General Heads for a Natural History of a Countrey, Great or Small, Imparted Likewise by Mr.

Boyle
Author(s): Mr. Boyle
Source: Philosophical Transactions (1665-1678), Vol. 1 (1665 - 1666), pp. 186-189
Published by: The Royal Society
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/101481 .
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 (r 86)
fora NaturalHifforyof a Countrey,Great
Lteads
General
orfinal?,
imparted ebyMr.Boyle.
liikewf
It having been alreadyintimated(Nam.8. of Pbi. Tranfad.
p. 140a. 14.) that diversPhi/ofopherraime,amongother things,
at the Compofihg ofa good Natural Hiftory, to fuperftrutd,in
time, a Solid anidVfefdtPhilofophyupon; andit beinigof no
flightimporrance, to be furnilht withpertinent[eads, for the
dire§t'ionof Inquirerssthat lately namedBenefalour'a Exper&
m,entalPhilofophy,hiasbeen pleafed to communicate, for the
ends abovefaid, the followingArtiele, which( as himfeifdid
fignlTie) belong to one of his Ejfayxof theunipublifhit partof
the 7)1k/u/ne/iofNat. andExperimen. Philo/ophy.
But firfthe premiFcs,that what follows, is defign'd only to
point at the more Generalheads of Inquiry, which the pro-
pofe-rignoresnot to be Divers of themvery comprehenfive, in
fo muCh, thatabout Ifome of the Su!ordinatefubje6ts, perhaps
too, not themoatfertile, he hlasdrawii upArticlesof iiquifition
about particulars,that take up nearas muchroom, as what is
here to be deliver*dof this matter.

The Heads theifelves follow;

The things, to be obferv'd in fuch a Hiftory, may be varn.
oufly ( and almoftat pleafure) divided: As, into Supraterrant.
ous,lerrejirial, and subterranecaf ; and otherwife: but we will
at prefentdiftinguifhthem inito thofe
Heavensror concernithe Air, the WVater, things, that refpe6t the
or the Earth.
r. To the FirJffort of Particulars, belonigthe Longitude
and Latitudeof the Place (that being of momentin reference
to the obfervationsaboutthe Air &c. ) and
confequently tTie
length of the longeft and fliorteft days and nights, the Cli-
Mate, parallels&o. whiatfixt ftarrs are and what not feen
tlhere: What Conftellations'tisfaid to be fubje6t to ? Where-
unto may be added other Aitrologricalmatters, if
they be
thought worthmentioning.
Aboutt
 (137)
~.About thie.dir -maybe obferv'd,its Teiiiperapure,,as to
the firft four Qulaliti'es (commonlyfo cal'd ) andthe Mve a-
fures of thiem: its Weight, Clearnefs.,Refra6tivepower: its
Subletyor -Grofsnefs: -its abounidingwith, or wantiDgan-Efill-
~rineSalt: its variations a'ccordingto the feafonsof the year,
;andthe timnes of the day; Whiatdurationthe feveralkindsof
VVeatherufuallyhave:- VVhat Mfeteors it Ismoft or leaftlwont
-tobreeds and iniwhat order they are generated;5and hovw
long they ufuallytaft: Efpecially.,whatWinds it isfubje6tto;
whether any of them be jftated'and ordinary,c?c. What di'
feafes are Epidemical, thatarefuppofed to flow fromnthe Air:-
What.other difeafeis, whereinthathatha'Ihare, the Coniltre-y
is fubje6l to;--the Plague anidContagiousfickneffes: What is
th'e ufual-falubrityor i'nfalubri'tyof -theAi'r- .and withiwhat-
Conifitutions it agre.esbetter or worfe, than others.
3'. About the Water,maybe obfe'rv'd,the Sea, its'Depth5de--
gree of Saltnefs, Tydes, Curr'ents,(9c. Next, Riv)ers)their
Bignefs Length,'-Courfe, Inundations, Goodine(s.-Levi'
(or theirContraries) of Waters,.Oc3. Tbhen,Lakes, 'ponids,
Springs,a-ndefpeci'allyMineralwaters, tbei'rKindis,-QyaW.ix
ties, Vertues,and how examined. To theuWaters-belongalfo
F#zbe.r,,whatkinids-ofthem (whe-therSalt or Frefhi-waterfifih
areIto -be founid in the Countury;their Store., Bignef's
Go6odnefs,Seafons, Haunts, Peculiari'tiesof aniykinid, andL
the wayes'of-takinigthem, efp'eci'alyt-hofe that are not puire'ly
Mlecbanilcal.
E.artb,maybe obferved,
4,1IntheC.

