"Gratitude to the former of the Museum, and also to the donors to it, equally demand that its value and excellency should be publicly acknowledged and displayed, which consideration has goaded me on to undertake and imperfectly execute a task for which I feel myself not properly qualified."
Here follows what is very candid in Abernethy, and honourable to Mr. Clift, who had very many debtors who were less communicative.
"I cordially acknowledge that I have little acquaintance with the subject, except what I derived from looking over the preparations in the Museum, from reading Professor Cuvier's Lectures, and from the frank and friendly communications of our highly praiseworthy conservator, Mr. Clift. Permit me to say, gentlemen, though many know it already, that Mr. Clift resided with Mr. Hunter, and was taught by him to exhibit anatomical facts in preparations,—that he does credit to his excellent instructor,—that he feels the same interest and zeal that his patron did for the improvement of this department of science,—and that he possesses the same candour and simplicity of character[48]."
OF DEEP AND SUPERFICIAL THINKING.
"I now beg leave to add that there are many who think clearly, who do not think deeply; and they have greatly the advantage in expressing themselves, for their thoughts are generally simple and easy of apprehension. Opinions immediately deduced from any series or assemblage of facts may be called primary opinions, and they become types and representatives of the facts from which they are formed, and, like the facts themselves, admit of assortment, comparison, and inference; so that from them we deduce ulterior opinions, till at length, by a kind of intellectual calculation, we obtain some general total, which in like manner becomes the representative and co-efficient of all our knowledge, with relation to the subject examined and considered.
"In proportion to the pains we have taken in this algebraical process of the mind, and our assurance of its correctness, so do we contemplate the conclusion or consummation of our labours with satisfaction[49]."