fervice*, and that one fhare fhould go to the army, and the other fhare to the navy.' It was contended, that taking the Dutch Eaft Indiamen in Saldahna bay, was, within the fpirit of the inftructions, an attack on the Cape of Good Hope. On the other hand, the navy contended, that the inftructions only related to the Cape of Good Hope, and not to fhips taken by the fquadron, either at fea, or in bays or harbours of any fort. The Judge of the Admiralty decreed for the intereft of the army, agreeably to the fpirit of his Majefty's instructions. An appeal was brought by the navy, to the Commiffioners to hear and determine appeals in prize caufes, who determined that the capture in this cafe belonged neither to the navy nor to the army, but was ftill in the king in right of his crown.'

To fnatch away the bone of contention might be thought a likely way to fettle the difpute: but it has operated otherwife; the parties were indeed furprized, but, as appears by this letter, by no means fatisfied. The determination, and this review of the cafe, feem to reft on fine fpun diftinctions, not much fuperior to quibbles. The feamen and landmen being affociated as a conjunct force against a particular object, it feems injurious to the fervice to make critical diftinctions refpecting any contingent opportunity that fell in their way, which could neither be mentioned in their inftructions, nor called for diftinct profeffional operations.

N.

Art. 50. Inftances of the Mutability of Fortune, felected from ancient and modern History, and arranged according to their chronological Order. By A. Bicknell. 8vo. pp. 453. 6s. Boards. Jordan. 1792.

Collections of this kind are to be made in the prefent day without great difficulty; and, if executed with any degree of judgment and fpirit, will hardly fail of finding fome acceptance. The inftances here enumerated are eighteen; the first feven from fcripture history; Adam, Jofeph, Job, Ruth, David, Efther, Nebuchadnezzar; these, it may be fuppofed, are well-known: but the prefenting them in a different dreis may, perhaps, gain them greater attention. The remaining narrations fall under the names of Cræfus, Themistocles, Caius Marius, Belifarius, Mahomet, Alfred, Cardinal Wolfey,, Pope Sixtus the Fifth, Oliver Cromwell, Richard Cromwell, and Maffaniello; neither are these characters wholly ftrange to the public; most perfons, who read, have met with fomething concerning them all but to have particulars of each, concisely and not unpleasantly, prefented to view, as they here are, will no doubt be convenient and grateful to many. Oliver Cromwell appears here to no great advantage refpecting the moral part of his character, though very eminent as to his abilities. Whether this be juft or not, when impartial truth is called in to decide, it will be pretty clear that he was at leaft equal with his royal antagonist, and had not the guilt of establishing his own grandeur by enflaving or op

* That is, as we understand the import of the words, the foldiers were to share with the feamen, and the officers according to their correfponding ranks: but the conteft proves us mistaken, and fhews that the terms ufed have that ambiguity in them, which frequently diftinguishes legal precifion.

preffing

preffing his fellow-creatures.-Thefe relations, we truft, with the author, will prove at once entertaining and inftructive; with the moral inference which he draws, we shall finish this article.—

Though piety and virtue cannot always fecure us from the afflictive viciffitudes of fortune, they alone can afford Support under them; and in the fame manner when the change is profperous, they only can render fuch fuccefs a bleffing.'

Art. 51. Speech of M. François, of Nantes, in the National Af fembly, on moving that Letters of Naturalization be granted to Mr. William Priestley, June 8, 1792. With an Appendix, containing an authentic Account of the late Victory gained by the Bonzes over the Affociation in the Kingdom of Triuna. 8vo. 6d. Ridgway. 1792.

M. François, in animated language, celebrates the merit of an illuftrious philofopher, and execrates the frenzy which drove him from his habitation, and robbed him of the fruit of his labours. The Appendix is a fictitious tale, evidently founded on the recent events mentioned in the preceding fpeech.

THEOLOGY and POLEMICS.

H.

E.

Art. 52. A Differtation on a Paffage of Scripture little noticed; in Vindication of the Meffiah against modern Sceptics, on his triumphant Entry into Jerufalem. With Notes, and an Addrefs to the Jews. By Thomas Ofborne of Kenfington, late of Derby. 8vo. pp. 52. Evans. 1792.

The defign of this pamphlet is to obviate an objection against the gofpel hiftory, drawn from our Saviour's riding into Jerufalem on an afs, by fhewing that the afs on which Chrift rode was of a fpecies, no one of which had ever been backed before, namely, the wild-afs of the wildernefs, (first mentioned by Job;) and that the identical beaft on which he rode was tamed by our Saviour for this very purpofe, during his abfence of forty days. As the proofs of this point do not admit of abridgment, thofe readers, who are defirous of informing themfelves on this curious fubject, must perufe the tract. E. Art. 53. Obfervations on the miraculous Conception and the Teftimonies of Ignatius and Justin Martyr on that Subject; in a Series of Letters to the Rev. Mr. Nisbett; occafioned by his Appeal to the Public; and his Obfervations on Dr. Priestley. To which are added, Remarks on Mr. Wakefield's opinion concerning Matth. xxvii. 5. By John Pope, Tutor in the Belles Lettres and Claffical Literature, at the New College, Hackney. izmo. PP. 390. 5s. Boards. Johnfon. 1792.

