firft appeared, under the fignature of ALFRED, and they feemed to be the production of a writer of ability and information. Collected in a pamphlet they appear to lefs advantage, and (as the author admits in his Advertisement) want arrangement. Neither is the fubject treated in them fo thoroughly inveftigated and fully difcuffed, as its importance required. The object, however, of this author (which was to expose the frivolous pretences of the Emperor Paul's hoftility to this country, to show his ultimate defigns, and to put us on our guard against them) was highly laudable, and many of his obfervations are ftill worthy of attention.

TRAVELS.

ART. 44. A Tour through the Batavian Republic, during the latter Part of the Year 1800; containing an Account of the Revolution, and recent Events in that Country. By R. Fell. 8vo. Ss. 6d. Philips.

1801.

A faithful account of the prefent condition of what is now called the Batavian Republic muft, of course, be interefting; and there feems no occafion to question the integrity of this writer. He reprefents an almost total itagnation of commerce; that the Hague, once the refort of the gay and great, is almost a defert; that the celebrated Houfe in the Wood is in part a brothel; that there is ftill a ftrong party in favour of the Stadtholder. We are told, what may easily be believed, that the French have fo entire an afcendancy, that the republic is, in fact, no better than a fubjugated province, &c. &c. Aniong other anecdotes, it is related that, in our attack upon Holland, the French conceived a particular efteem for the military talents of Prince William of Gloucefter. The publication may be read with fatisfaction and amusement, and is written with a confiderable degree of vivacity and intelligence.

ART. 45. Letters from Italy, between the Years 1792 and 1798, containing a View of the Revolutions in that Country, from the Capture of Nice by the French Republic to the Expulfion of Pius VI. from the ecclefiaftical State; likewife pointing out the matchless Works of Art which fill embellish Pifa, Florence, Siena, Rome, Naples, Bologna, Venice, &c. &c. With Inftructions for the Ufe of Families, who may not choofe to incur the Expence attendant upon travelling with a Courier. By Mariana Starke, Author of the Widow of Malabar, the Tournament, St. In Two Volumes. 8vo. 14s. Philips. 1800.

It will be difficult to find in thefe volumes any thing more exceptionable than the title-page, which is unreasonably prolix. The work itfelf is very lively, agreeable, and ufeful. We have feldom seen a publication which promifes more to facilitate the progress of the traveller through the countries which are defcribed. Many of the defcriptions exhibit much acutenefs and fagacity of obfervation. One lamentable addition indeed is here exhibited, to the various evidences

which the world has already received, that the rapid fuccefs of the French in I aly is to be afcribed as much to the arts of corruption and treachery, as either to their gallantry or numbers. The Appendix will be found to contain much ufeful matter, with refpect to the directions concerning inns, and the table of posts; and there can be no doubt but, at the return of peace, these volumes will be received into extenfive circulation.

ART. 46. Of the Shoemaker Schrödter, the Printer Taurinius, and the Cabinet-maker Damberger, Three Travellers, who never travelled at all, but fabricated their Account in One Manufactory. 8vo. 19 pp. 18r Geifweiler, 1801.

In giving an account of Damberger's Travels, not long ago, we ftated internal proofs of their being fabricated, fufficient to fatisfy any reasonable perfon. From this little tract it appears, that his book was only one out of three fabrications, contrived in the bufy manufactory of Wittenberg which, like Africa itfelf, is always producing fomething new. The first of thefe, the pretended travels of one Jofeph Schrödter, received its detection from Prof. Paulus, in the Literary Gazette of Jena. The fecond was by a pretended Egyptian, who tock the name of Zacharias Taurinius; and both thefe, though eafily detected by difcerning men, had a partial and temporary fuccefs, which encouraged the third attempt of Damberger. News of this laft arriving in London, tranflations were undertaken, with great avidity of competition, by various publifhers; and many hafty, or incompetent readers, implicitly fwallowed the deceit. In the mean time, the task of detection was going on in Germany, and Profeffor Paulus, with the learned Meiners at Jena, gave a ftrong contradiction to the pretended traveller, drawn, like that which we offered, from interval evidences. But Martini, the publisher at Leipfic, fufpecting that he had been impofed upon, went ftill further, and fummoned Damberger before a magiftrate; where, on examination, he confeffed that he was alfo the pretended Taurinius. With refpect to Schrödter, though he denied tha forgery, it is probable (as the three MSS. were found to be written in one hand) that they have all proceeded from fome fingle fabricator, of whom the infignificant Damberger, having been a traveller, was no more than the inftrument. The publication of the prefent fhort account ought to preclude all further fuccefs to thefe infamous impofitions.

