Review of New FuomaTIONS● why were not it's Tranfactions publifh ed by a Scotchman ? We have indeed heard it whifpered, fomewhere in Fleet Street, that a treaty was commenced with an eminent bookfeller in Edinburgh; but that, when almoft finished, it was fuddenly broken off, through the influence of a leading member of the Society, who infifted that the publisher of the works of Dr. STUART and Mr. WHITAKER, with whom that bookfeller happens to be intimately connected, fhould have no fhare of the profit arifing from the publication of the Edinburgh Philofophical and Literary Tranfactions. If this be really true, which we are unwilling to believe, we may venture to predict, that the Royal Society of Edinburgh will not long continue to produce any thing worthy of publication; for it is univerfally acknowledged, that letters can flourish only under a republican government; and that a literary defpot, although adorned with the erudition of WARBURTON, and the eloquence of RoBERTSON, is a monfter, whofe baleful breath extinguishes the fires of Genius, and whom the friends of Science fhould tumble from his throne. The Tranfactions, however, are pub. lifhed; and we, who dare not boat, more than others, of being entirely free from national partiality, are not forry to find that the Scotch philofophers could not fend the fruits of their united labours into the world without the aid of a London book feller. It now remains that we examine the merits of their book. The first thing in the volume, which arrefts our attention, is the Dedication to the King, Agned by the Duke of Buccleugh, prefident of the Society. The patriotic virtues of his Grace are fo conipicuous, his charity fo extenfive and univerfally acknowledged, and his rank in the ftate fo high, that it cannot be fuppofed he refts any portion of his fame upon a thing of fo little value as dignity of ftyle. It would therefore be ulelets to remark, that this Dedication is flat. We shall only afk, What had become of the eloquent and courtly pen of the Hiftorian of America ? After the Dedication, follows a Hiftory of the Society; from which, among other important matters, we learn, that affociations of learned men, who have united their labours for the cultivation of fcience, are of ancient date in the European kingdoms; that Great Britain ว has the honour of having fet the firft the It appeared an expedient measure, as being likely, no doubt, to banish languor from the philofophers, to folicit the royal patronage to an inftitution of this nature, which promifed to be of national importance, and to request an establishment by charter from crown. The plan was approved and adopted; the charter was folicited and obtained; and the Royal Society of Edinburgh will be no longer under the neceffity of trufting its fame to the abilities of its members. The charter, which was granted to the Duke of Buccleugh, and feveral other gentlemen eminent for literature or for their rank in fociety, confers ample privileges upon them and their fucceflors. It authorifes them to elect a prefident, to appoint officers, to purchafe land, to enact laws for the regulation of their affairs, ordinandi canones, ad quos res focietatis jint aaminifirandæ, and to fue or be fued, as a corporation, in the courts of juftice. But we are forry to find in it no clause which beflows vigour of intellect or activity of diligence upon the members of the Society, or which tends directly to remove that languor which had to grievously oppreffed all former aflociations of the literati in Scotland. Perhaps this im portant portant privilege may be comprehended in that poteftas quam habebunt privatas ferendi leges ad ejus aaminiftrationem iconeas, et in ALIIS REBUS PROCEDENDI, AGENDI, et FACIENDI. The first general meeting of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, was held, in terms of the abovementioned charter, on Monday, the 23d day of June, 1783, when the members picceeded to effablith the form or conftitution of the Society, and to frame a fet of regulations for its future proceedings. Thefe important affairs, however, were not finally adjusted till the fecond meeting, held on the 4th of Auguft in the fame year; at which meeting the mode of electing candidates was fettled; and it was likewife determined, that the Society fhould confit of ordinary and honorary memers, and that the honorary places fhould be restricted to perfons refiding