have frequently remarked as a common fault in translations from the French. From the glaring partiality which the prefent tranflator fhews to the Americans, in alliance with France, and from fome obfervations in his notes, we fhould not have fuppofed him to be, as the title of the book profeffes, an English Gentleman.'He manifeftly is, in political principle, a violent American; and, as fuch, he gives to the national reputation of poor old England many a ftab, and to that of her troops, no quarter. Perhaps we may juftly apply to him what Johnfon faid of the Scots, and Scotland-He must be a sturdy moralift, who loves truth better than -bis party.

We must not forget to observe, that the numerous sketches of public characters, given in this work, form a principal part of the entertainment which the reader may receive from it; though we muft not expect to find the portraits always painted with the pencil of impartiality. Allowance must be made for attachments on the one hand, and adverse regards on the other. R-ms G.

ART. 1X. Remarks on the Travels of the Marquis de Chaftellux, in North America. 8vo. 25. Wilkie. 1787.

HIS ingenious Remarker conceives, that the account of America, given by the Marquis de Chaftellux, ftrengthens meny fertions relative to the late war, that have hitherto been difo neved; points out who were the enemies of Great Britain; what inftruments feparated her from her colonies; and produces theft ample evidence in favour of the military talents of the British Generals.' He adds- Every page of this work bears the undeniable teftimony of a foldier, citizen, and philofopher, that the British fubject enjoys a greater fhare of happiness at home, than he could find in a wild pursuit of it in America.'

This general idea of the advantage with which we may peruse the onfervations made by the French Marquis, is not unjuft; for although, as he elsewhere remarks, that writer obviously aims at leffening the merit of the British troops (becaufe, perhaps, it was prudent in him to do so, in a work that was to be circulated in Paris, and thence through America), yet the highest encomiums on them, are fairly inferable from the details which he gives of the innumerable obftacles they furmounted.

In remarking on many of the particulars related by the Marquis, our Author contradicts him, in the moft pofitive terms, in order to convict him of mifreprefentation; of which he thinks the French officer has often been guilty, in order to favour the American generals, and fupport the credit of their political leaders, and new statefmen, &c. &c.-What the remarker has urged on these occafions, appears to merit the attention of the Public,

Of

Of the tranflator of the Marquis's Travels, who styles himself an Englishman, our remarker fpeaks with a greater degree of afperity, than he does of the original writer. He calls him an incendiary,' a lurking fpy,' and an avowed rebel to his country.' This is in reference to his Notes and Illustrations; which the prefent Author controverts, in many inftances: in order to prove him guilty of wilful and malignant attempts to miflead his readers. But, if the tranflator of the Journal publifhed by the Marquis de Chaftellux is cenfurable, as the partizan of France,' and the vilifier of the British armies,' as well as of the cause in which they were engaged, our remarker is not behind hand with him, as a partizan on the other fide of the queftion, or as a vilifier of characters: witnefs his harsh and acrimonious, not to fay uncharitable, manner of representing the views, principles, and conduct of fo refpectable a man as Dr. Franklin: a man whom those who ought to know him, and do know him beft, have long confidered as one of the FIRST characters of the age.-We, however, defire to be understood as fetting political and difputed points out of the queftion *.

We have no farther objections to the remarks of our brother Reviewer; which are, in general, fo intelligent, pointed, and well-written, that they, certainly, merit the attention of every reader of the Marquis's book: especially when it is perused in the English translation. G.

ART. X. An Eftimate of the Temperature of different Latitudes. By Richard Kirwan, Efq. F. R. S. &c. 8vo. 3s. Boards. Elmfley. 1787.

METE

ETEOROLOGY has not arrived to fuch perfection that are able, from the paft or present state of the weather, to predict its future ftate with precifion and accuracy. Mr. Kirwan thinks that, Great as is the diftance between fuch knowledge, and our own prefent attainments, we have no reason to think it above the powers of the human mind.' He looks upon the first step of this comprehenfive enquiry to be the knowledge of the temperature of the globe in every latitude; for it is the change of temperature that chiefly occafions the viciffitudes of winds; thefe, in their turns, influence the temperature; and both together form the state of the atmosphere.

