H I S " 
The third grand department, or Natural Hijlory, has not, 
trill of late years, been much cultivated in this country, 
confequently not much encouraged ; though it is of all 
others the molt pregnant with the feeds- of morality, and 
affords an endlefs variety of l'ubjects whereon the rational 
mind may delight to dwell. Its divifion into three king¬ 
doms, the animal, th z vegetable, and the mineral, has been 
long heard of, but very little ftudied amonglt us. Yet, 
while this (lock of valuable information has been under¬ 
rated in England, its progrels in France, and in various 
parts of Germany, has been ample, and evinces the im¬ 
proved Hate of foreign literature. The example has in¬ 
deed been recently caught by other nations; and literary 
focieties, formed for the purpofe of exploring the paths 
of Nature, and illuftrating the manifold works of creation, 
are rifing up in every poliflied ftate, where philanthropy 
and benevolence have found a place. 
In the conftruction of this Encyclopaedia, great care 
has been taken to preferve an unbroken chain of General 
Hiftory, by connecting, in point of time, the events and 
revolutions of the various countries and empires of the 
world, with thofe which immediately precede and follow, 
under their refpective names in the order of the alphabet; 
and by a retrofpect or reference to which, there is no event 
of importance, either civil or political, but what will be 
found in its proper place; and, we truft, with due cor- 
reClnefs and impartiality.—Thefe are the indifpenfable 
requifites attached to the hiftorian, regulate by a 11 riff 
regard to time, place, and perfon: for Chronology may be • 
deemed the thread of hiftory—Geography the eye—while 
its principal ornaments are furnifhed from Biography. 
See thefe articles,in the prelent work. 
In our elucidation of the fubjefts of Natural Hijtory, 
we have adhered to the fyftem of the great Linnapus ; 
adding to the immenie flock of information furnilhed by 
the illuftrious Swede, all the improvements and difcove- 
ries made and publifhed by Ikilful naturalifts fince his 
time. Thefe will be found amply defcribed, and illuf- 
trated by correfl copper-plate Engravings, under their 
generic titles in the order of the alphabet, as eftablillied 
in the Linnaean claflification ; while the different divilions 
and orders of that claflification, with their refpeflive ge¬ 
nera, may be feen under the articles Mammalia, Orni¬ 
thology, Amphieia, Ichthyology, Entomology, 
and Helminthology, with the appropriate Engravings. 
Many able difquifttions on the conltruflion and im¬ 
portance of civil history, with very forcible remarks on 
the evil tendency of military hiftory, have lately met the 
public eye. M. Volney, in his valuable “ Legons d'HiJloire ,” 
delivered at the Normal fchool in Paris, regards lome 
branches of hiftory, in the ftate we now find them, as the 
moll fruitful fources of prejudice and error to unguarded 
minds 5 particularly thofe which relate to what is termed 
“ the glory of heroic actions,” and “ the wafte of empires 
by the horrors of war.” Thefe are too often dreffed up 
in glowing colours, heightened by fiClion, and directed to 
the paflions, as if the work of human deftiuclion were the 
only criterion of perfection amongft men. He therefore 
guards the lludent againft the empiricifm of hiftorians; and 
recommends, in all cafes-of high colouring, or extraordi¬ 
nary prowels, a great cautiouihefs of belief; oblerving, 
that “ he who believes much, deceives himfelf.” The 
Greeks and Romans, he obferves, actuated by a 1 'pirit of 
proud and intolerant egotil’m, annihilated the books of 
other nations, and deftroyed, as far as they could, every 
teftimony which tended to their own dil'credit. And, in 
fpeaking of the ruin and milery to which the ancient 
conquerors reduced other nations, he remarks, that in 
Dionyfius of Halicarnaffus, in Polybius, and even in Ta¬ 
citus, there will be found no movement of indignation, 
no expreflion of regret, which the picture of lb many hor¬ 
rors as they have tranfmitted to us ought to have ex¬ 
cited. Love of their country was in them a ferocious 
felrilh principle, which fanCtioned hatred to all other 
countries. Tacitus, who is adeemed as one of the rood 
F O II Y. ; .1207 
diipaflionate of the Roman -hiftorians, mentions the de- 
druCtion of fame of t he German nations by wars among 
themfelves, as a piece qf 'good fortune to the Romans; 
and he founds his hopes of iafety to the Roman empire 
on the prcfpeCt of others being exterminated in the fame 
manner. But, befides thefe reafonsfor diftrufting hiftorians, 
it ought ever to be recollected how little they can know of 
political negociations, on which fo many events depend; 
their unavoidable ignorance of many things which they 
boldly afiert as faCts ; and the various motives to partiality, 
by which they are too often influenced. Thefe circum- 
ftances ought all to convince us of the neceffity of reading 
with caution, and of rigidly cxerajing our own judgment. 
