When the body, which was made in the form of a veffel commonly called a bilander, floated in 15 inches of water, and was pulled by a weight of eight ounces, which was just fufficient to draw it along, it paffed over a canal of a certain determinate length in 143 feconds. When in 14 inches of water, it paffed the length of the canal in 15 seconds. In 13 inches it paffed in 151⁄2"; in 12 inches of water it required 16"; in 11 inches, 16"; in 10 inches, 171"; in 9 inches, 18"; in 8 inches, 20"; in 7 inches, 23"; and in 6 inches it required 30". In this laft experiment, the body which drew 6 inches of water touched the bottom several times. It appears from thefe experiments, that in the feveral depths of water which are here made ufe of, the times are, very near, in the inverse ratio of their depths; but there can be no doubt but that if the ingenious Author had proceeded to greater depths, he would have found the differences in the times infenfible, as is manifeft without more words. The fifth fection treats of the quantity of declivity which is ufually found in natural rivers; and he fhews, from a great number of examples, that it is generally from I fathom in 12,000 to 1 in 1700 and that from the motion being scarcely fenfible in the firft, it will run at no lefs a rate, in the laft, than 80 fathoms in a minute of time. The fixth fection contains a general and easy method of taking levels through large extents of country, where rivers pass; and also of computing the heights of interior parts of continents above the furface of the fea.' The fubject of this fection is, it must be confeffed, chiefly conjectural; but it is not lefs curious and ingenious than the former; and we might give feveral extracts from it, which we are certain would give many of our Readers great pleasure ; but we have already extended our account of this article to too great a length; and as the Author himself acknowledges that the matter it contains is founded on lefs certain principles than the former, it may be prefumed that fuch extracts would be rather more curious than useful. MONTHLY CATALOGUE, For DECEMBER, 1780. A M E R I C A. Art. 13. A Reply to the Obfervations of Lieut. Gen. Sir William Howe, on a Pamphlet entitled, "Letters to a Nobleman ;" in which, his Mifreprefentations are detected, and thofe Letters are fupported, by a Variety of new Matter and Argument. By the Author of Letters to a Nobleman. 8vo. 3 s. Wilkie. 1780. T HIS indefatigable Writer fets out with the following declaration:- Had the General,' fays he, by a true ftate of facts, REV. Dec. 1780. Hh and and by candid argument, free from perfonal abufe*, convinced me that I was wrong; ever happy to acquit injured innocence, there is no conceffion, no ad of jullice, which my honour would not induce me to perform; but as the reverfe is the cafe, the fame motives which influenced me to write the Letters, oblige me to vindicate the truths they contain. He has, accordingly, entered on a strict examina. tion, paragraph by paragraph, of the General's Obfervations, which have, on this occafion, undergone a very fevere investigation indeed! We prefume not to decide on the refult; but we cannot conceal our apprehenfions, that, from an attentive confideration of the facts and circumflances adduced in this performance, many readers will be led to form conclufions which may prove highly disadvantageous to the reputation of the late commander in chief of the British forces in Ame rica. Art. 14. An impartial History of the War in America, between Great Britain and her Colonies, from its Commencement to the End of the Year 1779; exhibiting a circumftantial, connected, and complete Account of the real Caufes, Rife and Progress of the War, interfperfed with Anecdotes and Characters of the different Commanders, and Accounts of fuch Perfonages in Congress as have diftinguished them felves during the Conteft. With an Appendix, containing a Collection of interefting and authentic Papers, tending to elucidate the Hiftory. Illuftrated with a Variety of Copper plates. 8vo. 6s. 6d. Boards. Faulder. 1780. It is not to be expected that any detail of the events of the prefent American war can be given, while the difpute remains undecided, which fhall merit the name of an impartial history. This is a work which must remain to be executed by fome independent and judicious fpectator of this great revolution, at a period when the events which are now unfolding fhall have been brought to an iffue, and when the prefent race of actors on the political theatre fhall have left the stage. Till then, the best that can be expected is a fimple recital of the feve ral incidents of the war, as they have been often hastily, and fometimes partially related, in the memorials of the day. Such a compilation as this, collected from the most common fources of information, and put together without any traces of the hand of an eminent matter, is here offered to the