chances, having been obliged to fly his country for a murder, had long fince formed the plan of a company, that might pay off the debts of the ftate, and reimburse it by its own profits. This plan was very complicated; but, confined within proper bounds, might have been made very useful. It was an imitation of the bank of England and its Eaft-India-company. He proposed its establishment first to victor Amadeus, duke of Savoy, afterwards king of Sardinia; who rejected it, saying, he was not powerful enough to ruin himself. He proposed it next to the comptroller-general des Marets; but this was during an unsuccessful war, when public credit was at an end, which was the basis of the system.

At length he found every circumftance favourable under the regency of the duke of Orleans; the French nation had a debt of two hundred millions to discharge; the peace had left the government at leifure, and both prince and people were fond of novelties.

In 1716 he established a bank in his own name, which foon becoming general, he united it with the Miffiffippi company; from whofe commerce at that time people were given to expect great advantages. Seduced by the allurements of gain, the public bought up the joint stock of the company and bank with great avidity.

The wealth of the kingdom, which had been long confined in private hands, in diftruft of public credit, now circulated in great profufion; the notes hence iffued increasing that wealth in a double, a quadruple degree. France was in fact enriched by credit; while all ranks of people indulged themfelves in a luxury, which extended even to her neighbours who took part in this kind of commerce.

The bank was declared royal in 1718, and took upon it the management of the trade to Senegal. It acquired alfo the privileges of the old Eaft India company, founded by the celebrated Colbert; which had fince come to decay and given up its trade to the merchants of St. Malo. At length it engroffed the farming of the national taxes. Every thing was now in the hands of the Scotchman Law, and the finances of the whole kingdom depended on a trading company.

This company appeared indeed to be eftablished on fuch vaft foundations, that its flock mounted to above twenty times its original value. The duke of Orleans undoubtedly com mitted a great fault in leaving the public thus to itself. It would have been eafy for government to give a check to this frenzy but the avarice of the courtiers and the hopes of profiting by this diorder prevented the putting a stop to it. The frequent rife and fall of the company's stocks afforded an opportunity

portunity for obfcure perfons to make immenfe fortunes'; many of them becoming in a few months as rich as princes.

• Even Law himself, deceived by his own scheme and intoxicated with the publick folly as well as his own, had fabricated fo many notes, that the chimerical value of the funds in 1719 exceeded fourscore times the real value of the current coin of the kingdom. Even the government at this time paid all its annuitants in paper.

• But the regent foon found himself incapable of managing fo immenfe and complicated a machine, the rapidity of whose motion bore it away and rendered it abfolutely ungovernable, The late financiers and the great bankers in conjunction exhausted the royal bank, by drawing on it for considerable fums. Every one wanted to convert his notes into specie; but the difproportion was enormous. Credit dropt all at once; the regent made an attempt to raise it by iffuing arrets, that effectually crushed it in its fall. Nothing was offered in payment but paper; fo that a real poverty began to fucceed a profufion of imaginary riches.

It was juft at this crifis the office of comptroller general of the finances was given to Law; a crifis at which it was impoffible he should fulfil the duties of it. This was in the year 1720, the æra of the ruin of all the private fortunes of individuals and of the finances of the kingdom.

In a fhort time after he was converted from a Scotchman into a Frenchman, by naturalization; from a protestant into a catholic; from a mere adventurer into a lord poffeffed of a noble fortune; and from a banker into a minister of state.

I faw him myfelf pafs through the galleries of the palace royal, followed by dukes and peers, marshalls of France and bishops of the Gallican church.

Disorder and confufion were at the utmoft height. The parliament of Paris made what oppofition it could to these innovations, and was banished to Pontoise.

• But Law himself, loaded with the public execration, was the fame year obliged to fly the country he had attempted to enrich and had entirely ruined. He went off in a poft-chaise that was lent him by the duke of Bourbon Condé, taking with him only about two thousand pounds, almost the whole that remained of his tranfitory opulence.

