it with the air it draws in, and, at the same time, to prevent the blood from too much attenuation. The breast is lined with a fine membrane, called pleura. Under the lungs is placed the stomach, which receives and digests the food. It is shaped like a purse. On the right side is the liver, which covers one side of the stomach, and by its warmth assists the digestion. It separates the bile from the blood, which collects in a particular vesicle, and descends into the bowels. The irritation it occasions there facilitates the passage of the excrements. Opposite to the liver is the spleen. It is a soft bag which stretches easily. The blood is conveyed into it by arteries, and flows out of it through the veins. Behind the liver and spleen are the kidneys. There are two of them, one to the right, the other to the left. The use of them is to separate from the mass of blood the humours which overflow into the bladder. Under these parts are placed the entrails, joined to the mesen. tery. They complete the separation of the digested food, and serve to expel the grosser parts of it out of the body. The mesentery is a great membrane, which folds several times over, and forces the entrails to fold themselves in the same manner. There are a great quantity of little veins, as fine as a hair, upon the mesentery. They are called milk veins, because they contain a juice resembling milk. In the middle of the mesentery there is a large gland, where the milky veins meet, as in their centre. A skin, full of folds, of glands, and muscles, covers over all the entrails. That part of the body called the belly, and which begins at the stomach, is separated from the breast by the midriff. It has several openings to let the vessels pass which are to descend to the lower parts. The liver and spleen are fastened to it; and the shaking of it not only occasions laughter, but serves also to disengage the spleen from the hu mours which incommode it.

These are the principal parts of the breast and belly; independent of which there are several others which communicate with them. At the beginning of the neck is the windpipe and the weasand. The esophagus is the chanuel through which the food passes to the stomach. Through the weasand the air penetrates to the lungs. Whilst the lungs are sending back the air through this channel, the voice forms itself, at the same time the breast throws off the superfluous humours. At the entrance of the weasand there is a little lid, which opens to give passage to whatever is to go out through that pipe. The lower orifice of the stomach is provided with such another cover, which opens when the food presses upon it, and then closes upon it, to prevent its rising up again. In the upper part of the head is placed the brain, which is capable of receiving impressions from exterior objects. The whole mass of the brain is covered with two thin transparent membranes, one of which, called the pia mater, is the first envelope. The second, called dura mater, is interwoven with arteries and veins. Independent of these parts, each of which have their settled place, there are others spread throughout the whole body, such as the bones, the arteries, veins, lym phatic vessels, and nerves. The bones, set in their joints, partly serve to support and give the power of motion to the body, and partly to preserve and guard its noble parts. The arteries and veins are mixed throughout the whole body, in order to nourish it with the blood they convey to every part. There are also several lymphatic vessels, which generally join to certain glands, and receive a transparent yellow liquor, which they afterwards let flow throughout the body. The nerves, of which they reckon ten principal pair, are little fibres springing from the brain, and from thence are spread over the whole body to the very extre. mities of it. Some suppose they are hollow, and

contain a sort of marrow like that of the brain. The nerves are the organs of the senses, and of all the motions of the machine. All those parts are pierced with holes, in order to let the light and subtile matter, and whatever is superfluous in the body, evaporate. These orifices are called pores. The same wisdom, so visible in the inward and solid parts of the body, is equally so in its fluid parts. The blood, the chyle, the lymph, the marrow, the bile, the nervous juices, and the different sorts of viscous and gelatinous humours, supplied by innumerable glands; their several properties, their design, their effects, the manner in which they are prepared, filtered, and separated from one another; their circulation, their reparation; all these prove the most astonishing art, and the most profound wisdom.

Let us sum up what has been just said in regard to the interior construction of the human body. The bones, by their solidity and their joints, form the foundation of this fine machine. The ligaments are strings which unite the parts together. The muscles are fleshy substances, which act as elastic springs. The nerves, which are dispersed over the whole body, connect all the parts toge ther. The arteries and veins, like rivulets, convey life and health throughout. The heart, placed in the centre, is the focus, or the acting power, by means of which the blood circulates, and is preserved. The lungs, by means of another power, draw in the outward air, and expel the hurtful vapours. The stomach and intestines are the magazines where every thing that is required for the daily supply is prepared. The brain, that seat of the soul, is formed in a manner suitable to the dignity of its inhabitant. The senses, which are the soul's ministers, warn it of all that is necessary either for its pleasure or use.

Adorable Creator! with what wonderful art hast Thou formed us!

JUNE XXV.

Electrical Fire.

FROM the many experiments made in our time, nobody any longer doubts the existence of electrical fire, the singular effects of which have fixed the attention of all Europe for above thirty years. It is proved that this fire is distributed equally throughout all bodies: but it is, like the air, not perceptible to our senses, but when put in motion. It is also necessary that, when the balance is interrupted by any cause whatever, it should be restored, before we can sensibly perceive the electrical fire. Two different sorts of bodies must be marked or distinguished in this case. The one sort are such by nature, that the electrical fire, let it consist in what it may, can be produced in them, and increased by means of friction. The others receive their electrical force, not by friction, but by communicating with the first. Those of the former class are chiefly glass, pitch, rosin, sealing wax, silk, hair, and the air. All other bodies, but par, ticularly water and metals, belong to the second. The bodies of the first kind are capable of preserv ing the electrical matter collected in them. Those of the second, on the contrary, lose it as quick as they receive it. Machines have been invented, in which, by means of a great wheel, a rapid motion is given to a glass globe, which, in turning round, rubs against the hand, or against a cushion. By the effect of this friction, the globe preserves its electrical force, which may be extended as far as is desired, by means of iron bars or chains, which communicate with the glass globe. If we put our hand on one of these bars, we receive a shock; and if it is dark, we see bright sparks of fire come from it. If several persons together

form a circle, holding each other by the hand, they will all receive the electrical stroke at the same moment; which stroke may be made more or less violent, as they please. There may be given to electrical fire sufficient force to kill not only sparrows, and other little birds, but hens, geese, ducks, and even sheep. This experiment takes place by means of large glass bottles filled with water, and tied together with metal chains, which fasten them also to the glass globe, put in a state of friction, as mentioned before. The water conveys a great quantity of electrical matter into the inside of the bottles, and, at the same time, their outside surface loses an equal quantity of it, by means of the water which is without. A violent flash, a great explosion, a violent commotion, the combustible matter taking fire, and the death of the animals, are the consequences of this experiment. There are others also which are common to all these sorts of experiments, such as a sulphureous smell, an agitation of the air, and a new property of the electrical matter. It has been observed that some experiments failed because the iron bars, which were to serve as electrical conductors, were too angulous and too much pointed. It was suspected that the electricity lost its force by the points: this idea was confirmed by putting the face, or hand, near the point of the bar, when it could be distinctly perceived that there issued from it a torrent of electrical matter. It was from thence concluded to be possible that those points which ejected electrical matter, might also serve to attract it, and many experi... ments have proved the truth of this conclusion.

If any one should think these observations of no importance, let him consider that we may learn more and more the use of this extraordinary phenomenon of nature, from which a double use has already been drawn. The physicians have joined electricity to their art; and there are examples of