collection of voyages, discoveries, travels in foreign parts, in most of the European languages, not only printed, but most of them in MS. in Latin, Italian, French, Flemish, Dutch, and English; nothing having escaped him that he knew of, either here or abroad, that could be purchased. He is copiously furnished with books on all curious subjects. Perhaps there is not such another collection in its kind in all Europe *.

The Earl of Carbery hath made a noble collection; and, amongst other things, all that relate to Mystical Divinity.

The Earl of Kent bath spared for no cost to complete his collection of English Historians, Visitations, and Pedigrees.

The Earl of Pembroke is very choice in Books of Medals, Lives, the effigies of all great and learned men, Kings, Princes, Dukes, and great Generals; with abundance of others of pomp and state.

The Lord Somers hath an admir able collection of books relating to the Laws of this land and other countries, in Latin, French, Italian, and Spanish. Also our English Historians, both printed and MS. A rare library in this kind.

The Earl of Sunderland hath a great collection of scarce and valuable Authors in polite learning; espe cially the best editions of the Classickst. He bought Mr. Hadrian Beverland's entire, a collection very choice in its kind. This, in my opinion, is the best and most expeditious way to procure a good library; and the method taken by the old Earl of Anglesea, who bought several entire, as Oldenburgh's, &c.

The Lord Halifax's Collection is noble and choice, with admirable judgment, well digested, and in good order.

There is a large and curious Collection made by the late Mr. Secretary Pepys, now in the possession of Mr. Jackson, his heir, at Clapham, in Surrey. It consists of various subjects, as English History, Maritime Affairs, the power and constitution of the Admiralty and Sea Laws. He made a vast collection from our an

tient Records in the Tower, and English Historians, both antient and modern, relating to our Naval Affairs and those of other Countries. Here are the finest models of ships of all rates and sorts. Ships painted by the best Masters, as Velde, Backhuysen, &c. the drawing of the Royal Navy of Henry VIII. Books of Musick, Mathematicks, and several other subjects, all excellent in their kinds. But what he hath collected with respect to the City of London is beyond all compare, as for Books, Ground-plots, Views, Palaces, Churches, Great Houses, Coronations, Funerals, Public Shows, Heads of famous Men, and all that could be collected relating to London. He hath been at the charge of drawing such things as never were in print, for the illustration of that famous City, he being a native thereof. A vast Collection of Heads, both domestic and foreign, beyond expression. Copy-books of all the Masters of Europe, Italian, French, German, Flemish, Dutch, Spanish, and English all digested according to their time and country, pasted on large paper, and bound up. A large book of title pages, frontispieces, not only of the best English Masters, but Italian, French, &c. which are very much improved by Mr. Jackson, his nephew, in his Travels. This is not to be paralleled. There are many other excellent books and rarities. He contrived his catalogue for the easy finding any Author and the various subjects, so that a single sheet may be found as soon as the largest folio. Of all the catalogues. I ever saw, nothing came near it but my Lord Maitland's, taken by his own directions, having the name of the Author, the place where printed, the Printer's name, and date when printed. A Catalogue thus taken, with an Index of the Author's name, must needs be of excellent use ‡.

The inclinations of persons are vastly different in their collecting, as particularly Lord Clarendon, mainly about the affairs of Ireland, and its Government. Mr. Wilde, formerly living in Bloomsbury; his consisted of Architecture and Agriculture, admirable in its kind. A gentleman that lived in the luner Temple had a

collection

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collection consisting of books of Necromancy and Magick, &c. mostly MSS. Mr. Thomas Britton the small coalman in Clerkenwell: his books were of Chemistry, as may be seen by the catalogue, printed for their sale by auction. He hath a vast collection of Musick, prickt by his own hand, and esteemed of great value.

Dr. Beaumont for some years past bath collected whatever he could, relating to Mystical Divinity, Spirits, Witchcraft, and such-like subjects.

Capt. Aston, for some considerable time, hath procured a large quantity of Voyages, Travels, &c. in most of the European Languages, besides books on other subjects.

Mr. Southerby in Hatton Garden hath a curious Collection of Books, both MSS. and printed, besides his fine Medals.

Several of these Gentlemen have collected Medals, Prints,and Paintings,

Mr. Serjeant-surgeon Bernard's Library is very valuable for the best editions and fairest impressions of Classicks, in all volumes *.

Mr. Huckle on Tower Hill bath been admirably curious in collecting the nicest books in Latin, Spanish, Italian, and French. His prints are fine beyond comparison, consisting of those of the first printing off. He is a critical judge of Prints, Drawings, and Paintings.

Mr. Graham and Mr. Child are curious collectors that way.

Mr. Chicheley, Mr. Bridges, Mr. Walter Clavell, and Mr. Rawlinson of the Temple, have curious Libraries.

Captain Hatton hath a rare Collection of English History.

Mr. Slaughter of Gray's Inn hath

an admirable Library.

Mr. Topham hath a complete Collection of Books in the Greek language, and relating to the Greek learning.

Dr. Goodman, Dr. Gray, Dr. Tyson, and Dr. Woodward, have been great and curious collectors; and so have Dr. Mead and Dr. Brook.

