he knew himself to be fafe, whilst gravity food its ground, which from the number and intereft of its allies, he thought was in no danger of being knocked on the head, as was the champion of the Philistines, by a naked youth with a nodule. He therefore refolved to abide by gravity and his first performance, and refufed either to draw up and publish the obfervations which by agreement he had engaged to do, or to return the collection of foffils. Upon this, Mr. H. had recourfe to law, and a bill in chancery was accordingly drawn, but whether filed, we are not certain. The Dr. in the mean time made his will, whereby he left the collection to the univerfity of Cambridge, of which the duke of Somerfet was chancellor: and this perhaps might prevent Mr. Hutchinfon from carrying matters to extremities. However, the Dr's death, which happened in 1728, put an entire stop to all proceedings of that kind. And our author, as himself complains in one of his books, was bereft, in a manner not to be mentioned, of those observations, and thofe collections, even of the credit of being the collector, and both are now loft for want of being reduced into order, and applied; and the papers, which still remained in his hands relating to these fubjects, were rendered ufelefs. Tho' a work to prove the truth of the deluge and reformation of the earth, as recorded by Mofes, from the exuvie of animals, vegetables, and other things preferved and found every where in the bowels, as well as near the furface of the earth, might have been of great fervice, and perhaps the means to convince thofe whom no other evidence would convince, yet his erary acquaint ance look upon the breach between Dr. Woodward and him as a very happy event; becaufe, had the DF. fulfilled his engagements, Mr. Hutchinfon might have ftopped there, and not have extended his refearches to the lengths he has done, and thereby deprived the world of writings which they deem invaluable. The former friends of Mr. Hutchinfon, who were well acquainted with the intereft he had with the duke, his capacity for bufinefs, and the opportunities which were in his power of making the moft of his talents, were greatly furprised at his quitting fo many advantages of acquiring a large fortune, not only by leaving his old place, but neglecting to make the most of his new one; and an old crony of his, meeting with him one day, very warmly remonftrated with him upon the occafion; to whom Mr. Hutchinson made this reply. Sir, I know the value of money as well as you, and how far it "will carry one: thus far and no "further. I therefore want fome thing that will carry me beyond "this line, this utmost bound of 66 money and I truft I have now "chofe that which will." His friend gave him no answer, but dropped his hand, which till then he had held in his own, and, like the lawyer in the gospel, went away grievously diffatisfed. In 17-79 our author published the fecond part of Mefes's Principia, which contains the fum and fubftance, or the principles of the fcripture philofophy; and which, with the first part, is the only philofophical tract he published in his life-time. As fir Ifaac Newton made a vacuum and gravity, the principles of his philofophy, our author on the contrary afferts, afferts, that a plenum and the air are the principles of the fcripture philofophy. The air he fuppofes to exift in three conditions, fire, light, and fpirit. The light and fpirit are the finer and groffer parts of the air in motion: from the earth to the fun, the air is finer and finer, till it becomes pure light near the confines of the fun, and fire in the orb of the fun, or folar focus. From the earth towards the circumference of this fyftem, in which he includes the fixed stars, the air becomes grof fer and groffer until it becomes torpid and stagnate, in which condition it is at the utmost verge of this fyftem; from whence the idea of expreffion of "outer darkness and blacknefs "of darkness," ufed in the New Teftament, seems to be taken. The fun, which he places in the center, is the active vivifying agent, which by melting the fpirit or groffer parts of the air into atoms. or finer parts, or æther, and iffuing them out in light, fets the machine forward, and keeps it a going: for the light is preffed out by the influx of fpirit, and the fpirit is preffed in by the efflux of light; and fo the whole matter of the heavens or air is perpetually changing conditions, and circulating. This doctrine of light and fpirit, is in the main fo like what Sir Ifaac Newton fays in his queries, of his Etherial Medium, that grows denfer and denfer from the fun to Saturn,and beyond (which he makes the caufe of gravity and motion, and which is a contradictory to a vacuum and the vis inertia, as Mr. Hutchinfon's light and spirit can be) that our author's account might at leaft lay claim to the fame indulgence with Sir Ifaac's, of paffing for philofophical questions worthy of further examination. Sir Ifaac Newton informs us, that he builds his philofophy upon appearances now, if thefe be a fufficient groundwork for fuch a superstructure, Mr. Hutchinfon had infinitely more and better opportunities of judging by appearances than the other. His converfe and frequent bufinefs under ground afforded him a series of opportunities, as himself tells us, of making obfervations on the feveral various actions of the air, in its three conditions of fire, light, and fpirit.