This train of reafoning has been lucceftfully followed 
up by Mr. Brilled, in his work, “The Society of Friends,” 
publifhed in 1807, where, treating of the conltruflion of 
Hiftory, he concludes thus: “ It were much to be wifhed, 
that hiftory could be fomewliat diverted from her prefimt 
courfe, into her proper channel; namely, the coniideration 
of the manners and condition of the great mafs of the people 
at different periods of time; marking out the caufes which, 
have retarded or accelerated the progreflive march of the 
human intellect towards a higher degree of perfection ; 
and dwelling more flightly upon the atrocities of thofe 
who wade through (laughter to a throne, and fhut the 
gates of mercy on mankind ; vvhofe iteps are traced in tiie 
blood of myriads of their fellow-creatures ; and whofe 
progrefs is marked only by the defalation of the faired 
provinces of the earth. Thefe horrible tranfaCtions, which 
are a libel on the underftanding and the virtue of man¬ 
kind, fhould be paffed over rapidly, and with exprefiions 
of abhorrence; while our chief attention (hould be di¬ 
rected by the hiftorian to thofe means by which the know¬ 
ledge, the happinefs, and the virtues., of mankind, have 
been augmented and advanced. 
“ But, is this the line of conduCl which hiftorians pur- 
fue ? No. They are continually endeavouring to inftil 
into our minds an admiration and envy of the honour and 
the glory of warlike nations ; that is, in. other words, the 
butchery and murder of mighty empires. Read the hifto- 
ries of Greece, of Rome, of France, or even of England, 
and you will find little elfe but one continued feries of 
bloodfhed and (laughter. And thefe are celebrated by 
their hiftorians as lplendid, brilliant, powerful, nations ; 
but where does the phrafe happy nation occur, in the re¬ 
cords of thefe fages of literature? Happinefs dwelleth 
only in the tents of peace and of virtue : (lie is frightened 
from thofe l’pots where the founding of the clarion to 
battle, and the trampling of armed hoofs, are heard ; where 
the blood-red banner of military defolation is feen to float 
upon the wings of the wind. Where are the hiftorians who 
have been influenced by this hallowed and facred truth ?' 
Have they not been more intent on deferibing battles, and 
victories, and armies, and triumphs ; rather feeking to affix 
the names of great and glorious, than of jujl and good, to 
kingdoms and to empires ? Have they not bequeathed to 
pofterity a mafs of gorgeous mifery, and induitrioufly var- 
niflied over the evils and the horrors of fanguinary and 
tumultuous revolutions? Have they not hidden the de¬ 
formity of vice from our eyes, by throwing over it the 
fplendid names oftcourage, bravery, magnanimity, glory ?” 
With the fame laudable defign of purging from civil 
hiftory this vitiated tafte for aggrandizing themes of he- 
roil’m, and deifying the lavage promoters of deltruCtive 
war, the Rev. G. Walker, F.R.S. in the firft volume (new 
feries) of the Manchefter TranfaCtions, for 1806, has very 
ably expofed the fallacy of its principle, and the evil ten¬ 
dency of its impreiiions upon young and unfortified minds. 
He has latisfaCtorily fliown, that falfe ideas of glory, ex¬ 
cited by hiftorians and poets, have been productive of the 
word confequences, by too much exalting that paftion for 
the “ grand and glorious,” which is more or Id's inherent 
in the human bread; and which has too often influenced, 
the hiftorian to write chiefly to gratify this “ love of dif- 
play.” Yet it would be dilingenuous not to admit the 
z important 
