67 
and Mineralogy. 
cessary for determining the species. By this means he will gain 
an acquaintance with the productions of the mineral kingdom, 
such as to fit him, in a short time, for applying himself with ad- 
vantage to those minerals which are only to be determined me- 
diately. A little practice will soon secure to him the requisite 
experience here also ; and now the means are in his hand of ex- 
tending his acquaintance with the productions of the mineral 
kingdom, in a fundamental, sure, and instructive manner, to 
whatever length he may incline. The few minerals which are 
entirely indeterminable, (and which have been erroneously exalt- 
ed to the rank of separate species,) he must be content to study 
empirically ; and he will have the less reason to complain of 
this, when he reflects, that hitherto few mineralogists ham been 
enabled to gain a knowledge (f the productions of inorganic na^ 
ture., in any other way., than by methods^ whichy though envelop* 
ed in much erudition^ are strictly empirical. 
( To he cmicluded in our next Number.) 
Art. VII . — Account of Mr Robert Bowman of Irthington, 
in Cumberland^ who has completed his 115th year. By Dr 
Barnes. In a Letter to Professor Jameson 
Dear Sir, 
I WAS lately induced by curiosity to visit a remarkable instance 
of longevity, of which I have drawn up the following brief no- 
tice. At my first visit, I was accompanied by two gentlemen, 
and on making inquiry for old Mr Bowman, the name of the 
individual alluded to, the person of whom the inquiry was made, 
very significantly asked, if we meant “ the old man of all I 
have since understood, that this is not an uncommon, and cer- 
tainly a very emphatic, appellation for the old man. You may 
probably think the following account contains too much of the 
physician, and too little of the philosopher, for insertion in the 
* Read before the Wernerian Natural History Society. 
eS 
