of such parts actually separated from one another.

Some faint idea of the wonderful divisibility of matter may be obtained, by considering that the smallest insect brought within reach of our vision by the microscope, and which would never have been visible to the human eye, without the aid of some such instrument, has organized parts, blood, and other fluids, necessary to the support of life.

Boyle measured leaf-gold, and found by weighing it, that 50 square inches weighed but two grains and a half. Now if the length of an inch be divided into 200 parts, the eye may distinguish them all; therefore there are, in one square inch, 40,000 visible parts; and in one grain of it there are 2,000,000 of such parts; which visible parts no one can deny to be farther divisible. Sixteen ounces of gold would completely cover a wire long enough to reach round our globe. The particles which, flowing from odoriferous bodies, excite the olfactory nerve, are so minute, that the loss of them produces no sensible diminution in the weight of those bodies, by which they are emitted. A lighted candle, placed on a plane, will be visible two miles, and, consequently, must fill a sphere, whose diameter is four miles, with luminous particles, before it has lost any sensible part of its weight.

In themselves, all bodies are quite indifferent as to motion, or rest. If a body were in a state of perfect rest, it would remain so for ever, did not acting power communicate to it motion. The capability of receiving such impulse, and of

being put into motion, is called the moveability, or mobility of matter. A body, once set in motion, would continue to move for ever, in the same direction, and with the same celerity, if not impeded by some extraneous cause. All matter is naturally in a state of rest, and its propensity to remain so is called the property of inertia, or rest. This is defined by Newton to be a power implanted in all matter, by which it resists any change endeavoured to be made in its state, whereby it becomes difficult to alter its state, either of rest or motion. Bodies exert this power only, in changes brought on their state by some force impressed upon them. The exercise of this power is, in different respects, both resistance and impetus, or impression.. It is resistance, as the body opposes a force acting upon it to change its state, and impetus as the same body endeavours to change the state of the body acting upon it. The inertia of matter is a passive principle, by which bodies persist in their motion or rest; receive motion, in proportion to the force communicating it, and resist in proportion as they are resisted.

Attraction is the power or principle by which all bodies mutually tend towards one another. Of this power there are reckoned five kinds, or modifications.

The attraction of cohesion, by which particles of matter are held together in separate masses, thus forming the various detached bodies which we behold around us.

The attraction of combination, or chemical, or elective attraction.

The attraction of gravitation, by which all bodies on the surface of the earth are drawn towards, or tend towards its centre.

The attraction of magnetism.

The attraction of electricity and galvanisni.

QUESTIONS.

What is the proper definition of the sciences? What is the proper definition of the arts? How may universal science be arranged? What is the science of metaphysics? What is the original meaning of the term matter? Is all matter supposed to be essentially the same? What properties are accounted common to matter in general? What is solidity, and what other qualities does it comprehend? What is the divisibility of matter? What is the moveability, or mobility, of matter? What is inertia, or rest? What is attraction?

SPACE is a simple idea, the modes of which are, distance, capacity, extension, figure, place, duration.

Distance, is space considered barely in length, between any two bodies.

Capacity, is space considered in length, breadth, and thickness.

Extension, is space, when considered as existing between the extremities of the matter

which fills its capacity. Hence it follows, that extension is an idea belonging to body only, while space may be conceived of, as separate from body.

Space, therefore, in its general signification, is the same thing as distance, contemplated in all directions.

Each different distance is a different modification of space, and each idea of any different space, is a simple mode of this idea. Such are, inch, foot, yard, and other measures of length; which are the ideas of certain stated lengths, settled by men for the purpose, and by the custom of measuring. When these ideas become familiar to the mind, they may be repeated at pleasure, without having the idea of body united with them. Thus men frame to themselves the ideas of feet, yards, fathoms, and other determined measures of distance, beyond the utmost bounds of all bodies; and by continually accumulating these, they can enlarge their idea of space as much as they please.

From this power of repeating and adding ideas of distance, without end, the idea of immensity is acquired.

Figure, is a modification of space, taken from the relation which the parts of the termination of extension, or circumscribed space, bear to one another. In sensible bodies, whose extremities come within our reach, this is discovered by the organ of touch, or feeling. It is discovered by the organ of vision, both from bodies, and colours, whose boundaries are within its sphere of action. By which instruments, the mind ob

serving how the extremities terminate, whether in straight lines meeting at discernible angles, or in curved lines, in which no angles are perceptible, and considering all the relations of these to one another, in all parts of the extremities of any body, or of any portion of space, acquires the idea, we call figure; thus opening to itself an almost inexhaustible source of endless varieties of sensation. Hence originate the ideas of individual substances.

Place is that part of immoveable space which any body possesses.

By Aristotle, it is divided into internal place, or that portion of space which any body contajns, and external place, or the space which includes, or contains that body.

Newton distinguishes place into absolute, or primary place; that part of infinite and immoveable space, which a body possesses; and relative or secondary place, the space which that body possesses, considered with regard to other adjacent objects.

Clarke adds another kind of relative place, which he calls relatively common place; and defines it to be, that part of any moveable, or measurable space which a body possesses; which portion of space moves together with the body.

According to Locke, the proper idea of place, is the relative position of any thing, with regard to its distance from certain fixed points; whence we say, that a thing has, or has not, changed place; when its distance is, or is not, altered with respect to those bodies.

With the idea of place, is intimately connected