General Heads for a Natural History of a Countrey, Great or Small, Imparted Likewise by Mr.BoyleAuthor(s): Mr. BoyleSource: Philosophical Transactions (1665-1678), Vol. 1 (1665 - 1666), pp. 186-189Published by: The Royal SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/101481 .Accessed: 20/01/2011 19:59

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General Lteads for a Natural Hiffory of a Countrey,Great or final?, imparted liikewf eby Mr. Boyle.

It having been already intimated (Nam.8. of Pbi. Tranfad. p. 140a. 14.) that divers Phi/ofopherr aime,among other things, at the Compofihg ofa good Natural Hiftory, to fuperftrutd, in time, a Solid anid Vfefdt Philofophy upon ; and it beinig of no flight imporrance, to be furnilht with pertinent [eads, for the dire§t'ion of Inquirerss that lately named Benefalour' a Exper& m,ental Philofophy, hias been pleafed to communicate, for the ends abovefaid, the following Artiele, which ( as himfeif did fignlTie) belong to one of his Ejfayx of the unipublifhit part of the 7)1k/u/ne/i of Nat. and Experimen. Philo/ophy.

But firft he premiFcs, that what follows, is defign'd only to point at the more General heads of Inquiry, which the pro- pofe-r ignores not to be Divers of them very comprehenfive, in fo muCh, that about Ifome of the Su!ordinate fubje6ts, perhaps too, not the moat fertile, he hlas draw ii up Articles of iiquifition about particulars, that take up near as much room, as what is here to be deliver*d of this matter.

The Heads theifelves follow; The things, to be obferv'd in fuch a Hiftory, may be varn.

oufly ( and almoft at pleafure) divided : As, into Supraterrant. ous, lerrejirial, and subterranecaf ; and otherwife: but we will at prefent diftinguifh them inito thofe things, that refpe6t the Heavensr or concerni the Air, the WVater, or the Earth.

r. To the FirJf fort of Particulars, belonig the Longitude and Latitude of the Place (that being of moment in reference to the obfervations about the Air &c. ) and confequently tTie length of the longeft and fliorteft days and nights, the Cli- Mate, parallels &o. whiat fixt ftarrs are and what not feen tlhere: What Conftellations'tis faid to be fubje6t to ? Where- unto may be added other Aitrologrical matters, if they be thought worth mentioning.

Aboutt

(137) ~.About thie .dir -may be obferv'd, its Teiiiperapure,, as to

the firft four Qulaliti'es (commonly fo cal'd ) and the Mve a- fures of thiem: its Weight, Clearnefs., Refra6tive power: its Sublety or -Grofsnefs: -its abouniding with, or wantiDg an- Efill- ~rine Salt: its variations a'ccording to the feafons of the year, ;and the timnes of the day; Whiat duration the feveral kinds of VVeather ufually have:- VVhat Mfeteors it Is moft or leaftl wont -to breeds and ini what order they are generated;5 and hovw long they ufually taft: Efpecially., what Winds it isfubje6t to; whether any of them be jftated' and ordinary, c?c. What di' feafes are Epidemical, that are fuppo fed to flow fromn the Air:- What. other difeafeis, wherein that hath a' Ihare, the Coni ltre-y is fubje6l to; --the Plague anid Contagious fickneffes : What is th'e ufual -falubrity or i'nfalubri'ty of -the Ai'r - .and withi what- Conifitutions it agre.es better or worfe, than others.

3'. About the Water, may be 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 their Contraries ) of Waters,. Oc3. Tbhen, Lakes, 'ponids,

Springs, a-nd efpeci'ally Mineral waters, tbei'rKindis,- QyaW.ix ties, Vertues, and how examined. To theu Waters-belong alfo F#zbe.r,, what kinids -of them (whe-ther Salt or Frefhi-water fifih are Ito -be founid in the Countury ;their Store., Bignef's Go6odnefs, Seafons, Haunts, Peculiari'ties of aniy kinid, andL the wayes'of -takinig them, efp'eci'aly t-hofe that are not puire'ly Mlecbanilcal.

4,1In theC. E.artb, may be obferved,

2~. Its Jnhabitants,arndits ProduFlions, 'an'd thefeE1xterial'., and Internal.

