author to hope, 
that his plan might turn out to be generally a- 
dopted, if once univerfally known. THe there- 
fore diftributed fubfcription papers, in order 
to try the minds of the public in general; 
and in doing this, his fuccefs far exceeded his 
moft fanguine expectations; for he fcarcely 
met with one in an hundred, who did not ap- 
prove of his plan; as will appear from the 
refpectable lift of fubfcriptions prefixed to this 
work, and which might have been rendered 
‘greatly more numerous, if the author’s time 
nd other avocations had permitted him to 
circulate his propofals more generally. 
b The 
