M. Reaumur was the firft that reduced thermometers to a common ftandard, fo as that the cold indicated by a thermometer in one place, might be compared with the cold indicated by a thermometer in another; in other words, he prefcribed rules by which two thermometers might be conftructed, that would exactly coincide with each other through all the changes of heat and cold: he fixed the middle term, or zero, of his divifion of the tube, at the point to which the liquor rifes when the bulb is plunged in water that is beginning to freeze, he prescribed a method of regulating the divifions in proportion to the quantity of liquor, and not by the aliquot parts of the length of the tube, and he directed how fpirits of wine might be reduced to one certain degree of dilatability. Thermometers conftructed upon thefe principles were called Reaumur's thermometers, and foon took place of all others.

M. de Reaumur invented the art of preferving eggs, and of hatching them; this art had been long known and practifed in Egypt, but to the reft of the world was an impenetrable fecret: M. de Reaumur found out and defcribed many ways of producing an artificial warmth in which chickens might be hatched, and fome by the application of fires ufed for other purposes; he fhewed how chickens might be hatched in a dunghill; he invented long cages in which the callow brood were preferved in their firft ftate, with fur cafes to them to creep under instead of the hen's bofom, and he prefcribed proper food for them of fuch things as are every where to be procured in great plenty.

He found alfo that eggs might be kept fresh, and fit for incuba tion, many years, by washing them with a varnish of oil, greafe, or any other fubftance, that would effectually ftop the pores of the shell, and prevent the contents from evaporating; by this contrivance eggs may not only be preferved for eating or hatching in the hotteft climates, but the eggs of birds of every kind may be tranfported from one climate to another, and the breed of thofe that could not furvive a long voyage, propagated in the most diftant part of the world.

While he was employed in these difcoveries, he was gradually proceeding in another work, The biftory of infects, the first volume of which he published in 1734.

This volume contains the history of caterpillars, which he divides into feven claffes, each of a distinct kind and character: He describes the manner in which they fubfift, as well under the form of caterpil lars as in the chryfalis ftate; the feveral changes which they undergo; their manner of taking food, and of fpinning their webs.

The fecond volume, which was published in 1736, is a continuation of the fame fubject, and defcribes caterpillars in their third ftate, that of butterflies, with all the curious particulars relating to their figure and colour, the beautiful duft with which they are powdered, their coupling and laying their eggs, which the wisdom of Providence has, by an invariable inftinct, directed them to do, where their young may moft conveniently find fhelter and food.

The third volume contains the hiftory of moths, not only of those which are fo pernicious to cloaths

and

and furniture, but those which live among the leaves of trees, and in the water; the firft is perhaps the most useful, because M. de Reaumur has given directions how the cloth-moth may be certainly deftroyed; but the fecond abounds with particulars that are not only curious, but wonderful in the highest degree.

This volume alfo contains the history of the vine-fretter, an infect not lefs deftructive to our gardens than the moth to our furniture; with an account of the worm that devours them, and the galls produced upon trees by the puncture of fome infect, which often ferve them for habitations.

From the gall, or gall-nut, properly fo called, M. de Reaumur proceeds in his fourth volume to the hiftory of those protuberances which, though galls in appearance, are really infects, but condemned by nature to remain for ever fixed and unmoveable upon the branches of trees, and he difclofes the aftonishing mystery of their multiplication. He then proceeds to give an account of flies with two wings, and of the worms in which they pafs the first part of their lives; this article includes the very fingular history of the gnat. The fifth volume treats of four-winged flies, and among others of the bee, concerning which he refutes many groundless opinions, and establishes others not lefs extraordinary.

The bee is not the only fly that makes honey, many fpecies of the fame genus live feparate, or in little focieties. The history of thefe begins the fixth and laft volume, and contains a defcription of the receffes in which they depofit and fecure their eggs, with proper

nourishment for the worms they produce till their transformation. The author then proceeds to the history of wafps, as well thofe who live feparate, as in companies, to that of the lion-pifinire, the horfe-ftinger, and laftly to the fly called an ephemeron, a very fingular infect, which, after having lived in the water three years as a fish, lives as a fly only one day, during which it fuffers its metamorphofis, couples, lays its eggs, and leaves its dead carcafe upon the furface of the water which it had inhabited. To this volume there is a preface, containing the wonderful difcovery of the polypus, an animal that multiplies without coupling, that moves with equal facility upon its back or its belly, and each part of which, when it is divided, becomes a compleat animal, a property then thought fingular, but fince found to be poffeffed by feveral other animals.

