a barefaced attempt to try how far thè credulity of mankind could lead them aftray in deference to a great name, in direct contradiction to facts which fall jmmediately under the cognizance of every man who pleases but to open his eyes, and look right before him, as in thofe bold and unfounded affertions which he has been pleafed to make, with regard to the transformation of dogs, from one variety into another. Yet thefe opinions have been inadvertently transcribed many times by learned naturalifts, without one fymptom of

hefitation.

The hound, the terrier, and small fpotted fetting-dog, he confiders as of the fame family; and afferts, that they are often all produced at the fame litter, although the bitch fhould have been covered with only one kind of dogI ask the reader, if ever he knew a single inftance where this happened?

·

The hound,' he farther obferves, if tranfported into Spain or Barbary, where the hair of all animals becomes foft and long, will be converted into the land and water fpaniel; and when thefe are again brought back to Britain,' inftead of returning to their former state of a hound, they become the fmall fhagged dog.'-But who does not know, that fpaniels continue to be bred in Britain for ages, without degenerating in the fmallett degree?

The fhepherd's dog Buffon confiders as the parent stock from which all the different varieties have been produced, by a change of climate, education, food, and other circumftances. This animal,' he obferves, ftill continues pretty We have feen above, that the mastiff, nearly in its original ftate among the bull-dog, beagle, and hound, to which poor in temperate climates. Being may be added the terrier and fmall tranfported into colder regions, he fetting-dog, are all produced in Britain becomes fmaller, as among the Lap- from the fhepherd's dog tranfported landers; but becomes more perfect in from cold climates. But this maftiff Iceland, Ruffia, and Siberia, where the dog,' he obferves, when carried to climate is lefs rigorous, and the people the north,' deferts his original family, more civilized.But if there is a dif- and becomes the large Danish dog; ference in the dogs of thefe countries, it and when tranfported to the fouth, becan fcarcely be owing to the cause affign- comes a grey-hound. The fame tranfed, as the climate of Lapland, is as ported into Ireland, the Ukraine, mild as that of a great part of Siberia, Tartary, Epirus, and Albania, becomes and the inhabitants, perhaps, more the great wolf-dog, known by the name civilized. of the Irish dog, which is the largest of all dogs. Thus he makes the

The fhepherd's dog,' he farther obferves, if tranfported to temperate fhepherd's dog, when tranfported from climates, and among people entirely the north to Britain, become a maftiff; civilized, fuch as England, France, or and that again, when remanded back to Germany, becomes divefted of his the north, instead of returning to its favage air, his pricked ears, his long original state of a fhepherd's dog, bethick hair, and from the influence of comes a large Danish dog; which again climate and education will become a brought back to Britain, its original bull-dog, a maftiff, a beagle, or a country, inftead of a mattiff, becomes hound. But if this were the cafe, a grey-hound; which by another change whence fhould it happen that we in of climate, fcarcely perceptible, is Britain have the race of thepherd's dogs metamorphofed into the large Irish dog. in as great perfection as any where elfe, Thefe furprifing transformations and the maftiff, bull-dog, hound, &c. might figure very well in Ovid, 'but do in equal perfection; and can preferve not tally quite fo well with the character the breeds of each of thefe kinds as of a philofopnic natural historian. diftinct from one another, as if they had been bred in the moft diftant corners of the earth?

The bull-dog,' he farther goes on, when tranfported into Denmark, becomes the little Danish dog; and this

little Danish dog, fent into warm climates, becomes the Turkish dog with out hair. In the last paragraph, we faw the maftiff in a northern climate increase in fize, and become the large Danish dog: here his brother, the bulldog, by a like change of place, dwindles into the fmall Danish dog. How it fhould happen, that the fame change of climate fhould produce changes fo diametrically oppofite, remains to be explained. When this little Danish dog, however, is fent back to milder climates, he does not recover his former fize, or graw larger, like the maftiff, but, by another metamorphofis, altogether as extraordinary, becomes the naked Turkish dog. The hound, the full brother of this maftiff, we faw, on a, former occafion, when carried to the warm coaft of Barbary, got a coat of longer hair, and became a spaniel: this one lofes his hair entirely.

Can any thing be more contrary to reafon, experience, and facts that every man has before his eyes every day in his life, than the above hypothefis?

It is humiliating for the pride of man, who plumes himself on the fuperiority of reafon to remark this. And it is mortifying for modern philofophy, which affects to be founded on experience and accurate obfervation of facts alone, to point out fuch things, but truth ought in all cafes to be ad

hered to.

