portant studies. And, in order to make them so, I earnestly entreat, that you would never trouble yourself about me, but at your leisure, and then direct your amanuensis to pen down whatever may come first into your thoughts, without regarding the style; for the esteem and good wishes of so benevolent a mind will always be judged by me as of infinite value, in whatever manner they be expressed.

I hope that philosophical inquires into Nature may not be wholly without their use, even to the good purposes you are pursuing; for the more we know of Nature, the more elevated ideas we shall attain of Nature's God, and become the more likely to imitate that universal beneficence, which we behold flowing to all his creatures through an infinity of streams.

There are, perhaps, but two ways whereby we can arrive at the knowledge of a Deity, the Creator of all things: the one is, that particular Revelation he has been pleased to

For nearly thirty years Mr. Baker was one of the most distinguished Fellows of the Royal Society, whose Transactions teem with his valuable communications. Most of his discoveries in natural history are, however, detailed in his two works, "The Microscope made Easy," and "Employment for the Microscope;" both illustrated with plates, and full of curious and entertaining particulars.

The correspondence of Mr. Baker with the literati of Europe was most extensive, and became the means of furnishing us with two favourite domestic plants, the Alpine strawberry, and the true rhubarb, or rheum palmatum. The seeds of the first were sent him in a letter by Professor Bruni of Turin, and those of the latter by Dr. Mounsey, Physician to the Empress of Russia.

Besides the Royal Society, for which Mr. Baker founded a lecture, which bears his name, he was, also, a most active member of the Antiquarian Society; "and one of the earliest, most assiduous, and zealous members of that patriotic institution, The Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Commerce and Manufactures.'" He married Sophia, youngest daughter of the famous Daniel Defoe, who brought him two sons, both of whom he survived.

His death occurred on the 25th of November, 1774, at about the age of seventy-one.

make of Himself, to a few only of the nations upon the earth the other, that universal evidence of an Almighty Cause, whereby His works declare his glory, and every thing that has existence proclaims His power, wisdom, and goodness.

To say nothing of the regular courses of the heavenly bodies, and particularly of the Sun, whose brightness and influence has spread the belief of a God throughout the world, there is no part of the animal, vegetable, or mineral kingdoms but what serves to the same purpose. Every animal that lives, and every plant that grows, shows the hand that formed it to be divine; and if we search the bowels of the earth, the variety of gems, metals, ores, and minerals are no less expressive. The earth also affords innumerable proofs in support of revelation; of that part of it, I mean, which informs us of its having been overflowed by a deluge: for those innumerable shells, and other marine bodies, which are every where found in the highest mountains, upon the continents, as well as in this island, are incontestable proofs, that those places must heretofore have been sea, or at least, that these bodies must have been brought thither by an overflowing of the ocean: and as ancient coins and medals struck by mighty princes, in remembrance of their exploits, are highly valued, as evidences of such facts, no less ought these fossile marine bodies to be considered as medals of the Almighty, fully proving the desolation he has formerly brought upon the earth.

But I forget that I am writing to a gentleman more capable than myself of making just reflections on every part of the creation: instead, therefore, of being farther impertinent, I shall endeavour to be grateful, by acknowledging the great obligations I lie under for your many generous, and Christian expressions of good will towards me and mine; which I can no otherwise return, but by

assuring you of a sincere friendship, that would rejoice to find any opportunity of becoming serviceable.

As you, good Sir, have been pleased to inform me of your engagements, I shall give you some little account of

mine.

When I was about twenty years of age, having a relation (a girl) who was born deaf (and consequently dumb), it came into my thoughts, that such a person might be instructed to write, read, and speak. I immediately made the experiment; and my scholar, in about a year, could read in any book distinctly, speak very intelligibly most common words, and understand a great deal of language. This success brought people about me, who were under the same misfortune; and the handsome offers that were proposed, led me, contrary to my first intention, to give the same assistance to others; and new ones still applying from time to time, this has been my employment for twenty-five years; during which, I have brought several, under those unhappy circumstances, to speak the English language fluently, and converse easily, from understanding what others say, by only observing the motion of their organs of voice while speaking; to read and comprehend all common books, and to write their mind, either by letter or otherwise, in as sensible, and in a better and more correct style than people usually do. Along with this, I have also assisted great numbers to get rid of hesitation, stammering, lisping, and various other impediments in speech; and have constantly some sufferers of such a nature under my direction, who come from different parts, and whom I spend all my mornings in attending where they are lodged; for no persuasions could ever induce me to take any home; the attention and fatigue of teaching them making it necessary that I should be quite undisturbed at all other times; so that after four or five o'clock my day's work is over: but then, what with visits of friends, attend

ing the Royal Society, answering correspondents, preparing one thing or other for the press, and other necessary avocations, I can seldom command an hour. But I have troubled you with too much of this, and come now to request, that you would make my compliments and good wishes acceptable to your Society; the date, and regulations of which I shall be glad to have some account of, as likewise of some of your more remarkable minutes.

It gives me no little pleasure to observe, that societies for inquiring into the productions of nature, and the improvements of art, are forming in different parts of the King's dominions: there are such established at Edinburgh, Dublin, York, Bristol, Peterborough, Spalding, and several other places. When ingenious people meet to communicate their several observations, with a sincere desire to discover truth, great advances may be made in knowledge.

No doubt the members of your society have made some experiments in electricity, a subject which has lately engaged all the curious world, from the discoveries lately made; though the principle itself has probably existed as long as matter and motion, and been the chief agent in many of the most surprising phænomena in nature.

Few have been more busy in this affair than myself, and therefore I shall describe to you two experiments you have probably not yet heard of. Several gentlemen of the Royal Society, conveyed the electric power through the river Thames, by means of a wire carried over the new bridge at Westminster: one end thereof was held by a person on this side of the river, whose other hand sustained an iron bar that hung into the water. A person, on the opposite side, held the other end of the wire, which was fastened to an electrised phial; and, on his touching the water of the river with a poker held in the other hand, the shock was felt by the persons on both sides, the river making part of the electric circuit.

An experiment has also been made to ascertain, if possible, the difference or proportion between the progression of sound, and that of the electric power. To perform this, a wire was carried a mile and a quarter, at the end of which some people were placed, with second watches exactly regulated, to observe the time between their feeling the stroke, and their hearing the sound of a pistol fired at the instant of the touch at the other end. Sound is now generally allowed to pass at, or nearly at, the rate of one mile in four seconds and what is very remarkable in this experiment (which, as well as the former, was many times repeated), the shock was constantly felt, as nearly as could be computed, exactly five seconds before the sound was heard: so that, according to our conceptions of things, it may be said to have passed instantaneously.

I am got almost to the end of my paper before I have returned you thanks for mentioning my son so kindly, who desires your acceptance of his best services. He has, indeed, been somewhat more forward than boys usually are, from a constant conversation with men. At twelve years old he had translated the whole twenty-four books of Telemachus from the French: before he was fifteen, he translated from the Italian, and published a treatise in Physic, of Dr. Cocchi, of Florence, concerning the diet and doctrines of Pythagoras; and last year, before he was seventeen, he likewise published a treatise of Sir Isaac Newton's Metaphysics, compared with those of Dr. Liebnitz, from the French of M. Voltaire. He is a pretty good master of the Latin, understands some Greek, is reckoned no bad mathematician for his years, and knows a great deal of natural history, both from reading and observation; so that, by the grace of God, I hope he will become a virtuous and useful man.