The 2BYOeO us 
order, providence, and wifdom of the Great 
Author of all things, that perhaps a more ftrik- 
ing fpecimen of thefe His adorable perfections 
is not to be found in any other part of the vi- 
fible creation. 
Every tubercle confifts of certain fmall leaves, 
which contain the pods, or true capfules of 
the feeds. At prefent I cannot tell the num- 
ber of thefe little leaves, as I have none but 
dry plants by me, in which thefe appear in a 
diforderly manner, and curled up like the Fun- 
gus we call Jews Ears. 
The pods juit {poken of lie within thefe lit- 
tle leaves in the fame manner as the flowers of 
the Moly are dipofed within the globule {cab- 
bard, or cup which furrounds them, before it 
burits and expands itfelf into leaves: at this 
period, thefe flowers refetnble fo many round 
balls placed upon ftalks; and the fame con- 
ftruction obtains in the pods of the Fern- 
feeds, which ftand within the leaves furround- 
ing them, each upon its own ftalk or pedicle, 
and look in a manner like fo many flender 
ftems with large heads. 
To give you, Sir, a ftill better idea of this 
fubject, I lay before you a drawing of thefe 
pods, with their foot-ftalks, and I fhall add a 
defcription of them. Thefe ftalks are fome- 
times fingle, Tab. LIII]. Fig.1r. cec, and 
fometimes double, dividing at a little diftance 
from their roots d; in this cafe each branch 
carries its own feparate pod. 
That end of the ftalk next the pod, is of 
the moft fingular conftruction that can well be 
imagined ; it there refembles in that part a 
furrowed or fluted cord eee, which beautiful- 
ly encompaffes the pod in form of a crown, 
and furrounds it like an herbaceous zone; 
fo that the two hemifpheres of the pod {well 
Pez 
beyond it on each fide ff The colour of this’ 
little cord, when the feed is ripe, is of a very 
pale brown, within the flutings ; but the ob- 
long intermediate protuberances are of a fome- 
what deeper brown. There are twelve of 
thefe protuberances, befides fome certain ones, 
which fometimes {pread over the furface of the 
pod itfelf. ! 
The pod is membranaceous, and very de- 
licate g; and it is conftantly of the fame colour 
with the feed it enclofes. Near the middle of ’ 
it there is a kind of furrow or flit, which di- 
vides it into two portions. When the feed is 
full ripe, the pod which till then, was of a tran{- 
parent whitenefs, turns toa blackith brown. 
As foon therefore as the feeds have acquired 
their perfect degree of maturity, and the little 
cord is contracted, by drying into the form of 
an extended line, by a kind of elaftic power, 
it endeavours to form a ftraight line, Tab. LIII. 
Fig. 11. bb, and by that means, on a fudden, 
very exactly divides the pod into its ori- 
ginal, two hemifpheres 7777, fo as to {catter 
with fome violenee the enclofed feeds into the 
air. And when this has juft happened, we 
“may fee the cavity of the pod divided by lit- 
tle partitions into a number of cells where all 
the feeds have been feparately formed. 
of N AP UR re of 
All thefe particulars, Sir, may be very clearly 
and diftinétly feen, by examiining the feeds 
with a microfcope towards the énd of fummer. 
In doing this myfelf, 1 found it neceflary to 
bring my head very near them, and I very often 
had the pleafure of feeing a great number of the 
pods burft, and fcatter their feed by the force of 
the furrounding cord, at that ume endeavouring 
to extend itfelf, in confequence of the contrac- 
tion or crifpation caufed in it by the breath from 
my mouth, and the heat of my body. 
As to the fize of thefe pods, it is a hard mat- 
ter to give a drawing of them after nature, on ac- 
count of their extreme minutenefs, which ren- 
ders them almoft imperceptible to the naked 
eye. Nay, a dot of fo fmall extent can fcarce 
be made on paper with the fineft pencil: but 
the feeds themfelves are of fo amazing a minute- 
nefs, ef{pecially when dry, that the fharpeft eyes 
cannot, unaffifted, difcern them at all. I rec- 
koned above forty-one of thefe feeds in one pod, 
though it had before fhed a great number. , 
Who then, Sir, can pretend to fhew in this 
feed, as may be done in fome others, the ger- 
men or bud, the rind or bark, and leaves of the 
future plant? No one certainly ; here therefore, 
the Great Creator gives us a complete {pecimen 
of His excellent work; to exhibit which proper- 
ly, is far beyond the reach of the greateft genius 
for defcripticn and drawing; and it is fcarce a 
wonder, that the greateft naturalifts were fo far 
miftaken, as to aflirm, this plant was quite de- 
ftitute of feeds. 
Icannot at this time give you a drawing to 
reprefent the true figure of this feed, as what I 
have by me are dried up, and fome of them ap- 
pear larger than others ; however, I cannot help 
letting you have one made as well as I could, 
from fuch a dried feed in this cloudy winter fea- 
fon. Its furface is fomewhat irregular and angu- 
lar, with certain tubercles on the upper part ; 
which, under the microfcope, appear of a net 
work form, Tab. LIII. Fig. 111. &; but it is very 
difficult to examine thefe feeds when expofed to 
the air, or turned to the light, becaufe they are 
of a deep brown colour, as I difcovered, by en- 
deavouring to view them in the open air, fixed to 
a hair of my head, which, in comparifon with 
thefe feeds, appeared like the maft of a firft rate 
fhip. 
Nowe can I at prefent determine what the 
number of the pods may be, though I believe 
every tubercle contains more than fixty, from 
whence it would follow, that every tubercle con- 
tained at leaft 2460 feeds. ‘The pods, when 
opened in the middle, plainly thew the little feeds 
_diftin@ly ftowed up in them, Fig. 11.7; and as 
thefe grains have then acquired the utmoft de- 
gree of maturity, and confequently lie loofe, 
they may be eafily fhook out of their cells: but 
this is a fight we muft expect to obtain rather by 
chance, than certainly procure by diffeCtion; it 
fo feldom happens, that any attempt to open a 
pod regularly is attended with fuccefs. I can at 
all times fhew the feeds and cords, and every 
thing befides, which I have here defcribed, as 
I did fome time ago to Mynheer Arnold Syen, 
pro- 
