managed, and the commencement of the lunar year fo irregular (it beginning not at the time of the fummer folftice but at the new moon fucceeding it, or perhaps the nearest to it whether before or after) as to create great error in calculating feafons, or dates of natural

events.

Another reason of greater weight was, that the lunar year was not made use of in calculating fuch occurrences. Civil affairs, fuch as the celebration of feftivals, the election of magiftrates, the payment of falaries, intereft of money, and all civil contracts were indeed reckoned by the lunar year, but what regarded natural events, as the rife or fetting of ftars or conftellations, the works of agriculture, the flowering of plants, and the geftation of animals, together with all transactions that regarded the laws of nations, as the duration of treaties, truces, &c. were reckoned by the folar year. A folar year, or the term of 365 days, is also understood to be meant whenever the space of an entire year is mentioned or a feries of years. It bas been the opinion of fome learned perfons, that the folar year was divided, as well as the lunar, into twelve months, each of which commenced at the, entrance of the fun into the feveral figns of the zodiac, and this is confirmed by fome expreffions of Geminus, and particularly by the calendar of that author above mentioned, which is actually divided in that manner, which divifion is preserved in the calendar here exhibited.

The next piece that appears is a calendar of the fame kind adjufted to the climate of Italy, and probably nearly to the latitude of Rome; compiled from the ancient Roman writers, thofe especially that treat on the subject of agriculture. This, as well as the other, has a calendar of the weather joined with it, which is mostly, but not altogether, taken from Columella.

I have in this calendar inferted fuch Paffages from the ancient Roman poets as appeared to be peculiarly defcriptive either of the general appearance of nature in feveral feafons in that country, or of any other natural events that occur at any particular time of the year. To this calendar are fubjoined, an attempt towards a divifion of it into natural months, according to the plan propofed by Mr. Stillingfleet, and two fmall sketches of the feafons at Aleppo in Syria, and at Nice in Italy, the former extracted from Dr. Ruffel's History of the first mentioned place, the latter from Dr. Smollett's Travels into Italy. "To these are added a table of the time of wheat-harvest in different parts of Italy, taken from Dr. Symonds, on the Climate of Italy, and published in the fourth volume of Mr. Young's Annals of Agricul ture, and a table of the foliation of trees in this country for feveral years, taken from the Gentleman's Magazine.-Next come fome remarks on the leafing, flowering, &c. of fome trees and plants in Italy, made in the years 1768, 1769, by Dr. Symonds, and taken, as well as the foregoing, from Mr. Young's Annals of Agriculture.Next follow fome remains of antiquity, taken from Gruter's infcriptions, being two ruftic calendars yet remaining engraven on fione at Rome. Thefe are often referred to in the calendar I have given, and tend towards its illuftration.-The next article is a table of hours for every month in the year, taken from Palladius.

The use of this is thought to have been to enable the labourer in the fields to guefs at the time of the day, by measuring with his foot the proportion which the length of that bears to the length of the fhadow of his own perfon. The rule on which this depends, will, in a grofs view, hold good in men of different flature, because, generally fpeaking, the length of a man's foot bears nearly the fame proportion to his height whether he be tall or middle fized.

As the proportion which the length of any upright gnomon bears to that of its fhadow at any certain hour, varies every day, a table is here given exhibiting the proportion which the gnomon and its fhadow bear to one another, at a medium computation for each month. The above tables, it is clear, were adjusted to show the unequal hours, or each 12th part of the time between the rife and fetting of the fun. Thus for example on the 21st of December, when the length of the foot was to that of the fhadow of the body as 1 to 29, the peasant knew that part of the space of time between the rife and fetting of the fun had elapfed, which they denominated an hour, and this proportion of measurement served to denote the first hour of the day, at that feafon of the year. On the 21ft of the month of June on the other hand, when the length of the foot bore a proportion to that of the fhadow of the perfon as 1 to 22, the peafant knew that part of the fpace between funrife and funfet was paft, which was by him denominated the end of the first hour, notwithstanding the real space of time in each of the intervals which he called hours varied confiderably, an hour in the month of December being to an hour in the month of June as nine to fifteen.-Next follows a table of the days on which the fun enters into the different figns of the zodiac according to the computation of different ages.-Next come fome tables of the weather in different countries, according to both ancient and modern accounts, intended for the purpose of comparing them together. The laft and the largest of thefe pieces is an alphabetical table of the Greek plants. This is divided into two parts. The former of thefe exhibits ift the Greek name of the plant and the author who mentions it, 2d the name affigned to the fame by Cafpar Bauhin in his Pinax and other works, 3d the correfponding name given by Linnæus in his Spee. Plantarum, 4th the modern English name where that could be found. The fecond part of this table exhibits the Linnæan names of the Greek plants placed in alphabetical order with the Greek names fubjoined. The ufe of this is to enable the reader to discover if any particular plant, the Linnæan name of which is known, be one of thofe with which the Greeks were acquainted. An attempt of this kind, though fufficiently laboricus to the compiler, must be liable to much error and uncertainty; but fome indulgence may be hoped to be given to the first attempt of this kind, at least in our own country.

