Meffrs Buffon, Needham, and Baron Munckhaufen, have con
fidered this part o f animated nature in fo different a light from
oh e r writers, that we cannot with propriety entirely pffs them
over. Mr. Needham imagined that there was a vegetative force
in every microfcopical point of water, and every vifible filament
of which the whole vegetable contexture confifts; that the feveral
pecies of microfcopic animals may fubfide, refolve again into
gelatinous filaments, and again give leffer animals, and fo on
till they can be no further purfued by glaffes. That agreeable
to thls idea, every animal, or vegetable fubftanee, advances as
alt as it can m it’s revolution, to return by a flow defcent to one
common principle, whence it’s atoms may return again, and
cend to a new life. That not with (landing this, the fpecific
ee o one animal can never give another o f a different fpecies
on account o f the preparation it muff receive to conftitute it this’
lpecifac teed,
M. Buffon afferts, that what have been called fpermatic animals,
are not creatures really poffeffmg life, but fomething proper
o compote , a living creature, diftinguifhing them by the name
o organic particles, and that the moving bodies which are to be
ound in the mfufions, either of animal or vegetable fubftances,
are o f the lathe nature.
Baron Munckhaufen fuppofedthat the feeds o f mulhrooms were
firft animals, and then vegetables; and this becaufe he had ob-
ferved fome o f the globules in the infufions o f mulhrooms, after
moving fome time, to begin to vegetate.
It might be fufficient in the firft inftance to obferve, that Meff
Needham and Buffon, by having recourfe to a vegetative force,
and organic particles, to account for the exiftence, and explain
the nature o f animalcula, and the difficulties of generation, have
fubftituted words in the place o f things, and that we are no gainers
by the fubftitution, unlefs they explain the nature o f thefe
powers. But to this we may add, that all thofe who have examined
the -fubjpft with accuracy and attention, as Bonnet,
De Sauffure, Baker, Wrilberg, Spalanzane, Haller, El'lis, Muller,
Leder Muller, Corti, Roffredi, &c. difagree wi'h the foregoing
gentlemen, proving that they had deceived themfelves by
inaccurate experiments, and that one o f them, M. Buffon, had
not teen the fpermatic animals he fuppofed himfelf to be defcrib-
ing, infomuch that Mr. Needham was at laft induced to give up
his favorite hypothefis.
T ö this we may add, that though we can by no means pretend
to account for the appearance o f moft animalcula, yet we cannot
help obferving, that our ignorance of the caufe o f any phenomenon
is no argument againft it’s exiftence. Though we are
not, for inftance, able to account in a fatisfaftory manner for thé
origin of the native Americans, yet we fuppote M. Buffon himfelf
would reckon it abfurd to maintain, that the Spaniards on
their arrival there found only o r g a n i c p a r t i c l e s moving
about in diforder. The cafe is the very fame with the eels in
pafte, to whofe animation he objefts. They -are exceedingly
fmall in comparifon with us; but, with the folar micro-
fcope, Mr. Baker has made them affume a more refpeftable
appearance; fo as to have a diameter o f an inch and an half,
and a proportionable length. They fwam up and down very
5 brifldy;