examination, but many of them have defended it upon thofe Principles. I shall trouble you with one or two quotations, which now lie before me, to prove this. Bishop Hare fays, "Surely it is a commendable "defign to explane Scripture difficulties, and to remove the Objections "of profane men, by fhewing, there is nothing in the facred writings "but what is true and Rational."-And Dr. Sykes, in his preface to the fecond Edition of his Eflay on the Truth of Chriftianity, fays, "It has always been my defire to fee Religion treated as a Rational "thing, free from all abfurdity and folly.-The Religion of nature is "capable of the strictest Evidence; and therefore that is never to be "deviated from or given up.-The Religion of Chrift, as it lies in the "New Testament, is perfectly agreeable-to, and confiftent-with, what "natural Religion teacheth; and fo it will be always found by them that examine its truth with Sincerity."

"Now this (fays our author) is a proper Principle for the Christian and Deift to join iffue upon and if the Chriftian really wishes to convert the Deift, he will ufe no other: for he knows that the Deist will admit of no argument, that contradicts his Reason or his natural Religion. In the mean time the Chriftian will be particularly cautious to fay nothing, that reflects upon his adverfary's understanding or fincerity, and may ferve to irritate rather than convince: for Christianity has been fo amazingly mifreprefented to many fenfible and worthy Men, especially to those who have travelled into Popish countries, that it is impoffible for them to believe it, till they get rid of their prejudice against it upon this account. This falfe notion fhould therefore be first of all attended to, and rectified, with patience and candour. And this confideration will make way for two preliminary articles, without which, it will be to no purpofe for the parties to enter into any difcuffion upon the question whether Christianity be true or falfe.

"1. It must be agreed upon to be unfair dealing to object, or infift on, any doctrines as parts of Revelation, which cannot be proved to be reveled in Scripture.

"2. It muit be agreed upon to be unfair dealing to insist on any fuch doctrines as are contradictory to Reafon, or to the divine attri butes, or inconfiftent with one another."

We have thus given our author's own fketch of his defign, that we might make him fo full an anfwer as, in our opinion, to fuperfede a fuller examination of his tract, did even novelty authorize it. We readily admit that it is to no purpose for us to enter into any difcuffion upon the truth of Christianity, with a writer who denies that Scripture contains any incredible relations or any thing repugnant to reafon, without fome preliminary articles: because, fetting afide the authenticity of the text, it appears to us to contain both doctrines unreasonable and facts incredible. And what are the preliminary articles propofed? Such truly as fuppofe the fame turn of thinking and fenfe of confiftency to be poffeffed by two perfons, avowedly thinking and judging of the fame fubjects in a manner totally different.

Firft,

First, No doctrines are to be admitted as parts of revelation unless proved to be revealed. What a futile propofition! How are they to be proved? Almoft eighteen hundred years have already elapfed fince the revelation was given, and probably as many thoufand volumes of expofitions been fince written to explain it, and yet men are no more agreed about its meaning than they were at firft: perhaps lefs fo. We know of no infallible proof of the meaning of the written text but the immediate infpiration of the writer of it. The author is the only irrefragable commentator.-Secondly, No doctrines are to be accounted revealed if contradictory to reafon or to the divine attributesPray, Mr. Mordecai, how long have mankind been fo well agreed in what is and what is not reasonable, as to make it an universal standard? And how came the world fo well acquainted with the divine attributes, as to have them at their fingers' ends, fo ready on all occafions to apply to the rationality or confiftency of human opinions?—indeed, Rabbi Ben! this won't do.-It must be confeffed that, accede to your preliminary articles and admit your poftulata, you handle the pen of controverfy with tolerable dexterity: but you begin here at the wrong end of the argument. You are for building caftles in the air, with their bottom upwards: a more egregious piece of folly than that of the author of the View, who only copied the caftle-builder of old, in foaring into the clouds to look for a foundation.

W.

Deferip

Experimental Inquiries: Part the Third. Containing a tion of the Red Particles of the Blood in the Human Subjećt and in other Animals; with an Account of the Structure and Offices of the Lymphatic Glands, of the Thymus Gland, and of the Spleen: Being the remaining Part of the Obfervations and Experiments of the late Mr. William Hewfon, F. R. S. and Teacher of Anatomy. Py Magnus Falconar, Surgeon, and Teacher af Anatomy. 8vo. s. Longman.

