BONNET, CHARLES, an eminent naturalist and philosopher, h. at Geneva. 13th Mar., 1720. He was educated for the profession of the law, but devoted himself at a very early age to the study of natural history. A dissertation on aphides obtained for him, in 1740. the honor of being made a corresponding member of the academy of sciences in Paris. He was soon afterwards occupied in researches concerning polypi, the respiration of insects, the structure of the tape-worm. etc. lie published his Teaite d'Insectalogie (2 vols., Par.) in 1745. His Recheeches sue Usage des Feuilles des Plantes, published in 1754, contained the result of much observation on important points of vegetable physiology. A severe inflammation of the eyes, putting a stop for two years to his researches in natural history, gave another direction to his studies, and be pub lished several works on psychology, in which materialistic views decidedly prevail; the body is represented as the original source of all the inclinations of the sold, and all ideas are referred to movements of the nervous fibers; but his religious convictions remained always strong and unshaken, and in his Rees sue l'Etat Futur des Etres Virants, ou Palingenesie Philosophique (2 vols., Gen. 1709), he endeavored to demonstrate the reason
ableness of the Christian revelation. In this work he also maintained the future life of all living creatures, and the perfection of their faculties in a future state. Lavater translated the last part of it, and it helped to effect a change in the religions tendencies of Mendelssohn. His Considerations sue les Corps Organises (2 vols., Gen. 1762) is very much devoted to an examination of the theories of generation. 13, was for smite years a member of the great council of his native city. Ile died on 20th May, 1793. In the latter part of his life, he superintended a collective edition of his own works (8 vols. and 18 vols., Neuch. 1779-88).