Mr. Pope appears to be well qualified for fupporting the fide on which he is engaged; and, if we can judge from a view of his work, we incline to think, that truth, not fame, nor victory, is his object : bat, in this refpect, it is not difficult even for writers themselves to be mistaken. The arguments produced to invalidate thofe of his antagonist, and to fuftain his own, however infufficient, are not of the mere specious and delufive kind: it is very clear that he is both A man of learning, and of attentive refearch and inquiry. The chapters on the epiftles of Ignatius, and on the teltimony of Justin Martyr, are well worthy of regard.

The

The author pleads for a rejection of the first two chapters of the gofpel, both of St. Matthew, and of St. Luke; each of which gofpels he fuppofes, in their genuine itate, to have commenced with what now appears as the third chapter. It is, we conclude, with the defign of ftrengthening his conjecture, that he introduces a lift of interpolated paffages in other parts of the prefent copies of the New Teitament: fome of these have been confidered as fpurious by different writers; a few others are pointed out, chiefly or folely by Mr. Rose: we obferve among them, Ads, ch. i. 18, 19. by removing which, the feeming variance between this account and that given by Matth. ch. xxvii. 5. will be obviated: but this, it may be faid, is rather cutting than loofing the knot; and liberties with fcripture, of fuch a kind, if ever allowable, require a very cautious, skilful, and judicious conductor. In refpect, however, to the text just mentioned from the book of the Acts, Mr. Pope expreffes his fatisfaction in finding himself fupported, at leaft as to verfe 18, by fo worthy and able a divine as Bishop Pearce. This part of the subject he farther profecutes in fome pages addreffed to Mr. Wakefield, which he pertinently and modeftly clofes by the words of Cicero,-" Nos qui fequimur probabilia, nec ultra quam id quod verifimile occurrit, progredi pofJumus-et refellere fine pertinacia, et refelli fine iracundia, parati fumus." Tufc. Ditp.

Mr. Pope gives notice that he has been, for a confiderable time, employed in a course of remarks on the three Greek tragedians; which, fhould he meet with fuitable encouragement, he is inclined to lay before the public.

Art. 54. Letters to the Rev. Vicefimus Knox, D. D. occafioned by his Reflections on Unitarian Chriftians in his Advertisement" prefixed to a Volume of his Sermons, lately published. By John Difney, D. D. F. S. A. 8vo. Is. Johnson. 1792. In the advertisement on which thefe letters animadvert, Dr. Knox expreffes an apprehenfion that his belief of the doctrine of the Trinity may expofe him to the attack of thofe who condemn, without juftice or mercy, whatever militates against Unitarian opinions; and therefore he folicits the general reader's candour against the Unitarian severity; hoping that he will allow him to retain the opinions in which he has been educated, and in which he is confirmed by choice, without loading him with the imputation of infincerity, irrational religion, or want of liberality. Dr. Difney, not without reafon, complains of this as a fevere attack on the Unitarians, and undertakes their juftification. The language of the advertisement, at the fame time, implies a difapprobation of theological controversy, and expreffes a difpofition to acquiefce in old opinions, even on the fuppofition that they are errors, becaufe" they afford poor human nature a balm for the wounds of the heart."" If I err in this point, (fays Dr. Knox,) I err with very wife and good men, and my error is injurious to no man ;" and, again, "I cannot but lament that fo many ingenious perfons fhould be zealously lowering our Saviour in the opinion of his followers. What evil can enfue from paying him higher honours than he might poffibly claim? This may fhew our gratitude, at leaft; and if it be an error, muft

be

be venial. Let us walk in the good old paths which our fathers pointed out to us, when we can do it with perfect safety."

On the nature and effect of theological controverfy, Dr. Difney's remarks are thefe:

Theological controverfy is only a technical term for inquiry and examination into our feveral religious opinions. Without this controverfy, heathenifm would have prevented the first propagation of Chriftianity; without this controverfy, popery would have been the established religion of Great Britain at this day. The intemperate zeal and violence of partizans have brought it into disrepute with the unthinking multitude. But high-churchmen and unbelievers have been moft clamourous against it: the former, have difcovered that though it may occafionally advance an individual to a bishopric, the principles of high-churchmen have been reprobated in the fame proportion as they have been understood; the latter, have obferved the most expert advocates of thofe principles to retire, abashed and confounded by the evidences of Christianity, whenever they have been examined by reafon and argument, unfettered by the establishment and authority of any particular church, to decide upon their fufficiency and credibility.

