Lavoifier's experiments; [See Monthly Review, vol. L. Appendix, June, 1774. P. 544.] or Dr. Priestley's account of his trials made on water fubjected to a very strong and long continued heat, in tubes hermetically fealed; and which are contained in his late volume of Experiments and Obfervations, &c.

M. Lavsifier afcribes the earth which he procured by the diftillation, or rather cohobation, of the pureft diftilled water, to the abrafton of the particles of the glafs veffel containing it: as he found that the pelican which he employed had lost about as much of its weight, as was equal to that of the earth procured. The Author controverts this conclufion. He first questions the accuracy of the balance employed in this experiment. He does not think that M. Lavoisier ufed a fufficient degree of beat: [This objection, however, does not militate against the trials made by Dr. Priefiley; who is inclined to fufpect that his proceffes were not continued a fufficient length of time] but his principal objection to M. Lavoisier's conclufion is, that the lofs of weight obferved in the pelican, at the end of the experiment, might, with equal probability, be afcribed to the action of the fire on its external furface, as to that of the water on its inner furface properly obferving, however, that a chemical examination of the earth procured in the procefs, and a comparison of it with the fubtle powder of glafs, would beft fettle this point.

Having fhewn that both air and earth owe their origin to water, he confiders all natural bodies as confifting only of three principles; the inflammable, the faline, and water and then refolving the faline principle into the aqueous and the inflammable, he concludes, that the principles of all natural bodies are neither more or less than two;-earth- which is undoubtedly the principle fo called by Mofes,' [Gen. i. ver. 1.] and the matter of light, pure fire, celeftial fire, and which is denominated cælum by Mofes.' The Author endeavours to fhew, how the various bodies in nature may be formed out of thefe two principles, in confequence of their different modifications, or the varieties introduced by figure, greater or lefs cohefion, &c.: but he labours ftill more ftrenuously to fhew, that his fyftem has the countenance of Mofes, in his hiftory of the creation; where he fuppofes him not to have given a partial history of the creation of this earth, but of the whole vifible univerfe. The pious Author accordingly expreffes the utmost anxiety, left his philofophical and chemical principles, or his deductions from them, fhould be found contrary to thofe of the facred hiftorian, and- Maximum phyficum, Mofen;'-who, we acknowledge, was undoubtedly fkilled in all the learning of the Egyptians-but how far that learning extended, with refpect to the philofophical part of the prefent inquiry, we can

not,

not, at this distance of time, determine. With fomewhat lefs impropriety, he endeavours to eftablish his fyftem concerning the formation of mountains, the deluge, &c. on the history of those events, as recorded by the facred writer.

In the preceding analyfis, we have confined ourselves to matters of a general nature; as we cannot, within any reafonable compass, give even a short sketch only of the particulars of the Author's fyftem of the formation of the earth, and its fubfequent changes: as thefe matters are fo very complicated, and fo intimately connected with the Author's particular principles relative to the elements of bodies. For thefe the inquifitive reader muft fudy the work itfelf; from which we shall only felect one particular object of the Author's inveftigation; merely as being more eafily detached from the reft.

This fubject relates to the exuvia of foreign animals, found in those parts of the earth where fuch animals do not, or cannot poffibly, now live. On this point, the Author maintains an opinion, not indeed with refpect to all the circumftances attending the phenomenon, fimilar to that of a late ingenious inquirer on this fubject +:-viz. that they were indigenous, or lived in the very fame places, nearly, where they are now found; that thefe places had originally a different temperature, or ftate of atmosphere from the prefent; for that the air was then, in every part of the globe, equally temperate, and propitious to animal life.

To the changes in the earth's furface, or rather in the temperature of the air, effected by the univerfal deluge, the Author afcribes likewife the great change produced, with respect to the age of man, immediately after that event. Some have afcribed the longevity of the Antediluvians to their temperate diet, and fober manner of living. The Author is far from adopting this idea, or even from being willing to allow that long life is to be obtained by temperance. The holy fcriptures,' fays he, intimate pretty plainly, that the Antediluvians were very far from living by rule;-[ Nil minus quam diatetice vixerunt'] and that they were rather addicted, in the highest degree, to a life of pleafure and lafcivioufnefs. We are taught by daily experience, that the most regular regimen of diet contributes very little to long life.'

+ See Mr. Whiteburf's Inquiry, &c. or Monthly Review, vol. Ix. January 1779, pag. 37.

ART.

ART. XIV.

Brevis ntroductio in Hiftoriam Literariam Mineralogicam, &c. A Short Introduction to the Hiftory of the Writers on Mineralogy: with an Effay on the propereft Method of forming a Mineralogical Syllem, together with a Supplement. By John Gatfch Wallerius, Profeffor of Chemistry, &c. 8vo. 6 s. fewed. Upfal, &c. 1779. Imported by T. Lowndes.

T

HE greater part of this useful publication was compiled, and published about ten years ago, by the Author of the preceding performance, under the title of Lucubrationum Academicarum Specimen primum. He has changed the title of the work, because he thought proper to digeft the materials intended for the promifed continuation of it, into the form in which they appear in the performance, which is the subject of the preceding article.

The work itself is what the French would call a Catalogue Raifonnée, of the various fyftems of mineralogy, from the time of Ariftotle down to the prefent; digefted in chronological order. In this compilation, the Author not only gives the titles of the various publications refpecting this fcience; but likewife a regular abftract of the different claffifications of mineral fubftances, invented or adopted by each writer respectively; together with his own occafional obfervations on the particular method, or fyftem, of each of them. His great reputation, as a fyftematical writer in this branch of knowledge, renders it unneceffary for us to enlarge on the utility of this mineralogical Compendium to those who are engaged in the ftudy of foffils. To thofe who are more converfant in that science, it must be agreeable to fee here, as it were at one view, the gradual efforts made by human ingenuity, to clear up the immenfe chaos which the earth contains within its bofom; by difcriminating between the numerous fubjects of the mineral kingdom, and reducing them into order.-In giving a few fhort fpecimens of this performance, we fhall confine ourselves to the mineralogical writers of our own times.