The libels of thofe times accufed the regent, of having engroffed all the money of the kingdom, to ferve the purposes of his ambition; though it is certain he died above feven millions of livres in debt.

Law was accufed of having fent the French fpecie out of the kingdom, for the fake of his own emolument. It is yet

motions with its wings, and finding its power equal to its defire, it fuddenly flies into the air, and there fills up a character as different from the former as one element is from the other. At the time this change is accomplishing, the inftrument or weapon for catching their prey, before mentioned, by an effect of nature, totally difappears, and not the leaft veftige of it then remains; the mouth, indeed, is furnished with jaws, and thofe of a very extraordinary form, dividing themfelves both horizontally and perpendicularly, but no part of them appears extended beyonded the reft, or have the leaft appearance of being furnished with an inftrument like what they had in their former state.

Hitherto I have confidered these creatures only in their infant or incomplete ftates; wherein the faculties and powers they are endued with, are entirely different from thofe of their perfect and complete ones. In the former I have defcribed them fwimming and groveling about in the water, preying upon the leffer kinds of infects, being incapable of fubfifting for any length of time out of that element; in the latter we muft view them capable of flying in the open air, and conveying themselves from place to place. If they are then confined to the limits of a fmall pond, they are now capable of roving from tree to tree, and from field to field, darting and fkimming along with all the rapidity and seeming joy, that a being fenfible of, and exulting in its own powers, can be fuppofed to do; in fhort we muft now view them in fhapes fo diftinct and different from their former ones, that they hardly feem to bear any relation to each other, except in their nature and appetites; for although they appear in a far more elegant drefs than when they were in their caterpillar-ftates, yet these are just the same, the fame voracious inclinations fubfifting now as formerly; hunting after, and preying upon, the leffer genera, with the fame eagerness and defire as they did when inhabitants of the water. Incredible numbers of fmall moths, bees, flies with four and two wings, are the daily facrifices offered to the infatiable appetites of these hungry gluttons; and where they devoured one infect in the water, they now destroy an hundred, if the mildness of the feafon will permit them to range about in queft of them. In rainy weather they feldom or ever move; nor when the wind is very ftrong and boisterous. Indeed it is not to be wondered at. The Imall infects, who are their proper food, being prevented by the fame reasons from being abroad, confequently are an impediment to thofe motives, that fo strongly induce the libellas to fly about. During fuch inclement times they generally fhelter themselves from the wind, &c. being fufpended by their feet in a perpendicular position on fome twig, that is remote and feparate from any boughs, waiting in that mahner, without any motion, for better weather and funshine.

If we attentively confider these creatures, either in their caterpillar or complete ftates, we cannot help concluding them to be a rank of beings, of greater benefit and advantage to mankind than they appear to be at first view; for, not to mention their being annual minifters of nature," they are appointed, by the great Governor of the universe, as grand inftruments for affifting to preferve that equilibrium fo apparently reigning through the infect world; and which all, who have made any progrefs in the study of natural hiftory, unanimoufly confefs. Hence the voracious difpofition of the libellas, is wifely made to answer a most necessary and beneficial purpose; and the great numbers of fmall infects, who are daily faerificed to their infatiable appetites, both in their caterpillar as well

as

which fo many old men retire from the world, he took upon him the care of government, he was equally refpected as the most sagacious and prudent. From 1726 to 1742 every thing profpered with him; ftill preferving, to almoft ninety years. of age, a clear head and an unimpaired capacity for business.

When one reflects that out of a thousand contemporaries hardly one of them arrives at this age, one must confefs the deftiny of cardinal de Fleury to have been very fingular. But though the fingularity of his elevation be remarkable, in coming fo late in life, its long uninterrupted duration, with the moderation of his temper and the urbanity of his manners rendered it no less fo.

