1 644 Review of New Publications. For, when a perfon, prefuming upon the reputation he has obtained in the world, endea vours, by an uncandid behaviour, to draw the curtain over truth, this conduct will, in the end, counterbalance all his labours. I throw down the gauntlet, as Dr. Harrington has done; and if none takes it up, it must be for fear of being failed: or, to drop the metaphor, I openly avow my chemical principles, and challenge a fair difcuffion of them. But, fhould Dr. Harrington's theory, and thefe my well-meant attempts in favour of it, eontinue ftill to be paffed over with a contemptuous filence; and fhould time, which does juftice to philofophers and their principles, fhew ours to be right; in this cafe, to avoid difcuffion, which leads to truth, is worthy of blame, and pofterity will, in this inftance, undoubtedly condemn their conduct. I might mark fuch behaviour with its proper ftigma. This, however, I will not do, but leave the reader to make his own reflexions. "This age is, with great propriety, called enlightened it is the age of fcience; and the many difcoveries made in it have been hap pily applied to the purposes of human life. Nay more, it is the age of truth; and philofophers, both natural and moral, profefs to have only truth in view in all their inveftigations. Hence to me it is matter of fun prize that no old chemift has, before me, paid a proper attention to Dr. Harrington's principles; for if a theory, which accounts for, and proves by folid reafoning, all the chemical phænomena in oppofition to principles contrary to Nature and Reason, and which account for none of the phænomena, should be attended to and adopted, that gentleman's is the one and if any chemift is not difpofed to adopt it, let him, at leaft, treat it with the candour it deferves. Dr. Prieftley is anxious to know what he breathes before he ceases to breathe. When this is told him, he will not, I hope, think it below him to accept of information. "Dr. Harrington clearly proved, as long ago as the year 1780, that an acid and water are neutralifed with fire, and aënalifed into atmospheric air; that in refpiration this fixed fire is attracted by the blood from the acid and water; that the acid is left in the state of fixed air, and a great quantity of the water is condenfed in the process; that, in putrefaction, the air undergoes a fimilar decompofition, and the fixed fire is attracted by the putrid body, fo as to become putrid, or alkalefcent; that, in combuftion, the fixed fire (as we have proved) is fet loofe. Thefe difcoveries were only a prelude to those of the first principles of animal and vegetable life, the phænomenon of animal heat, with other fecondary phænomena. He published, in 1785, a full hiftory of the different airs, elearly Thewing the formation of each. That the air is again renewed after being injured, he proves from its levity; owing to which, I [July, it is taken up into the higher regions of the atmosphere, where the fixed air and water are again faturated with fixed fire; by which, becoming more specifically heavy, it defcends again; that phlogifton is fixed fire chemically attracted, and that it is capable of being fet loofe again by various proceffes in nature. "Now, I fcruple not to declare, that all the principal and leading difcoveries refpe&ting atmospherical air, its formation and compofition, with the manner in which it fupports animal and vegetable life, and the life of combuftion; I say, that all these are fully fhewn by Dr. H. The only thing that appeared to me rather obfcure was, the life of combustion; but this I hope I have, conformable to Dr. Harrington's principles, fully demonftrated in this treatife. I fhould be forry to endeavour, like fome chemists, to take away any part of his merit. However, I venture to predict, that the time is fast advancing, when every thing relating to this cemistry will be properly understood, aud fettled upon a right foundation. Dr. Harrington has, in his Letter (printed in 1788), very fully detected the errors of his opponests, concluding it with this pointed Tanguage, but as yet he has received no answer: "I hope I have made it appear in this Let 66 ter, and in the rest of my writings, that "the prefent hypothefes of philofophers ac, "count for none of the phænomena we have "confidered, and that mine give an expla "nation of them all, both confiftent and fa"tisfactory. Therefore, gentlemen, I thus "publicly call upon you, either to vindicate "your opinions, or to renounce them. Sci"ence and the publick claim it of you." But we have already exceeded our ufual bounds; we must therefore, unwillingly, defer an inveftigation of the many other cogent reafons till another opportunity. (To be continued.) *** 87. Poems. Namely, The English Orator; an Addrejs to Thomas Pennant, Efq.; an Ode on the Sufceptibility of the Pactical Character ; Twenty Sonnets; an Epiftle to College Friend; and the Lock transformed. With Notes on the English Orator. By Mr. Polwhele. 