Martin Folkes, Efq; the last of my deceased principal patrons, was a friend and intimate acquaintance of the other three. He had made the grand tour of Europe, not in the younger part of life, but after his marriage. He travelled with part of his family and fervants, at a proper age to make just obfervations, and gather all the commendable parts of the learning, cuftoms, and manners of the countries through which he paffed, in order to refine and polish those of his own. He travelled not in hafte, as is the general cuftom; but proceeded flowly, and spent what time was neceffary to inform himself of all that was worth notice: and, indeed, he feemed to have attained to univerfal knowledge; for, in the many opportunities I have had of being in his company, almoft every part of science has happened to be the fubject of dif course, all of which he handled as an adept in each. He was a man of great politeness in his manners, free from all pedantry and pride, and, in every respect, the real unaffected fine gentleman.

The

The lofs of four patrons, fo truly noble, fo good, fo great, and every way fo highly accomplished, in the fmall fpace of three or four years, was an event that greatly humbled me. I imagined, that, after fo great a loss to arts and sciences in general, and to myself in particular, all endeavours to excel in any branch of knowledge would be fruitless, and of little avail to its author, for want of fhining patterns to inspire the rifing generation; and I thought of discontinuing any farther progress in natural history: but I find, that the national fpirit for the promotion of learning and arts, in the establishment of that immenfe fund of science, the British Museum, has, in fome measure, revived the paffion for learning and useful knowledge; and I hope these feeds, fown by public authority, cherished and protected by a PRINCE distinguished for virtue and learning, will take root, fpring up, and yield a plentiful harvest.

The British Museum reminds me of a brief catalogue of the natural and artificial subjects

con

contained in it, which Sir Hans Sloane fhewed me about a year before he died, and permitted me to take a copy of; and, as I believe, though it is so very general, it may, for want of a more perfect one, be acceptable to the reader, I shall give it as follows:

An account of the names and numbers of the several Species of things contained in the Museum of Sir Hans Sloane, Bart. and which, fince his death, are placed for the ufe of the public in the British Mufeum.

The library, including books of draw

ings, manufcripts, and prints, a-vol.50000

Veffels, &c. of agate, jasper, &c.

542

Antiquities

1125

Precious stones, agates, jaspers, &c.

2256

Earths, fands, falts, &c.

Bitumens, fulphurs, ambers, &c.

Talcs, micæ, &c.

Corals, fponges, &c.

Teftacea, or shells, &c.

1035

399

388

1421

5843

Hortus ficcus, or volumes of dried plants 334

Humana, as calculi, anatomical pre

parations, &c.

}

755

Every fingle particular of all the above ar

ticles are numbered, and entered by name, with

fhort accounts of them, and references to feveral authors who have heretofore wrote about them, in thirty-eight volumes in folio, and eight in quarto. Some addition has been made to this valuable collection fince it was depofited in Montague-house, especially to the foffils, by a valuable prefent from Guftavus Brander, Efq;

CHAP.