The poffeffors of the two fift parts of Mr. Hewfon's Experimental Inquiries will doubtlefs congratulate themselves on the profpect of their profecution by a profeffor, fo intimately acquainted with the fubject as Mr. Falconar: who modeftly difclaims, however, any pretenfions to the merit of a difcoverer. But we will do him the juttice to let him speak for himself.

"The following facets," fays he, “ comprife the remaining part of the difcoveries and experiments of my late friend Mr. William Hewton, in whofe death the Public fuftained an almoft irrepa blė lofs; the lofs of a Genius, whole fuperior abilities in his profeffion,

rendered

rendered him eminently confpicuous among his contemporaries, and I have no doubt, will tranfmit his fame to potterity, enrolled among the highest names of antiquity. But to the men of fcience of this age, his talents require no commendation from my pen.

Unfortunately for the world, his death prevented him from completing the work he had begun: the first Chapter of this Treatife only was written by him, and read in the Royal Society, June 17th and 24th, 1773; which was afterwards published in the Second Part of the fixty-third volume of the Philofophical Tranfactions; and it is much to be lamented, that among his papers we have not found the fmallest note upon the fubject of the other four Chapters. But a three years acquaintance, during the greatest part of which the strictest intimacy and friendship fubfified between us, afforded me numberless opportunities of difcourfing with him upon this fubject, and of making myself perfectly acquainted with his ideas; befides which, as I had the advantage of affifting him in other anatomical purfuits, it was frequently my good fortune to make and repeat many of the experiments; by which means I became not only better acquainted with the doctrine, but also perfectly confirmed in my knowledge of its truth."

The first chapter, written by Mr. Hewfon, having been before publifhed, we fhall proceed to give an abftract of the matter contained in the other four; of which this publication confifts. Chap. II. treats of the ftructure of the lymphatic glands, confirming and illuftrating by experiments the lymphatic fyftem laid down by Mr. Hewfon. Thefe experiments are curious, and are elucidated by proper drawings of the glands and veffels, as they appeared on diffection. Chap. III. treats of the fituation and ftructure of the thymus gland. Of this part of the animal economy Mr. Falconar obferves,

that

66

Many attempts have been made, by diffection and other means, to difcover an excretory duct from this part. For the organization being apparently the fame in it, as in fome other known glands, it was but natural to conclude that, fimilar to them, it also should have an outlet. Accordingly, many fruitless experiments have been made, and much time employed to difcover it, but with fo little fuccefs, that all attempts of that kind feem long fince to have been given up. Nay, some have been led into very unphilofophical conjectures (viz.) that perhaps it was ufelefs, or that if it did perform any office, it was fo Lobfcurely at to elcape investigation.

"But the ingenious author, whofe experiments we are about to relate, entertained too exalted an idea of nature, to fuppofe that any part of the animal frame was ufelefs, though the ftructure of fome parts might be lo intricate, and their ufes to obfcure, as to elude the refearches of the moft affiduous and ingenious inquirers, into the operations of nature.

"Mr. Hewson, after having made many attempts by diffection and injections to difcover the ufe of this gland, with almost as little fuccefs a, his predecetlers, began to employ the microfcope; but microfcopical experiments, in the manner they were then conducted, afforded no

other

other fatisfaction here than that the blood veffels were distributed in a fimilar manner to thofe of the lymphatic glands; but the external appearance, as well as the minute structure of the Thymus (to exactly correfponding with the ftructure of other glands), convinced Mr. Hewfon, it must have an excretory duct; yet poffibly it might be fo fmall, or the coats fo transparent, that when collapfed in the dead body, it might become almost invisible; though during life, while diftended with the natural fluid, it might be more readily perceived,"

Mr. Falconar proceeds to relate minutely the fuccefs of several experiments made to detect the excretory duct in queftion: from all which he concludes that the thymus is neceffary to perform an office requifite in the foetus ftate, and in the early part of life, depending upon refpiration. What this office is, he proceeds to explain. To this end, he treats in Chap. IV. on the fituation and ftructure of the fpleen.

"It hath at all times (obferves Mr. Falconar) been matter of furprife among the learned, that a vifcus fo large, and fo advantageously fituated as the Spleen is, added to the frequent opportunities. of infpecting it in different states of health, fhould, notwithstanding, have its ufes fo involved in obfcurity, as to elude the researches of so many ingenious and industrious inquirers.