40. TO those who love the daughters of Mnemofyné, and are pleased to see their infpiration applied to its beft and genuine purpofe, that of inftructing and delighting, whilft it tends to invigorate and call forth the finer susceptibilities of the heart, this elegant volume will be didactic poem, we have already had the an acceptable pretent. As a beautiful pleature to recommend "The English "Orator," and are pleafed to fee our opinion of it ratified by the best judges. Of the fmaller pieces in this collection we thall, at leaft for the prefent, only oblesve, obferve, that we have read them with confiderable pleasure, and (which we deem no mean praife) think them in every refpect worthy of their ingenious author. His notes on the principal poem evince much select and various reading, with great corre&tnefs of judgement, and refinement of taste. Our readers, we prefume, will not be difpleased to fee his fentiments refpecting the comparative oratorical merits of the following confpicuous members of the lower houfe of parliament: "Mr. Burke has "a rich fancy, and is fometimes great: "but, upon the whole, he is not to be "compared to Mr. Pitt, or Mr. Fox, "for fluency of language, force of argument, and effect of speaking. And "of thefe, Mr. Pitt has much the ad"vantage, in an incomparably full, "mellow, and manly voice-in an caly "command of words, and pericuous arrangement of his arguments. Mr. "Fox, when he speaks with vehemence "(as he generally does), hath a harsh, "broken voice, and is lefs clear in his arrangement; but he has exceedingly "ftrong argument, and the art of placing "it in the most ftriking points of view. * Mr. Sheridan is at least next in rank, as an orator. His forte is poignant "wit, as well as strong argument.' 66 88. Salmagundi; a Mifcellaneous Combination of Original Poetry. 410. WHAT the Olla Podrida was in profe is here prefented to us in verfe (and indeed their appellations are fyn. onymous), a Mifcellany of Amatory, Elegiac, Lyrical, and Epigrammatical Poems. We have fome little objection to the word Amatory, which looks like affectation; and why, when we have a very good word of our own at home, fhould we go abroad for a new one? Thefe compofitions certainly display a great deal of taste, very mellifluous ver• nification, and a certain portion of genius; but we have no fcruple in afferting that the author's decided talent is bumour, which, in the publication before us, often appears with the happiest advantage. We were forry, however, more than once to have difcovered in them a fondnefs for alliteration; concerning which, the beft criticks seem no longer divided, but agree in rejecting them altogether, as puerile conceits. In the "Illutions of Fancy" we were forry to read thus. Speaking of Raffaelle *, the author fays, "I feem to fee his magic hand Wield the wondrous pencil-wand ;" which certainly prefents us with a strange A little farther we meet combination. with a fingular inaccuracy: "While Athens, rapt in wonder, hears Truth's energetic voice proclaim Her unknown God's tremendous name.” The unknown God to whom the Athenians erected an altar had no name. "Alecto's iron hair," in another part, is alfo an expreffion which a little militates with our claffical prejudices with refpect to her furious ladyship. Thefe, however, are flight blemishes in a performance which contains many beauties, and which will amply reward the The Ode to the reader's curiofity. "Naiad of Glympton Brook" poffeffes much chafte and fimple excellence, which none but a mind highly cultivated could have produced. In his Latin compofitions we think our author has been lefs fuccefsful; but the Monody on the Death of an Academical Cat difcovers throughout a vein of the richest humour, and juftifies our again repeating, that in this fpecies of writing the prefent publication is eminently happy. We shall give the following specimen: "Nay, two-legged cats, as well as cats with Shall Dick's irreparable lofs deplore; [four, Cats who frail nymphs in gay affemblies guard, As buckram ftiff, and bearded like the pard; Calumnious cats, who circulate faux pas, And reputations maul with murd rous claws; light; Shrill cats, whom fierce domeftic brawls de[bite; Crofs cats, who nothing want but teeth to Starch cats, of puritanic afpect fad, [mad; And learned cats, who talk their husbands Confounded cats, who cough, and croak, and *As this illustrious name has long been naturalized amongst us, why not write it Raphael, for which there is authority in all our English Classicks? Cats, 646 Review of New Publications. Cats, who their favours barter for a bribe, The following alfo, in our opinion, exhibits no mean example of what is rarely to be found, - epigrammatical point and wit: A Case of Conscience, fubmitted to a late Dig nitary of the Church, on his Narcotic Expofition of Watch and pray, left ye enter into Temptation. "By our paftor perplext, How shall we determine? Go to sleep, fays the fermon." For this entertaining work the world is faid to be indebted, principally, to á Mr. Huddesford, a gentleman of Oxford; though, at the conclufion of the volume, if we are not mistaken, we recognize one or two things that have been otherwife imputed. The frontifpiece is engraved by Heath, from a painting by Burney, very much in the fpirit and manner of Fufeli. The let ter-prefs and paper are fingularly beautiful; and the whole does honour to the ftate of the Arts in this country. 