Mr. Godwin of Pindur hath a very good Library. (To be continued.)

sects of those tribes, walking on cielings or polished surfaces, with their bodies downwards, contrary to the general order of gravity; I have been induced to consider this cu rious subject, and to collect some evidence from the best Entomologists, which may lead to a satisfac tory result.

In respect to House-spiders, Buffon states, that when they walk upon such bodies as are perfectly smooth, as looking-glasses, or polished marble, they squeeze a little sponge which grows near the extremity of their claws, and thus diffusing a glutinous substance adhere to the surface, until they make a second step. Barr's Buffou, xv. 144.- rather conceive this glutinous substance to be peculiar to spiders, because I have not found it in any of the most minute descriptions of House Flies; who must be therefore vested with a different power to perform the same act: which

one amongst the unnumbered proofs of the skill and exhaustless provisions of Infinite Goodness in the minutest work of creation!

In House-flies we shall find that the tarsus or foot is armed with different means. They all have at least two claws or hooks, which terminate in points so exquisitely fine, that they are able to lay hold of what appear to us the most smooth and polished bodies. Rees's Cyclopædia, Legs of Flies.

When we speak of smooth bodies, it is necessary always to consider, that although they may appear so to be to the human eye, yet it is well known by all who labour to grind and polish them, and particularly the specula used in optical instruments, that the heat excited by friction in this operation produces upon the surface, as soon as the grinding ceases, small blebs, or hollow bubbles or blisters, which are therefore the first part of the surface which receives the effect of the next grinding, and unless that is continued until the cavity is com pletely filled, or rather until the sur face is ground down to its depth, the surface must remain uneven: this may be perceived with a magnifying glass; and as every fly has a micro

scopic eye, the effect of this kind of foot-hold, may be readily conceived. But to proceed :

Anecdotes, vol. IV. 104.

Leuwen

Leuwenhoek, the most minute and exact of all Naturalists, states that an incredible number of minute hairs cover the wings, body, and legs, and feet of flies; and if we consider that each hair is not formed of a single vessel, but of many, we must needs say that there is a greater cause for admiration and reflection, in the contemplation of so small and insignificant an animal, than in that of an horse or an ox; and the deeper we endeavour to search into the secrets of Nature, the less we are able to conceive the minuteness of the particles of which bodies are composed. Leuwenhoek, II. 191.

This infinite number of fine hairs upon the feet may afford the power of adhesion for which we inquire; but their strength must be such, and the action of all the muscles of their leg and thigh must be very considerable, to support the weight of their body, the smallest of which is far disproportioned in size to these minute fibres, and which weight must be greatly increased by its, to us, pendent situation. Sir Ev. Home bas discovered that many animals have from one to three suckers on each foot, which, creating a vacuum, enable the animal to proceed securely along a cieling with its back towards the earth. Some species of insects, particularly grasshoppers, have their feet supplied with another apparatus; that is, round elastic balls, which yield on pressure, and serve to break the violence of their fall from long leaps.

On the 22d of February last, Sir Ev. Home presented to the Royal Society an account of the feet of these flies. It is well known that the house-fly has this property, but its principle had not been hitherto explained, because the animal is too small for the feet to be anatomically investigated. Sir Ev. was not aware that any animal of a much larger size was endowed with the same power, till Sir Joseph Banks told him that the Lacerta Gecko, a native lizard of the Island of Java, was in the habit of coming out of an evening from the roofs of the houses, and walking dow he smooth hard polished chunam walls search of flies that settle upon them, and then running up again. Sir Joseph, while at Batavia, was in the habit of catching this animal by standing close to the wall with a long flattened pole,

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which being made suddenly to scrape its surface, knocked it down. procured Sir Everard a specimen of a very large size, weighing 53 oz. averdupois, which enabled him to aseer. tain the peculiar mechanism by which the feet of this animal cau keep their bold of a smooth hard perpendicular wall, and carry up so large a weight as that of its own body. Sir Everard particularly described the anatomy of the foot of this lizard, which is so con structed as to enable it to produce a number of small concavities, which act like so many cupping glasses, and atmospheric pressure retains him in his position. Having ascertained the principle on which an animal of so large a size as this is enabled to support it. self in progressive motion against gravity, he felt himself more competent to examine into the mechanisma by which the common fly supports itself with so much facility in still more disadvantageous situations. An account was then given of the fly's foot, which shewed that it possessed concave surfaces capable of acting in the same manner as those of the Lacerta Gecko; and that therefore its progressive motion against gravity was effected by the same means *.

This is the last evidence on the subject; and it comes from a high authority, not controverted, and may be relied upon from the well-known accuracy of the observer, and the thirst for knowledge which has always accompanied his pursuits.

Here I shall therefore leave the research. Indeed I was almost inclined to do so, as soon as the evidence proved a vacuum in the feet; a principle which developes at once the whole secret, and which has so long since, and so clearly, been explained and acted upon, that it seemed to involve and to display the inystery; but I flatter myself that the reader will not regret the time here bestowed.

Distinction, however, is to be always observed between the spider and the fly, in respect to their feet, aud different uses of them. The result of the whole seems to be, that it does not appear that either the glutinous substance which belongs to the spider,

*See Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. The above extract has already appeared in Part 1. of our present Volume, p. 630. EDIT.

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