[ 4 ! ] 
At this time Lord Shelburne prefented the largeft 
of the American tufks, and the jaw-bone, and fome 
grinders, to the Britilh Mufaeum ; and his Lordlhip 
did me the honour to fend me the fmaller tufk, and 
two grinders. 
I went to four of the principal workers and dealers 
in ivory, with whom I faw and examined many 
hundreds of elephants teeth. Though they all allured 
me, that the real elephants teeth have often a fpiral 
twill, like a cow’s horn ; they could not fhew me 
one tooth fo twilled, in all their collections, at the 
time when I vilited them. Three of them did me 
the favour to come to my houfej and they gave it as 
their opinion, that my two American tufks were 
genuine elephants teeth. One of them was even 
pofitive that they were African, teeth. Another 
worker in ivory cut through that tufk which Lord 
Shelburne gave me. It proved to be found on the 
infide. He allured me, that it was true elephantine 
ivory ; and that workers in ivory could readily dilfin- 
guifh the genuine, by its grain and texture, irom all 
other bony fubllances whatever. He polilhed it * 
we compared it with other pieces of genuine ivory j 
and indeed they appeared to be perfectly limiiar. 
His opinion was afterwards confirmed by another ex- 
perienced worker in ivory. Yet their opinion, and 
what I faw with my own eyes, convinced me of this faCt 
only, viz. that true or genuine ivory is the production 
of two different animals; and not of the elephant 
alone. 
Having thus collected all the materials to which I 
could have accefs, I carefully read what the French 
Academicians Meffrs. Buffon and Daubenton have 
written on this queltion, in the Hifloire Naturelle , 
Vol. LVI1I. - G ' Tom. 