It had long been a question amongst anatomifts, whether digeftion is performed by solution or trituration: M. de Reaumur, by diffecting a great number of birds of different kinds, and by many fingular experiments, difcovered that the digeftion of carnivorous birds is performed by folution, without any action of the ftomach itfelf upon the aliments received on it; and that, on the contrary, the digeftion of granivorous birds is effected wholly by grinding, or trituration, which is performed with a force fufficient to break the hardeft fubftances.

M. de Reaumur, during the courfe of his experiments upon birds, remarked the amazing art with which the feveral fpecies of these animals build their netts.

His

His obfervations on this fubject he communicated to the fociety in 1756, and this memoir was the laft that he exhibited. He died by a hurt in his head received from a fall at Bermondiere in the Main, upon an eftate that had been left him by a friend, on the 17th of October, aged 75 years.

He was a man of great ingenuity and learning, of the ftricteft integrity and honour, the warmeft benevolence, and the most extenfive liberality.

Letter written by Alfred the Great, prefixed, by way of preface, to bis tranflation of Gregory's paftoral Letter, and directed to Wulf-fig, bishop of London.

ALfred king, wifheth greeting, to Wulf-fig bishop, his beloved and friendlike, and thee to know I with, that to me it cometh very often in my mind, what manner of wife men, long ago, were throughout the English nation, both of the fpiritual degree, and of the temporal; and how happy the times then were, among all the English; and how the kings, which then the people, God and his written will obeyed: how well they behaved themfelves both in war and peace; and, in their home government, how their nobleness was fpread abroad; and how they profpered in knowledge, and in wifdom. Alfo, the divine orders, how earnest they were as well about preaching as about learning, and about all the fervices they thould do to God; and how men from abroad, wifdom and doctrine here in this land fought; and how we the fame now must get abroad, if we would have them.

So clean has learning fallen among the English nation, as that there have been very few on this fide Humber, that were able to understand the English of their fervice, or turn an epiftle from Latin into English; and I wot there were not many beyond Humber that could do it. There were fo few, as that I cannot bethink one on the fouth fide of the Thames, when I first came to reign. God Almighty be thanked, that we have ever a teacher in pulpit now. Therefore, I pray thee, that thou do, (as alfo I believe thou wilt) bestow that wildom that God has given thee, on all about, on them thou can't bestow it; think what punishment fhall for this world befall us, when, as neither we ourfelves have loved wisdom, nor left it to others; we

only loved the names that we were Chriftians, and very few of us the duties. When I minded all this, methought alfo that I faw, before all was spoiled and burnt, how all the churches throughout the Englifh nation flood filled with books and ornaments, and a great multitude of God's fervants; and at that time they wit very little fruit of their books, becaufe they could understand nothing of them; for that they were not written in their own language. So they told us, that our anceflors, that before us held thofe places, loved wifdom, and through the fame got wealth, and left it us. A man may here yet fee their fwath; but we cannot enquire after it, because we have let go both wealth and wiflom; for that we could not ftoop with our minds to the fecking of it. When I thought of all this, then wondered I greatly, that their goodly wife men, that were every where

through

throughout the English nation, and had fully learnt all those books, would turn no part of them into their own language: but I then again quickly anfwered myself, and faid, they weened not that men ever should become fo rechlefs, nor that this learning would fo decay; therefore they willingly let it alone, and wot that here would be the more wisdom in the land, the more languages that we underftood.

Then I called to mind how that the law was first found written in the Hebrew speech; and after that the Greeks had learned it, then turned they it into their own fpeech wholly, and alfo all other books. And then the Latin people, a little after they had learned it, they tranflated all, through wife interpreters, into their own language; and all other christian people also have turned fome part thereof into their own tongues.