89. Rules of the Unitarian Society for promoting Chriftian Knowledge, St. Sc. AS part of the hiftory of what is doing in our own day, the proceedings of public religious focieties, of whatever denomination, have fome claim to our notice. Under this idea, we shall tran-" fcribe the prefatory addrefs prefixed to thefe Rules, without fuggefting any comment. "Chriftianity, proceeding from God, muft be of infinite importance; and a more effential fervice cannot be rendered to mankind than to advance the interefts of truth and virtue, to promote peace, liberty, and good order in fociety, to accelerate the improvement of the fpecies, and to exalt the character, and fecure the greatest ultimate happinefs of individuals, by dafeminating right principles of religion, and by exciting the attention of men to the genuine doctrines of revelation. "This is the chief object of The Unitarian Society for promoting Chriftian Knowledge, and the Practice of Virtue, by diftibuting SUCH Bosks as appear to the members of the fociety to contain the most rational views of the Golpel, and to be moft free from the errors by which it has long been fullied and obfcured. Error, voluntary or involuntary, fo far as it extends, must have a pernicious influence. The members of this fociety think, therefore, [July, that they are doing fignal fervice to the caufe of truth and good morals, by endeavouring to clear the Chriftian system from all foreign incumbrances, and by reprefenting the doctrines of Revelation in their primitive fimplicity. Truth muft ultimately be serviceable to virtue, "The fundamental principles of this fociety are, that there is but ONE GOD, the SOLE Former, Supporter, and Governor of the univerfe, the ONLY proper object of religious worship; and that there is one mediator between God and men, the MAN Chrift Jefus, who was commiffioned by God to inftruc men in their duty, and to reveal the doctrine of a future life. "The beneficial influence of thefe truths upon the moral conduct of men will be in proportion to the confidence with which they are received into the mind, and the attention with which they are regarded. Confequently, all foreign opinions which men have attached to this primitive system of Chriftias doctrine, and which tend to divert their thoughts from these fundamental principles, are, in a degree, injurious to the caufe of religion and virtue. While, therefore, many well-meaning perfons are propagating, with zeal, opinions which the members of this fociety judge to be unfcriptural and ido latrous, they think it their duty to oppose the farther progrefs of fuch pernicious errors, and publicly to avow their firm attachment to the doctrines of the UNITY of God, of his UNRIVALLED and UNDIVIDED authority and dominion, and that Jefus Chrift, the most distinguished of the prophets, is the CREA TURE and MESSENGER of God, and not his EQUAL, nor his VICEGERENT, nor coPARTNER With him in divine honours, as fome have strangely fuppofed. And they are defirous to try the experiment, whether the caufe of true religion and virtue may not be moft effectually promoted upon proper unitarian principles, and whether the plain, un adulterated truths of Chriftianity, when fairly taught and inculcated, be not of themfelves fufficient to form the minds of those who fincerely embrace them to that true dignity and excellence of character to which the Gospel was intended to elevate them. "Rational Chriftians have hitherto been too cautious of publicly acknowledging their principles; and this difgraceful timidity hath been prejudicial to the progrefs of truth and virtue. It is now high time that the friends of genuine Christianity should stand forth and avow themselves. The number of fuch, it is hoped, will be found to be much greater than many apprehend. And their example, if accompanied with, and recommended by, a correfpondent purity of life and morals, will naturally attract the attention of others, and produce that freedom of enquiry, that liberal difcuffion, and that fearless protetion of principles embraced after duc examination, which can be formidable to nothing but to error error and to vice, and which muft eventually 90. A Letter from Mr. Burke to a Member of the National Affembly, in Answer to fome Objections to b's Book on French Affairs. The Second Edition. Paris printed, London reprinted. MR. B. acknowledges fome of the errors pointed out by his correfpondent, who addreffed to him a letter dated November 17 laft; but thinks only one of thefe errors material. The cavils on his remarks on the gradations of the new conffitution do not affect the fubfiance of his