moft fubtle parts of the brain of animals, the veffels of which elude the fharpeft fight, by reafon of their exility? In plants, which have hollow ftems, the tube is lined with pith.

Linnæus attributes great importance to the pith; and afferts, after Bradley, that it gives birth to the buds. Some botanilts of the first rank believe, that the pith is, in a plant, what the brain and fpinal-marrow are in the inferiour order of animals. The pith, fays Darwin, appears to be the firft or moft effential rudiment of the new plant, like the brain, fpinal marrow, and medulla oblongata, which is the firft vifible part of the figure of every animal fœtus from the tadpole to mankind.* It feems, howevef, that the pith is not effential, or abfolutely neceffary to vegetation, as we often obferve trees to live and thrive without it. The

guaicum or lignum vitæ, it is faid, has no pith. If the pith be the brain of a tree, may it not be with fome trees, as with fome animals, in which the brain is not confined to the head, but fpread all over them, as in the earth worm and polypus, the parts of. which, though cut in pieces, live and become entire animals? Some animals, like fome vegetables, are more vivacious, than others. A tortoife will live and crawl feveral days after decapitation; because his body is replete with ganglions, which are

If Forfyth's book had not come forth under fuch uncommonly high fanction, we in America would have been difpofed to doubt fome of his accounts of restoration of decayed trees.

fubordinate brains, having an in nate energy, independent, in fome meafure, of the capital portion in the fkull. After all, the office of the medulla or pith in vegetables is among the defiderata in the fcience of botany.

There is no part of the anato my of a vegetable involved in more intricacy and uncertainty, than the VASCULAR SYSTEM. Linnæus fpeaks of three kinds of veffels (1ft) the fap vaffels, (2d) the vafa propria, or proper vettels, and (3d) the air vaffels; but later botanifts have increased their number to feven.

The fap veffels convey the fap juice or chyle of the vegetable. They rife perpendicularly and pafs principally through and between the wood and the bark, and though imperceptible, they muft pervade other parts of the plant.

The vafa propria, proper, or peculiar veffels, are fo called becaule they contain the peculiar or fpecifick fecreted fluids ; as the gum in the peach, and refin in the fir. In thefe veffels are found the medicinal qualities, peculiar to a plant. The utricles are fmall repofitories, which contain the colouring matter of the plant. In them the nutritive. juice of the plant is lodged, juft as the marrow is preferved in bones; whence it is taken both in animals and vegetables, when they are not fufficiently fupplied with chyliferous nutriment.+

The air veffels are called traches from their refemblance of the respiratory organs of infects. They are found in the wood and

† See Chaptal's Chemistry, Vol. 3d,

in the alburnum; but not in the bark. In order to detect them, you must take a young branch of a vine, and clear away the bark, and then break it by drawing the two extremities in oppofite directions, when the air veflels may be feen in the form of fmall corkfcrews. See engraved reprefentations of them in Grew's Anatemy of Plants, and Darwin's Phytologia.

Thefe trachea or air veffels carry other fluids befides air. Darwin fays they are the abforbent veffels of the adult vegetable, and the umbilical ones of the embryon bud.

As to the abforbent, the excretory, and the fecretory veffels, we fhall fpeak of them when we defcribe the leaves.

To the foregoing defcription of the parts of a plant fhould be added that, which contemplates it, as a whole. Linnæus, in fome measure, helps us to that view of it when he fays, that the cortex terminates in the CALYX; the liber in the PETALS or painted leaves; the lignum in the STAMINA; the vafcular feries in the NECTARIA; and the pith in the

SEEDS.

It is very difficult to convey a clear idea of thefe different parts of a plant; we would therefore refer the reader to Grew's admirable engravings, copied after magnified fpecimens of various parts of a vegetable, which, though executed more than a century ago, have not fince been furpaffed.

DR. GREW and MALPIGHI began their anatomy of plants about the fame time, unknown to each other; one in England, the

other in Italy. Much praife is due to the Italian, but more to the Englishman. So finifhed are his defcriptions, that he has left but little to his fucceffors but admiration.

Mr. Editor,

FOR THE ANTHOLOGY.

AS a frenuous fupporter of the doctrine of toleration, I fhall not combat the notions of a champion of Sir Richard Blackmore, who appeared in the Anthol ogy; but as the "ample evidence" adduced from criticks to fupport his hero's claim to prac. tical fuperiority, appears to jar with the generally received idea of their opinions, as a friend to truth I am induced to give it a fhort difcuffion.

The witnefs, fummoned before the bar, is as particularly enjoined to declare the whole truth, as forbidden to affert any thing contrary to it, and if "A lover of found and ferious poetry" had been influenced by the fame equitable fyftem, we fhould have found a fomewhat different statement of Sir Richard's cause.

The encomium on the poem "Creation" by Dr. Johnfon, had it even been expressed alone, cannot be confidered to extend to his very many other writings; but on the contrary it is preceded by many fevere, and generally ef teemed just remarks, which declare both his own opinion, and the prevailing tafte of the day ; from which, I fhall quote the few following.

Of his version of Pfalms.The name of Blackmore mu

ernment, towards the fupport of which they cheerfully contribute, in proportion to their ability.

This people confift of different clatles, difperfed in various places, and approximating in different degrees to perfection. The fettlement in New Lebanon, as it is the most ancient, is alfo confid. ered as the venerable mother of all the churches, and forms the firft clafs. It confifts of about one hundred and fifty members of both fexes, who have one common stock. When a perfon forfakes parents, wife, and children, adds his property to the funds of the fociety, fubmitting to their manner of life, and to their difcipline, he is regarded as a perfect man, and not far from the kingdom of heaven. I am told, they are declining in numbers, which has leffened their manufactures.

The females of this fociety are watched with a fevere and ferutinizing eye. Whilft walking in the garden, we faw feveral of them ftanding at a door, and inclining to gaze at us. As we approached to them, we obferved jealouty, in the form of one of their old men, call them into the houfe, and clofe the door. We were however fufficiently near, to obferve their pale and emaciated countenances. That religion, Carlos, cannot be true, which would clothe the fairest human form in the garments of defpair. We were made for focial, happy beings; and furely. it is right, that our eye fparkle with pleafure, and our countenance glow with health. This is all I know of them at prefent. On Sunday, we mean to attend their publick

worship, which, I am told, is very fingular.

Your friendship for my brother claims both mine and his grati tude. Tell him to imitate none but the good, to fear nothing but difhonour, and to wish for nothing but the approbation of the excellent.

Sunday, Sept. 28.

Thus much I wrote laft Friday; this forenoon, I attended the meeting of the Shakers, and my curiofity was amply gratified by their religious ceremonies. They affemble in a spacious hall, about fixty feet in length, proportionably wide, and neatly painted. The men and women enter at different doors; no one, not even a ftranger, is permitted to infringe this rule. They are dreffed in uniform. The women, in white cap and handkerchief, fhort ftriped gown, brown skirt, and check apron, all of their own manufacture: the men, in drefs equally plain, but not fo uniform.

Having fat one half hour, they formed into two separate bodies, confifling of five rows with twelve in each, men on the right, and women on the left. These two bodies diverged from each other, leaving in the centre a fmall vacant fpace of about four feet. They then fang a hymn, fome of whofe notes refembled part of Old Hundred, but without words. The mufick had no variety of parts; its harmony refulted from voices in different octaves, but all preferving perfect time. One of the elders, an old gentleman, then advanced into the centre, and addressed the audience for ǝ