--To remark what these agents have done in the reformation of the earth after the deluge, and what they do in the fettled course of nature; and of confidering the difpo fition and fituation of the parts of the earth, and of the several species of things in it ; to make observations and experiments; of the operations of fire, and its effects upon and with various fubítances; to making obfervations upon light and fpirit in all the various conditions and fituations, or places where they happen naturally to be, and of remarking the various effects they have upon various fubjects; of making obfervations upon water in all the fitua tons, motions, and courfes it took at the reformation of the earth, and fince naturally has taken, or takes: and by thefe means of coming at the knowledge of what things were Agents, and the manner of their agency; which were Patients, and the manner in which they were acted upon, which were Caufes, which Effe&s. And this method of judging from appearances, and fuch a courfe of experiments, must be acknowledged to be far fuperior to any of thofe upon which Sir Iface Newton built his gravitation fyftem, and his doctrine of light and colours. In the one cafe, the appearances were thofe of Nature, made and exhibited by her herself; in the other, many of them were fuch as can, or do fcarce ever happen in nature. The fwinging of a pendulum (the palladium of gravity) has not perhaps a parallel cafe in nature. The extracting or feparating the light from the fpirit by a prifm, or refracting the light by bubbles, have not a parallel cafe, except it be in the rainbow, and fuch like. The experiments made with the load-ftone, talc, or amber, arife from the texture of these bodies, which is different from that of most other bodies, and the bodies themselves are only found in maffes of small fizes. The other experiments of the effects produced by fpirit or light upon mixing fmall parcels of extracted fluids or fubftances, are fuch as scarce one of them ever happened, or will happen in nature. Juftice to the person whofe life we are writing, obliges us to make this remark, which we hope can give no juft caufe of offence to any one. In the Introduction to the Second Part of Mofes's Principia mentioned above, Mr. Hutchinfon hinted, that the idea of the Trinity was to be taken from the three grand agents in the fyftem of Nature, fire, light, and fpirit; which are three conditions of one and the fame fubftance, and wonderfully answer in a typical or fymbolical manner to the three perfons of one and the fame effence. This ftruck the late celebrated Dr. Samuel Clarke fo forcibly, that he fent a gentleman to Mr. Hutchinfon with compliments upon the performance, but that there was one propofition which he hoped was not true, and defired a conference with him about it. Mr. Hutchinfon fent him word by the gentleman, that the book had been a work of much labour and time, and when he had confidered it longer, it would be I foon enough then to talk of a conference. The Dr. fent again, that he underflood the fubftance of the book, but only wanted to confer about that propofition. Mr. Hutchinfon fent for answer, that he intended shortly to explain that hint, and prove it fully. The Dr. not satisfied with this, ftill continued his folicitations for a conference, which Mr. Hutchinfon as conftantly refused, but let him know, that if he pleased to write any thing against that propofition, he would foon convince him of it, and withal, that he had been too forward in writing upon fubjects which he had not duly confidered. Dr. Clarke died May 17, 1729. Some time in the year 1712, Mr. Hutchinfon completed a machine of the watch-kind, for the difcovery of the longitude at fea. It was referred to fir Ifaac Newton and other persons qualified to confider and examine pretenfions of that kind, and was by them approved, and Mr.Hutchinfon even ob tained teftimonials under their hands, of the perfection and usefulness of his machine. But when application was to be made to parliament, he was fome way or other dropped by thofe who had promised to support his pretenfions; and nettled with the disappointment, he seems to have laid afide this, and several other things of this fort, and to have deftroyed all his papers concerning them. Two of thefe watches were found after his decease, the one put together, the other not; but no papers or notes relative to them were to be met with, any more than the manufcript map of the world, which the late Mr. Whiston, in his Longitude and Latitude, &c. mentions in these words. "I have alfo very "infon, a very curious and inquifi❝tive perfon, a copy of a manufcript map of the world, made about "eighty years ago, taken by him"felf from the original, wherein "the variation is reduced to a "theory, much like that which Dr. "Halley has fince propofed, and "in general exactly agreeing to his "obfervation.