faithful witnefs, and {hew that the world was made, as the fcrip-
tures were written, for our inftru&ien; and find the creation o f
God is the fchool o f chriftians, i f they ufe it aright,”*
O f O p a k e O b j e c t s .
Ores and minerals afford an immenfe variety of very beautiful
and fplendid obje&s. From amongfl thefe the obferver may
felecl the peacock, or coloured copper ore, green cryftallized
ditto, lead ore, cryftallized ditto, cryftals o f lead, fmall grained
marcafites, coloured mundic, cinnabar, native fulphur, needle
and other antimony, mofs copper, &c. A mixture of fmall
pieces .of ores, &c. o f different kinds, produces a pleafing effect.
Sands, in general, exhibit fcmething not -difcoverable with tire
naked,eye. Sand from the fea-fhore -is often intermixed with
minute fhells, particularly that from Rimini, in Italy.. Mr.
Walker has publifhed a fpecimen o f the fmall microfcopic fhells
which are found on our own coaft. From this work we learn,
that there are fhell-fifh as fmall as the minuteft infedts, and
poflefled of beauties, o f which we can form no conception till we
have feen them. Mr. Walker’s work is entitled, “ A Colledt.ion of
the minute and rare Shells found on the Sea-fhore near Sandwich.”
There is a fand from Africa full o f fmall garnets. The
ketton, or kettering ftone, is a pleafing object ; when examined
by the microfcope, we find the grain o f it very different from that
o f other ftones, being compofed o f innumerable minute balls,
which barely touch each -other, and yet form a fubftance much
harder
* J > . i s Leftures op the Figurative Language of the Holy Scriptures.
harder than free-ftone; the grains are, in general, fo firmly
united together at the points o f contact, that it is hardly poffible
to feparate them without breaking One or both of the grains»
See Hooke’s Micrographia.
I n s e c t s of all kinds, both foreign and domeftic, are pleafing
objects; but as the foreign ones are not fo eafily met with, I
{hall mention but a few of them, confining myfelf principally to
thefe o f this country. Among the exotic infedts none appear more
beautiful in the microfcope than the curculio imperialis, Brazil,
or diamond beetle; the bupreftis ignita, a large beetle from
China; the meloe veficatorius, blifter-fly, or cantharis of the
Chops; feveral fpecies o f locufts, grafshoppers, See. Among the
Englifh beetles we may reckon the fcarabasus auratus, or rofe
chaffer, fcarabaeus nobilis, fcarabasus horticola, Alpha aquatica,
caflida nobilis and nebulofa. Coccinella, or lady-cow ; o f thefe
there are great variety, both in fize and colours, fome red and
black, others black and red, and fome yellow and black. Chry-
fomela, graminis-faftuofa, nitidula, fericea, melanopa, afparagi,
vide Plate XX. Fig. 2. Curculio-frumentarius, lapathi, betuta,
nucum, fcrophularia, argenteus, a beautiful little infedt refem-
bling the diamond beetle, but in miniature j curculio albinus,
very beautiful, but fcarce in this country. Leptura aquatica,
thefe are o f various colours, as blue, purple, bronze, and crim-
fon. Arcuata arid!is, very common, and is often called the wafp
beetle. Cicendela campeftris, on dry banks. Carabus nitens,
found in Yorkflrire, a beautiful infect, many fmall carabi. Gryl-
lus, gryllo talpa, or mole cricket; this infedt, and the grafshoppers,
are many o f them too large to be obferved at one view,
but the head, fore and hind feet, elytra, &c. viewed feparately,
4 P are