OF THE EXTERNAL SENSES, 307 ■

■unexperienced imagination produces a fimilar ef-fefl upon die organs which Nature has providedfor their gratification.

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The Smell not only excites the appetite, butdirefts to the objeft which can alone gratifythat appetite. But by fuggefling the direction to-wards that objetf, the Smell mull necelfarily fug-ged fome notion of diftance and externality, whichare necelfarily involved in the idea of direction $in the idea of the line of motion by which thediftance can bell be overcome, and the mouthbrought into contaft with the unknown fubftancewhich is the objeft of the appetite. That theSmell fliould alone fuggeft any preconception ofthe iliape or magnitude of the external body towhich it dire£ls, feems not very probable. Thefenfation of Smell feems to have no fort of affi-nity or correfpondence with Iliape or magnitude;and whatever preconception the infant may haveof thefe, (and it may very probably have fomefuch preconception, ) is likely to be fuggefled,not fa much direftly by the Smell , and indi-rectly by the appetite excited by that Smell ; asby the principle which teaches the child to mouldits mouth into the conformation and action offucking, even before it reaches the obje&to whichalone that conformation and a£lion can be ufe-fully applied.

The Smell , however, as it fuggefts the direc-tion by which the external body mu ft be approa-ched , mull fuggeft at leaft fome vague idea or pre-conception of the exilfence. of that body , of the