Society, it is to very little purpofe they have been of late years referred to a Committee: fince, for ought that hath as yet appeared to the contrary, the choice of fuch papers might almoft as well have been still left to the refpective Secretaries.

By this avowed refufal of the Society to give their fuffrage to any relation or argument indifcriminately, their imprimatur is, indeed, fo far from being of ufe, that it may not unreasonably excite a fufpicion in the public, that the trueft facts, and most convincing reasonings, are fallacious, or, at best, but proble matical,

From what motive then, can this refufal arife? Can it be fufpected, that the Members of this learned and diftinguished body, are more anxious for its philofophical reputation, than its public utility? It may become private perfons to be modeft and referved, in paffing their judgment even on matters with which they are moft intimately acquainted; but fuch diffidence and referve would but ill become a corporate body, inftituted for the promotion of arts and fciences. Such a body fhould certainly let flip no opportunity of encouraging fcientific pursuits, by rewarding merit at least with their fuffrage or applaufe. Whereas, the Committee fuperintending the publication of the Philofophical Tranfactions, on the other hand, take the utmost pains to inform the public, that the Society perfift in their constant refolution, not to authorize either the relation of the facts, or the propriety of the reafonings, contained in the feveral papers they occafionally publifh. If fuch a knowing and difcerning body be really diffident in these matters, they should either fupprefs them entirely, or, publishing them, conceal that diffidence; otherwife, what encouragement can be thence given to the fcientific pursuits and investigations of individuals? This mistaken conduct of the Society, appears to us, indeed, fo far from answering the end of its inftitution, viz. that of promoting natural knowlege, that it tends to the reverfe; and is like throwing abroad cold water, to damp the kindling ardour of scientific curiofity.

Again, if this refufal proceeds from the fear of falling fometime or other into an error, the motive appears to arife from the vanity of wanting the world to look upon the Royal Society as infallible and how far fuch a motive can be reconciled to its reputation for modefty, let the Reader judge,

It is with very bad grace, therefore, that the advertisement prefixed to fome of the preceding volumes of the Tranfactions, hath been fo often repeated, and is ftill continued; appearing at the head of the prefent publication.

Our remonftrance on this fubject will, in all probability, however, have at prefent but little effect, as it is declared in the

above

above-mentioned advertisement, that "it is an established rule of the Society, to which they will ALWAYS adhere, never to give their opinion, as a body, upon any fubject." But as we never heard, that the laws of the Royal Society were like those of the Medes and Perfians, unalterable, fo we conceive, that the lea ned Committee which drew up that advertisement, might, with much greater propriety, take upon them to judge of the veracity of a narrative, or the force of an argument, brought before them, than to determine at any one period of time, what will always be the refolution of the Society. No. They will not take upon them to judge of facts and propofitions, like men of fenfe and science, for fear they fhould be discovered, fome time or other, not to be Conjurers: and yet they readily take upon them to determine, as Prophets, what will be the fenfe of their body an hundred years hence!

We would not be thought captious or fevere on a body compofed of fo many refpectable Members: but we are very forry that an intimation we dropt fome time ago, hath not been improved, and that we do not fee that refpect which is feverally due to the individuals, collected and transferred to the whole body. We conceive, indeed, that we discover a good deal of timidity and prejudice, cloaked under the appearance of modefty and candour, in almost all the Tranfactions and Publica tions of this Society +. But, is the Academy of Sciences at Paris, or any other in Europe, more capable of judging of the difcoveries and improvements in nature or art than the Royal

See Monthly Review, vol. XXVII. page 328.

An inftance of this, in a paper of one of its moft ingenious Members, we meet with in page 185 of the prefent volume. In fpeaking of the conclufions drawn from one of Sir Ifaac Newton's experiments in optics, Mr. Murdoch fays, "Several perfons of skill and address in optical matters, have produced experiments in contradiction to that of Sir Ifaac, and have affixed meanings to his conclufions, which he never could inrend, without being grofsly inconfiftent with himself: an imputation from which common candour and decency ought to have protected fo great a name." It is this falle veneration for the authority of great names that prevents the advancement of fcience: the proper end of a ⚫ great name, which is to excite others to emulation, being thereby defeated. There may be a want of decency and candour in the manner of imputing inconfiftencies to great men; but certainly there is none in the imputation itself, if founded in truth. We look upon the authority of Sir Ifaac Newton to be as far above that of all other Philofophers, as that of the Pope above the whole conclave of Cardinals; but we hold the philofophical infallibility of the one, juft as much as we do the fpiritual infallibility of the other: and conceive thofe who implicitly credit the one, to be as much bigotted to prejudice, as those who place implicit belief in the other.

Society

Society of London? Nay, do we not fee the latter throw off this falfe modefty, for the emolument of its Members, in beftowing their prize-medals? And is the emolument of the public an object lefs deferving its attention? It is to be hoped not; and that this Society will, either take much more upon them, or much less, in their future publications, as well out of regard to the end of their inftitution, as for the fake of the community, of which it is fo diftinguished and fhining an orna

ment.

But to lay afide general reflections, and proceed to the confideration of the feveral articles contained in the prefent vo lume. To begin with the Papers on the fubject of NATURAL HISTORY; and firft with thofe relative to Animals, Infects, Plants, &c.

Art. 10. Is a Catalogue of the Fifty Plants presented to the Society, by the Apothecaries Company, in the Year 1762, pursuant to the Direction of the late Sir Hans Sloane.

Art. 11. Contains Obfervations on Wafps, and particularly the Yellow Wafp of Pennsylvania, by Mr. John Bartram, in a Letter to Mr. Peter Collinfon.