2~. Its Jnhabitants,arndits 'an'dthefeE1xterial'.,

ProduFlions,
and Internal.
Fifi in heEarthit /elf, maY'be obfetv'd, i'ts dimenrionm,
ffcituaion,Eaft,Weft, North;.aindSouth: its Figu"re,its Pla'ins,
and Valleys, and-theirExtents its Hills -andMountA'ihs, 'aPd
thelheight of ,the both
talkdft, in referenic'to ,the nighi?I-b'outri,n'g
V-alle'ysor Plainas,and in refcreniceto the Level of the Sea: As
Cc aIlf
alfo, whether the Mo,untainslye fcattered, or in ridges, -and
whiether thofe run Northi and South, or Eaft andWeft,&c
What Promontorics,fiery or fmnoak ing Hills, &c. the Coun-
trv hias, or hiathnaot:-Whetherthe Country be coherent,or
MuIch brQokeni into I anids.Whatthe MvagrneticalDeclinati-on i's
In feveral plaaces,andthe Variationsof zthatDct-clination inw-the
famel-place ( anid,if eithierof thiofebe-very corifiderable,thien,
whatcircuinmftances
may affliftoneC to gLIefS at theReafbn as
Suibterranealfires, tiheVic'inityof Jroni-miniis,&c. ) what the
Nature of the Soyle. is, wheltherClays, Sanidy,6&c. or good
Mould ; anidwhiatGrainis,Fruits, anidothecrVegetables, do
the rnoil natuirallyagree with it.- As alfo, by wh~atparticuilar
Arts anidIndiftries.theInhabitants i'mprovethe Advantages,
anidrem-edythecIniconvenxienices of theirSoyl:. What hi-dden
quLalities the Soyl may have (as thatof Ireland, gif eo
mious Beafts,&c..)2gifVea
Secondly, above the, ignoblerProduElion-tof theEarth,there
muff be a carefulaccount given of the Inhabitantsrthemfelves,
both Natives andStrang~err,thathave been long fettled there:-
Anid i'n particUlar,thei'r St'ature,Shape, Colouir,Features,
Strenigth, Agility, Beauty( or the want of It) Compplexions,
Hair, Dyer., Inicllinations,and Cuiftomsthat feemnnot due to
E-4duLcation. As to theirWomen,(befidesthe other things)may
be obferved their -Firuitfulinefsor Barreniiefs; their hard -or
eafy Labour, &c. And both i'nWomen anidMen mull be ta-
,kennoti-ceof what difeafes they are fubje&tto, and in thefe
whether thierebe aniyfymiptomne, or any other Circumftance,
that is unufualand remarkable,
As to the ExternalProdudions of the Earth,the lnqniiries
may be fuichas thefe:- What Graffes, Grains, Uerbs, ( Gar-
den and Wild ) Flowers, Fruit-trees,J Timber-trees (efpecially
any Trees, whofe wood is confiderable) Coppices, Groves,
Woods, Forrells, &c. the Country has or wants: Whatpecu-
liari'tiesare obfervablein any of them: WhiatSoyles they mnoft
like or diflike;iand wi'thwhatCulturethey thrive beft. What
Asnimalsthe Country has or wants, both as to wild B3eafts,
liawks, and other Birds of Prey- anidas to Poultrey, a~nd
Cattle
 (189)
Cattle of all forts, and particularly, whietheri't have awy
adnim-alr,that arenot common, o ay thing, that is pecuiliar
in thofe, that arefo.
The lInternalPfodu6tionsogrConcealmnents of the E-arthare
here uniderftoodItobe,the richiesthiatly hid underthe Ground,
and are niotalreadyreferr'dto other Inquiries
Amonigthefe Suasterranealobfervationsmaybe takennotice
of, whiatforts of Mvineralsof any kind they want, as well as
what they have ; Then,what Qtiarriesthe Clountryaff-ords,a)nd
the patiular conditionsboth of the QuarriesanldthezStones:
As alfo, how the Bedsof Stone lye, in refereinceto Northnan-d
South,oCc. What Claysand Earthsit affords,as Tobacco-pipe-
Earthsfor Potters wares, l3olus's
clay, Marles,'Fu-llers-earths,
anidother medicatedEarths:-What other Mineralsit yields, as
Coals, Salt-Mines, or SaIt.fprings,Allom, Vitrial, Suplphur,
Lgc. WhatMettalsthe Counitryyields,and a defcri'ptiohn of the
Mines, theirnumber, fcituati'on.,depth, fignls,waters,damps.,
quantitiesof ore, goodnefs ofore, extraneous thingsanid-ways
of reduicingtheirores initoMettals,c&c.
To thefe GeneralArticlesOf inquiries ( faith- their Pro-
pofer) ffhould be added; i.InquiriesaboutTraditionsconcern..
ing all particularthinigs,relatinigto that Country,as eitherpe-.
culiar to it, or at leaft, uncommonelfewhere. 2 Inquirie~r,that
requireLearnitzgor Skill in the Anfwerer: to whichfhiouldbe
fubjoynedPropofalsof ways,to enable men to give Anfwcrsto
thefe more difficultiniquiries.
Tbusrfar ourAuthor, who., as he has been pleafe-dto impart
thefe General( but yet very Comprehenjive and greatly Di'reRIive
)
Articles5 f o, 'tishoped from his own late intimation, that he
will fhortlyenliargethem wit-hParticularand Subordinate ones.
Thefe,in the meantime,wcrethoughtfit to be publilhrt,that the
Inquifitive and Curious.might,by fuch an be
Affliftance, invited
not to delay their fearcheso-'fmatters, th-atare fo highly conw
du'cive to the improvementof TruiePhilofophy,and the welIe
fare of Mfank%ind.

Cc 2 ..4n