ed; but his zeal hurried him into difficulties; and his abilities excited oppolition, which we fear did not, in the end, promote the caufe of religion.

Authentic Copy of the Proceedings of a General Court Martial, beld at the Horfe Guards on Friday the 26th of June, 1789, on Hugh Debbieg, Efq. on three Charges exhibited by his Grace Charles Duke of Richmond, &c. 4to. 25. Debrett.

The charges exhibited by the duke of Richmond against colonel Debbieg were, Firt, For writing to him, the commanding officer, a letter containing disrespectful expreffions towards him, and imputations of ignorance and neglect of his duty as mafter-general of the ordnance, to the prejudice of good order and military difcipline: Secondly, For having caufed to be publifhed a letter addreffed to the fame nobleman, and imputing to him a fyftem "only calculated to invite the enemy into the very bofom of Great Britain." And Thirdly, For having made public his opinions, relative to the defences of the king. dom, contrary to his duty as an officer. Colonel Debbieg was found guilty, by the court-martial, of each of the charges above mentioned, and was adjudged to be fufpended of pay and duty, as a colonel of the corps of Royal Engineers, for the fpace of fix calendar months.

A Companion in a Tour round Lymington: comprehending a brief Account of that Place and its Environs. By Richard War ner, Jun. Small 8vo. 45. in Boards. Faulder.

We have read this fhort defcription of Lymington, Southampton, New Foreft, Christchurch, and the Ifle of Wight, with great pleasure. The author has drawn the antiquarian refearches from the best fources, and difplays no little informa tion and learning. It would not be very advantageous or profitable to follow him particularly, as many parts of this Tour, and the history of many of the objects, is well known.

We may however remark, that in our examination of ancient fortreffes, we have often found apparently Roman remains diffe ent in fome refpects from the pure Roman models. Mr. Warner finds a fimilar difficulty, in p. 21. We have usually accounted for it, by fuppofing that the Roman fortress had in future times been in the poffeffion of Danes and Saxons, who had either altered or added to the intrenchments which they found; and this we think more probable than to fuppofe that the generals who ferved in Britain departed from their usual plans, when there feemed no variety of circumstances to ac count for fuch a variation. Some of Mr. Warner's etymo. logies are not, we think, well fupported, particularly that relating to Ambrofius. It may also be doubted how far good policy would fupport parliament in affifting the falt-works at Lymington, while, by the tame means, it would injure those

at

at Namptwich, &c. which have at least an equal claim to its protection. Thefe are trifling blemishes: a few others of a imilar kind might be mentioned; but they do not greatly detract from the merit of this little work, or induce us to leffen the character we have already given of it.

The Royal Tour to Weymouth, and Places adjacent, in the Year 1789. Communicated by the Brace of White Greyhounds. Evo. 25. Ridgway..

This though the first will probable not be the laft fquib on his majesty's Wettern Tour. Thefe greyhounds feem to forget their honeft nature, and fawn a little too fervilely on the prince.

Further Remarks on two of the moft fingular Characters of the Age. By the Author of the Critique on the Conduct of the Rev. Jobu Croffe, Vicar of Bradford, and the Rev. William Atkinson, Fillow of Jejus College, Cambridge. Svo. 25. Debrett.

In our XLVIIth volume, p. 470, we noticed the Poetical Effays of the rev. Mr. William Atkinson, and remarked that a fecond edition had appeared before we had feen the first. • Trim,' our brother Reviewer, criticised thefe Effays, and has explained to us the circumftance which we could not account for: it feems to have been no uncommon piece of authorship to allift the heavy fale of a large impreflion; but this critique has never reached us. Thefe further Remarks contain fome very fevere reprehenfions of the conduct of the vicar of Bradford and Mr. Atkinson. Trim writes with fhrewdness and with fpirit; but, at this distance from the fcene, we cannot afcertain the justice or the propriety of the accufa tion. We hope, for the credit of the clergy, our critic has been mifinformed, or is mistaken: yet, if these things are so, thus fhould they be reprehended.