objections; accordingly, he avoided marking the alterations per petually making “by bungling practice to correct abfurd theory." "I am unalterably perfuaded, that the attempt to opprefs, degrade, impoverish, confifcate, and extinguifh the original gentle men, and landed property of a whole nation, cannot be justified under any form it may affume. I am fatisfied, beyond a doubt, that the project of turning a great empire into a veftry, or into a collection of veftries, and of governing it in the fpirit of a parochial adminiftration, is fenfelefs and abfurd, in any mode, or with any qualifications. I can never be convinced that the feneme of placing the highest powers of the state in churchwardens and conftables, and other fuch off cers, guided by the prudence of litigious at tornies and Jew-brokers, and fet in action by fhameless women of the lowest condition, by keepers of hotels, taverns, and brothels, by pert apprentices, by clerks, fhop boys, hairdreffers, fillers, and dancers on the stage (who, in fuch a commonwealth as your's, will in future overbear, as already they have overborne, the fober incapacity of du'l, uninftructed men, of useful but taborious occupations) can ever be put into any shape that must not be both difgraceful and deftructive. The whole of this project, even if it were what it pretends to be, and was not in reality the dominion, through that difgraceful medium, of half a dozen, or perhaps fewer, in triguing politicians, is fo mean, fo low-minded, fo ftupid a contrivance, in point of wifdom, as well as fo perfectly deteftable for its wickedness, that I must always confider the correctives, which might make it in any degree practicable, to be so many new objections to it." p. 3, 4. "I do not conceive that the perfons who have contrived these things can be made much the better or the worfe for any thing which can be faid to them. They are reafon-proof. Here and there, fome men, who were at first carried away by wild, good intentions, may be led, when their first fervours are abated, to join in a fober furvey of the fchemes into which they have been deluded. To thofe only (and I am forry to fay they are not likely to make a large defcription) we apply with any hope. 1 may speak it upon an affurance almost approaching to abfolute knowludge, that nothing has been done that has not been contrived from the beginning, even before the States had affembled. Nulla nova mibi res inopinave furgit. They are the fame men and the fame defigns that they were from the first, though varied in their appearance. It was the very fame animal that at firft crawled about in the shape of a cater pillar, that you now fee rife into the air, and expand his wings to the fun." p. 5, 6. Mr. B. proceeds to detect the impudent charlatanerie of the National Affembly, in their laft manifefto, or mounte bank's bill. "It is faid, in the laft quackith addrefs of the National Af"fembly to the People of France, that "they have not formed their arrange"ments upon vulgar practice, but on a theory which cannot fail, or fome 66 thing to that effect." p. 10, note.-He paints in ftrong colours the difficulty of reducing the people again to seaton and order (p. 11-13), when fuch perfons are appointed by the National Affembly to adminifter justice, and manage the affairs of religion; and compares the conduct of C.o nwell, in choofing Hales for his chief-juftice, with that of the National Affembly in the choice of their judges: and aiks, "have not fuch men "made bifhops to adminifter in temples "in which (if the patriotic donations "have not already fiript them of their "veffels) the churchwardens ought to "take fecurity for the altar-plate, and "not fo much as to trust the chalice in "their facrilegious hands, fo long as 66 tution Jews have allignats on ecclefiaftical "piunder to exthange for the filver "tolen from the church " p. 17. . . . "In matters fo ridiculous it is hard to "be grave. On a view of their confiit is almoft inbuman to treat them lightly." p. 18.--Mr. Burke proceeds to fhew, that, to cure the peo ple of France of their prefent delumon, "these madmen must first, like other madmen, be tubdued. The found part of the community, which I believe to be large, but by no means the largest part, has been taken by furprize, and is disjointed, terrified, and difarmed. The found part of the community muft first be put into a better condition before it can do any thing in the way of deliberation or perfuafion. This must be an act of power, in the hands of firm, determined patriots, who can diftinguith the milled from traitors, 648 Review of New Publications. traitors, who will regulate the ftate (if fuch should be their fortune) with a difcriminating, manly, and provident mercy; men who are purged of the furfeit and indigeftion of fyftems, if ever they have been admitted into the habit of their minds; men who will lay the foundation of a real reform, in effacing every veftige of that philosophy which pretends to have made difcoveries in the terra afralis of