MISCELLANIES.

ART. 47. An Efay on the Means hitherto employed for lighting Streets; and the interior of Honfes; and on those which may be Jubftituted with. Advantage in their ft ad; intended as an Attempt towards the Improvement of this Branch of Domestic Economy. By increasing the Effects of Light, and diminishing its Expence. With explanatory Figures. By J.G. J. B. Count Thiville. 8vo. 42 PP. 1s. 6d. Richardson,

&c.

1800.

This author commences by remarking, though not with much truth, that the laws of dioptrics and catoptrics have been applied prin- " 3

cipally

cipally to the higher fciences, and particularly to the perfection of aftronomy; but that their application to the arts, and to the common purposes of life, has not been fufficiently examined, nor has the examination been conducted with fufficient fpirit. From these confiderations, the present tract is faid to originate.

In the firft fection, on the means hitherto employed, &c. the author explains (what every body knows) that if light be increased by using Argand's lamps, or lamps with many wicks, inftead of the ufual fimple lamps, the confumption of fuel, and of courfe the expence, will be much increased; and that therefore, for the fake of economy, the only means which can be recommended with propriety, are the ufe of reflectors, and of refractors. "I fhall," he fays, "eftablish as a fact founded on experience," which fact, by the bye, had been established long before, that in order to double or treble the effects of light, it is only neceffary to double or treble its appearance, without increafing. in any degree, the actual body of the flame, or the confumption of thofe combustibles, which maintain it. Though this method has been hitherto employed, in a more or lefs perfect degree, it appears to me that very few of the advantages, of which it is fufceptible, have yet been derived from it. These advantages may be produced by two different principles, one belonging to catoptrics, the other to diop

trics.".

The fame fection likewife contains feveral objections to the ufe of fuch reflectors, or of fuch spherical lenfes, as are more commonly adapted to the lamps in the streets. Some of thofe objections are exemplified and illuftrated by diagrams, which are delineated, together with a variety of lamps, of refractors, &c. on a fingle large plate, which is prefixed to the title page.

But, notwithstanding his high pretenfions, and the liberal ufe of fcientific words, this author does not feem to be a great proficient in optics. His explanations, and his arguments, are fuperficial and often inconclufive.

Throughout the pamphlet he expreffes himself, as if he thought that the action of reflectors or refractors is to increase the light of a lamp or radiant point; whereas their real office is to take away the light from certain places, and to throw it upon others; by which change of direction, part of the light is actually intercepted by the unavoidable imperfections of the refracting or reflecting furfaces. So that if by means of a reflector, or of a refractor, the light of a lamp, which would otherwife fall upon 100 feet of furface, be thrown upon a fingle foot of furface; then 99 feet of furface will be deprived of light, but the fingle foot of furface will not be rendered 100 times brighter, becaufe a portion (and that not very fmall) of the light is neceffarily loft. Hence is derived the difadvantage of applying any reflectors or refractors at all to the lamps; for if by that means more light be thrown upon one part of the ftreet, a greater part of it must be left in the dark; and this partial illumination is always difadvantageous.

In the fecond fection, the author explains the modes propofed to be fubftituted, which confifts chiefly in the ufe of cylinders, and fegments of cylinders.

He

He then fays that thofe cylinders or fegments, may be made of the different forms, which are delineated in the plate; where it appears, that under the name of cylinders, he comprehends conès, pyramids, and polygons.

In the third fection, he exemplifies, by means of diagrams, the application of thofe refracting mediums.

In the fourth, he endeavours to establish the fuperiority of his pro pofed refractors, for which he has obtained a patent, over those of the common fort. He likewife proposes to use reflectors together with refractors, and defcribes, what he thinks to be, their best forms and conftructions; but we fhall not attempt to follow him step by step in all thofe defcriptions, it being impractical to render them intelligible without the plate.

ART. 48. The Sceptic. 8vo. 70 pp. Weft and Hughes. 1800.