A Companion to the Leaformes, Hagley, and Enville; with aSketch of Fisherwick, the eat of the Right Hon Earl Donegall. To which is prefixed, the prefent State of Birmingham. 8vo. 25. Robinfops.

This little Sketch gives a defcription of the beautiful fcenes which Shenstone and Lyttelton planned, and which, in the hands of the prefent poffeffors, have teen fomewhat altered. We perceive, however, no material variation, from the state in which we vifited them twenty years fince. The other fcencs defcribed will be fufficiently understood from the title. But what fhall we fay of Birmingham, the grand toy-fhop of Europe, the fpot where art, ingenuity, and mechanifm, have united to dazzle and aftonifh the world? Its population is fifteen times as great as it was a century ago; but its poorrate, our author tells us, amounts to thirty times the fum collected at the fame period!

6.

Abort

Afhort Syftem of Polite Learning. Adapted for bools. 8vo. 25. Bent.

We have looked over this little work, and find no objection of importance, except to the title. We fear that the arts and fciences are not in fo great eftimation, among the higher ranks, that the elements can be fyled a Sitem of polite Learning.' In other refpects, the explanations are perfpicuous, famibar, and fufficiently correct: we cannot compliment the author on perfect accuracy; but we have difcovered no injurious errors. The Culture of Forefts; with an Appendix, in which the State of the Royal Forefts is confidered, and a Syftem propofed for their Improvement. By Lieut. Col. A. Emmerich. 8ro. 25. Ed. Printed for the Author.

We think col. Emmerich's work, in many refpects, an interefting and useful one. His directions for fowing and tranfplanting trees; his plan for the management of forefls, and his urgent recommendations for reftoring and repairing the ruined itate of the forefts of this kingdom, we know to be in general juft, and we believe them to be equally falutary. Our author's language, even with the affiftance of Mr. Cullen, is fometimes inaccurate; but all the defects and errors will probably be fupplied and corrected in his projected larger work.

CORRESPONDENCE.

VIR MEDICUS' feems to be nearly related to Homo Medicus,' who applied to us fome time fince, and by the fame conveyance fent a letter of a fimilar purport to another Review, from whom we had differed greatly on the fubject of his letter. His compliments and his attention were, of courfe, fufpicious, and we declined any farther connexion. Even in the prefent inftance, we can only fay, that our edition of Tralles' Ufus Opii is in four thin volumes quarto, published at Breflaw in 1774, 1777, 1782, and 1784 refpectivy. The three first volumes are a fecond edition enlarged; the preface we alluded to is in the last volume. We forget the price we paid for it; but be lieve it cannot be procured, except by accident, without fending purpotely for it to Germany.

AS we have not at prefent Mr. Gregory's work in our hands, we cannot afcertain the fact relating to the note; but we greatly mistake if fome hint of Chatterton's having received the pernicious leffons of infidelity from these authors is not added. We are forry to find our Numbers fo fcarce or fo little known; but we cannot at prefent add to the information contained in them. We can no longer doubt of Mr. Gregory's intentions and opi nion, after his affurances; but it is a little remarkable that, when he had ftrongly enforced fome weak arguments in favour of Chatterton's claim, he fhould have omitted to mention his trials to give parchment the appearance of antiquity,

*

THE

CRITICAL REVIEW.

For DECEMBER, 1789.

Philofophical Tranfactions of the Royal Society of London. Vol. LXXIX. For the Year 1789. Part 1. 4to. 75. 6d. ferved: L. Davis.

THIS

HIS volume has been delayed either in the publication or in its progress to our hands; and the smallness of its bulk infpires fome fears that indolence has fucceeded to activity, and a calm repofe to exertion. Let us hope, however, that the labours of the Society fink only to rebound, and that their importance will compenfate for the minutenefs of the volume.