On the other hand. Is there any thing inconfiftent with that wifdom and beneficence fo univerfally confpicuous in the fyftem of this univerfe, or any thing that contradicts the general experience of man, and the facts that fall under his obfervation, in adopting the hypothefis, that a diverfity of animals may have been originally formed with difcriminatrve faculties and propenfities fnted for the various purposes required of them in the general fyttem, and feparated from each other, though not by unfurmountable barriers, yet by fuch peculiar propenfities as might ferve to preferve the kinds fufficiently diftinct to answer all the purposes required of them? The different breeds of dogs,

for example, though not prevented by any phyfical barrier from intermingling, are yet fo diftinctly feparated from cach other by certain peculiarities, as naturally to induce one clafs to affociate together, in a state of freedom, in preference to others. The hound, for cample, would naturally affociate with other hounds who purfued the game, at a flow pace, by the fenfe of smelling, in preference to any other clafs of dogs. Should a grey-hound encroach upon this pack, he would fo often destroy the game, and eat it before their approach, that they would find it neceffary for their own prefervation to drive him away, or tear him in pieces. Grey hounds would as naturally affociate with other greyhounds for the fame reason of mutual convenience; and fo of other varieties. Thus would a distinction be formed, which in ftate of nature would tend to preferve the feveral breeds uncontaminated. This purpose would be ftill ftrengthened by the acquaintance formed by the young of each tribe, with the mother and others of the fame kind, with whom they were accustomed to affociate from their infancy, and with whom we know they preferve habits of intimacy and kindness through life.Thefe few particulars, without taking notice of many others, (as the fize, which alone would effectually prevent many of the breeds from intermingling) are fufficient to fhow, that, in a state of nature, the different varieties of the fame fpecies of animals might be preferved diftinct perhaps for ever." In fhort we do actually know of two itftances where the breeds of two pure varieties of animals have been preferved in a wild ftate, fince the creation of the world till the prefent hour, diftin&t from all others of the fame kind, and uncontaminated merely by the peculiar instincts with which they are naturally endowed. Thefe are the wolf and the fox, which though ranked by Buffon, and mott other naturalifts, as diftinét fpecies, are now proved, by the moft decifive experiments, conducted under the eye of the ingenious Mr. John Hunter of London, to be only varieties

of

of the dog kind, which may be brought to intercopulate with others of the fame fpecies, and by that means produce a mongrel breed, participating as ufual of the qualities of both parents, and equally prolific as others of the fame kind.

world of mifery and forrow: it was therefore agreed to take the child along with them on their paffage into another and a better.

They were now firmly refolved to die. But what mode of death should they adopt? They made choice of the molt horrible of starving: accordingly

Anecdotes of Boily, a celebrated French they waited, in their folitary deferted

Author.

apartment, their deliverer death, in his moft ghaftly form.-Their refolution,

of and they forked do eduer, moveable

matic pieces, that were received with applaufe, met the common fate of thofe who give themfelves up entirely to the arts of the mufes. He laboured and toiled unremittingly-his works procured him fame, but no bread. He languifhed, with a wife and child, under the preffure of the extremeft poverty.

But melancholy as his fituation was, he loft nothing of that pride which is peculiar to genius, whether great or Imall; he could not creep and fawn at the feet of a patron. He had friends who would have administered relief to nim; but they were never made acquainted with his real condition, or had not friendly impetuofity enough to force their affiftance upon him.

Boiffy became the prey of diftrefs and defpondency. The shortest way to rid himfelf at once from all his mifery feemed to him to be death. Death appeared to him as a friend, as a faviour, and deliverer; and gained his affection. His tender fpoufe, who was no lefs weary of life, liftened with participation when he declaimed with all the warmth of poetic rapture, of deliverance from this earthly prifon, and of the fmiling profpect of futurity; and at length refolved to accompany him in death. But the could not bear to think of leaving her beloved fon, of five years old, ina world

NOTE.

* Vide Philofophical Tranfactions, Anno 1792, and Mifcellaneous Elays by Mr. John Hunter, 4to. 1793, London. The fame able naturalift has obtained a prolific breed between the common cow and buffalo.