The unknown author of this fhort publication attempts to criticize, and to ridicule, a few of the subjects of science, or of politics, which have of late occupied the public attention. Not profoundly fkilled in fcience, ner very prolific of jokes and witty expreffions, he intermixes a larger proportion, either of the ferious criticifm, or of the trivial witticif, according as he happens to be better fupplied by either his knowledge, or his genius. Yet he does not deferve to be placed in the loweft order of farcastical writers.

The contents are, The Birth of Wonders! a Remark or Two on Mr. Fourcroy's Memoir on the Application of Pneumatic Chemistry to the Art of Healing; Fire defended against Motion, or Criticisms opon Mr. Davy's Theory that Fire is nothing but Motion; a colloquial Differtation on the new Set of Empirics, the Aolifts or QuacksPneumatic, with Criticifms on a popular Work on their Principles; on Religion and Politics.

In the Birth of Wonders, the author reprefents the prefent as an ara big with wonders, fome of which are already brought to light. Time, the old accoucheur, is in conftant attendance.

"The muit redoubtable of this birth, was baptis'd Revolution; a kicking dog. Old Time could fcarcely hold him till he cut the String that hitherto had nourish'd him in fecret, and gave him to the world.

"His actions have already been Stupendous! He works by open force and fly intrigue. He hath converted millions of Slaves into lawless libertines, and changed pufilanimity into heroifm!-He hath infidioufly,but no matter, I don't deal in politics. He hath how. ever deftroy'd the balance of the World; and thousands of throats are daily cut, firft on one fide and then on the other, as either Scale preponderates; till an equilibrium can be reftored!" P. 2.

He then proceeds to defcribe the various actions of this offspring, the effects produced on the beholders, &c. wherein he gives an allegorical sketch of the scenes of blood and confusion, which have of late years taken place in France and elsewhere.

The remarks en Mr. Foureroy's Memoir are of a more serious caft; but the arguments are moftly far-fetched.

The criticifm on Mr. Davy's Theory, that fire is nothing but motion, is, upon the whole, well founded. The production of heat by the friction of folids againft folids, where there is neither a visible change of capacity, nor any chemical decompofition, is the principal, if not the only, phænomenon, which has induced Mr. Davy, Count Rumford, and a few other perfons, to call in doubt the commonly received opinion of heat, which has been ably contrived and explained by Black, Irwin, Crawford, Lavoifier, and others.

In lieu of this theory, Mr. Davy has fubftituted another theory, which is far lefs comprehenfible, and lefs applicable to the folution of the various phænomena of heat. This infufficiency is what our Sceptic attempts to critize; but inftead of ftrict reafoning, his argumentation frequently degenerates into a fort of farcical declamation, which rifes not above mediocrity. The reft of the pamphlet is too uninteresting to deserve any particular notice.

ART. 49. The French and English Idioms compared, wherein the idiomatical Difficulties of the French are introduced in a Sentence, and elucidated in a Manner entirely new. By W. A. Bellenger. 12mo. 2s. 6d. Dulau. 1801.

We conceive that this book will be exceedingly useful to ftudents in the French. The author gives in one column a number of French idioms, with the literal English tranflation oppofite, and vice versa. The reader will thus be enabled to avoid what is vicious, either in converfation or writing, in both languages. An Appendix is added, containing a number of the most remarkable English idioms, with the French adapted to them.

ART. 50. The New Speaker, or English Class-Book, confifting of moral and inftructive Essays, narrative and pathetic Pieces, Dialogues, Orations and Harangues, Epiftles, Mifcellaneous Pieces, felect poetical Ver fions: to which are added, a fhort Syftem of Rhetoric, and an Essay on Enunciation or Delivery, chiefly abftracted from Blair's Lectures. For the Ufe of Schools. By William Mavor, LL. D. 8vo. 4s. Wal

lis. 1801.

Dr. Mavor is fo indefatigable a writer, that few of our publications appear without fome mention of the productions of his pen. They are generally entitled to favourable mention; and many of them, from the convenience of their form and utility of their contents, must have proved highly acceptable. The prefent performance is not inferior; the selections and arrangement demonftrate both judgment and tafte. If the paper and print fhall be thought inferior, it must be imputed to the extravagant increase of price of the former article; which, we fear, will prove, in many inftances, prejudicial to the cause of learning.

ART. 51. Appendix to the Family Budget, or Game of Knowledge. 12mo. 61 pp. Ridgway, &c. 1800.

This little book is an Appendix, not to another book, but to a Box with a set of Cards and Counters, forming one of the contrivances