Our Author first investigates the fources of heat and cold. After the fun, the next fource of heat is, in his opinion, the

*The Author feems equally inclined to depreciate the character of General Washington,-of whom, we believe, it may be truly faid, that, even among the British foldiery, he had more opponents than

enemies.

condenfation

condensation of vapours. The earth, he tells us, is the chief fource of heat in the atmosphere, and diftance from the earth is a fource of cold; or, to ufe his own words, the greatest cold muft prevail in the higheft regions of the atmosphere.' He fubjoins, Hence the higheft mountains, even under the equator, are during the whole year covered with fnow. M. Bouguer found the cold of Pinchinca, one of the Cordelieres, immediately under the line, to extend from 7 to 9 degrees under the freezing point, every morning before fun-rife; and hence, at a certain height, which varies almoft in every latitude, it conftantly freezes at night in every feafon, though in the warm climates it thaws to fome degree the next day: this height he calls the lower term of congelation: between the tropics, he places it at the height of 15577 feet.

At ftill greater heights it never freezes, not because the cold. decreases, but because vapours do not afcend fo high; this height M. Bouguer calls the upper term of congelation, and under the equator he fixes it at the height of 28,000 feet at most.'

The juftice we owe to the Public lays us under the neceffity of pointing out a double inadvertency into which Mr. Kirwan, who is generally admired as a great philofopher, feems to have fallen:

He fays, the greatest cold must prevail in the highest regions. of the atmosphere;' and prefently after he adds, at ftill greater heights, it never freezes."

Again he fays, the condenfation of vapour is a fource of heat; and adds, that, at greater heights it never freezes, because vapours do not afcend fo high.'

These feeming contradictions we do not pretend to reconcile; but shall confine ourselves to the humble office of acquainting our Readers with the contents of Mr. Kirwan's prefent performance.

In the next chapter, our Author treats of a fandard fituation, with whofe temperature, in every latitude, he compares the temperature of all other fituations in the fame latitude. He takes the ocean for a ftandard fituation, and adds a table of its mean annual temperature in every latitude, and another of the mean monthly temperature in all latitudes between 10° and 80°.

The difference of temperature of air, land, and water, and their capacities of receiving and tranfmitting heat, are next confidered. The circumftances that govern the temperature of land: ift, Elevation. 2d, Vicinity or diftance of large tracts of water, particularly from the ftandard ocean, fince its influence is found to be more extenfive, and fince it is to its temperature that the temperatures of all other countries are to be referred. 3d, The vicinity or diftance of other tracts of land, which by their eleva

tion, or the circumftances of their furface, have a temperature peculiar to them, as ftony, fandy, and woody countries. 4th, The bearing of neighbouring feas, mountains, forests, defarts, &c. 5th, A more or lefs perfect communication with the ftandard ocean, feas, forefts, &c. Each of these are separately treated, and with much ingenuity.

Having fixed his theory, Mr. Kirwan proceeds to compare obfervations with it. In this part of the work we find much fatisfaction; in every inftance (and the inftances are numerous) there is a remarkable coincidence between the obfervations and our Author's theory, as will appear from the following examples.

Stockholm is in latitude 59° 20' N. and long. 18° E. The mean of 20 years obfervation gives its annual temperature 42.39 of Fahrenheit's thermometer. According to the table given in chap. ii. the mean temperature in this latitude is 44.71, which is too much but Stockholm is 432 miles from the Atlantic ocean, and Mr. Kirwan has fhewn that the ftandard temperature must be diminished degree of the thermometer for every 150 miles, whence the diftance 432 muft leffen the ftandard temperature 2.9 degrees, which taken from 44 71 leave 41.8; the dif ference between the obferved temperature 42.39 and the calcuJated temperature 41.8 is little more than a degree, and may be efteemed as nothing.