----But with this advantage, that therein the northern pole of the internal load-ftone is "much better stated than it is by "Dr. Halley---its place then being, "according to this unknown very "curious and fagacious author, a"bout the meridian, &c. which an"cient and authentic determination "of its place, I defire my reader "particularly to observe." This method of difcovering the longitude proposed by Mr. Hutchinfon, is allowed, by the best judges, to be the eafieft to understand and practise of all others; requiring no depth of aftronomy, no nicety in obfervations or calculations, and fo is even to the common failors the most practicable. For if a watch could be exactly kept to an even motion, and fo fhew the hour at any one certain place at land; the comparison of the time known by that watch with the apparent time at the fhip, known by the fun or ftars, or another watch regulated by them, would discover the longitude from the place to which that first watch was adjudged, in time; and by following fifteen degrees of the equator to an hour, may be found in degrees alfo. And Mr. Hutchinson had fo contrived and framed the fprings, wheels, and pivits, &c. of his watches, as not in any confiderable degree to be influenced by heat, cold, moisture, and drought, and alfo to be capable of that degree of exactness which is re quifite to answer the purpose. And it is the opinion of those who know most of this affair, that a machine of the watch kind bids the fairest of any method for the discovery of the longitude. Mr. Hutchinson had been accustomed every year to take a month's refreshment or so in the country near London, but the year he died he denied himself this benefit, and fat clofe at his ftudies during the fultry months of June and July, in order to prepare The Second Part of the Data of Chriflianity for the prefs against the winter; and had even neglected his conftant exercise of riding in Hyde-Park. But, at length, one day mounting his horse, the beaft, pampered by the mistaken kindness of his keeper, and not being rode for fome time by his mafter, was fo fretful and unruly, that Mr. Hutchinson had some difficulty to keep his feat, which however he did, but the irregular fallies of the horfe, and the fudden jerks given to his body by them, occafioned an overflowing of the gall, which confined him to his bed, and put a period to his life in about fixteen days time. Upon the Saturday after the accident, Mr. Frafer of St. Martin'slane, who was his apothecary, advised him to fend for Dr. Mead; but unluckily the Dr. was gone to Windfor. However, his fon in-law (Sir Edward Wilmot, bart) came immediately, and prefcribed bleeding, but Mr. Hutchinson, contrary to the earneft folicitations of the friends he had then with him, chofe to defer it till he should fee Dr. Mead. On the Monday following, the Dr. waited upon Mr. Hutchinson, blamed him for not being bled, but told him he would fend him to Mofes (meaning to his ftudies, two of his books being entitled Mofes's Princi tion to the public, that a place was become vacant by his death. To borrow the words of an old acquaintance of his, "Without confidering "him as an author, few perfons " deserved better of mankind than "he did. If fuperior talen's for "bufinefs, and the indefatigable "earnestness in profecuting it: If "the nicest address, joined with the "ftricteft probity, of which he gave "many fhining inftances in conduct"ing the fuit between the duke his "master, and the old lord Wharton: "merit any regard, few had a larger "fhare of them than Mr. Hutchin"fon. If the collection of foffils 66 left by Dr.Woodward to the uni"verfity of Cambridge, be of any "value, of any fervice, or de"ferve the notice of that learned "body, let them remember, that "they owe the whole to the abi"lities and industry of Mr. Hutch"infon. And, perhaps, had a due " regard been paid to his machine pia) to which Mr. Hutchinfon, taking it in the other fenfe, answered in a muttering tone, for his voice was affected by his illness. I believe, Doctor, you will.' In a day or two after this he feemed to be in a fair way of recovery, and was able to converse about his literary affairs with his favourite Mr. Julius Bate, who, upon being made acquainted with Mr. Hutchinfon's illness, came with all hafte from his living in Suflex to attend him. But this bright gleam was of fhort continuance, for an intimate friend of" if these be qualifications, which his, who lived a little diftance from London, coming to town the middle of the week following to fee him, found him in a very weak and dangerous way, fitting in the room, which he made his study, and feeming as if he had been bufy among his papers. He had fent Mr, Bate out, and was alone. He told this gentleman Dr. Mead had ufed him ill, that he had forbad his attendance, and called in another physician (Dr. Peilet we think). He much wished he could live to give more evidence; but there is enough, fays he, to a literary friend, raifing his voice, if you and the reft of you be not deficient on your parts. He recommended Mr. Julius Bate to this geatleman's friendship, with a ftrict charge not to fuffer his labours to become useless by their neglect. When he left Mr. Hutchinfon, which was at the door of his bedchamber, to which he had prevailed upon him to retire, Mr. Hutchinfon taking his hand, faid, "Farewel, you "will fee me no more. On the Sunday following, August 28,1737, in the morning, he departed this life, aged 63. Thus died this memorable perfon, unnoticed even in the news-papers, except by an informa before-mentioned, the world "would also have been indebted to "him for the difcovery of the "longitude. 66 "Fas fit ut has stargam flores, ani- A report has lately been induftrioufly propagated, that Mr. Hutchinion recanted the publication of his writings, to the late Dr. Mead, a little before his death. How improbable fuch a report feems to be, appears from what has been related above of the conference which one of his friends had with him, not four days before he died, and fome days after the |