morality; men who will fix the state upon thefe bafes of morals and politicks, which are our old, and immemorial, and, I hope, will be our eternal poffeflionThis power, to fuch men, must come from without. It may be given to you in pity; for furely no nation ever called fo patheti cally on the companion of all its neighbours. It may be given by thofe neighbours en motives of fafety to themfelves. Never fhall I think any country in Europe to be fecure, whilft there is established, in the very centre of it, a ftate (if fo it may be called) founded on principles of anarchy, and which is, in reality, a college of armed fanaticks, for the propagation of the principles of affalination, robbery, rebellion, fraud, faction, oppreflion, and impiety." p. 19, 20. "The King of Pruffia, in concurrence with us, nobly interfered to fave Holland from confufion. The fame power, joined with the rescued Holland and with Great Britain, has put the Emperor in the polieffion of the Netherlands; and fecured, under that prince, from all arbitrary innovation, the antient, hereditary conftitution of those provinces. The Chamber of Wetzlar has rettor ed the Bishop of Liege, unjustly difpoffeffed by the rebellion of his fubjects. The King of Pruffia was bound by no treaty, nor alliance of blood, nor had any particular reafons for thinking the Emperor's government would be more mischievous or more oppreffive to human nature than that of the Turk; yet, on mere motives of policy, that prince has interpofed, with the threat of all his force, to fnatch even the Turk from the pounces of the Imperial Eagle. If this is done in favour of a barbarous nation, with a barbarous neglect of police, fatal to the hu man race, in favour of a nation by principle in eternal enmity with the Christian name; a nation which will not fo much as give the falutation of peace (Salam) to any of us, nor make any pact with any Chriftian nation beyond a truce;-if this be done in favour of the Turk, fhall it be thought either impoli tic or unjust, or uncharitable, to employ the fame power to rescue from captivity a virtuous Monarch (by the courtesy of Europe confidered as Most Christian) who, after an intermiflion of 175 years, had called together the ftates of his kingdom, to reform abuíes, to establish a free government, and to ftrengthen his throne; a Monarch, who, at the very outfet, without force, even without folicitation, had given to his people` such [July, a Magna Charta of privileges as never was given by any king to any tubjects? Is it to be tamely borne by kings who love their fubjects, or by fubjects who love their kings, that this Monarch, in the midit of these gracious acts, was infolently and cruelly torn from his palace, by a gang of traitors and affaffins, and kept in close prifon to this very hour, whilft his royal name and facred cha◄ racter were used for the total ruin of thofe whom the laws had appointed him to proteft?" p. 21-23. "However, Sir, what I have here said of the interference of foreign princes is only the opinion of a private individual; who is neither the reprefentative of any state, nor the organ of any party; but who thinks himself bound to exprefs his own fentiments with freedom and energy in a crisis of such importance to the human race.” p. 24. Mr. B. checks the apprehenfion of his correfpondent, that, in fpeaking freely on the fubje&t of the King and Queen of France, he fhall accelerate the execution of traiterous defigns a gainst them. "Nothing that I can fay, or that you can fay, will hatten them, by a single hour, in the execution of a defign which they have long fince entertained. In fpite of their folemn declarations, their foothing addreffes, and the multiplied oaths which they have taken, and forced others to take, they will affaffinate the King when his name will ne longer be neceffary to their designs; but not a moment fooner. They will probably first affaninate the Queen, whenever the renewed menace of fuch an affallination lofes its effect upon the anxious mind of an affectionate husband. At prefent, the advantage which they derive from the daily threats against her life, is her only fecurity for preferving it. They keep their Sovereign alive for the purpose of exhibiting him, like some wild beaft at a fair; as if they had a Bajazet in a cage. They choose to make monarchy contemptible by expofing it to derifion, in the perfon of the moit benevolent of their kings. In my opinion, their infolence appears more odious even than their crimes." p. 26. "Till the justice of the world is awakened, fuch as these will go on, without admonition, and without provocation, to every extremity. Those who have made the exhi bition of the 14th of July, are capable of every evil. They do not commit crimes for their defigns; but they form defigns that they may commit crimes. It is not their neceflity, but their nature, that impels them. They are modern philofophers, which when you fay of them, you exprefs every thing that is ignoble, Lavage, and hard-hearted." "Befidos |