(457) 
the Leaves being Formed out of the fubftance of the Root, as a 
Chick out of the Albumen 5 in the mean while the whole decrea- 
fing in weight, as in the aforefaid Aloe^^ as 'tis manifeft by man/ 
Experiments made by me. 
Jn ExtraU 
Of a Letter^ mitten hy Mr. Ricliard Towne- 
ley to Dr. Croon ^ touching the Invention 
of Dividing a Foot into many thoufand 
farts^for Mathematical purpofes. 
Finding in one of the laft Philofophical rran- *vid. Numb. 
fa^fions^ how much M, Auzout efteems his In- ^''^' 
vention of dividing a Foot into near 30000 parts^and ta- 
king thereby Angles to a very great exadnefs • I am told, I ftiall be 
. look't upon as a great Wronger of oorNatioa, fliould I not let 
the World know, that I have, out of fome fcatter'd Papers and 
Letters, that formerly came to my hands of a Gentleman of thefe 
Vms^on^Mr. Gafcoigne^ found out, That before our late Civil 
Wars, he had not only devifed an Inftruraent of as great a power^, 
as M. ^^^^»^'s,but had alfo for fome Years made ufe of it , not 
only for taking the Diameters of the Planets, and Diftances upon 
Land 5 but had farther endeavoured;, out of its precifenefs , to ga- 
ther many Certainties in the Heavens > amongft which;, I fhall only 
mention one, <i'i;2:,. The finding the Moons Viftance^tomv^o Ob* 
fervcitions, of her Horizontal and Meridional Diameters: Which 
I the rather mention, becaufe the French Aflronomer efleems him- 
felf the firfl that took any fuch Notice, as thereby to fettle the 
Noons Parallax, For, our Councrey-man fully confider'd it be- 
fore, and imparted it to an Acquaintance of his, who thereupon 
propofed to him the Difficulties that would arife in the Calculation; 
with confiderations upon the ftrange Niceties, neceffary to give 
him a certainty of what he defired. The very Inflrument he fiifl: 
made I have now by me, and two others more perfedied by him 5 
which doubtlefs he would have infinitely mended, had he not been 
ilain unfortunately in His late Majefties Service. He had a Trea^ 
O o o ti[c 
