yet the great Architect, who contrived the whole, determined the feveral parts of his fcheme fo to operate, as that one ufeful effect fhould become the beneficial caufe of another. Hence it happens that matter could not contract itself into folid large malles, without leaving Fiffures between them: and Fiffures are as neceffary and as ufeful as the ftrata through which they pafs.-Thefe are the drains which carry off the redundant moisture from the earth, which but for them, would be too full of fens and bogs for animals to live, or plants to thrive on. Through thefe Fiffures the rain, which finks beneath the channels or rivers, not having the advantage of that conveyance above ground, returns into the fea, bringing the falts and mineral juices of the earth into the ocean, enabling it to fupply the f.nament with proper and fufficient moifture, and preferving that vaft body the fea, wholefome, fit for fish to live in, and failors to navigate. In thefe Fiffures the feveral ingredients, which form the richeft loads, by the continual paffing of waters, and the menftrua of metals, are educed out of the adjacent ftrata, collected and conveniently lodged in a narrow channel, much to the advantage of those who search for and purfue them. For if minerals were more difperfed, and scattered thinly in the body of the ftrata, the trouble of finding and getting at metals (those necessary inftruments of arts and commerce, and the ornaments of life) would be endless, and the expence of procuring, would exceed the value of the acquifition-without these, neither metals, marbles, falts, earths, nor ftones, could be so easily or in fuch plenty, provided as is necessary for the use of man. Earth is certainly the general food and ftamen of all bodies, yet we know, of itself it can do nothing; it must be connected by a cement, or it cannot form ftone; it must be foftened and attenuated by moisture and warmth, or it cannot enter into the aumentary veffels of plants and animals. The parts of earth, which conflitute the folids of any plants, are exceeding fine; and the common mass in which we plant trees, is for the most part part gravel, clay, and fand, which promote vegetation, but are too grofs to enter into, and become the conflituent parts of them. Water must therefore be confidered as the vehicle of more folid nourishment, and the parent of the fluids: the earths, falts, and oils, are the great inftruments of the increase of folids. To trace fertility a little farther: when the earth is foftened and diluted, heat rarefies and evaporates the mixture; the falts contained and diffolved, are always active and promote motion; the elasticity off the air quickens and continues it; the oils fupple the paffages, of which fome are fitted to fecrete, arreft, and depofit the nutritious particles as they pass; some adapted (by the fame fecret hand, which conducts every part of the operation) to throw off the redundant moisture by perfpiration; the earthly mixture compofes the hard and folid parts, and the genial, little atmosphere of every plant gives spirit, colour, odour and tafte. Herbs and fruits being thus fed and matured, make the earth they contain better prepared to pass into the ftill more curious and highly organized parts of animals. It is easy to fee, that this is rather a detail of the several matetrials, and well known inftruments, conducing to fertility, than the caufe. Fertility is owing to the concert, fitnefs, and agreement of all thefe, with fome volatile active principle, of which we know nothing at all. But whence that agreement results, how the materials ferment, replace, connect, and invigorate one another, how the veffels chufe and refufe, (if I may fo fay,) in order to produce the fertility defired, is known only to the infinitely wife disposer of all things, ever attentive to the nurture and fupport of what he has created. But to whatever caufe the fertility of earth is to be affigned, earth, it must be owned, is a moft fruitful univerfal element. Animals, plants, metals, and stones arife out of it, and return to it again; there, as it were, to receive a new existence, and form new combinations, the ruins of one fort affording more and more materials for the production of others. Id In ftones and metals, we admire the continuity, hardness and lufture of earth; in plants the rarity, foftnefs, colours, and odours in animals the flesh, the bone, and, an infinite number of fluids, in which this fupple element can take place: but the greatest wonder is, that earth is capable of being fubtilized to fuch an exquifite degree, as by uniting and communicating with fpirit, to perform all animal functions given it in charge by the foul. This is the highest and utmost refinement, which in this ftate of being, earth is capable of: but that it may be ftill farther refined, in order to be qualified for a future, incorruptible, and more glorious state, is one of the greatest truths, which we owe to revelation. 