&30 
tutional impetuofity appeared, no fpark of the 
innate defire for life; he felt in anticipation 
the blifs of real exiftence, having, as it were, 
totally detached himfelf from whatever was 
dear to him in this world. Every fucceeding 
day he perceived more, how his exhaufted 
body declined, and how the divine particle, 
foaring above che duft, ftrove to unite itfelf. 
to that eternal fouree from which it had 
flowed. All of us, that were placed about 
his bed, would gladly have recreated him; 
but refrefhments had loft their effeéts on 
him, and we could only pray for him, as we 
did for ourfelves, to implore a fimélar termi- 
nation of our days. It was not the death of a 
philofopher, nor that of a devotee. It was 
the death of an happy man, remarkable even 
now, as he had been peculiarly fo during his 
life-time. To a knowledge of books in all 
branches of fcience that is feldom to be met 
with, he joined an uncommon fund of practical 
ebiervations, of which he well knew to avail 
himfelf. In natural hiftory, in geography; 
both phyfical and moral, and in univerfal 
hiftory, he knew a vait number of facts, of 
which fe who draws his information from 
books only, o ix GiBrtwy xuBepviilus, as Ga- 
jens expreffes it, has not evena diftant idea. 
This affertion is proved in a moft ftriking 
manner by his Objerwations made in a Vayage 
round the World. Of this book it-may boldly 
be faid, that certainly no traveller ever ga- 
thered fo rich a treafure on his tour.. What 
perfon of any education can read and ftudy 
this work, which is unparalleled in its kind, 
without difeovering in it that fpecies of in- 
firu@tive and pleafing information, which 
moft interefts man, as fuch, The uncommon 
pains which Forfter took im his literary com- 
pofitions, and his confcientious accuracy in 
niftorical difquifitions, are beft evinced by his 
hiftory of Voyages and Difcoveries in the North; 
and likewife, by his excellent antiquarian dif- 
fertation on the Byffus of the Ancients. Re- 
fearches fuch as thefe, were his favourite em- 
ployment, wherein he was greatly aflifted by 
his intimate acquaintance with the clafflics. 
‘There are few praétical literati fo noted for 
their attachment to claffical literature, and 
who fo much bkend and interweave their en- 
thufiaftic partiality to it with ail their pur- 
fuits, as Forfter. A copy of Horace he ufually 
carried with him in his pocket when he came 
into our garden. Jt was the fame which had 
attended him in his Voyage round the World. 
Nothing gave him greater delight than being” 
addrefied in an elegant Latin epiftle, to which 
he never failed to return a fimilar anfwer im- 
mediately. A year ago I wrote to him in 
Latin, concluding with the expreffions of 
Agamemnon to Neitor. (Iliad iv. ver. 313— 
316) 
_ SL Y8povy BS", we OurG@= eyd cinberci piracy, 
ob youvay Sen Bin Se ros Emrredog ein. 
E pas TEpes GfACilav? Gig OPEAEY TES 
OGEYELY, TU OE HOUPOTEPOLTS (LETECVON. 
lately L had a reply te it, beginning 
Account of Reinhold Forfter. 
‘ly through Forfter’s authority. 
[November 
with the following lines from the 4th bools 
of the Iliad: 
AAA ourars aie wayvre S201 Soray evdoomoroi 
Et TOTe xoupog Ea, vuy UTE (LE yupas inavete 
Arya at wo imarsurs AeTET Toa, NOE HEAEUT A 
ioe 
BevAn wat ppusome 50 yap yepus gs yepovT ay. 
What a profufion of claffical learning is 
_there not difplayed in that fingle fheet pub- 
p-4y 5 P 
lifhed by him a few years ago, which con- 
tains a general view of the mineral fub- 
ftances! In the hiftory of Botany and Zoo- 
logy, he as well as his. great fon, who pafled 
the mortal bourne peter him, will ever oc— 
cupy a diftinguifhed rank among the firft 
difcoverers of the age. Yet I freely acknow- 
ledge that his Nova genera plantarum can 
fearc&ly be confidered as ‘his mafter-piece. He 
often lamented having precipitated the publi-_ 
cation of them, without comparing Sir Jofeph _ 
Banks’ difcoveries with his: own. His. fun, 
follicitous to make amends for this, in his 
Prodromus Florule Ixfularum Auftralium, fell 
into the other extreme, and, from an over- 
weening complaifance to ce j. Banks, as: 
well as other naturalifts, reyeéted. many new 
genera ‘ propofed by his father, occafioning 
thereby numberleis errors, into which the 
Continental Botanitts, without ever having 
beheld the plants themfelves, were led mere- 
The father’s. 
colie€tion of plants is ftill a treafure,, by the 
careful examination of which very many errors 
in our fyftems and books of Botany might be 
rectified. It is much to be wifhed, that the 
great and good prince, who fo generoufly pro- 
motes uféful fcience, might, -by purchafing. 
this colleétion for our Univerfity, render it 
publicly beneficial. Forfter had a predileCtion: 
for the fublime in Natural Hiftery, and aimed: 
at general views. rather than detail. Hence. 
Buffon was his favourite authory whom he ufed 
to recommend as a pattern of ftyle, efpecially~ 
his Epogues de la Nature, his defcription of 
the horfe, the camel, &c. He had enjoyed 
the friendfhip of that diftimenithed naturalift, 
and likewife kept up an uninterrupted epi 
lary intercourfe with Lingus, till the death 
of the latter. It afforded great delight te 
hear Forfter draw a parallel between both 
of them, whofe merits he certainly knew 
juftly to appreciate. His. propenfity to ge- 
neral views in nature, and to the inveftiga- 
tion of the ultimate ends in all her works, 
vere ftri€tly connetted with his. religious 
notions and moral feelings. Without. itick- 
ling for the forms and ceremonies of any par= 
ticular. perfuafion, he adored the eternal aus 
thov of all, that exifts in the great temple of 
merure, and venerated his wifdom and good- 
nefs with an ardour and-a heart-felt con- 
vidtion, that, in my opinion, alone conftitute 
the criterion of true religion. Often have I 
beheld |him fhedding tears of- joy, gratitude. 
and homage, when he fpoke to me of the 
Invifible, whofe veftiges are imprinted in all 
the works of the creation, and when he con~ 
verted 
