sir CHRISTOPHER WREN, knt,

NUMB. II.

To the Royal Society.

221

Mr. President,

E begin a new Year, and therefore may pause a little, and look backon what we have done, and consider what we may do. ’Tis a greatEncouragement to us, that by the Influence of his sacred Majesty, the Pru-'kftce and Diligence of yourself, the ingenious Performances of the Society,have hitherto kept up our Meetings full, and in good Repute at homej^d abroad, and not without sufficient Appearance of doing something con-’derable; so that we need not now fear lest the World from all our Ex-periments, should make this one Experiment, that there is little Use of theseInquiries: and I make no question, but the Design of so many excellentjetsons meeting in this Society, (besides the present Satisfaction that accruesthe Converse and Communication of every one’s Thoughts in the Dis*I'silition of Nature) carries along with it, principally a Zeal of approvingjjkmselves Benefactors to Mankind, and of perfecting something, for which^°sterity may be really obliged to us.

Of effecting this; there seems three Ways: By advancing, i. Knowledge.

Profit. 3. Health ; and Conveniencies of Life.

For the first of these, the Improvement of Theories, we need be least so-'kitous; it is a Work will insensibly grow upon us, if we be always doing^Nothing in Experiment; and every one is more prone to exercise Fancy inWilding paper Theories, than patient to first pile the unsure Foundation andevv solid Materials out of the History of Nature. This is rather our Talk,in many Things we must be content to plant Crab-stocks for Posterity0 graft on.

. The second, I make no question, will be excellently effected by twomings now in Hand ; the carrying on the History of Trades, and the Im-provement of the Art of Navigation ; which being now committed to an^cellent Hand, cannot but pioduce something very extraordinary. Besides,can hardly be any Thing propos’d worth our Consideration, that will^t itself, or some Corollary from it, be reduceable to this Head.

^ hor the third, the Health of Mankind, the restoring Part is properly the^°rk already of one whole Faculty, in which no Age or Nation affordslearned and inquisitive Men than this of ours. Yet I wish we might''Corporate with them so far, as to have a Fire going in the Elaboratory fori°icer Experiments in Chymistry, especially since many Parts of Philoso-jj y are not to be pierced far into, without this Help; and little is to be^>e in the Business of Trades without it. Mechanical Philosophy onlye?c hes us what probably may be done in Nature by the Motion and Fi-j re s of the little Particles of Things, but Chymistry helps to determine whatS actually done by the Motions of those invisible Parts of Liquors, Spirits,F un ies; and oftentimes gives Light enough to contradict mechanicalji^pothefes, that otherwise seem well grounded. Thus in the Body of aan , if we consider it only mechanically, we may indeed learn the FabrickAction of the organical Parts, but without Chymistry, we shall be at ato know, what Blood, Spirits and Humours are, from the due Tem-of which (as of the Spring in the Barrel Wheel) the'Motions of all thear t$ depend.

1

To