public. Concerning the impartiality of this work, our Readers will probably entertain no very high opinion, when they are informed that the Author, in the virulence of party fpirit, has taken upon him decitively to pronounce Dr. Price's Obfervations, &c. destructive of all civil authority, of all fubordination among men or eftates.' However, without fearching farther into this Writer's political principles, we may venture to conclude, that a work thus made up, to gratify the curiofity of the day, can have little profpect of obtaining a place • The Author complains much of the General's incontinence in this respect; and the inftances of what he deems perfonal abufe, which he frequently meets with in the Obfervations, have drawn from him an earneft defence of the character and conduct of Mr. Galloway,' [the reputed author of Letters to a Nobleman,' and of this publi cation] in which defence he feems to have been fuccefsful. among among the permanent records of hiftory. The utmost that can be expected from it, and this may probably answer the Author's purpofeis, that it fhould be made ufe of as a temporary regifler of occur rences, adapted in fome measure to answer the ends of present in formation. POLITICAL. Art. 15. Lucubrations on Ways and Means, humbly addreffed to the Right Hon. Lord North. By John Berkenhout, M. D. 8vo. 2 S. H. Payne. 1780. Confifts of a few defultory obfervations on the prefent ftate of our public affairs; together with a long lift of propofals for new taxes, with a view to the laudable purpose of raifing the neceffary fupplies within the year. It feems, however, by the way, as though this lively 'minifterial projector confidered the people as created like filly fheep," only to be fleeced: feveral of the Doctor's hints, appear, neverthelets,' to merit the fleecer's attention; and fome of them might, perhaps, prove immediately beneficial to the flock. NOVEL. Art. 16. The Surry Cottage. By James Penn, Vicar of Clavering cum Langley, Effex, Chaplain to the Right Hon. Earl Gower, and Lecturer of St. Ann's Alderfgate. 12mo. 3 s. Bladon. 1779. The materials of which the Surry Cottage is compofed, though neither elegant nor curious, are at least found and ufeful. To fpeak without a metaphor; much plain fenfe, and many practical aphorifms, may be collected from this unoftentatious little volume, for which, in more fplendid performances, the Reader will frequently look in vain. POETICAL. Art. 17. The putrid Soul: a poetical Epiftle to Jofeph Priestley, LL. D. F. R. S. on his Difquifitions relating to Matter and Spirit. By A. Bicknell, Author of the Life of King Alfred, &c. &c. 4to. I s. 6 d. Bowen. 1780. It is difficult to decide on the comparative merit of this Author, when we view him in the threefold light of a poet, philofopher, and theologift. In all three he is fo completely deficient, that we are un able to determine in which character he difgraces himself moft. His fyftem (if we may be indulged in a figure of fpeech which rhetoricians call a catachrefis) is a compound of the most crude and heterogeneous principles that ever were jumbled together by ignorance and vanity. From the dregs of Platonifm he hath attempted to extract a fort of equivocal theology; and having mixed it up with fome of the laft runnings of modern myfticifm, he hath here offered it to fale in a cracked poetical phial, as a fovereign antidote to Dr. Priestley's highly rectified Spirit of matter! This retailer of fomething fo old and yet fo very new,'-adopts the long-forgotten hypothefis of the lapfe of human fouls in a preexiftent itate;-of the flight of impure fpirits, after their departure from this world, to fome of the remoter planets, where they will undergo a degree of punishment, proportioned to the guilt they have contracted, till by progreffive fteps (i. e. by going from one ftar to another) they recover their original purity. Hh 2 For For the leading principle on which this conjecture is founded, our Author might avail himself of the venerable authority of an ancient and learned father of the Chriftian church. But in what school did he learn that, 1 after æras that amount To more than human mind can count, By unknown means again reduc'd To th'principle from whence produc'd? This doctrine of the refolution of fouls into their first principle, and of confequence the total annihilation of individuality, or feparate confcioufnefs (which is the chief privilege of immortality), was never taught even by the wildeft vifionaries of the Chriftian church; notwith landing this Author would affect to prove it by an appeal to the authority of the Apostle himself, That finally, as fays St. Paul, The great fupreme be all in all.' This Writer, in his poor attempt to ridicule Dr. P. hath run into a ftrain of grofs and profane raillery, by introducing a fubject that is too awful to be fported with-even the final refurrection, and the day of judgment. All that he hath advanced