I faw feveral of thefe wafps, fays Mr. Bartram, flying about a heap of fandy loam: they fettled on it, and very nimbly fcratched away the fand with their fore-feet, to find their nefts, whilft they held a large Ay under their wings with one of their other feet: they crept with it into the hole that leads to the neft, and staid there about three minutes, when they came out. With their hind feet they threw the fand fo dexterously over the hole, as not to be discovered: then taking flight, foón returned with more flies, fettled down, uncovered the hole, and entered in with their prey.

• This extraordinary operation raised my curiofity to try to find the entrance; but the fand fell in fo faft, that I was prevented, until by repeated effays I was fo lucky as to find one. It was fix inches in the ground, and at the farther end lay a large maggot, near an inch long, thick as a fmall goofe quill, with feveral flies near it, and the remains of many more. These Alies are provided for the maggot to feed on, before it changes in to the nymph ftate: then it eats no more untill it attains to a perfect wafp.

One kind of wafp fabricates an oblong neft of paper-like compofition, full of cells, for the harbour of its young, and hangs it on the branch of a tree.

Some build nefts of clay, and feed their young with spiders; others fuftain them with large green grafshoppers; then there'

are

are thofe that build combs on the ground (like ours in England) to nourish a numerous brood,

But this yellowish wafp takes a different method, with great pains digging a hole in the ground, lays its egg, which foon turns to a maggot, then catches flies to fupport it, until it comes to maturity.'

Art. 16. An account of a remarkable marine Infect, By Mr. Andrew Peter du Pont,

This is a very remarkable infect, if indeed it be an infect; but we own, from the defcription here given of it, we think its animality not a little problematical. Not that we fuppofe Mr; du Pont's Jamaica friend, who communicated it, meant either wilfully to impofe on him or the fociety. But as we have known the feeds of plants, and even the minute parts of foffiles, fometimes miftaken for animals, we could with fome farther proof had been given, that the life of this fuppofed infect was not merely vegetable. Its motions, it is faid, indeed, were mufcular; but we understand it was found floating on the furface of the water, and in its form it fo greatly refembles the leaf of fome fea-weed, that we apprehend its animality may be doubted without incur ring any imputation of fcepticism.

Art. 21. An account of a fpecies of Ophris, fuppofed to be the plant mentioned by Gronovius in the Flora Virginica, page 185, under the name of Ophris Scapo nudo foliis radicalibus ovato-oblongis, dimidii fcapi longitudine. By Mr. Ehret.

This account is accompanied with a drawing of the plant in flower, with its feveral parts.

[Art. 24. Remarks on Swallows on the Rhine. By Mr. Achard.

We have here an account of the fwallows being found in winter, in their torpid ftate, lodged in holes in the clifts, on the high banks of the Rhine, near Bafle in Switzerland." Art. 27. An account of a new Peruvian plant, lately introduced into the English Gardens. By Mr. Ebret.

This plant, Mr. Ehret tells us, was once given him, in a dried state, by Dr. Schloffer of Amfterdam, under the name of Belladona Peruviana minor. Mr. Philip Miller hath chriftened the present plant by the name of Walkeria, in honour of Dr. Walker, vice-mafter of Trinity-College Cambridge. And we obferve, it is the laft in the lift of those prefented to the Society.

Art. 30. An account of a remarkable fish tak n in Kings road, near Bristol. By Mr. Fergafon.

The fpecies of this fish was not known by the fishermen, REV. Sept. 1764,

P

though

though fome called it a fea-lion: it was about four feet nine inches in length, and very large in proportion. It struggled violently after it was caught in the net, and was killed with great difficulty.

Art. 37. An account of a new die, from the berries of a weed in South Carolina. By Mr. Mofes Lindo.

It appears by this account, that the juice of a berry which grows on a weed called Pouck, in Carolina, and falfely fuppofed to be poisonous, yields a fine crimson die; which is fixed by allum, and converted into a beautiful yellow by lime-water.

Art. 44. An account of the infect called the Vegetable Fly. By Dr. W. Watson.

The Vegetable Fly is found in the island of Dominica, and (excepting that it has no wings) refembles the drone, both in fize and colour, more than any other English infect. In the month of May it buries itself in the earth, and begins to vegetate. By the latter end of July, the tree is arrived at its full growth, and resembles a coral branch; and is about three inches high, and bears feveral little pods; which, dropping off, become worms, and from thence flies, like the English caterpillar.' Such is the extraordinary account, which hath been repeatedly tranfmitted to England concerning this infect: Dr. Watson, however, (or rather Dr. Hill in a letter to the former) gives a very different account of its imaginary vegetation. There is in Martinique, fays Dr. Hill, a fungus of the clavaria kind, different in fpecies from thofe hitherto known. It produces foboles from its fides. I called it therefore Claviaria Sobolifera. It grows on putrid animal bodies, as our fungus ex pede equins from the dead horfe's hoof.-The Cicuda is common in Martinique, and in its nympha ftate, buries itfelf under dead leaves to wait its change; and when the feafon is unfavourable, may perifh. The feeds of the Clavaria find a proper bed on this dead infect, and grow.' This, continues the Doctor, is the fact, and all the fact; though the untaught inhabitants suppose a fly to vegetate; and though there exifts a Spanish drawing of the plant's growing into a trifoliate tree; and it has been figured with the creature flying with the tree upon its back.

Art. 53. An account of the Sea Pen, or Pennatula Phosphorea of Linnæus; likewife a defeription of a new fpecies of Sea Pen, found on the coast of South Carolina, with obfervations on Sea-pens in general. By John Ellis, Efq;

This appears to be a very accurate account of a most extraordinary fpecies of beings. It is illuftrated with three excellent plates, defcriptive of the figure and the feveral parts of those wonderful productions. Mr. Ellis obferves, that, though they greatly

refemble