"Not that the Spleen has at any time been confidered as ufelefs, for at different periods a variety of different offices have been affigned to it. Among the ancients, the most celebrated opinion was, that it made the atra bilis or fuccus melancholicus, which they fuppofed was carried by the vafa brevia into the stomach: but later observations have entirely exploded that idea, infomuch that the very term is almost extin&t. And we shall endeavour to prove, that the more modern opinion, of its producing fome change on the blood, preparatory to the fecretion of bile, hath no better foundation in nature.

For this proof we are obliged to refer the reader to the treatife itself; obferying only that the inference, drawn from the experiments made to discover the ufe and office of the spleen, is, that it is the organ ordained by nature for the more perfectly forming the red particles of the blood. This inference is farther illuftrated and more fully proved in the fifth and concluding Chapter; which contains an account of the manner in which the red particles of the blood are formed, as deduced from the preceding experiments. As the fyftem fupported by these experiments is no lefs novel than fingularly ftriking, we fhall give it in the profeffor's own words.

"That the red particles of the blood are completely formed by the Spleen, we have therefore as strong proofs, as we have that the liver fecretes bile, or the testicles femen; we find bile in the ductus hepaticus, femen in the epididymis, and red particles of blood in the lymphatic veflels of the Spleen.

"It may then reasonably be afked, How is the red blood formed when the Spleen is taken out, if the Spleen is the vifcus intended by nature to form the red blood? This objection will militate equally VOL. V,

Mm m

trong

ftrong against any other ufe the Spleen is fuppofed to have; for that the Spleen may be taken out, and the animal fuffer but little inconveniency, by no means prove it to be ufelefs, but it proves that fome other part is capable of performing its office. Every philofopher muft entertain too éxalted an idea of nature, to believe that any part of the creation is useless, much less could he suppose a vifcus in the human body, fo large as this is, has no office of importance affigned to it.

"Suppofe then for a moment, we allow the Spleen to do the office affigned to it by the moderns, viz. that it produces fome change on the blood preparatory to the fecretion of bile; what must do that office when the Spleen is wanting? for as the animal lives and is well nourished afterwards, if that fuppofed change is abfolutely neceflary for the fecretion of bile, either fome other vifcus muft do its office; or the bile, a fluid fo requifite for affimilating our food, could not be formed, and the animal for want of being duly nourished must die.

"If we may reafon from analogy, we should say, that it is contrary to the established laws of animal economy, to fuppofe the use of one organ or gland, to be merely fubfervient to another organ or gland, in preparing the blood, in order to render it fit for fuch organ or gland to do its office; it would be afferting, that the liver which nature in tended to fecrete bile could only do it by the intervention of the Spleen; and yet if we allow that bile can be formed without the use of the Spleen, we admit that intervention to be by no means neceffary. But to carry our analogy ftill farther, nature has given to the animal body certain glands, and has affigned to each peculiar offices, that is, the has endowed them with a property of feparating from the blood divers fluids, as different from each other, as they are from the mafs of blood from out of which they were originally feparated.

"The lachrymal gland fecretes the tears; the falivary glands, the faliva; the kidneys, urine; the refticles, femen, &c. &c. without the intervention of any auxiliary gland. If then a fluid fo elaborated, and fo different from any thing we find in the blood, as femen is, a fluid which has an office of no lefs dignity than to perpetuate the whole race of animals, can be formed from the blood by the vessels of the teftis, without any preparatory change being produced on it; may we not reasonably conclude, that the liver is capable of fecreting bile from the blood without any antecedent change being made on it by the Spleen? For to fay that the blood muft be prepared by the Spleen, before bile can be fecreted from it by the liver, is to deny, that the liver, which is given to form bile, can do the office which nature has intended it to perfarm.

"But if we allow the Spleen to make the red part of the blood, we can readily account for the reason why the Spleen may be cut out of an animal, and yet the animal furvive, and fuffer but little inconvenience, for though the office of the Spleen is to form the red particles of the blood, yet it is not the only organ in the bady capable of doing that office; for we have already proved, that the lymphatic vetiels do alto form the veficular portion; the Spleen therefore is not the only organ capable of doing it. But nature has given the Spleen as an auxiliary to the lymphatic fyftem, in order to the more commodioufly, expeditiously, and completely forming the red part of the blood.