An index to each of the calendars is added at the end of the work.'

The utility of fuch a collection for the purposes of philofophy must be evident: but it will be more peculiarly acceptable to those who unite the ftudy of nature with that of the writings and cuftoms of claffical antiquity.

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ART.

Ai.

ART. XIII. The Hiftory of two Cafes of Ulcerated Cancer of the Mamma; one of which has been cured, the other much relieved, by a new Method of applying Carbonic Acid Air; illuftrated by a Copperplate with Obfervations. By John Ewart M. D. Bath. 8vo. PP. 62. Is. 6d. Dlly.

WE

E have here proof of the spirit and of the fuccefs with which elaftic fluids are employed in defperate difeafes in different parts of the kingdom. The cafes defcribed in the present pamphlet are highly favourable to this practice, in a malady, of which no words can convey an idea fufficiently horrible. Of the accuracy of the facts, there feems no reasonable motive to doubt; efpecially as in one of the cafes they are ftated to have occurred in a hofpital, and to have been witneffed both by the directors and feveral medical practitioners of Bath.

A circumftantial ftatement of the condition of the diseased breaft is very properly prefixed to the account of the treatment in each cafe. The preceding circumftances, and the prefent condition of the ulcer, (cafe 1.) all concur in prefenting the idea of cancer. The length of the ulcer was almoft five inches, and its breadth between three and four. Its greatest depth was about two inches; and from its lower end a finus ran under the skin downwards, the fize and extent of which, as well as the quantity of discharge from the fore, may be conceived from her being in the habit of preffing out of it feveral times a day from a table spoonful to two-thirds of a small teacupful of very fetid matter. The stench from the fore was at all times fo very of fenfive both to herself and to bystanders, as fcarcely to be endured.' Other particulars are analogous ;-the axillary glands were never affected.

The carbonic acid air, on its firft application, occafioned a fenfation of coldness, which lafted for a few minutes, and was afterwards fucceeded by a glowing warmth, which continued more than half an hour. The fame fenfations have been uniformly expreffed by the patient, after each fucceffive application of the air.

The next morning fhe faid the was eafier, which was then afcribed to the ufual propenfity of people to be pleased with a new remedy. But greater confidence was given to her report, when, at the expiration of not more than three days, the furface of the fore appeared of a better colour, and the ftench from it became lefs offenfive. Each time the bladder was removed, which for fome time was done twice a day, to evacuate the difcharge from the fore, fhe was fenfible of immediate pain on the admiffion of the atmofpheric air; and never failed to find cafe very foon after the carbonic acid air was again applied.'

By an unfortunate but inevitable accident, the experiment was embarralled by the exhibition of of a grain of arsenic three times in a day; though, before this exhibition, not only the fmell

from

from the fore was lefs fetid, but its furface fhewed a difpofition to granulate.'

In fomewhat lefs than three months, this was the fituation. of things:

No deep induration whatever is felt in the feat of the former fore, or in that part of the fubftance of the breaft which was occupied by the finus; the whole of which bears handling and preffure without fuffering the fmalleft uneafinefs; but the skin formed by the cicatrix is fomewhat irregularly elevated and hardened. Some flight vefications have at times rifen upon it, extending no deeper than the epidermis, and apparently fome remains of the eryfepelas which lately affected her. They have now nearly vanished.

