of the Universe, enriched with large annotations, difcovered fuch a profound acquaintance with ancient philosophy and erudition, as juftly excited the admiration of the learned world. His ingenious illuftrations of the facred writings, his fuccessful labours in the defence of Chriftianity, and the light he caft upon the history of religion and philofophy by his uninterrupted researches, appear in a multitude of volumes, which are deservedly placed among the most valuable treasures of facred and profane literature, and the learned and judicious work, that is here prefented to the public, will undoubtedly render his name illustrious in the records of religion and letters.'

Philofophical Tranfactions, giving fome Account of the present Undertakings, Studies, and Labours, of the Ingenious, in many confiderable Parts of the World. Vol. LIV. For the Year 1764. 4to. 12s. 6d. fewed. Davis and Reymers.

T is the remark of fome ingenious writer, that great families

verance, conftantly prevail over the contrary efforts of private perfons and detached individuals: efpecially, fays he, if they obferve one general rule or tenour of conduct; for, amidst the viciffitudes to which human affairs are liable, an opportunity muft neceffarily turn up, one time or other, favourable to their particular views. It is probably on this principle that the Royal Society perfevere in their refolution, of refufing to take the trouble of rendering the Philofophical Tranfa&ions worthy of their imprimatur *. What their views can be, in this perfeverance, we muft own ourselves at a lofs to conjecture. Surely they cannot wait for a more promifing æra of hebetation, in hopes to fee the whole world involved in that cloud of dullnefs, which with a more than cimmerian gloom fometimes invelopes Crane-Court! It is now a confiderable time fince we remarked that their conduct in this particular was inconfiftent with the very ends of their inftitution; as alfo the palpable abfurdity of the prefent managers of this body taking upon them to anfwer for the conduct of those who may poffibly be members an hundred years hence! And ftill are we told, that it is an established rule of the yet fociety, to which they will always adhere, never to give their opinion, as a body, upon any fubject, either of nature or art,

And yet, unless they do this, we are apprehenfive they may in vain endeavour to fatisfy the publick, that their ufual meetings are continued for the improvement of knowledge, and benefit of mankind, the great ends of their first inflitution by the royal charters, which they ave ever since fleadily purfued.'

that

that comes before them.' But, if this is to be for ever the cafe, in what refpect is the fuffrage of this publication to be preferred to that of a common magazine? The very refpectable names, indeed, which we meet with so often in these volumes, afford a fufficient proof of the Society's extenfive correfpondence; but it is with great regret, we so often fee those names pompously prostituted to the most infignificant purposes. In a word, if the Editors of these Transactions do not take care to provide more important materials, we are afraid it will be neceffary, for the fatisfaction of our Readers, that we should deviate from our propofed plan in giving an account of this publication, fo far, as to refer it, for the future, to our Catalogue. This being the state of the cafe, we hope our Readers will not impute the small share of inftruction and entertainment they may meet with, in the prefent article, to the Reviewers, but to the Royal Society.

PAPERS relative to PHYSICS, NATURAL HISTORY, &c.

Art. 1. Account of a Mummy infpected at London. By Dr. Hadley. The mummy here fpoken of, is the firft article in Dr. Grew's catalogue of the rarities of the Royal Society, and was fent from their museum to the houfe of Dr. Hadley, in order to undergo an examination with regard to the manner in which such a curious piece of antiquity had been put together. The intention of the gentlemen making this enquiry, being to compare it with the accounts given of thefe preparations by ancient authors; and to fee whether there were any traces left of the fofter parts; and, if fo, by what means they had been preferved. The examination is curious and particular, but would afford very little entertain ment to the generality of our Readers.

Art. 5. An Attempt to account for the Origin and the Formation of the extraneous Faffil, commonly called the Belemnite. By Mr. Jofoua Platt.

Mr. Platt is of opinion with Mr. Brander, who presented a paper on the fame fubject to the Royal Society, fome years ago, that the Belemnite belongs to the teftaceous part of the animal kingdom, and to the family of the Nautili; which are very commonly found recent in the eastern feas; and in their fofile ftate are frequently met with among the Belemnites, at Garfington near Oxford. Why may we not therefore expect, fays Mr. Platt, to find a recent Belemnite, as well as a recent Nautilus, if a diligent perfon were strictly to examine the coafts, where the Nautili are found?-Such a difcovery indeed would ferve to put the arguments of our naturalifts out of difpute; which it must be owned, however, as it is, do not want for ftrength and plaufibility.

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Art. 6.

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Art. 6. An Accent of a fangular Species of Wafp and LocuA. By Samuel Felton, Efq.

The infects here defcribed are natives of Jamaica, and are given us as non-defcripts.

Art. 7. dx diawn of an American Armadilla. By Dr. Watson. Tas fpecies of animals, we are told, hath been seldom, if ever, foen alive in England: nor is there any good figure of this creature in any of the authors who have treated of it; they having taken their drawings from dead animals; which were therefore of courie hard, stiff and defective. The animal, of which the figure is now given, is, it feems, alive and in health, in the petetion of the Right Hon. the Lord Southwell: to whom it was brought over from the Mofquito fhore. Its weight is feven pounds, and its fze that of a common cat. It is a male, and hath improved greatly both in appearance and colour, fince it hath been in his Lordship's poff fiion. It is fed with raw beef and mils, and refutes our grain and fruits. In its own country, according to the accounts of those who treat of it, it burrows in the ground.

To this concife defcription of the animal, is annexed a welldrawn figure of it, on a large copper-plate.

Art. 8. An Account of the Quantity of Rain fallen at Mount's-bay in Cornual, and if the Weather in that Place. By the Rev. Mr. Beriale.

