Note 4 — PREFACE BY BERNARD DE FONTENELLE.

The Vortexes of Descartes, occupied the attention of the learned, for nearly a century; but this hypothesis was superceded by a discovery of the laws of attraction. Although Newton's famous book on principles was published in 1687, Fontenelle always retained his educational prejudice in favour of the Vortexes. A few years before his death, he consulted me on a little work he had some time since composed on the subject. I endeavoured to dissuade him from making it public; but Falconet was afterwards weak enough to do so. The book is entitled "Theory of the Cartesian Vortexes, with Reflections on Attraction." The author's name was never affixed to the work.