phænomena, and human nature ftudies them. If among thefe one gentleman be particularly named, it is hoped, he will not be difpleated, and certainly the reader can not but be pleafed. The learned Doctor MEAD did generously promife by letter (g), to publish the materials of this book to the beft advantage for the author. This is here taken notice of, as well to acknowledge the high regard he bears to these eminent patrons of literature, as to give him fome title to estimation in his own country, for at least feeming to wifh himself honour in it, although invited to fearch for it elsewhere, by thofe, who were able to give it. As a confirmation of which he adjoins a copy of a letter from the Univerfity of Cambridge, in anfwer to one of his, being an acknowledgment of

a pre

proposals for printing Lectures in Natural Philofophy. I make no queftion, but this book. will afford me the fame fatisfaction with the former. I defire you will put me down a fubfcriber for fix copies; I wish you moft heartily all manner of happinefs and fuccefs, in your useful undertakings, &c.

The Inquirer thinks it a refpect due to the Univerfity where he was bred, not to omit: expreffions of good wishes to fo learned a body, and which being contained in two letters, he will lay one of them before the reader.

Illuftri Academiæ Dublinienfi R. Bartonus The. Bac. S. P. D.

Aud ita pridem ad vos mifi miraculi Lacus Neachi infigne fpecimen. Miraculum. quidem, non quia contra naturæ leges aliquid exhibetur, fed quia phænomenon, etiam: legibus naturæ confonum, rarum & mirandum. Quoniam nuper mihi contigit invenire plura hujufcemodi fpeciofa fpecimina; horum effe participés vos precipue dignamini; apud quos Philofophia Newtoniana, quâ intima nature arcana referantur, colitur. Hæc (quicquid cogitat vulgus philofophorum) per naturæ labyrinthum, per vias flexuofas velut filo difcipulos ducit: Ita vos me docuiftis, ita credo, vefter amantiffimus alumnus.. Hæc igitur attractionis miranda fpecimina vobis non ingrata fore confido: Grato faltem erga vos & ftudia veftra amori meo hæc pufilla dona tribuetis. Si alumni veftri finguli vel tantulum colligerent, in quantum cumulum brevi accreverit philofophica materia. Modo doctorum inventis, modo phi-lofphie Newtonianæ, modo veritati, per hæc noftra fiat aliqua acceffio, pro munere habebo. Non animus eft vos longâ morari epiftolâ; breviter narrabo: Quod nuper dono dedi*, infigne erat fpecimen ligni fuperficiei lapidis adhærentis & continui. Ni fallor (et fenfus bene difpofiti non fallunt) quod nunc offertur, lignum intimè complectitur tanquam medullam lapidis; adeo ut tenera ligni materia duro lapide circumfepta quafi munitur. Lapis, cujus exhibetur vobis fragmentum, viginti erat pondo.

Datum Lurgano,

Sept. 18. 1745.

This has reference to a former prefent made.

BENE VALETE.

a prefent of natural rarities fent fome time before. Befides, as that letter contains many curious inquiries,, which this book is defigned to anfwer, it is expedient to publifh it; and as his honourable fentiments of that University, were expreft in his own letter, which are heightened by the kind acceptance and acknowledgment of his prefent, he defires the favour of the courteous reader, to indulge him the liberty to lay that letter alfo before him..

Ο

Inclytæ Academiæ Cantabrigienfi R. Bartonus, S. P. D..

Uibus fama Lacus Neachi in Hiberniâ non eft ignota, fpecimina pe--trificationis miranda forfan non erunt ingrata. Diu eft agitata. quæftio, utrum lignum queat in lapidem durefcere? En maffæ ingentis frag-mina, in quibus lapis eft ligno continuus, tam in corde quam in fuperficie. Quo modo autem hoc fit, veftrum eft explicare. Natura miraculorum ubique ferax eft, prout unumquodque phænomenon digito velut Dei nobis indicatur. Ille materiam format deformatque legibus, quas ipfe impofuit materiæ primordiis rerum. Quifquis harum incumbit ftudio philofophus evadit, imo theologus, & quo plures noverit leges co magis fophus Catenam earum mirandam fufpicit, & qui fuftinet catenam adorat Deum.. Dei omnia plena.. Sive moveat, five quiefcat materia, five attrahant five repellant fefe ejus particulæ ; et motus & quies: non nifi ex Deo funt. Ita nos docuit philofophia Newtoniana, ita vos: docetis, eximii ejus cultores. Hæc rara & hermaphroditea cohæfio-nis fpecimina accipiatis velim, teftimonium æftimationis meæ erga vos,, doctiffimi viri. Ignotus ad bene notos fcribo. Quorum fcripta legun-tur, ipfi non celantur; quorum libri in bibliothecis reconditi doctorum manibus teruntur; eorum fama per hominum ora volitat.. Si hoc pufillum donum vel tantulum conferat literis promovendis,, vel mentem du-bitantis figat, vel amorem erga notitiam rerum naturalium excitet, nihil i aliud quæritur; Macte igitur ftudiis efte, beneque valete..

Datum Lurgano, in Comitatu Ardmacaño,, in Hiberniâ..