There is doubtless fome amufement, as this writer obferves, in comparing the journal of the weather in one part, with the accounts in the papers of ftorms, heats and drought, and their contraries, in another: but, though amusement may be one great end of the common news-papers, fomething more than mere entertainment should be the end of a learned and philofophical fociety. Not that we mean to infinuate that atmospherical and meteorological obfervations are ufelefs; on the contrary, we with to see more of these journals kept in different parts of the world, by gentlemen as accurate and careful in their obfervations as Mr. Borlate. It is, indeed, only by a comparison of numerous ac counts, properly authenticated, that we can ever arrive at any kind of certainty refpecting the weather.

Art. 10. Some Obfervations on the Cicada of North-America. Colleted by Mr. P. Collinfon.

Of this paper, containing a very particular account of the infect treated of, we fhall beg leave to infert the whole.

in Fennfylvania the Cicada is feen annually, but not in such numbers as to be remarkable; but at certain periods, of 14 or 15 years diftance, they come forth in fuch great fwarms, that the eople have given them the name of Locufts. About the ter end of April thefe Cicada come near the furface: this is n, by the hogs routing after them. They creep out of

the

the ground, near the roots of trees, in fuch numbers, that in fome places, the earth is fo full of holes, it is like an honeycomb.

Their firft appearance is in an hexapode (an ill-fhapen grub) with fix feet. This is their middle or nymph ftate: they creep up every thing near them, and fix their claws faft, on the fhrubs, and bark of trees: then the skin on its back bursts open, and the fly comes forth, difengaging itself by degrees, leaving the cafe or exuviæ behind, in the exact shape, in which it was before occupied.

At first coming out, the Cicada are all white, with red eyes, and feem weak, and tender; but next day they attain to their full ftrength and perfection, being of a dark brown colour, with four finely-veined tranfparent wings, as will be better feen than described, by the fpecimens.

They come forth out of the ground in the night; being then fecure from being disturbed by fo many creatures, that prey on them, whilst they are under the operation of exchanging one ftate for another. From the tenth of May to the fifteenth, they are obferved to be fpred all over the country.

As foon as the dew is exhaled, the Cicada are very active, flying about from tree to tree. The male makes a finging noife, calling the female, which he effects by a tremulous motion he gives to two bladders, filled with air, under his wings. From their numbers the noife is fo loud and troublefome, that it interrupts converfation with a continual dinn, from morning to evening. They continue coupling to the fixteenth of May: foon after the males difappear, and the females lay their eggs. They are much larger than the males.

They never could be perceived eating any thing; yet, as they are furnished with a long probofcis, which they frequently, extend, they may fuck the dews, or the farina of flowers.

'The male, in coupling, hath, at the end of his tail, two hooks, with which he enters between the rings, that surround the body of the female. Thefe, fpreading internally, confine them long together; which may be requifite, as there is a great number of eggs to impregnate, fome fay fix or feven hundred.

Soon after this work is over, the female begins laying her eggs. To affift her in this operation, fhe is armed with a dart near half an inch long, fixed between her breaft and belly, and which extends to the end of her tail. This fhe fheaths up, when it is not in ufe; with this dart fhe pierces the fmall twigs' of trees, and, at the fame time, injects an egg.' The darted twigs, engraved on the plate, will better fhew the manner of this operation, than any verbal description.

It is furprifing to fee how quick they penetrate into hard wood, and croud it full of eggs, the length of two or three

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inches,

inches, ranged in a line clofe together, from twelve to eighteen in each partition. How fhe depofites the eggs in this direction, it was difficult to difcover, they are fo very fhy whilst about this work but my ingenious friend John Bartram, obferving her, in the beginning of this operation, took a ftrong woody ftalk of a plant, and, prefenting it to her, the directly fell to work upon it, as he held it in his hand. It was very wonderful to fee how dexterously fhe worked her dart into the stalk, at every puncture dropping an egg. This was feen very diftinctly, as fhe did not touch the ftalk with any other part of her body.

The Cicada fix on most fort of trees, but like best the oak and chefnut, (which are the twigs engraven on the plate) and the faffafras, and all orchard trees.

They always dart to the pith of the branch, that, when the egg hatcheth, the little infect may find foft food in its infant state. When mature, they creep forth, go down, the tree, or drop off, and foon make their way into the ground, where they have been found two feet deep. Here they find a fecure repofe, until they have paffed through their changes, from a maggot to an hexapode, and lastly to a fly.

July 15th and fixteenth they were perceived coming forth: fever darted twigs were perceived, and carefully examined, and opened: fome eggs were hatched, others not mature, of a duli brown colour. These were taken out, and spread on a table; in about an hour the eggs cracked. It was very entertaining to obferve, how the little infect contrived to difengage itself, from the fhell. When it was got clear from its incumbrances, it run about, very brifkly, feeking a repofitory in the earth.

Thefe Cicada are fpred all over the country in a few days; but, being the prey of fo many animals, their numbers foon decreafe, and, their duration by the order of nature being short, quickly difappear.

They are the food of moft kind of domeftic and wild fowl, and many beafts: even the fquirils grow fat with feeding on them; and one of the repafts of the Indians, after having first plucked off their wings, is to boil and eat them.

There are two diftinct fpecies of Cicada in North Ameica; the one here defcribed being much larger than the other. The leffer fpecies has a black body, with golden eyes, and remarkable yellow veined wings.'

Art. 11. An Account of the Plague at Conflantinople. By Dr.

Mackenzie.

This paper, containing as well a natural hiftory of the Plague, as a medicinal inveftigation of the diftemper and mode of cure, we re induced to rank it under the prefent clafs. The account is en in a letter from Dr. Mackenzie, refiding at Conftan

tinople,