out of Great Britain. "The election of new members is appointed to be made at two ftated general meetings, which are to be held on the fourth Monday of January and the fourth Monday of Jone. A candidate for the place of an ordinary member muft fignify, by a letter addreffed to one of the members, his with to be received into the Society. He muft then be publicly propofed at least a month before the day of election. If the propofal be feconded by two of the members prefent, his name is to be inferted in the lift of candidates, and hung up in the ordinary place of meeting. The election is made by ballot, and is determined in favour of the candidate, if he fhall have the votes of two-thirds of thofe prefent, in a meeting confifting of not lefs than twenty-one members. ral bufinefs of the Society is managed by a prefident, two vice-prefidents, with a council of twelve, a general fecretary, and a treafurer. Thefe officers are chofen by ballot, annually, on the lait Monday of November. "As it was thought that the members would have a greater inducement to punctual attendance on the meetings of the Society, if they had fome general intimation of the nature of the fubjects which were to be confidered, and made the topics of converfation, it was, therefore, refolved to divide the Society into copes, which fhould meet and The gene deliberate feperately. The one of thefe claffes is denominated the PHYSICAL CLASS, and has for its department the fciences of Mathematics, Natural Pilofophy, Chemistry, Medicine, Natural Hiftory, and whatever relates to the improvement of arts and manufactures. The other is denominated the L1TERARY CLASS, and has for its department Literature, Philology, History, Antiquities, and Speculative Filofophy. Each of thefe claffes has four prefidents and two fecreta ries, who officiate by turns. <6 Every member is defired, at his admif fion, to intimate which of thofe claffes he wifhes to be more particularly affociated with; but he is, at the fame time, entitled to attend the meetings of the other clafs, and to take part in all its proceedings. At thefe of the members of the Suciety, or their cormeetings, the written effays and obfervations reípondents, are read publicly we thould have been in no danger of fuppofing that they are read privatly], and become the subjects of converfation. At the fame meetings are exhibited fuch fpecimens of natural or artificial curiofities, fuch remains of antiqui quity, and fuch experiments, as are thought worthy of the attention of the Society.” In the remaining part of this hiftory we have the titles of all the papers read down to the third day of December, in the Society, from its first foundation 1785; and fhort fketches of fuch as are referved for fubfequent publication, as well as of thofe which their authors wholly withdrew. Our examination of thall referve for fome future Magazine, the articles which are publifhed, we and at prefent give fuch an account as the limits of our Review will permit, and as our hiftorian has enabled us to give, of the most valuable of those pas pers which have been either withdrawn by their authors, or rejected by the committee for publication. At a meeting of the phyfical clafs, December 8, 1783, Mr. James Ruffel, furgeon, read an account of fome expe riments made by him on antimony. The object of thefe experiments was, to find an eafy and a cheap thethod of obtaining a folution of regulus of antimony in the murialic acid, with a view to the preparation of tartar emetic, according to the directions in the laft edition of the Difpenfatory of the Royal College of Phyficians in Edinburgh; the use of butter of antimony, as then directed, implying a very tedious, complicated, and expenfive procefs. Ruffel's experiments proved fuccefsful: he obtained, with much more eafe, and incurred by the process which it was his at lefs than a tenth part of the expence aim to improve, a folution which had all the properties of butter of autimony, and from which fome tartar emetic was prepared, which appeared, as to all its medical properties, to be without fault. Mr. Jan. 5, 14. Dr. Roebuck read fome Oblervations on the ripening of Corn; of which the tendency was, to fhew that farmers Review of New Publications. farmers fhould be cautious of cutting down their unripe corn, on the fuppofition that, in a cold autumn, it could fill no more. Feb. 2, Dr. Walker read a paper communicated by the