270 
times and places pointed out, but which 
the academical occupations of SPaLLAN- 
zAN1 forced him to give up to others. 
SPALLANZANI followed the progrefs of 
the French chemifiry with much fatisfac- 
tion, nor was he long before he adepted 
it; it was calculated for a juft conception 
like his, delighting te give ah account of 
every phenomenon he obferved. The fo- 
lidity of principles in this new doétrine, 
the precifion in its way of proceeding, the 
elegance of its interpretation, the generality 
of its confequences, prefently replaced in 
his mind the hefitations and the obfcuri- 
ties of the ancient chemiftry ; and his 
heart anticipated with pleature the tri- 
umphs -that it was about to cbtain. I 
-cannot but call to mind that, when Gott- 
ling hac publifhed his Experiments upon 
the Combuftion of Phofpherus in Azote, 
i wrote the refults of them to SPALL AN- 
ZANI, and my doubts upon their truth ; 
he was at firft furprized ; but, as his fa- 
vourite ideas had been attacked, he was 
defirous of putting to the proot, the temper 
of the darts aimed at them ; he therefore 
publithed in the sth year of the Republic, 
his Chemico efame degl efperimente del 
Signore Gottling, profeffore a Iena, where 
he refuted the conclufions of this chemift, 
by wholly over-turning the faéts which 
had given rife to them. 
In 1791, SPALLANZANI publifhed. a 
letter addrefled to profeffor Fortis, upon 
the Pennet Hydrofcope; he there relates 
the experiments which he had directed to 
be mace for alcertaining the degree of 
cenfidence whica might be allowed to the 
fingular talents of this man; but he in- 
genuoufly confeffes, that he is not decided 
upon the reality of the phenomenon. 
SPALLANZANI has often difcovered that 
which might have been deemed impoffible. 
Yn. the 2d year of the Republic he made 
a difcovery of this nature, whicn he pub- 
blifhed in his Lettere fopra il fojpetio d'un 
nuovo finfo nei Pipifirelli; we therein Jearn 
that the bats, if blinded, act in every 
refpeét with the fame preciiion as thofe 
which have their eyes; that they in the 
fame manner avoid the moft trifling ob- 
ftacles, and that they know where to fix 
themfelves on ceafing their flight. Thefe 
extraordipary experiments were confirmed 
by feveral, natural philofophers, and gave 
occafion to fufpeét a new fenfe in thee birds, 
becaufe SPALLANzANI thought he had e- 
vineced by the way of exclufion, that the 
other fenfes could not fupply the def- 
ciency of that fight which he had de- 
prived them of; but I know that the 
anatomical details of profeifor Jurine, 
Life and Labours of Spallanzani. 
[April x, 
upon the organ of hearing in this fingular 
bird, made him incline afterwards towards 
the idea, that the fenfe of hearing might 
in this cafe fupply that of fight, as in all 
thofe where the bats are in the dark. 
SPALLANZANI concluded his literary 
career for the public, by a letter addreffed 
to the celebrated Giobert ; Sopra da piante 
chiufe ne vofi dentro Vaquae lV eria, efpofte 
al immediata lume folare e a Tlombra, 
It is a misfortune for this part of the 
{cience, that his death has deprived us of 
the difcoveries he was about to make 
in it. 
Thefe numerous works, printed and ap- 
plauded, did not however contain all the 
feries of SPALLANZANI’s Jabours. He 
had been occupied a confiderable time upon 
the phenomena of refpiration; their re- 
femblances and differences in a great num- 
ber of f{pecies of animals; and he was 
bufily employed in reducing to order his 
refearches upon this fubjeét, which will 
aftonifh by the multitude of unforefeen and 
unexpected faéts. - He has left a precious 
collection of experiments and new obferva- 
tions upon animal reproductions, upon 
f{ponges, the nature of which he determines, 
and upon a thoufand interefting phenomena 
-which he knew how to draw out of ob{cu- 
rity. He had almoft finifhed his Voyage 
to Conftantinople, and had amaffed confi- 
derable materials for a Hiftory of the Sea. 
This univerfal man faw nothing,. heard 
nothing, ufelefsly; and his thought, as rapid 
as his fenfations, and as.juft as his per- 
ceptions were faithful, penetrated in an 
inftant every thing which could produce 
it. 
What idea fhall_ we at prefent form of 
this philofophic naturalift ? There are men 
for whom the unanimous judgment of their 
cotemporaries becomes that of pofterity ; 
the print of genius engraved upon their 
thoughts, is a feal of immortality, which 
firikes all eyes, which defies envy, and 
which will be remarked in every age. 
If we judge SPALLANZANI by the num- 
ber of his works and the variety of their 
objects, fomething immenfe arifes in the 
mind. A man who fhould be merely eru- 
dite, might compile volumes upon volumes 
without having had one original thought; ~ 
but a naturalift who would paint nature 
after herfelf, and difcover her fecrets, walk 
in the midft of darknefs which his genius 
alone can enlighten, is forced to {eek his 
road, to follow it by the compals, to clear 
it, and thereby force the day-light into it. 
He ftands alone againft a hoft of obftacles 
renewing themlelves, and confpiring to de- 
ceive him; ‘he would be always wandering 
round © 
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