10. To the second class of fofils belong those which are reduced by fire to a calx. Such are 1. Salts, all foffils which (whether they have a falt tafle or not) are folvable in water. Common falt is heavier than water, and if quite pure, melts when left in the open air. If the water it is, diffolved in be boiled and evaporated, it remains in the bottom of the veffel. It is well known to preferve flesh from putrefaction, and to be with great difficulty diffolved by fire. Probably it is compofed of pointed particles, which fix in the pores of flesh, and by rea fon of their figure are eafily divided by water, though not by fire. It ever comes purer out of the fire. Yet it will fuse in a very intense heat. All falt diffolves by moisture: but moisture only diffolves a certain quantity. Yet, when it is impregnated with any falt, as much as it can bear, it will ftill diffolve a confiderable quantity of another kind of falt. It feems, the particles of this, being of different figures, infinuate into the remaining vacuities. Thus, when a cup of water will diffolve no more common falt, alum will diffolve in it. And when it will diffolve no more alum, falt-petre will diffolve, and after that, fal ammoniac. [To be 'continued.] VOL. XIII. M Απ An extract from a volume entitled, A Review of Dr. PRIESTLEY'S Doctrine of Philofophical Neceffity. [Continued from page 28.] How far Men's general Conduct will be influenced by the Belief of the Doctrine of Neceffity. R. Priestley begins this fection thus: "It is imagined by fome, that the apprehenfion of all the actions of men depending upon motives, which neceffarily influence their determinations, fo that no action or event could possibly be otherwife than it has been, is, or is to be, would make men indifferent with respect to their conduct, or to what befalls them in life. I anfwer, fo it would, if their own actions and determinations were not neceffary links in this chain of caufes and events and if their good or bad füccefs, did not, in the Atricteft fenfe of the word, depend upon themfelves." I can very well conceive, upon the scheme of neceflity, why all men may not be indifferent with refpect to their conduct; becaufe mdifference itself, where it is, is alfo a néceffary link in the chain of events, and it could not poffibly be otherwife. If the chain is fo conftructed, that it is one neceffary link, that I mult be anxious about my conduct in life, I must neceffarily be fo; but if indifference about my conduct is a necellary link, I must néceffarily be indifferent; fo that I cannot poffibly be either more anxious or more indifferent about my own conduct, than I was ordained, foreknown, and heceffitated to be, long before I was born: but I can form no idea, nor any kind of conception, how a man's good or bad fuccefs, in the stricteft sense of the word, depends upon himself, on the scheme of neceflity. Upon that scheme, my good or bad fuccefs in life, and even in the most trivial thing in life, was an event which was was to be, and could not poffibly be otherwife. Is was decreed long before I was born, as a neceffary link of the chain of caufes and events, and certainly foreknown before the foundation of the world, to be exactly fo in every refpect, as it has come to pals, or fhall come to pass to the end of my life. How then can my good or bad fuccefs in any fenfe depend upon myself, when" neither I nor any other thing can poffibly reverfe the decree, or alter it in the leaft from what it is to be? I was not in being, when the chain and every link thereof, and my fuccefs amongst other links, was fabricated, and irrevocably made and fixed. What' have I then to do with it, or even with any thing in the world, fave as a mere paffive inftrument neceffarily made, and deter mined in every action, by neceffity, or fomething foreign to myfelf? But Dr. Priestley fays, (page 98) "all this may per haps be made more intelligible by an example. I fhall there fore endeavour to give one. No man entertains a doubt, but that every thing relating to vegetation is subject to the established laws of nature'; and supposing this to be the cafe, with re refpect to the human mind and its operations, a being of perfect intel ligences and forefight, will know how we shall be provided for the next year; so that in fact our provifion for the next year, and all the events of it, are abfolutely fixed, and nothing" can interfere to make it otherwife than it is to be. But will any farmer, believing this ever fo firmly, neglect, on this account, to fow his fields, and content himself with faying, God knows how I fhall be provided for the next year? I cannot change his deeree, and let his will be done. We fee in fact that fuch a perfuafion never operates in this manner; because, though the chain of events is necessary, our determinations and actions are neceffary links of that chain. This gives the farmer the fulleft affurance, that if it be decreed for him to ftarve, it is likewife decreed for him to neglect to fow his fields: but if he does fow his fields, which depends entirely upon himself, that then, fince the laws of nature are invariable, it will be evident. that no fuch unfavourable decree had gone forth." I cannot fee M. 2 n: how 2 |