Earl of Dundonald, containing an Account of a new method, invented by his Lordship, for purifying Sea-falt. The fubflance of that account has been already given to the world in various publications. March 15, Mr. Profeffor Dugald Stewart read an Effay on the Idea of Caufe and Effect, and on the Object of Natural Philofoph v This Eflay the author afterwards withdrew, on account of its connection with other papers, which he did not choofe at prefent to publish. Of the abilities of this, comparatively, young philofopher, an high opinion is entertained by thofe who know him, and who are molt capable of judging of intellectual merit. We therefore hope, that he will not long detain from the publick the inftruction which may be expected from such talents, employed on fubjects of fuch importance. On the fame day, Mr. Profeffor Dalgel, one of the fecretaries of the literary clafs, read a thort Biographical Account of the deceated Dr. William Lothian, the first member whom the Society had the misfortune to lofe. Dr. Lothian was a clergyman of the Church of Scotland, pious and diligent in the duties of his vocation; but he was not diftinguished by fuperior excellence of any kind, and in his life there were not vicitudes fufficient to enliven or diverfify a narrative. Mr. Dalzel, indeed, feems not to poffefs the requifite talents of a biographer. This thort fketch of the life of his friend, which is published in the Appendix to the hutorical part of thete Tranfa&tions, is a dull, uninterefting performance. It exhibits no difcrimination of character; it can hardly lay claim even to the fiender merit of panegyric. What is faid of Dr. Lothian, and it is not much, might be faid of any other good man, and by any other writer. April 19, Dr. James Anderfon read Obfervations on a Peculiarity in the English Language, ufually called a Genitive Cafe. He is of opinion, that "the English noun admits of no in"Hexion by cafes, and therefore that the term genitive is improper." He contends, that "the addition of the let"ters, with an apostrophe, to a noun, 533 "as John's faff, is not an inflexion of "the noun, and therefore cannot be "termed a cafe." He affirms, that "when a noun undergoes a change of "this fort, it ceafes to be itself a noun, "and becomes immediately a defini"tive." If this be not perfectly abfurd, it has much the appearance of ab. furdity; and we would advife Dr. Anderfon, before he ventures again to read any thing in the Society about nouns ceafing to be nouns, and becoming definitives, to perufe with attention The Diverfions of Purley, or to fubmit his paper of obfervations to the infpection of his friend Mr. Hunter, of St. Andrew's, who, as a grammarian, makes, in this volume, a diflinguifhed appearance indeed among the Scotch literati. June 21, Mr. John Clark, junior, of Eldin, advocate, read a fhort Biographical Account of Sir George Clark Maxwell, of Pennycuick, Baronet, late prefident of the phyfical clais of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. This account is printed in the Appendix to the hiftorical part of this volume, and de 66 any fhape, is fometimes inconvenient "from its weight, and is, for many pur "poles, too expenfive." He propofed, therefore, that "inftead of pure iron, the moulds, in which fuch maffes are "To be caft, fhould be nearly filled with "nones or bricks; a proper fpace being "left for an axle where needed, and an "interftice between the outermost of "them and the mould; that then melt"ed iron should be poured in to fill up "every chink, which, cooling and con"folidating, would cement the ftones firmly together, and cover them with "an uniform furface of metal." There was likewife read, by Dr. Andrew Duncan, an account of a cafe of obflinate fingultus, in which the best effects had been produced by the use of a mixture, containing a dram of acidum vitriolicum tenue, united with four Gunces of mint-water, of which a table (poonful was to be taken every half hour. bour. The first dofe put a stop to the fingultus. Dec. 6. Mr. John Robinfon, general fecretary, laid before the Society an account of fome curious fpeculations on the folar fyftem by Mr. Patrick Wilfon, Affifiant Profeffor of Aftronomy in the univerfity of Glafgow. The fum of that account, as given here, is not very perfpicuous; but it appears that, by various methods of obfervation, Mr. Wilfon difcovered, many years ago, that the center of the folar fyftem