except one.

found only one. This is a kind of prefumptive proof that I was right in my conjecture; unless it be fuppofed, that when they were determined not to fvarm, they deftroyed every queen In a hive that died, I found no males, and only one queen. This circumitance, that fo few queens are bred, must arife from the natural fecurity the queen is in from the mode of their fociety; for, although there is but one queen in a wafp's, hornet's, and humble bee's neft or hive, yet thefe breed a great number of queens; the wafp and hornet fome hundreds; but not living in fociety during the winter, they are fubject to great deftruction, fo that probably not one in a hundred lives to breed in the fummer. I have faid that the queen leaves off laying in the month of July; and now the is to be impregnated by the males before they die. Mr. Riem afferts, he has feen the copulation between the male and the female, but does not fay at what feafon. I fhould doubt this; but Mr. Schirach fuppofes the queen impregnated without copulation. I know not whether he means by this that fhe is not impregnated at all, and fuppofes, like Mr. Debraw, that the eggs are impregnated after they are laid, by a fet of fmall drones, who pafs over the cells, and thrult their

T

tails down into the cell, fo as to be fmear the egg *. Mr. Bonnet does not confider it neceffary that the drones fhould be fmall for this purpofe, for he faw a large drone paffing over the cells of a piece of comb, stopping at every one which contained an egg, but at no other, and giving a knock with his tail on the mouth of the cell three times; this he fuppofed was the mode of impregnating the eggs. The number three has always been a famous number; but it will not do where there are no males, which is the cafe of a hive in the fpring, the time when the queen is moft employed in laying eggs; which made him fuppofe the ufe of the males was to feed the maggots with their femen. It is probable that the copulation is like that of most other infects. The copulation of the humble bee I have feen: it is fimilar to the common fly. The fting is extended at the time, and turned up on the back, between the two animals: they are some time in this act. In the hornet it is the fame. The circumstances relative to the impregnating the queen not being known, great room has been given for conjecture, which, if authors had prefented as conjectures only, it would have fhewn their candour; but they have given, what in them were probably conceits, as facts.

But

health and long life; and, if poffible, to diftinguish fuch circumftances as are effential to that great end from those which are merely accidental. here it is much to be regretted, that an accurate history of the lives of all the perfons remarkable for longevity, fo far as relates to the diet, regimen, and the ufe of the non-naturals, has not been faithfully handed down to us; without which it is impoffible to draw the neceffary inferences.

All

All the circumstances that are moft effentially neceffary to life, may be comprised under the fix following heads: 1. Air and climate; 2. Meat and drink; 3. Motion and reft; 4. The fecretions and excretions; 5. Sleep and watching; 6. Affections of

the mind.

Thefe, though all perfectly natural to the conftitution, have by writers been styled the non-naturals, by a frange perverfion of language; and have been all copiously handled under that improper term. However, it may not be amifs to offer a few fhort obfervations on each, as they are fo immediately connected with the prefent fubject.

1. Air, &c. It has long been known that fresh air is more immediately neceffary to life than food; for a man may live two or three days without the latter, but not many minutes without the former. The vivifying principle contained in the atmosphere, fo effential to the fupport of flame, as well as animal life, concerning which authors have propofed fo many conjectures, appears now to be nothing elle but that pure dephlogisticated fluid lately difcovered by that ingenious philofopher Dr. Priestley. The common atmosphere may well be fupposed to be more or less healthy in proportion as it abounds with this animating principle. As this exhales in copious ftreams from the green leaves of all kinds of vegetables, even from thofe of the most poisonous kind, may we not, in fome measure, account why inftances of longevity are so much more frequent in the country than in large cities; where the air, inftead of partaking fo largely of this falutary impregnation, is daily contaminated with noxious animal effluvia and phlogifton?

