Novum" and Duncan's "Notions of Logick," wonderfully adapted to the ftudents of algebra and geometry, fhew a much better acquaintance with the ideas of Plato, and the fyllogifmis of Ariftotle, than with that inductive philofophy, which, by investigating the Jaws of variable Nature, the fitteft walk for the exercife of human wifdom, and the only province for the application of human power, aims at the difcovery of the latent capacities of good, and the direction of them, to extend the comforts and enjoyments of animal and moral life. to the guidance of authority may well inbreed in the minds of others. Difpenfer of Evangelical Love. For, well faid the Reflorer of Learning, "Never was there extant, in any age of the world, either Philofophy, or Set, or Religion, or Law, or Difcipline, which hath fo highly exalted the good of communion, and depreffed good private and individual, as the HOLY FAITH, wel! declaring, that it was the fame God that gave the Chriftian law to men, who gave to brute and inanimate creatures thofe laws by which their motions ever sympathife with the univerfal good of fociety." I am not that empirick as to refer the phænomenon of flight belief or of fcepticifm in the under graduate to the fame procefs of caufes with the above, Much, may be fairly fet down to the fashionable ideas of the times; amongst which the vain deceit of French philofophy mixes its baneful corrofive, and, filent in the operation, triumphs confpicuously in the effects of infidelity in religion. and licentioufnefs in morals. And yet I would fain perfuade myfelf that, if the University could by any means enThat, in the established courfe of join an attendance to thofe branches of difcipline, through which the academi- knowledge whofe objects might affe& cal youth muft pafs, there is no parti- the breaft of every Audent with a nearer cular provifion made to instil the bene and icker sense of the wisdom and volent fpirit, and confirm the holy faith benevolence of the Almighty, the young of Chrißianity, from which alone mult mind would, with greater certainty of refult the energies of virtuous action evidence, and a happier warmth of grahere; and the animating hope of glory titude, recognife the Parent of the Unihereafter, though mentioned with reverfe in the Father of Chrift and the gret, can imply no imputation of blame in the prefent day, when an effective plan for the fpeedy accomplishment of thofe ends would be as difficult to con ceive as laborious to accomplish; though 1 muft, however reluctantly, add, that, while the felfish Rochefoucault and the infidel Hume are, to feveral, the oracles of moral and religious wifdom, the indifference, the levity, or the ridicule, with which the authenticity and fublime truths of the Chriftian Scriptures are often treated, are matter of forrow rather than of wonder. The fact, however, can scarcely be attributed to that influence of the mathematical pursuits to which the late Bp. Horne affigns the heterodox propenfities of fome Cambridge theologians; though plain reafon will bear him out in the affertion, that the analogies of a fcience, which is converfant folely about meajure, number, motion, and figure, are not transferrable to ebicks, theology, and politicks. The following circumstances may more justly be admitted into the account of herefy or of orthodoxy, when confidered as the peculiar growth of the fchools of Cambridge; the late and hafty commencement of a study which ought to engage an early and deliberate attention; the want of that modefty in eafoning which questions of controverted divinity demand in vain from fome ma thematicians; and that indolent acquiefcence in the data before them, which a long fervice of patient fubordination It is this analogy of natural and revealed religion, which, without intruding on the attention due to any profeffional knowledge, might be dif played in a series of lectures, difcourfes, or even fermons, if you will, with the profpect of glorious event to what is now called liberal education. The first part, fcarcely known by name in the fchools of Cambridge, might confift of a judicious felect on from the works of Ray, Derham, Smellie, and other authors, to demonftrate the various goodness of the Deity from the Hiftory of animated Nature, to exhibit the most striking proofs of infinite wifdom in the combinations of elements and the kingdoms of vegetable life, to trace the fcale of appetite, inftin&t, and reafoning fenfe, and the appropriate enjoyments of varied exiftence in the lower animals, and, above all, to dwell, with the repeated feffon of grateful in ference ference on the diversified fources of use and comfort, on the innumerable capa. cities of rational and innocent gratification to the fons of man. In the counterpart of this fcheme, of which I profefs but to draw the rude outline, the fpirit of our Saviour's of fice and character, as reported by the difciple whom he loved, thou'd poffefs the pre-eminence of order as of dignity; next might follow the picture of Chriftian charity, from the glowing pencil of that great mafter St. Paul, and, along with imilar portions, the first epiftle of the other John, ever infinitely valued, if it contained but that most exquifite and fublime of all poffible truths, 8 га; абати 6567. What rich and copious mater this for the philofophical commentator to deduce the parallels of Nature and of Grace! And with what a voice of per fuation might the orator then apply the panegyricks of thofe heroes of mankind whom, from the apostles of primitive Chriftianity to the Hanway, the Howard, and the Wilberforce, of the prefent age, the living charity of the Goipel has animated through a glorious fuccellion of philanthropic efforts! I will not anticipate the probable