The ulcer would in all probability have been healed fooner than it has been, if the finus had been laid open to its bottom; but I was unwilling to allow it to be touched by a knife, left more might have been attributed to it than its due; and the experiment was not neceffary in the progreffive state of amendment of the fore.

She was discharged on the 30th of September, with orders to return twice a day for fome time to have fresh gas applied, as the best defence of the newly-formed skin from any external injury'.

Of the second cafe, the symptoms were the most dreadful that can be imagined, and the patient appears to have been reduced nearly to the last extremity. She was fenfible of almost an inmediate abatement of pain on the application of the air. In two days, the breaft was quite eafy; fhe enjoyed a better night than for fome months; and fhe could foon move the arm of the affected fide with more eafe than formerly. The discharge, we are told, was gradually amended, and the ulcerated furface diminifhed.

How far,' fays the author, her recovery may proceed, I do not prefume to conjecture. But it is no fmall recommendation of what has been applied, that it has kept a perfon in cafe and comfort for two months, who for fo great a length of time before had known only agony and torture; and who in the fame interval has to a mok furprifing degree recovered her general health.'

To his narrative Dr. Ewart has annexed fome obfervations tending to establish the nature of the affection in these two cafes; he alfo mentions fome former attempts to relieve or cure various kinds of ulcers by carbonic acid air; he then adds queries concerning its mode of operation; and he concludes with a recital of furgical cafes to which the fame practice may be ap plicable. There feems reafon to expect that effential relief, in the moft excruciating and destructive furgical diforders, will be derived from carbonic acid air, and perhaps from other elastic fluids. Whether they will perform permanent cures time only can decide. We have been informed that fome doubts were started foon after the appearance of this pamphlet, as to the permanency or com pleteness of the cure in the first of the two cafes: but we do not understand

Y 3

understand that the pleafing account, given by Dr. Ewart, of perfect relief from pain and progreffive amendment, was at all queftioned. The affair was too important to neglect opportunities of perfonal inquiry; and in December laft we were credibly informed that there was no ulcer on the breaft of the first patient; and that is above two months pofterior to the last date in the reports before us.-The efficacy of the treatment will certainly not be fuffered to reft on two cafes. We fhould neverthelefs be glad to receive a continuation of Dr. Ewart's history. The method of applying the air is diftinctly reprefented in an engraving. It is exceedingly remarkable that another philofopher followed the fame method of keeping the fame air in conftant contact with a carcinomatous ulcer, with the fame fuccefs yet his contrivance feems to have been as foon forgotten, or as little known, in this country, as if it had not exifted. The philofopher to whom we allude is Mr. Magellan; and his method appears to have been well known to Fourcroy, Morveau, and the French chemifts. It confifted "in cutting away the bottom of a bladder fo that it might furround the breaft, and in fixing the edge to the fkin by adhesive plaifter applied round the bladder."He is faid alfo to have cured an ulcerated cancer of the breaft by keeping fixed air conftantly applied in this manner. Bed.

ART. XIV. An Addrefs to the Prime Minister of the King of Corfica, on the Subject of its late Union with the British Crown, developing the real Planners of the Meafure, and demonftrating--that the Conflitution, which was fo gracioufly ratified in Jane lait, to his Majefty's Corfican Subjects, contains, in Principle, that very Syftem of Reprefentation, which has been fo long and fo unfuccefsfully fought to be obtained by the People of Great Britain and Ireland, from a Parliamentary Reform. By a Barrister. 8vo. pp.61. 1s. 6d. Stewart. 1795.

THE

HE general purport of this pamphlet is fo clearly marked in the title, that we need only examine the merits of the execution, and make fome obfervations on fuch paffages as strike us either as praife-worthy or objectionable. In a work compofed for the purpofe of fhewing that the conftitution given to Corfica is precitely that which is thought too democratic or too dangerous to the British conftitution, to be allowed in this country, the reader will expect fevere attacks on Mr. Pitt; the minifter who, while he refifts all plans of reform at home, yet, in concurrence with other ftatelinen, has advised his fovereign to accede to a conftitution for the Corficans, in the administration of which an infinitely greater fhare is given to thofe new fubjects, than the people of England and Ireland peftis in the adminiftration of the conftitution of their refpective countries. The author marks, in ftrong terms, the poli