The angry temper with which thefe inquiries and investigations have too often been conducted, is not to be imputed to the religion or doctrines which either party is engaged to fupport, as fuch; but to the unjust preference which the civil power has given to the one before the other. It is this exclufive eftablishment, which protects the one, and profcribes the other, that makes brothers fall out by the way. The further confequence is no more than natural; on the one hand, we may obferve a jealousy of an obtruded authority; on the other, a pertinacity in vindicating eftablished opinions, the moft abfurd and indefenfible. The churchman becomes fufpected in his integrity, and the diffenter is declared a restless innovator. I truft, however, that theological controverfy, by which I mean a free and fair inquiry into the rights of Chriftian and proteftant. churches, and into the truth or fallehood of the doctrines maintained by them, will go on, and finally, that truth and right will prevail. Churchmen, I hope, will be perfuaded that it is expedient to moderate their expectations and demands as the day of reafon and reformation advances; but of this I am convinced, that they will not be able to retard it by STIFLING, and can accelerate it by nothing more than by INTOLERANCE.'

To the plea, that no evil can enfue from paying higher honours to Chrift than he might poffibly claim, Dr. D. justly replies, that the prefumptive argument here ufed, may, with equal propriety, be. applied to the vindication of the worship of Mary the mother of Jefus, of the Romish faints, and of the confecrated wafer; and the queftion might then be asked, what evil can en fue from paying. them higher honours than they might poffibly claim? If fome of the ftrictures in thefe letters fhould be thought harsh, it must be acknowleged that they are not unprovoked; and, independently of the particular occafion, the letters contain many juft obfervations and reflections.

I.

COR

CORRESPONDENCE.

To the MONTHLY REVIEWERS.

GENTLEMEN,

AN N ingenious correfpondent (B. W.) informed you, in your Review for March laft, that fixed air is not decompofed by phosphorus, and thus charcoal produced, as Mr. Tennant concluded; but that the charcoal, formed in the experiment alluded to, arifes from the decompofition of the phofphorus itfelf: for, on repeating the experiment with quicklime instead of marble, charcoal was obtained. In the course of the last winter, a reddifh powder, compounded of phofphorus and quicklime, was fhewn at Sir Jofeph Banks's, on account of its fingular property of forming phofphoric inflammable air, though only a few grains of it were thrown into cold water; and confequently it produced a detonation on the furface of the water. In courfe, this powder decompofed cold water; the inflammable air of the water uniting with a portion of phosphorus, and the vital air of the water combining with lime.

In the Annales de Chemie for June laf, it appears that M. Haffen fratz fhewed this compofition, and its property, of decompofing water, to the Academy of Sciences, in confequence of a fpecimen fent to him by Dr. Pearton, of London; who, in April laft, read a paper on this fubject, (with many decifive experiments, both analytical and fyntheti cal, fhewing that fixed air is really compofed of charcoal and vital air,) to the Royal Society. Thefe experiments have been confirmed by the joint teftimony of several members of the French Academy; who, however, do not feem to acknowlege, liberally and unequivocally, to whom the first experiments are due; alleging, that they were already engaged in a fimilar courfe of experiments, and that photphoric inflammable air had been already produced from lime and phosphorus, by M. Raymond. Competent and impartial judges will require no commentary to determine to whom belongs the right of difcovery: but, as fimilar complaints were made about feven years ago on the fubject of the compofition of water, to vindicate the right of Mr. Cavendish to the most: fplendid difcovery in natural philofophy, it appeared to be necessary to caution writers in general againft copying, without due confideration, the accounts in the French Journal.

If your ingenious correfpondent will repeat his experiment with' quicklime fufficiently deaërated, he will obtain no charcoal: he fell into his mistake probably by using lime which contained fome fixed air; a very fmall portion of which will afford charcoal enough to give the powder, after exposure to heat with phosphorus, a black colour. • Scrutator et Vindex?

Dr Peaf.n. We have received the letter, dated Scotland, 20th Auguft; and we fhall attend to the request of the writer, as far as our plan and our numerous engagements will permit.

+*+ Mr. Newton's Syllabus is not forgotten: it is one among our large lift of arrears.

*+* It is impoffible for the Reviewers to infert, or to give any pinion on, the Cafe with Remarks,' &c.

+++ Mr. Swinton's letter came to hand. We shall pay all ne.. ceffary attention to it.

+ We believe our Conkant Reader' is right in his opinion, that the prænomen Nicholas' fhould be fpelled without the b: but we acknowlege that we did not attend to fo fmall and common an error.