F ifi in heEarthit /elf, maY'be obfetv'd, i'ts dimenrionm, ffcituaion,Eaft, Weft , North;. aind South: its Figu"re,its Pla'ins, and Valleys, and-their Extents its Hills -and MountA'ihs, 'aPd thelheight of ,the talkdft, both in referenic'to ,the nighi?I-b'outri,n'g V-alle'ys or Plainas, and in refcrenice to the Level of the Sea: As

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alfo, wheth er the Mo,untains lye fcattered, or in ridges , -and whiether thofe run Northi and South, or Eaft and Weft,&c What Promontorics, fiery or fmnoak ing Hills, &c. the Coun- trv hias, or hiath naot:- Whether the Country be coherent, or MuIch brQokeni into I anids. What the Mvagrnetical Declinati-on i's In feveral plaaces,and the Variations of zthat Dct-clination inw-the famel- place ( anid, if eithier of thiofe be- very corifiderable, thien, what circuinmftances may afflift oneC to gLIefS at the Reafb n as Suibterraneal fires, tihe Vic'inity of Jroni-miniis, &c. ) what the Nature of the Soyle. is, whelther Clays, Sanidy, 6&c. or good Mould ; anid whiat Grainis, Fruits, anid othecr Vegetables, do the rnoil natuirally agree with it.- As alfo, by wh~at particuilar Arts anid Indiftries.the Inhabitants i'mprove the Advantages, anid rem-edy thec Iniconvenxienices of their Soyl:. What hi-dden quLalities the Soyl may have (as that of Ireland, gif eo mious Beafts,&c..)2gifVea

Secondly, above the, ignobler ProduElion-t of the Earth, there muff be a careful account given of the Inhabitantsr themfelves, both Natives and Strang~err, that have been long fettled there:- Anid i'n particUlar, t hei'r St'ature, Shape, Colouir, Features, Strenigth, Agility, Beauty ( or the want of It) Compplexions, Hair, Dyer., Inicllinations, and Cuiftoms that feemn not due to E-4duLcation. As to their Women,(befides the other things) may be obferved their -Firuitfulinefs or Barreniiefs ; their hard -or eafy Labour, &c. And both i'n Women anid Men m ull be ta- ,ken noti-ce of what difeafes they are fubje&t to, and in thefe whether thiere be aniy fymiptomne, or any other Circumftance, that is unufual and remarkable,

As to the External Produdions of the Earth, the lnqniiries may be fuich as 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: What pecu- liari'ties are obfervable in any of them: Whiat Soyles they mnoft like or diflike;i and wi'th what Culture they thrive beft. What Asnimals the Country has or wants, both as to wild B3eafts, liawks, and other Birds of Prey- anid as to Poultrey, a~nd

Cattle

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Cattle of all forts, and particularly, whiether i't have awy adnim-alr, that are not common, o ay thing, that is pecuiliar in thofe, that are fo.

The lInternal Pf odu6tions ogr Concealmnents of the E-arth are here uniderftood Ito be, the richies thiat ly hid under the Ground, and are niot already referr'd to other Inquiries

Amonig thefe Suasterraneal obfervations may be taken notice of, whiat forts of Mvinerals of any kind they want, as well as what they have ; Then, what Qti arries the Clountry a ff-ords,a)nd the patiular conditions both of the Quarries anld thez Stones: As alfo, how the Beds of Stone lye, in refereince to Northn an-d South,oCc. What Clays and Earths it affords, as Tobacco-pipe- clay, Marles, 'Fu-llers-earths, Earths for Potters wares, l3olus's anid other medicated Earths:- What other Minerals it yields, as Coals, Salt-Mines, or SaIt.fprings, Allom, Vitrial, Suplphur, Lgc. What Mettals the Counitry yields,and a defcri'ptiohn of the Mines, their number, fcituati'on., depth, fignls, waters, damps., quantities of ore, goodnefs ofore, extraneous things anid -ways of reduicing their ores inito Mettals, c&c.

To thefe General Articles Of inquiries ( faith- their Pro- pofer ) ffhould be added; i.Inquiries about Traditions concern.. ing all particular thinigs, relatinig to that Country, as either pe-. culiar to it, or at leaft, uncommon elfewhere. 2 Inquirie~r, that require Learnitzg or Skill in the Anfwerer: to which fhiould be fubjoyned Prop ofals of ways, to enable men to give Anfwcrs to thefe more difficult iniquiries.

Tbusrfar our Author, who., as he has been pleafe-d to impart thefe General ( but yet very Comprehenjive and greatly Di'reRIive ) Articles5 f o, 'tis hoped from his own late intimation, that he will fhortly enliarge them wit-h Particular and Subordinate ones. Thefe,in the mean time,wcre thought fit to be publilhrt,that the Inquifitive and Curious.might,by fuch an Affliftance, be invited not to delay their fearches o-'f matters, th-at are fo highly conw du'cive to the improvement of Truie Philofophy, and the welIe fare of Mfank%ind.

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