in his story about poor Thomas drowned in the Thames,' and at length devoured by a commonwealth of eels,' that were afterwards ferved up at a city feaft, is at once fo filly and fo prophane, that we are at a lofs whether most to defpife or deteft it. MISCELLANEOUS. Art. 18. A Plan for the better Regulation of Mariners in the Merchants Service, to increase their Numbers, and form the whole Body of British Seamen into a diftin&t Corporation, to be called the Fellowship of Seamen, voluntarily offering to serve the State when called upon. Wherein are fhewn the fingular Benefits and Immunities which every Member of this Corporation will be entitled to, from his first Entrance into the Fellowship, to the Time of his becoming incapable of Service, together with the Provifion intended for him, during the Remainder of his Life. The Liberality of thefe Encouragements, it is fubmitted, will be a fufficient Inducement to Seamen to become Members of this Corporation; whereby the Royal Navy may at all Times, and on any fudden Emergency, be expeditioufly manned, the Practice of Impreffing rendered ufelefs, and Commerce be uninterrupted by Embargoes at the Commencement of a War, or the Want of Protections during any Periods of it. By John Green. 8vo. 2 s. Bew, &c. 1780. This Writer july obferves, what is indeed generally acknow ledged, though perhaps not always fufficiently attended to, that the fafety and profperity of this kingdom depends principally on our marine flrength. His title-page fufficiently and diffufely acquaints the Reader, that his fcheme propofes reciprocally the benefit of feamen and of the public. The favings to the State, which he apprehends would arife from the purfuit of his plan, amount to a large fum in deed, deed, no less than 5,776,000l. per annum! Befide which, he thinks it would render mariners more numerous, more useful, more comfortable, &c. He particularizes the taxes which would be neceffary in order to establish a marine fund, and a method of raising them without injury or burden to the public, or to individuals. We cannot, confiftently with the nature of our work, enter into a farther enumeration of the feveral articles; but we must fay, that his defign appears to merit the attentive regard of thofe to whom the direction of national affairs and the public revenue is intrufted! In the dedication of this pamphlet to Lord Sandwich, we are informed, that the proposals here offered have undergone the ferious confideration of a very numerous and refpectable body of masters of fhips, whofe approbation, it is added, could not be more plainly manifefted, than by their having unanimoufly petitioned parliament to carry them into execution; and this they did, because they faw moft clearly, that were these measures adopted, Government would only have to find fhips; the proposals would find men.' He fpeaks very highly of Sir Herbert Mackworth's fpirited exertions to procure this scheme a fair parliamentary investigation. Art. 19. Biographical Memoirs of extraordinary Painters. 12mo. 2 s. 6 d. fewed. Robfon. 1780. The plan of this ftrange work, as far as may be collected from an advertisement prefixed to it, is to exhibit ftriking objects both of nature and art, together with fome sketches of human life and manners, through a more original medium than those usually adopted in the walk of novel-writing and romance.' We are there likewife told, that whatever merit the plan of the following work may be thought to want in fome refpects, it is at least prefumed to be new; and perhaps a better could not have been found for the difplay of a picturefque imagination.' Not content with ftudying this performance carefully, we have confulted both profeffors and virtuofos concerning it; but ftill remain in the dark with respect to the Author's real drift. The painters whofe lives are here pretended to be given, are described under the strange names of Aldrovandus Magnus, Andrew Guelph and Og of Bafan, his fuppofed difciples, Sucrewaffer of Vienna, Blunderbufiana, and Water fouchy. On the first view of this performance, it naturally occurs, that the Author meant to draw fome modern or living characters: but if fuch was his intention, we confefs that we are not of that clafs of readers who can identify any one of them, in this mingled mafs of true and fictitious hiftory. The Author, however, is by no means a bad or uninformed Writer. In his performance the Reader will meet with fome good defcriptions, and fome humour; which laft, however, lofes its effect, through the ill-humour into which the Reader is conti nually thrown, by the vexatious obfcurity that pervades the whole work. Art. 20. The Elements of Beauty. Alfo Reflections on the Harmony of Senfibility and Reajon. By J. Donaldson. 12mo, 2 s. fewed. Cadell. 1780. We are nearly as much at a lofs to characterise this performance as the preceding; or to difcover what was the drift or defign of the Au Hh 3 thor |