effect, on an ingenuous audience, from this legitimate union of Religion and Philofophy, impreffed on the imagination of Virtue by the delivery of Eloquence. What is faid already may be enough to rank me, in the minds of fome, with the vifionary and the enthufiaft. Attach but the humble character of well-meaning to either title, and I hail be proud to wear it. The chear ing confcioufnels of good intention yields an abundant comfort to the political patriot, whose labours are configned to calumny and frustration, as to the unknown and undiftinguished wrier, who rejoices to have thus applied the talent of inferior genius with fome chance, however diftant, of beneficial confequence. tque fincereft ardour of good wishes for the improvement of university-edu cation, as intimately affecting the deareft interests of national welfare, the conclufion of this addrefs warns me to request your attention to the remarks, if not your apology for the freedom, of AN ACADEMICAL REFORMER. In Academ. VI. read "the very term is become obnoxious," &c.-"the matter and tutors," which is by no means defigned to exclude the other fellows in or out of office. Mr. URBAN, NE Aug. 17. JEITHER Mr. Warner nor his French friend feem to have made out the inferiptions on the bells at Chriftchurch. The first may be an addrefs to the fixth bell, which, perhaps, bears the name of Augufline, that, by its feftive found, the holy Lamb might drive away alt plagues or evils. The other, alluding to the name of all united, q. d. all the founds or harmony of the whole fet in that one bell, might induce the people to lead good lives; fane meaning found, and not jafe, lives. Affis, in the firft, is an invocation to the bell Aufin, by its cheatful found to call on the holy Lamb, and then to ring out as the great herald. I confels my feif much inclined to fuppofe that Touzunes † is the fame as the Touquaffen, or Toquaffen, of Charpentier, commonly called Tocfin, which, in modern France, has founded fuch dreadful alarms. He cites authorities for calling it Megrum Touquefain; and Touquefaint is the term uted to exprefs the quick and fudden ftrokes of it. Then, at Christchurch, it will be the lucky fignal to awaken or alarm men to vrtuous lives. Affis. feftivus. peftes. pius. ut, fugat. Mr. URBAN, R G. June 5. SHALL give your correfpondent IT Redit for his wit, however little I may be difpofed to do the fame by his arguments. I fhall alfo give him credit for the juftice of his remark when he afks, in what refpe&t can a name either add to, or fubtract from, Topographical Remarks on the Southwestern Parts of Hampihire (fee our Review, p. 742-745). Ibid. vol. II. p. 153-160. Sometimes it is Touzumes, then Toszunes, then Touzeuns. the the force of an argument? It certainly can do neither; but ftill many good reafons might be affigned why the friends of the Harringtonian theory may with its opponents to fanction their objections with their real names. If diffidence, however, or any pruden tal motives, stand in the way, I fhall be happy to attend to them, under whatever figmature they may appear; and, even in the prefent inftance, have no objection to this opponent adopting the facred name of TRUTH, more ef pecially while he has the condour to acknowledge that the fignature is FICTITIOUS. The attainment of real truth being the end at which I aim, I can affure this correfpondent that I am ready to liften with good humour, and, I hope, with abilities to comprehend the full force of his objections. But, fince every great writer has his own peculiar me thod, I muff beg leave to continue the "fee-faw" defultory ftyle which, I truft, will effectually cut through his principal objection to the truth of the Harringtonian theory of the atmofphere; for that, I prefume, is the grand object. If he fill be fo fuccefsful as to convince me, Mr. Urban, or yourself, that fire is not a material substance, that it is not capable of being fixed and concentrated in an immenfe variety of forms and appearances, in the different objects of Nature; in fome with a greater, and in others with a lefs, degree of force; that it is not one of the component parts of ardent fpirit, of effential oils, and of many other fluids; that it is teither aërialised in vapour; nor forms an effential ingredient in all the different fpecies of air; that it cannot be feparated from thefe by various procef. fes, fuch as the refpiration of animals, the putrefaction of their bodies, or the combuftion of inflammable fubftances; that the warmth of efpiring animals, the generation of volatile alkali in pu. trefaction, and of actual fire in combuftion, does not proceed, in part, from the communication of this material principle by the atmosphere; then will I can didly acknowlege, either that the Harringtonian philofophy is falle and nugatory, or that I have entirely mifunderflood its meaning. But should my opponent, on the contrary, be compelled to acknowledge, that. in refpect to the materiality of fire, Dr. Harrington hath adopted and vindicated the opinion of the antient chemifts; that he hath carried the idea with fuccefs into a beautiful and fatiffactory investigation of the different aërial vapours, and hath abfolutely demonftrated, not only from his own experiments, but from thofe of the most celebrated modern philofophers, that the atmosphere is compofed of fire, wa ter, and the aerial mephitic acid in a ftate of neutralifation; I hope your ingenious correfpondent will not perfevere in loading the Harringtonian theory of the atmosphere with opprobrious epithets, merely because be may not immediately comprehend, or I may not be happy in explaining, "why a poor weak fire may be capable of liberating one that is more powerfully concentrated;" or, to take up