Art. I. Defcription of an Improvement in the Application of the Quadrant of Altitude. By Mr. J. Smeaton, F. R. S. communicated by Mr. W. Wales, F. R. S.- Mr. Smeaton's appears to us a real improvement, and may enable the globes better to fulfil their defign in general.' We are not so fan-. guine refpecting their ufe as Mr. Smeaton appears to be; but,, as he fees them in their most perfect form, and with the newest improvements, we ought not to controvert his opinions.

Art II. Objections to the Experiments and Obfervations relating to the Principle of Acidity, the Compofition of Water, and Phlogiston confidered; with farther Experiments and Obfervations on the fame Subject. By the Rev. J. Prickley, LL. D. F. R. S.-Dr. Priestley's third paper on this fubject contains answers to different objections which have been made to his experiments and obfervations. It was obferved, that the acid procured might come from the phlogisticated air, which in one procefs could. not be excluded, and Mr. Cavendish had already procured nitrous acid by repeated explosions of phlogisticated and dephlogisticated air, by means of the electrical fpark. To this objection Dr. Prieftley anfwers, that Mr.. Cavendish's mode is flow; his own rapid, by ignition, a pro-. cefs by which phlogisticated air was not affected, for he found, after uniting the dephlogifticated and inflammable airs, the phlogisticated was left unchanged. Befides, the phlogifton of the last may be evolved and combined with pure air, by the flow process of electricity, as it is from inflammable air by ignition, in confequence of which the water, in both inftances, is precipitated. With this view he repeated the experiment, and found VOL. LXVIII. Dec. 1789.

Ff

the

the phlogisticated air left unchanged: with common air, in which there was more phlogifticated air, fcarcely any acid was produced. When this laft experiment and fome others, where little acid was found, were repeated, the acid appeared in a ftate of vapour, and was difcovered to be fixed air. From hence the following conclufion was drawn, which we fufpc&t muft yet be received with fome referve: when either inflammable or dephlogisticated air is extracted from any fubftance in contact with the other kind of air, so that one of them is made to unite with the other, in what may be called its nafcent ftate, the refult will be fixed air, but, if both of them be completely formed before their union, the refult will be nitrous acid.

It has been alfo objected, that the fixed air procured came from the plumbago in the iron from which the inflammable air was extracted; but the fixed air far exceeded the weight of the plumbago (fometimes it was three times as much), and, with tin alfo, inflammable air was produced. In the former experiments the fixed air did not fometimes appear; but with more attention to the neceffary circumftances it is now always found. Our author endeavoured to obtain inflammable air from fulphur, but by adding turbith mineral, could only obtain vitriolic acid air; from hence he concludes, that fulphur is not the fimple fubstance which the antiphlogiftians fuppofe, but that it always contains phlogifton. Phofphorus too, accounted a fimple fubflance by the new theorists, converts pure air into aerial acid, when burned in it: but there is no plumbago in phosphorus. Dr. Priestley, in the conclufion of this paper, replies to fome of the obfervations of the French academicians in their Report.' They affert that their new doctrine is gaining ground; but we fhall foon have occafion to fhow that this is not the cafe even on the continent, and in England: Priestley, Cavendish, and Kirwan are its opponents.

There is, fays Dr. Priestley, (alluding to the experiment with the finery cinder) I acknowledge, a grea difficulty in explaining the experiment of iron first imbibing water, and parting with phlogiston, and again parting with its water, and imbibing phlogifton, in circumstances of heat fo nearly fimilar as thofe which I have defcribed. It feems as if the affinity of iron to water and to phlogifton was each, in their turns, ftronger than the other. To this I can only fay, that the whole doctrine of affinities, as far as it is true, is founded on facts; and thefe are clearly fuch as I have represented; and that a difference of circumstances, which is not apparent at prefent, may become fo when we fhall have given fufficient attention to them.

In order to fatisfy myfelf whether any thing befides water

May not this fact account for the refult of M. Weftrumb's Experiments on Vegetable Acids, recorded in our Foreign Intelligence of this Number?

Was