Octob: 2, 1745

1

VIR

VIR REVERENDE,

IN

Nteger jam menfis abiit ex quo tuam epiftolam mecum communicavit Vicecancellarius nofter, ut tam fuo quam præfectorum collegiorum ct totius fenatus academici nomine ad te refcribere, gratiafque quam maxinras agere velim. Hoc munus in me lubenter fufcepi: Quamvis enim tuam erga academiam, erga literas & philofophiam veriorem benevolentiam ftudiumque agnofcerent omnes, et collaudarent, quibus doni tui utilitas fatis perfpecta non effet; mihi vero præcipuè cordi fuit, diu fperatis tandem frui exemplaribus, alibi forfan quam inter vos Hibernos fruftra quærendis. Haud rara ligni petrificati fpecimina præbet Anglia noftra, quorum plurima vidi, nonnulla nactus fum: Talia autem funt corum nonnulla, ut quibufdam fufpicionem haud immerito poffint injicere, cadem vera ligna nunquam fuiffe. Alia reperi ipfe, fed rariffima hæc, vera adhuc ligna faxo licet undique inclufa.Tua au

tem exemplaria, cum ejufdem pars una fit adhuc lignum a ftatu naturali parum recedens, cum interea pars reliqua fit omnino in lapidem converfa, omnem dubitandi anfam etiam ab invitis prorfus extorquent. Teftimonium omnibus mufæum Woodwardanum per aliquot forfan fæcula vifuris præbitura.

Refponfum diutius diftuli, ut de reliquis exemplaribus nonnihil adnotarem: Cum vero quò minus commode hoc fieri poterat, valetudo parum firma prohibuerit, neque limites epiftolæ multa de iis dicenda admitterent; fufius forfan olim, fi tibi libet, tecum acturus, nolui ulterius refponfum procraftinare, quo certior effe poteras dona tua ad nos falva veniffe.

Hoc interea te, Vir Reverende, rogatum velim, utrum vel ex tuis vel aliorum fide dignorum obfervationibus certè conftare poffit, faxea hæc ligna non aliquando fub terrâ latuiffe, & ex diuturno aquarum motu, exefo ftrato ambiente, in aquas tandem delapfa fuiffe; ut enim verum fatear, vix animum meum inducere poffum, ut credam aquæ foli hanc vim ineffe.

Quod fi partes non petrificatæ aquæ ant molliori luto fuerint expofitæ, cum interca partes reliquæ fabulo vel arenâ tegerentur, unde fuam duritiem nancifcerentur? Conjecturæ veniam dabis, quæ an vera fit ex

multis

multis datâ operâ factis, & inter fe collatis obfervationibus folummodo, determinari poteft; quales fi factæ unquam fuerant lubenter fcire cupit, tibi jamjudum divinétiffimus.

Dabam 17 Kal. Jan. 1746.

CAROLUS MASONUS.

Ex Collegio Sanctæ Trinitatis, in quo ftudebant Baconus & Newtonus.

To the foreign teftimonies in favour of the fubject matter of the work may be added the celebrated names of Mr. Molyneux, Lhuyd, and others mentioned in the tranfactions of the Royal Society, as perfons deputed by that honorable Body to inquire into these things. Their fentiments being printed, the reader may have recourfe to them, wherein he will find an acknowledgment of their having failed of fuccefs in their fearches. How far the Inquirer, who now offers his book to the public, upon the fame fubject, has fucceeded, and what degree of esteem his fuccefs may deferve, the reader is just upon the point of determining; who fhall have no further interruption from him, than that of acquainting him, that this is a difcharge of an obligation, to which the Inquirer was in fome degree bound, by the promife of another gentleman, as appears from the following extract from the philofophical tranfactions for the year 1746.

A letter from Mr. James Simon, of Dublin, to Martin Folkes Efq; Pr. R. S. concerning the Petrifications of Lough Neagh, in Ireland.

I

Received last Summer 1745, from my worthy and ingenious friend, the Rev. Mr. Richard Barton, about 30 of these ftones, found on the fhores of the lake, fome in the water, fome in the mud, fome in the fand, others in a yellowish clay, &c.— The curious gentleman above mentioned, who hath already begun, and intends,, at his leifure,. to take an accurate furvey of the lake, will, I hope be able to give a more just and fatisfactory account of its petrifying virtue,, than I poffibly can; my defign in the prefent attempt, being only to pave way, and induce others to make farther experiments in fearch of truth, and for improving natural knowledge.

the

The

. The Inquirer offers his book to the public, not as a full difcharge of that ingenious gentleman's promife on his behalf, but only in the fame manner in which he fpeaks of his own attempt, TO PAVE THE

WAY, AND INDUCE OTHERS TO MAKE FURTHER EXPERIMENTS IN SEARCH OF TRUTH, AND FOR IMPROVING NATURAL KNOW

LEDGE, to which thall be added one circumftance, so FAR AS THAT KNOWLEDGE IS THE HANDMAID OF RELIGION, AND CLOSELY ATTENDANT UPON IT:

*

If the execution of the reasoning part of this work be deemed a fpecimen of any degree of credit, to the liberal arts in Ireland, as the fubject matter is of the materials which this ifland can afford to the natural philofopher; and as the type, paper, and gravings are of the mechanic arts; and if others are hereby invited to promote the honour of Ireland in all reputable refpects, NATURAL, MECHANIC MERCANTILE, and LITERARY, The editor's ambition is anfwered; as well as the benevolent wishes of all those worthy perfons, whose names are printed; to whom the editor returns his cordial thanks for joining with him in fo laudable a DESIGN.

* The frontispiece of this book was painted by a very ingenious Lady, almost from a verbal defcription, and yet her pencil has come fo near NATURE, that had she drawn from it, would it be vain to have expected, that she would have excelled it?

THE