896 



Microscopical Essays, 



There is no phenomenon in all natural hiftory more aft oni fil- 

 ing than this, that man, at pleasure, mould have a kind of 

 creative power, and out of one life make two, each completely 

 formed with all it's apparatus and functions, each with it's per- 

 ceptions and powers of motion and felf-prefervation, each as 

 complete in all refpecls as that from which it derived it's exist- 

 ence, and equally enjoying the humble gratifications of it's, 

 nature.* 



Mr. Folkes, in confirmation of the foregoing article, commu- 

 nicated to the fociety a letter from C. Bentink, Efq. at the Hague, 

 dated September, dcfcribing the infefts difcovered by Mr. Trem- 

 bley, adding, that he himfelf had feen them. In November 

 ■ a letter was read from Dr. Gronovius, of Leyden, giving an 

 account of a water infect, not yet known to or defcribed by any 

 author ; after defcribing it, he adds, " but what is more furprizing, 

 if this animal is cut into five or fix pieces, in a few hours 

 there will be as many animals, exactly fimilar to their parent.' r 

 The accounts of this animal were fo extraordinary, that they were 

 not credited until Profeffors Albinus and Muffchenbrock were 

 provided with animals, and found all that had been related there- 

 of to be exaclly true. 



November 25, a letter from Cambridge was read at the Royal 

 Society, in which the author endeavours to leflen, by reafon, the 

 t prejudices which then combated the belief of thefe fa&s. " Some 



of our friends, fays the author, who are firmly attached to the 

 general metaphyfical notions they have formerly learned, reafon 



ftrongly 



* Goldfmith's Hiftory of the Earth and Animated Nature, 



