as if he had never been endowed with the inquisitive and penetrating faculty of Reason. He is as much at fault in explaining satisfactorily the operation of any one of his own organs, with the most skilful anatomist at his service, as he would be in tracing the classes and orders of his ideas laid up in the storehouse of his mind, or in ascertaining how he recalls, associates, and compares these invisible elements of thought.

The most philosophical view of human Instincts which I have seen, is contained in Dr. Reid's Essays on the powers of the Mind. Dr. Gregory in his Comparative View, though he often alludes to them, has given us but little special information; neither distinguishing nor enumerating these original powers. Smellie has dismissed the subject with a very brief general notice.

All seem to agree that Instinct is a principle common to Man and the whole animal world ;-that many things necessary for our preservation must be done by it, that our Instincts are adapted to the weakness of our understandings, and that the most remarkable appear in infancy, when we are ignorant of every thing, and therefore (in the language of Dr. Reid), "must perish if we had not an invisible Guide, who leads us blindfold in the way we should take, if we had eyes to see it."

It may be proper again to define Instinct to be "a natural blind impulse to certain actions, without

having any end in view, without deliberation, and very often without any conception of what we do."

Thus, the act of breathing is performed by the alternate contraction and relaxation of certain muscles, by which the chest is expanded in its dimensions or contracted, and consequently the capacity of the lungs increased or diminished; so as either to bring the blood nearly in contact with the atmospherical air, that it may undergo a chemical change essential to life, or, when freed from its carbonaceous principle, that it may be withdrawn into the general circulation.

"We cannot suppose," says Dr. Reid, "that the infant knows any thing about the chemical or the mechanical theory of this important vital function; yet he breathes as soon as he is born with perfect regularity, as if he had been taught, and had acquired the habit by long practice.

"By the same kind of instinct a new-born child sucks and swallows its food as perfectly as if it knew the principles of the operation, which is very complex. About thirty pair of muscles must be employed in every draught, yet not simultaneously, but succeeding each other in certain order. This regular train of operations is, however, carried on according to the nicest rules of art by the infant who has neither art nor science, nor experience nor habit. That it knows nothing of the means by which the sensation of hunger may be removed, is evident for it will suck indis

criminately every thing brought into contact with its mouth."

By a like principle, Dr. Reid supposes, that infants cry when they are pained or hurt; that they are afraid, when they are left alone; that they start when in danger of falling; that they are terrified by an angry countenance or angry tones of voice, and are soothed and comforted by a placid countenance and by soft and gentle tones of voice.

In the more perfect of the lower animals we see much the same instincts as in the human kind.

Dr. Reid again remarks, that "besides the instincts which appear only in infancy, and are intended to supply the want of understanding in that early period, there are many which continue through life and which supply the defects of our intellectual powers in every period." Of these he notices three classes.

“First-There are many things necessary to be done for our preservation, which even when we will to do, we know not the means by which they must be done. A man knows that he must swallow his food before it can nourish him. But he knows nothing of the names and nature and office of the various nerves and muscles which must co-operate to this action. If it were to be directed by his understanding and will, he would starve, before he learned how to perform it. These nerves and muscles are moved by some impulse, of which the cause is unknown, with out any thought, will, or intention on his part-they

are moved instinctively. And this is the case, in some degree, in every voluntary motion of our body, as in stretching out the arm. We neither know, nor think any thing of nerve or muscle, when we stretch out the arm, yet they immediately produce the effect which we designed.

"A second case, in which we have need of Instinct, even in advanced life, is, where the action must be so frequently repeated that to intend and will it every time it is done would occupy too much of our thought, and leave no room for other necessary employments of the mind.

"We must breathe often every minute whether awake or asleep. We must often close the eye-lids, in order to preserve the lustre of the eye. Nature gives us an impulse to do them without any thought at all.

"A third case, in which we need the aid of Instinct, is when the action must be done so suddenly, that there is no time to think and determine. When a man loses his balance, either on foot or on horseback, he makes an instantaneous effort to recover it by instinct. The effort would be in vain, if it waited the determination of reason and will.

"When any thing threatens our eyes, we wink hard by instinct, and can scarcely avoid doing so, even when we know that the stroke is aimed in jest, and that we are safe from danger."

Dr. Reid concludes, that "thus the merciful author

of our nature hath adapted our instincts to the weakness of our understanding.

"In infancy we are ignorant of every thing; yet many things must be done for our preservation, and these are done by Instinct. When we grow up there are many motions of our limbs and bodies necessary, which can be performed only by a curious and complex machinery, of which the bulk of mankind are totally ignorant, and which the most skilful anatomist knows but imperfectly. All this machinery is set a going by Instinct.

"Some actions must be so often repeated through the whole of life, that if they required attention and will, we should be able to do nothing else. These are done by instinct. Our preservation from danger often requires such sudden exertions, that there is no time to think and to determine. Accordingly we make such exertions by instinct."

In addition to the preceding observations on human instinct, Dr. Reid has made some judicious remarks on the appetites which seem to apply to the present subject.

"The ends," says he, "for which our natural appetites are given, are too evident to escape the observation of any man of the least reflection. The reason of mankind would be altogether insufficient for these ends, without the direction and call of appetite. Though a man knew that his life must be supported by eating, reason could not direct him when to eat