the objection in its new form, "why the fixed fire in air, or the concentrated fire in phofphorus, can neither of them liberate itfelf alone; but, being brought together, the confined fire of one will, then, liberate itfelf, and the other also." I admit that the objection is well urged on the part of your correfpondent; and, had it appeared in his firft letter, I should not have waited till now before I had given it a reply. The Harringtonian theory of concen trated and aëtialised fire teaches, that it is fixed, with various degrees of force, in the different obj-&ts of Nature. In gold and platina, I have already obferved, that the highest degree of concentration is to be found; in phosphorus, most probably, the lowest. In the first of thefe bodies the highest degree of actual fire which we are capable of ap plying, aided by a strong current of air, is not able to separate the fixed fire; in the latter, this fubftance is fo loosely combined, that, in the common heat of the atmolphere, it is ready to recover its free or actual fate as foon as it 18 expofed to the influence of air; and the combuftion in both commences and continues up on the fame principles as the calcination and feparation of fixed fire from any other combustible body and a current of air in the most istenfe heat of the furnace. But why neither the fixed fire in the combuft ble body, nor the aur alifed fire in the au, is ca pable of liberating itlelf, is a question which affects not the truth of the Harringtonian theory of the atmosphere. It is fufficient to y, that it is an ettab lifhed law of Niture, that combustion cannot take place without the concur rence rence of both in certain degrees of heat. As well might your correfpondent demand, why grafs is green? a question which would just as much affect the truth of this theory, which has been already demonftrated by experiment, in the compofition and decompofition of air. It is as little to the purrofe for the writer to puzzle and perplex the fubject, or his own noddie, with endeavouring to find out how a particle of aerial acid can be furrounded by an at mofphere of fire. His ideas on this point are not chemical, but truly mecha nical, and much on a par with the explanation of Lavoiher on the retention of fire in the atmosphere. It is retain ed, fay the abettors of this ingenious philofopher, much upon the fame principle as water in a (punge. Dr. Har rington's theory neither requires nor admits of fuch mechanical explanations. He agrees with Dr. Priestley, or, ra. ther, Dr. Priestley hath at last agreed with him, that fire is the principle of alkalinity; and I have no doubt but this latt-mentioned ingenious experimentalit is well convinced, in his own mind, that the aerial mephitic acid and fie neutralife each other in the atmoSphere, upon the well-established principle of CHEMICAL ATTRACTION. I fhall therefore conclude, Mr. Ur ban, by recommending to your correfpondent to take another peep into the Medical Spectator, where he will find that juftice done to the Harringtonian philofophy which hath been to bafely efuted by feveral of our periodical journalists. I have only one thing farther to obferve: Since your correfpondent, Mr. Urban, has to clearly proved my replications to be iight and unfubflantial as air itself," I thall, in future, I hope, with all that propriety which he feeins willing to admit, adopt the ignature of ATMOSPHERICUS. **However much the ingenious Warwickfhire Boy, in cur lutt, p. 617, may pride bimJelf in the Forgery be bas palmed on us, we would recommend bim to turn his mind to purfuits more congenial to the infiructions be receives from bis wery learned and refpectable Tutor. Mr. URBAN, July 22. BEING favoured with a copy of the incloled drawing by Mr. Harvey, of Manchetter, an ingenious gentleman, who sketched the original, I have inclosed it, that an engraving from the fame may be given in fome future num ber of your Magazine, in order that fo Mr. URBAN, July 23. SEND you a copy of an infcription (pl. II. fig 2), which was well cut, on a stone placed near a window at the Eaft end of one of the ailes of the old cathedral of Down Patrick, the countytown of the county of Down, in the North of Ireland. I have been informed that it has attracted the notice of feveral curious perfons, who have not been able to decipher it; perhaps fome of your ingenious readers may have better fuccefs. This building is faid to have been erected by St. Patrick; and the infcription may reafonably be fuppofed to have been co-eval with it. A round tower, food near the Weft end, which fome idle perfons demolished during the late election, which was carried on with fome animofity, and, I am informed, was the occafion of its demolition. The church has been lately re-ediñed; and, though as much of the old work as poffible has been preferved, this retnarkable fone has been loft. The new cathedral, from its bold fituation, when the intended fire is erected, will prove a great ornament to that part of the country, and do honour to thofe who have interetted themfelves in its firucture. In a vifit which I lately paid to a fil. verfmith's fhop in purfuit of old coins, Fortune threw in my way a curious little broche, which muft, I prefume, have been the property of one of our Ecglith monarchs. It is of pure gold, very well executed, and weighs two pennyweights; an H, crowned, appears the other; AVE MARIA GRACIA is inon one fide of the tongue, and an A on fcribed on one face of the ring, and PLENA DOMINUS on the other (jee pl. II. fig. 3). I should be glad to be informed it the form of the letters, or any other circumftance, will lead to the Henrys this A. L. A. Fig. 4. is a fmall coin, which an old correfpondent would be glad to lee elucidated. ANAR |