[ 14 3 
44 and inconfiflant with the nature of things!) that I 
44 may become an intelligent fpirit, void of grofs 
44 matter, gravity and levity, endowed with a vo« 
44 hintary motive power, either to pierce infinitely 
44 into boundlefs etherial (pace, or into folid bodies; 
44 to fee and know, how the parts of the great Uni- 
44 verfe are connected with each other, and by what 
44 amazing mechanifm they are put and kept in re- 
44 gular, and perpetual motion. But, oh vain and 
44 daring prefiimption of thought! I mofl humbly 
44 flibmit my future exigence to the fupreme will of 
44 the one omnipotent!” 
He communicated iorne papers upon natural lililo- 
ry to the Philofophical Tranfaclions, and other pe¬ 
riodical publications. And in the prefaces and in¬ 
troductions to many of his volumes, are contained 
fome curious and ingenious efTays on different fub- 
jeCis of natural hiflory, and other mifcellariious Tub- 
jeClsp like wife a brief and general idea of drawing 
and painting in water colours, with inftruCtions' for 
etching on copper plates, and reflexions on the paf* 
fage of birds. Which efTays, &c. fince the comple¬ 
tion of his works, have been leleCted and publifhed 
in one-volume octavo. 
Some 