is in motion. If this be indeed true, and we have no defire to queftion its truth, it is perhaps not improbable that there is fome one center, about which all the systems in the univerfe revolve, in a manner fimilar to the revolutions of the planets and their fatellites round the SUN, the center of one fyftem. were cured by it. It was a general obfervation, that people had remarkably keen appetites for fome days after the hurricane; and many, who used to be thin and fallow, Dr. Blane faw looking fresh and plump a few weeks after it, though the unhealthy rainy feafon was then hardly over. At a meeting of the council of the Royal Society, July 9, Mr. Commiffioner Smith informed the members, that he had received a letter from the Count de WINDISCHGRATZ, dated Bruffels, May 8, 1785, on the fubject. of a problem propofed by that nobleman to the learned min of all nations, which has for its object the diminution of the number of law-fuits by fome lequired method, which, at the fame time, fhall impofe no new restraints on natural liberty. The problem, as announced in a printed programma, which accompanied the Count's letter to Mr. Smith, is as follows: "Pro omni poffibili inftrumentorum fpecie, quibus quis fe obftringere, fuumve dominium in alterum, quibufcunque ex motivis, et quibufcunque fub condi. tionibus transferre poteft, formulas tales invenire, quæ omnibus cafibus individuis conveniant, atque in quovis cafu fingulis duntaxat terininis, iifque pervulgatis expleri opus habeant, qui termini, æque ac ipfæ formularum expreffiones ejufmodi fint, ut quemadmodum in mathefi, nullum dubium, nullum li tigium locum, habeat." Jan. 23, 1785. Dr. Gregory read a paper communicated by Dr. Blane, giving an account of the hurricane at Barbadues, on the 10th of October, 1780. -At 8 o'clock it began to make impreffion on the houfes, by tearing off the roofs, and overthrowing fome of the walls. The hurricane was thought to be at its greatest height at midnight, but did not abate confiderably till 8 o'clock next morning. The inhabitants, without diftinction of age, fex, or condition, were driven from their houfes, and obliged to pafs the night in the fields, expofed to the impetuous wind, to the cold, which was very remarkable, confidering the climate, to A prize of a thousand ducats is of inceflant torrents of rain, and to the fered to any perfon who shall furnish a terrors of thunder and lightning, which complete folution of this problem. were viclent, and almoft confiant. All Should there be no complete folution, a the fruits of the earth then ftanding prize of five hundred ducats is offered were deftroyed, most of the trees on the to the author of that fcheme which shall island were torn up by the roots, and be judged to approach the nearest to a many of them were ftripped of their folution. And the Count propofes, that bark. The influence of the hurricane all writings, which thall be offered in on people's health was very remarkable. the competition for thefe prizes, thall Infiead of producing fickness, it feemed be judged of by the Royal Academy of to have the very oppofite effect. Moft Sciences at Paris, the Royal Society of of thofe who were fick at the time of it Edinburgh, and one of the academies were benefited by it, except the very of Germany or Switzerland, which old and delicate, who fuffered either he fhall afterwards name. Although from mechanical violence, or the fub- Mr. Smith gave it as his opinion, in fequent want of fhelter. It had a vifibie which we heartily concur, that this good effect on the difeafes of the cli- problem admits not of any complete fomate, fevers and fluxes. Chronic dilution, the Royal Society of Edinburgh arrhoeas, the confequence of dyfenteries, were alfo cured by it. But the difcafes on which it operated moft vifibly and fenfibly, were pulmonic complaints. Some recent cafes of phthifis, and even the acute fate of pleurify, has a reed to co-operate with the other two academies, in deciding on the merit of all edays and diflertations which fhall appear in the competition for the prizes propofed. Dec. 5, Mr. William Smellie read an Effay on Infinct. As this Effay makes part of a larger work, which the author is preparing to lay before the 'publick, he did not wifh it fhould appear at full length among the differtations printed in this volume. An abftract, however, is here given of its principal contents, from which we infer, that, when