They locked the door, and began to faft. When any one came and knocked, they fled trembling into the corner, and were in perpetual dread left their pur. pofe fhould be difcovered. Their little fon, who had not yet learnt to filence the calls of hunger by artificial reafons, whispering and crying, afked for bread but they always found means to quiet him.

It occurred to one of Boifly's friends, that it was very extraordinary he should never find him at home. At first he thought the family were removed; but, on being affured of the contrary, he grew more uneafy. He called several times in one day: always nobody at home! At last he burst open the door. Oh what a fight!

He faw his friend, with his wife and fon, lying on a bed pale and emaciated, fcarcely able to utter a found. The boy lay in the middle, and the husband and wife had their arms thrown over him. The child ftretched out his little hands towards his deliverer, and his first word was-bread! It was now the third day that not a morfel of food had entered his lips.

The parents lay fill in a perfect ftupor: they had never heard the bursting open of the door, and felt nothing of the embraces of their agitated friend. Their wafted eyes were directed towards the boy, and the tendereft expreffions of pity were in the look with which they had laft beheld him, and ftill faw him dying.

Their friend haftened to take meafures for their deliverance; but could not fucceed without difficulty, They thought they had already done with all the troubles of the world, and were

fuddenly

A Africa lies a territory, the inha- flower not yet fully blown, which he

her, the makes him a profound rever- him at the fame time to declare himself her lover, without, however, giving him her name, and without even acquainting him with the reafon of her filence on that head.

ence, and shuts her eyes till he is retired. Indeed, at times, it happens here, as well as in other places, though but rarely, that the difguifes herself to her lover. If a man be already contracted, he likewife bears a token. Such maidens as have yet met with no lover, have it in their choice either to remain virgins, or to infcribe themfelves among the widows, which, if they do, they can only be married to a widower. But let us return to our twin brothers.

The brother, who stood at the altar with the young damfel, felt as violent a paffion for her, as fhe did for him. They were fo very intent upon the ceremony, that they forgot to give each other the accustomed figns. On her leaving the altar, the other brother faw her, became enamoured of her, and found opportunity, when the ceremony was over, for prefenting her with a flower. She accepted it at his hands, as being fully perfuaded that it was the perfon who had just before been with her at the altar. But, as fhe took her felf away in fome hafte with her companions, fhe imperceptibly dropped the token fhe had received. The elder brother accofted her once more, and offered her a flower. "Ab," faid fhe to berfelf, in an amiable confufion, "it is the very fame!" and took it likewife. The young man, who heard this, imagined for certain that it meant him: but as the law allowed them to remain no longer together they departed their feveral ways.

Not long afterwards the elder brother met her at the fame window; but the night was fo dark, that he could not diftinguish the fecond flower which the wore in her bofom. The extreme. fatisfaction fhe difcovered at his coming, feemed to him indeed fomewhat extraordinary; but he afcribed it to a fympathy which between lovers bani hes all restraint. He began to excufe himfelf for not having feen her fo long, and affured her, that if he could have his will, no 'night fhould pass but he would come to affure her of the ardour of his inclination. She ad:nired the vehemence of his paffion. The lover received fuch clear indications of her favourable difpofition towards him, that he thought he might easily wave the ceremony of the fecond token, and accordingly gave her a third, a nearly full-blown flower. the accepted it of him, telling him, however, that he would not immediately wear it, that he must first go through certain forms, and that the. muft till fee fome more proofs of the fidelity of his attachment. At the fame time, to affure him of the fincerity of her love, fhe gave him her hand through the lattice, which he kiffed in the greateft tranfports, Upon this the made him a prefent of a fillet, on which were wrought two hearts in her own hair, over which was a wreath of pomegranates, feemingly almoft ripe; a joyful token. which gave him to underftand that the time of gathering was at hand.

He that had first prefented the flower found an opportunity, fome days afterwards, of feeing his charmer by night at a lattice. This fort of converfation, Thus all three, were happy in their though ftriatly prohibited by the laws, error. On all public occafions the two was yet connived at.-The damfel ap- brothers appeared with the figns of their peared fo kind that he ventured to inclinations, and felicitated each other offer her the token of a half-blown on their fuccefs; but as myfteriousnefs flower. This fhe accepted, and, in was not deftitute of charms for them,* return, prefented him with a fcarf, the cautiously avoided every opportunity embroidered with hearts interwoven of explaining themfelves to each other. with thorns; giving him to understand thereby, that there were still fome : obftacles to be furmounted; the allowed

N O TE.

The fcene is in Africa.

The