With respect to climate, various obfervations confpire to prove, that thofe regions which lie within the temperate zones are beft calculated to promote long life. Hence, perhaps, may be explained, why Italy has produced fo many long livers, and why

islands in general are more falutary than continents; of which Bermudas and fome others afford examples. And it is a pleafing circumstance that our own ifland appears (notwithstanding the fudden viciffitudes to which it is liable) to contain far more inftances of longevity than could weil be imagined. The ingenious Mr. Whitehurt affures us, from certain facts, that Englishmen are in general longer lived than North Americans; and that a British conftitution will last longer, even in that climate, than a native one. But it must be allowed in general, that the human conftitution is adapted to the peculiar ftate and temperature of each refpective climate, fo that no part of the habitable globe can be pronounced too hot or too cold for its inhabitants. Yet, in order to promote a friendly intercourse between the most remote regions, the author of nature has wifely enabled the inhabitants to endure great and furprifing changes of temperature with impunity.

are

2. Foods and drink. Though foods and drink of the most fimple kinds allowed to be the best calculated for fupporting the body in health, yet it can hardly be doubted but variety may be fafely indulged occafionally, provided men would restrain their appetites within the bounds of temperance; for bountiful nature cannot be fuppofed to have poured forth fuch a rich profufion of provisions, merely to tantalize the human species, without attributing to her the part of a cruel step-dame, inftead of that of the kind and indulgent parent. Befides, we find, that by the wonderful powers of the digeftive organs, a variety of animal and vegetable fubftances, of very difcordant principles, are happily affimilated into one bland homogeneous chyle; therefore it feems natural to diftruit thofe cynical writers, who would rigidly confine mankind to one fimple difh, and their drink to the mere water of the brook. Nature, it is true, has pointed out that mild infipid fluid as the universal dilu

ent,

ent, and therefore moft admirably adapted for our daily beverage. But experience has equally proved, that vinous and fpirituous liquors, on certain occafions, are no lefs falutary and beneficial, whether it be to fupport ftrength againit fickness or bodily fatigue, or to exhilarate the mind under the preflure of heavy misfortunes. But, alas! what nature meant for innocent and useful cordials, to be used only occafionally, and according to the direction of reason, custom and caprice have, by degrees, rendered habitual to the human frame, and liable to the most enormous and deftructive abufes. Hence it may be justly doubted, whether gluttony and intemperance have not depopulated the world more than even the fword, peftilence, and famine. True, therefore, is the old maxim, Modus utendi ex veneno facit medicamentum, ex medi

camento venenum.'

3. and 4. Motion and reft, fleep and watching. It is allowed on all hands, that alternate motion and reft, and fleep and watching, are neceffary conditions to health and longevity; and that they ought to be adapted to age, temperament, conftitution, temperature of the climate, &c. but the errors which mankind daily commit in thefe refpects become a fruitful fource of difeafes. While fome are bloated and relaxed with ease and indolence, others are emaciated, and become rigid through hard labour, watching, and fatigue.

5. Secretions and excretions. Where the animal functions are duly performed, the fecretions go on regularly; and the different evacuations fo exactly correspond to the quantity of aliment taken in, in a given time, that the body is found to return daily to nearly the fame weight. If any particular evacuation happen to be preternaturally diminished, fome other evacuation is proportionally augmented, and the equilibrium is commonly preferved: but continued irregularities, in these important functions, cannot but terminate in disease. 5

6. Affection of the mind. The due regulation of the paffions, perhaps, contributes more to health and longevity than that of any other of the nonnaturals. The animating paffions, fuch as joy, hope, love, &c. when kept within proper bounds, gently excite the nervous influence, promote an equable circulation, and are highly conducive to health; while the deprefling affections, such as fear, grief, and despair, produce the contrary effect, and lay the foundation of the most formidable difeafes.

From the light which history affords us, there is great reafon to believe, that longevity is in a great measure hereditary; and that healthy longlived parents would commonly tranfmit the fame to their children, were it not for the frequent errors in the non-naturals, which fo evidently tend to the abbreviation of human life.

Whence is it, but from thefe caufes, and the unnatural modes of living, that, of all the children which are born in the capital cities of Europe, nearly one half die in early infancy? To what elfe can we attribute this extraordinary mortality? Such an amazing proportion of premature death is a circumstance unheard of among favage nations, or among the young of other animals! In the earlieft ages, we are informed, that human life was protracted to a very extraordinary length; yet how few perfons, in these latter times, arrive at that period which nature feems to have defigned! Man is by nature a field-animal, and feems deftined to rife with the fun, and to spend a large portion of his time in the open air, to inure his body to robuft exercises and the inclemency of the feafons, and to make a plain homely repait only when hunger dictates. But art has ftudiously defeated the kind intentions of nature; and by enflaving him to all the blandishments of fenfe, has left him, alas! an easy victim to folly and caprice. To enumerate the various abutes which take place from the earliest infancy, and which are continued through the fuc

ceeding