Abo, lat. 60° 27' Ñ. long. 22° 18′ E. The refult of 12 years obfervation gives the mean annual temperature 40°. The ftandard heat by the table is 44°; but Abo is 540 miles from the Atlantic; therefore the correction of the ftandard heat is 3.6 degrees; and the mean annual temperature will be 44-3.6= 40.4, only .4 above the obferved temperature. Dunkirk, latitude 51° 02' N. long. 2° 07′ E. The temperature on a mean of 10 years 54°.9. The meal. ftandard heat by the table is 52°.4; but the German fea was found to be 2o warmer than the Atlantic, and the British Channel is alfo warmer, therefore the tabular heat being increafed by a fraction more than 2° gives the mean heat fraction greater than 54.5 degrees.

The Author corcludes his work with general inferences on the whole, and points out fome caufes of unusual cold in Europe. He has treated the fubject in a very different manner from that of former philofophers; and though much remains yet to be done, in order to prognofticate with any certainty the future ftate of the temperature in any given place, yet we flatter ourfelves that Mr. Kirwan (who fays, when fpeaking of winds, that however uncertain they are in appearance, they are, like all the other phenomena of nature, governed by fixed and determinate laws, and deserve the moft ferious inveftigation, for which we are at prefent tolerably well prepared') will at fome future period

purfue

purfue his enquiries on this important fubject. Could he teach the hufbandman and the failor to prognofticate the weather, with only tolerable certainty for the space of three months, or even three weeks, he would doubtless promote the benefit of mankind moft effentially, and be juftly entitled to their utmoft thanks. R_m.

ART. XI. Biographia Evangelica: or, an hiftorical Account of the Lives and Deaths of the moft eminent and evangelical Authors or Preachers, British and Foreign, in the feveral Denominations of Proteftants, from the Beginning of the Reformation to the prefent Time: illuftrating the Power of Divine Grace in their holy living and dying. By the Rev. Erafmus Middleton, of King's College, Cambridge; Lecturer of St. Bennett's, Grace-church Street, and St. Helen's Bishops-gate Street; and Chaplain to the Countess of Crauford and Lindfay. Vol. iv. 8vo. 7s. 6d. Hogg. 1786.

IN

the 72d volume of the Review, p. 235. the reader will find an account of the third volume of the above work, with directions where to meet with the articles relative to the two which preceded it. Our compiler, finishes his lift by the prefent publication, which extends to 1785, the year in which Mr. Maddock died, whofe memoirs are the laft in this volume, Among the names here celebrated are the following: Bunyan, Baxter, Flavel, Conant, Philip Henry, Howe, Beveridge, Witfius, Halyburton, Matthew Henry, Shower, Taylor, Mather, Evans, Saurin, Fabricius, Watts, Ebenezer Erskine, Ralph Erskine, Doddridge, Hervey, Guyfe, Pearfall, Whitefield, Gill, Hitchin, Toplady, Conder, &c.

Biography is certainly an agreeable amufement; for no inclination appears more prevalent and powerful among mankind than that of enquiring into the circumftances and conduct of others; the principles may be employed to fome advantage, if by presenting worthy and eminent characters, others are in any degree excited to an imitation. However, human characters, at the beft, must have their fhades; by an implicit regard to them, perfons may be greatly mifled, if not as to their general conduct, yet certainly as to fentiments and opinions. Refpect is due to the wife, the learned, and the good, under all denominations and profeffions, and their judgment merits fome regard; but it is human ftill, and therefore fallible: it can give them no claim authoritatively to dictate to the reafon and confciences of others. This fhould be remembered by those who read the work now before us.

Truly valuable and useful in the general were the perfons whose lives are here briefly related: and equally fo were many others,

*Price of the fet l. 10s.