Therefore, methinketh it better, if you fo think, that we alfo, fome books that be deemed moft needful for all men to understand, into that language turn; that we all know, and that we bring to pafs, (as we eafily may with God's help, if we have quietnefs) that all the youth of freeborn Englishmen (fuch as have wealth, that they may maintain them) be committed to learning, that, while they of no other note can; they firft learn well to read English writing; afterwards,

let men further teach, in the Latin tongue, thofe that they will further teach, and have to a higher degree.

When I minded how this learning of the Latin tongue, heretofore, was fallen through the English nation, though many could VOL. VI.

ftill read English writing; then began I, among diverfe and manifold bufineffes of the kingdom, to turn into English this book, (which in Latin is named Paftoralis, and in English The berdiman's book) fometimes word for word, fometimes understanding for understanding, even as I learned them of Plegmond my archbishop, of Affer my bishop, and Grimbald my masspriest, and John my mafs-priest. After that I had learned of them how I might beft understand them, I turned them into English, and will fend one to each bishop's fee in my kingdom; and upon each there is a ftile, that is, of fifty marks. And I command, on God's name, that no man the ftile from the books, nor the books from the minifter, take; feeing we know not how long there fhall be fo learned bishops as now, God be thanked, every where there are. Therefore, I would they fhould always remain in their places, except the bishop will have them with him, or that they be lent fome whether, until that fome other be written out.

fon, who was destined to maintain all the glory that his father had acquired the prejudice which thefe predictions produced, joined to fome falfe appearances, at firft deceived the women, and they deceived the king into an opinion, that the child was a boy; but his fifter Catherine difcovered and told him the truth. "Let us ftill be thankful to God, faid Guftavus, I trust this girl will be as good as a boy; adding, with a fmile, fhe muft certainly be clever, for fhe has deceived us all already." Guftavus took great pleasure in carrying her about with him, when he went a journey; and when he was about two years old, he took her to Calmar: the governor had the precaution to afk, whether he fhould give his majefty the ufual falute, by firing the cannon, fearing that the noife might poffibly fright the child: the king hefitated a little at first, but after a moment's paufe, Fire, faid he, for the girl is a foldier's daughter, and the thould be accuftomed to it betimes." They fired, and the child, fo far from being frighted, laughed, clapped her hands, and in her broken language cried, more -more-, This natural intrepidity greatly pleafed Guftavus, and he afterwards caufed her to be prefent at a review: perceiving the delight fhe took in this military fhow, he cried, “ Very well; I'll warrant I'll take you where you fhall have enough of this diverfion." But he died too foon to keep his word; and Chriftina laments, in her memoirs, that he was not permitted to learn the art of war under fo great a mafter; she regretted alfo, during her whole life, that he never marched at the

head of an army, nor fo much as faw a battle.

The tears which fhe fhed when he fet out for his German expedition were regarded as a bad omen, and fhe betrayed the hero himself into tears, by an act of childish fimplicity, which was, however, characteristic of the childhood of Chriftina. She took leave of her father by a little compliment which had been made for her, and which fhe had learned by heart. When fhe repeated it, Guftavus, being ruminating and and abstracted in thought, did not hear what she faid; the child, not content with having faid her leffon, and performed the task that had been affigned her, pulled him by his fleeve to excite attention, and began to repeat her little speech again; at this, the father bursting into tears, caught her in his arms, and after preffing her to his breaft for fome minutes, gave her to an attendant, without fpeaking; an incident which put fome of the fpectators in mind of the parting of Hector with Aftyanax.

The ftates of Sweden being af fembled, after the death of Gustavus, the marshal of the diet propofed the crowning of Chriftina, by virtue of a decree which had declared the daughters of the pofterity of Charles IX. the father of Guftavus, capable of fucceeding to the throne. A member of the order of peasants, whofe name was Larflen, when he heard this propofal, cried out, "Who is this Chriftina, this daughter of Guftavus? let us fee her; let her be brought out to us."

The marshal immediately went out, and returned with Chriftina, whom he brought in his arms into

the