Copy 1, Volume 4

An historical miscellany of the curiosities and rarities in nature and art. Comprising new and entertaining descriptions of the most surprising volcanos, caverns, cataracts, whirlpools, waterfalls, earthquakes, thunder, lightning, and other wonderful and stupendous phenomena of nature.

Date:
[1794-1800]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An historical miscellany of the curiosities and rarities in nature and art. Comprising new and entertaining descriptions of the most surprising volcanos, caverns, cataracts, whirlpools, waterfalls, earthquakes, thunder, lightning, and other wonderful and stupendous phenomena of nature. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    OF THE CURIOSITIES AND RARITIES In nature and ART. Or THE NATURE and PHENOMENA of COMETS. [From the Encyclop/Edia Londinensts.] OF all the celeflial phenomena, comets have given rife to the greatefl: hnmber of fpeculations and conjectures. Their (Irange appearance has in all ages been a matter of terror to the uninformed, who have generally looked upOn them to be evil omens, and forerunners of war, peftilence, &c. Thus, in ancient tinties, they were iniagitied to be prodigies hung out by the immediate hand of God in the heavens, and intended to alarm the world. Their nature being now better underftood, they are no longer terrible : but as there are hill many who think them to be fupernatural warnings, portents of future events, it may tiot be im- proper to obferve, that the architetf of tlie univerle has fratiicd every part according to divine order, and fubjeded all things to laws and regulations ; that he docs not hurl at random liars and worlds, and diforder tlie fyflem of the whole glorious frame, to produce falfe apprehenlions of di/lant events, fears without foun- dation and without ufe. Religion glories in the left of reafon, olE knowledge, and of true wifdom ; it is every way conneiled with, and is always elucidated by, them. From philofophy we may learn, that, the more the works of the fupreme Author of the imiverfc are underftood, the more he muft be adored ; and that his fuperin- tendency over every portion is more clearly evinced, and more fully exprefled, by their unvaried courfe, than by ten thoufand deviations. The exiftence of an univerfal connecTion between all parts of the fiderial heavens is now generally admitted. Comets undoubtedly forin a part ol thi.s great chain ; but of the part they occupy, and ot the ufcs for which they cxift, wc arc in a great mcafure ignorant. Jt is a-portionoffciencewltofe perfedlion is refcrved for fome difianC day, when ihefe bodies, and their vaft orbits, mav, by long and Vot. IV, No. 4^, JB accurate