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Pyrotechny in General.

Equally absurd to a man of reflection, are the observationsof antiquated writers on spontaneous generation, by heat.Borello (Physical History) tells us, “that fresh water crawfish may be regenerated, by their own powder, calcined in acrucible, then boiled in water with a little sand, and left tocool, for a few days; when the annnalcula will appear swim-ming merrily in the liquor, and must be then nourished withbeef blood, till they attain the proper size to stock yourponds with.”* The Sietir Pogeris and M. de Chamberlan,both agree with Signior Borello, but, in the chemistry of thematter, they add that the operation must be performed, dur-ing the full of the moon! If this lunar system be adopted,would not the crab also, have been a more favourable signto have ruled the nativity of craw fsh?

Swift, however, alludes to these agencies, fallacious asthey are, in the following lines;

“ So chymists boast they have a power,

“ From the dead ashes of a flower,

“ Some faint resemblance to produce,

“ But not the virtue, taste, or juice.”

Rochos, equally absurd with Borello, says, in The Art ofNature , that the ashes of toads will produce the very sameeffect, as the powder of crabs-eyes! Reasoning upon thatridiculous and unnatural principle of Csesalpinus, in hiscomment on Aristotle , ^uxcumque ex semine fiunt, eademfieri posse sine semine , the procreation of eels from rye-meal,or mutton broth was predicated.

Julius Camillas , however, would out-do nature herself;for Amatus Lusitanus affirms, that he has seen his phialsfull of homunculi complete in all their parts! Paracelsus (De Rerum Natural) had the same and many other absurdnotions. What, we may truly say, has not been palmed uponthe world, when we are told, that the following translationfrom a Hague Gazette, which apDeared in the British Even-ing Post , No. 1645, contained facts, which were confidentlybelieved by the ignorant:

“ Mr. Tunesteick, by origin an Englishman, has just ex-hibited at Versailles , a very singular experiment. He openedthe head of a sheep, and a horse from side to side, by drivinga large iron wedge into the skull, by means of a mallet; drew

* By means of a solar microscope, I have seen the animaleula in vine-gar several inches in length, some of which had the appearance of eels,and in motion.