"§ 58. JOH. HILL, Anglus. A General Natural History of Foils. London. 1748." After giving, as a fpecimen of this work, the Author's claffification of earths and stones; he obferves, that his method is that of Scheufchzer and Woodward, fomewhat amended; and then characterifes it as MIRIFICIS nominibus potius ONUSTAM quam ornatam.'

§ 68. Ferfok til Mineralogie, &c. An Effay towards a Syftem of Mineralogy; by the Noble Axel Frederic Cronstedt, Stockholm. 1758*.

This excellent work has been tranflated into English, and was published by E. Mendes Da Cofta, in 1770. See Monthly Review, vol. xlii. April 1779.

After

After giving this noble Writer on mineralogy, the titles of the moft skilful mineralogift and metallurgift, and of an indefatigable obferver and experimentalift; and after reciting the particulars of his method of claffifying mineral fubflances, he thus characterises his work:

On this performance we may pronounce the fame judgment that was paffed formerly by Stahl, on the Phyfica fubterranea of Becher: that it is "opus fine pari." The Author did not found his method on the reafonings of others; but on his own obfervations, deduced from experiments made with indefatigable labour: although he acknowledges, that the foundations of it, with refpect to earths and ftones, were laid by Pott, in his Lithog. We cannot however deny, that this fyftem is too fublime and obfcure, and that it is not exempt from blemishes: but it is to be observed, that it was not formed for the ufe of those who attend too much to the external appearance or figure of foil bodies; but for the advantage of metallurgifts, who are too frequently impofed upon by their attention to thefe exterior characteristics. The Author himfelf acknowledged the imperfections of his work, and accordingly concealed his name; well knowing that, in this life, perfection is not attainable by man.'

In the last of the two fections, into which this work is divided, the Author treats of the proper method of forming fyftems of mineralogy. The fyftematical writers on mineralogy may, themfelves, be diftributed into thice ciafies. The first of thefe confifts of thofe who have formed their fyftems merely on external appearances; fuch as the ftructure, figure, colour, pellucidity, and other fenfible and obvious qualities of mineral fubftances. This has been called the artificial, and ftill more properly, fuperficial, method. Others, with much more propriety attending to things rather than appearances, have formed their method of claffing foffils, on the interior compofition, or true nature of mineral bodies, as difcovered by chemistry. According to this method, which may jufly be called natural, chalk or calcareous earth, and marble, notwithstanding their different appearance, come under the fame claís, as being of the fame nature, and differing only with refpect to external accidents or circumftances. In eftablishing this method, Cronfledt deferves all, and more than all, the praife which the Author has above beftowed upon him. The third and laft method may be called mixed, and is that which has been adopted by the Author, in his own Syftema Mineralogicum, printed in 1772 and 1775. This confifts in employing both the extriplical and intrinfical methods, where that can be done, in determining the characters of the genera and orders: or in determining the genera and orders by the intrinfic qualitics, or true nature, KEV. Feb. 1780. ok

M

of the fubjects; and the fpecies, by the extrinsical criteria. - On this fubject the Reader will meet with many judicious obfervations, made by a perfon well verfed in the fubject on which he

treats.

MONTHLY CATALOGUE, For FEBRUARY, 1780.

AFFAIRS OF IRELAND.

Art. 15. The Commercial Refraints of Ireland confidered. In a series of Letters to a noble Lord. Containing an Historical Account of the Affairs of that Kingdom, fo far as they relate to this Subject. 8vo. 3 s. fewed. Longman. 1780.

UBJECTS of this nature may be furveyed in two different lights, according to the medium through which they are viewed. The citizen of the world, who argues liberally from the general rights of all mankind, will totally reprobate the fovereign controul exercised by any one nation over another. The patriot, who, on comparison with the other, is a narrow-minded man, who confines his views to the welfare and profperity of the inhabitants of a particular foil; and to which all the influence they can acquire over others, is to be rendered fubfervient; he will stretch the arm of power as far as it will extend, over all foreign dependencies, in every refpect likely to weaken the fovereignty claimed, or to interfere with the particular interefts of the over-ruling state.

The former is indeed a vifionary, a man of mere fpeculation, to whom no goverment will or can liften; because, as the barriers of nature and human inftitutions have determined mankind to unite in diftinct communities, feparate and interfering in interefts; all history will evince, that power can only be ftemmed by power. The latter, then, is the man of the world; whofe principles only, being adapted to actual circumftances around us, can be carried into execution: and we find in national contentions, that after all argument is exhaufted, power is the ultima ratio.

There are however different degrees of patriotifm. It may fometimes centre in a fingle town, and wish to monopolize thofe advantages, which a mind fomewhat more enlarged would willingly communicate to all within a particular province; a third ftill more liberal, may include all England in his benevolent intentions, but with a mot bitter antipathy to Scotland; a fourth may kindly take Scotland in, to comprehend the whole iftand. A fifth may incline, from convenience and good neighbourhood, to view Great Britain and Ireland with an equal eye, deem their mutual interefts infeparable; and think this natural union capable of withstanding the ambitious schemes of all our envious neighbours. How much farther, an experience of human nature, and a furvey of national circumftances over the face of the globe, will justify an extenfion of political liberality, may be left as an exercife for the ingenuity of political leifure. In fuch diffufive fchemes of legislative benevolence, however, a caution ought to be obferved, against reafoning on the tranfactions of nations toward each other, from thofe of individuals;

6

againft