The riches and magnificence of, cardinal d'Amboife, who afpired to the popedom, are well known; as well as the arrogant fimplicity of Ximenes who raised armies at his own expence, and dreffed in the habit of a monk, boasted that he led about the grandees of Spain by his hempen girdle. The royal pomp of Richelieu, and the prodigious wealth accumulated by Mazarin, are well known. It remained for cardinal de Fleury to be diftinguished by modefty; by a conftant and invariable rule of economy and fimplicity. A want of dig

the only defect in his character; a defe&t that fprungfrom his virtues, which were candour, equanimity, and the love of peace and regularity. He gave the world a proof that mild and conciliating fpirits are formed to govern the reft

He had as foon as poffible got rid of his bishoprick of Frejus; after having by his economy cleared it of its debts, and had done a great deal of good by his peaceable difpofition. These were the two diftinguishing parts of his character. The reafon he gave to his diocefans for giving up his paftoral charge, was, that his ill ftate of health prevented his paying due attention to the care of his flock. He had been fortunate enough however never to labour under il nefs.

any

The fee of Frejus, lying in a difagreeable country at a diftance from court, had always difpleafed him. He ufed to fay, that the moment he faw his wife he was difgufted at his marriage; and fubfcribes a letter of pleasantry to cardinal Quirini, Fleury, by the divine indignation, bishop of Frejus.

He refigned this bishoprick about the beginning of the year 1715. Marshal de Villeroy, after many folicitations, prevailed upon Louis XIV. to appoint the bishop of Frejus, preceptor to his grandson, in the codicil of his will. The new preceptor expreffes himself nevertheless, in a letter to cardinal Quirini, in the following terms:

"I have more than once regretted the want of the folitude of Frejus. On my arrival here, I heard the king was at the

point

those who are concerned in the work. We are alfo informed in the Preface, that fome of the papers inserted in this volume, have formerly appeared in print, alone, or in fome mifcellaneous compilations; but that all of them, one or two only excepted, had been furreptitiously obtained by the editors, and were published in a very incorrect manner. For these reasons, as well as that all the pieces which the fociety thought proper to lay before the public, fhould be preferved in one repofitory, where they might always be found, they are now republished in this collection.

The first article in this volume is an account of an improved method of cultivating lucern. In drilling, or transplanting this grafs, three feet four inches is the common diftance advised to be made betwixt the rows; but from thefe experiments it is found, that exactly half that distance, or one foot eight inches, is fufficient; and that in a field fo laid out, the crop is actually greater than where the ufual method had been followed. It appears, at the fame time, to be ascertained from these experiments, that in the cultivation of lucern, as well as the other products of agriculture, the broad-caft method of husbandry is greatly fuperior to the drill; a point which feems now to be fully agreed upon by the most approved writers on the subject.

The fecond article contains directions for making a cheap, ftrong, durable, and handfome coping for walls.

The next is an account of a method of making mortar, which will be impenetrable to moisture, acquire great hardnefs, and be exceeding durable; prefumed to be that ufed by the ancients. This is fo valuable an improvement, that it would be unpardonable not to give a particular account of the preparation.

"Take of unflacked lime, and of fine fand, in the proportion of one part of the lime to three parts of the fand, as much as a labourer can well manage at once: and then, adding water gradually, mix the whole well together by means of a trowel, till it be reduced to the confiftence of mortar. Apply it immediately, while it is yet hot, to the purpofe, either of mortar, as a cement to brick or ftone; or of plafter for the furface of any building. It will then ferment for fome days, in drier places; and afterwards gradually concrete or set; and become hard. But in a moist place it will continue foft for three weeks or more; though it will, at length, attain a firm confiftence, even if water have fuch access to it fo as to keep the furface wet the whole time. After this, it will acquire a stone-like hardness; and resist all moisture.

"The perfection of this mortar depends on the ingredients being thoroughly blended together; and the mixture's being applied immediately after to the place where it is wanted In order to this, about five labourers fhould be employed for mixing the mortar, to attend one perfon, who applies it."

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