Mr. Butler's Discourse. 175 



by their creation. And the scientific enquirer is continually 

 discovering new uses to which the most common of the brute 

 creation, whilst in life, or portions of them afterwards, may be 

 made subservient. 



A striking illustration of the truth of these remarks, is fur- 

 nished in the natural history of the cow. This valuable ani- 

 mal is associated with our earliest impressions ; with our no- 

 tions of pastoral life, and of polished society ; with the sim- 

 plest of diets, the most useful of oils, and the most delicate of 

 luxuries ; with benefits and uses the most constant, extensive 

 and important. Long, therefore, had her merits been cele- 

 brated ; the mythology of the ancient world and the natural 

 history of the moderns, had done homage to her character and 

 qualities ; yet no one had imagined that the very infirmities 

 of her nature, were to become the instruments, in the hands of 

 science, of arresting the progress of the most fatal scourge 

 which ever visited mankind. Such however is the fact ; and 

 "to the last syllable of recorded time," the fame of Jennek. 

 will stand connected with the glory of science, and the wel- 

 fare of the human race ! 



It would be easy to multiply examples of this sort, and to 

 show from them, how every part of natural history bears on 

 other sciences ; on the arts of life ; and on the happiness of 

 the social state. 



But I pass from these considerations, on which the occasion 

 will not permit me to dwell, to remind you of the intimate 

 connexion of natural history, with some of the most important 

 questions of morals. The earth and its contents ; the produc- 

 tions, infinite in number, variety and usefulness, which succes- 

 sively spring up to sustain the existence, and to gratify the 

 senses of its inhabitants; the myriads of living things which 

 teem in every element; the adaptation of each in form and 



combine 10 furnish such convincing proofs of design, wisdom 

 and goodness, that this study alone, would be sufficient to res- 

 cue mankind from the insanity of atheism. Well therefore 

 may we assign to it a high rank in the scale of intellectual 

 pursuits, and richly does it deserve the patronage of all who 

 would promote the well-being of our race. 