it shall appear at full length, it will give much fatisfaction on a fubje&t highly interefting, though perhaps little understood; and if the whole of the work, of which it is intended to make a part, have equal merit with this fpecimen, we fhall be glad to fee it fpeedily laid before the publick, as it muft afford, to every reflecting mind, much entertainment and much inftru&tion. In the Appendix to the hiftorical part of this volume there is a well-written Life of Dr. Matthew Stewart, late Profeffor of Mathematics in the univerfity of Edinburgh. It was read, April 3, 1786, by Mr. John Playfair, and mult prove highly acceptable to every lover of ancient geometry. The life of Dr. Stewart was paffed in retirement, and in the cultivation of fcience; an account of it can, therefore, contain little more than a hiftory of his difcoveries; but of thefe the biographer has made the most. In conducting the Profeffor from his early years to his difcovery of the General Theorem, his Solution of Kepler's Problem, and his Determination of the Sun's difturbing Force, he exhibits him not only as a great, but alfo as an amiable and a good man; and with that impartiality, without which biography is worfe than ufelefs, he mentions Dr. Stewart's mistakes and prejudices, at the fame time that he beltows upon him due praife for the vigour of his mind, and the value of his difcoveries. (To be continued.) 112. Tabule Nomina Medicamentorum Pharmacopæie Londinenfis, Anno 1746° edite, alibique promulgatorum, quæ ejufdem Editione Anno 17880, tamen Nominibus novis infignita, retinentur vel accipiuntur; Et, vice verfa, Nomina Medicamentorum Pharmacopoeie Londinenfis Anno 1788° editæ, quæ ejufdem Editione Anno 1746°, alibique, aliter dicta funt, indicantes. THIS appears to us a proper fheet of paper to be hung up in the fhop of every pharmacopolift in the three king doms. If it is not fo, it ought to be properly expofed to fhame by Sir Geo. Baker. 113. Extrait des Regiftres de l'Academie Royale des Sciences, du 12 Mars, 1783. Troisieme Rapport des Commiffaires Chargés, par l'Academie, des Projets relatifs à l'Etabliffement des Quatre Hopitaux. Imprimé par O dre du Roi. 40. Paris, de l'Imprimerie Royale, 1788. THIS, as the title of the work expreffes, is the third Report of the French Academy of Sciences, relative to the four new hofpitals intended to be erected at Paris. In the firft of thofe Reports they pointed out the many inconveniences and abufes of the prefent Hotel Dieu, and the neceffity of erecting four hofpitals in different quarters of the metropolis, as the best means of extending relief to its poor inhabitants; in the fecond, they fuggefted the fitua tions the beft fuited for fuch buildings, and in this third and laft Report they defcribe the plan they think the best calculated for the conftruction of such receptacles. The commiffioners, whole names are fubfcribed to the Report, are, Meffieurs Laffone, Daubenton, Tillet, Tenon, Bailly, Lavoifier, La Place, Coulomb, and D'Arcet. The Report is divided into two parts. In the first they give the refult of the obfervations made by Meffieurs Tenoa and Coulomb, two of the commiffioners who were deputed hither for that purpofe, on the hofpitals of England; and in the fecond they give the plan of the intended new buildings, illuftrated by an engraving. For this defeription we muft refer our readers to the work itfelf; but the following paffage is fo liberal, and at the fame time to honourable to this country, that we are perfuaded our readers will be glad to fce it preferved here entire : "Such," fay the Commiffioners, "is the refult of the inquiry made by our brethren, relative to the English hofpitals; the reflections which that inquiry has fuggefted; and the imitations we venture to propofe. It is our duty to neglect nothing that may affift in perfecting the great and ufeful project of the four hofpitals, of which we have announced the general arrangements in our two former Reports to the Academy, and to which the King has given his fanction, as is exprefied in the decrees of his Council. Human knowledge is, at the prefent day, the produce of the efforts of all the nations of Europe; the great work of our hofpitals will be the refult of that general mass of information, which it is the duty of every country to interchange, one with the other, with as little of pretension on the part of the *See vol. LVII. p. 592. |