Art. 24. An Efay on a Non-Defcript, or newly invented Difeafe; its Nature, Caules, and Means of Relief: with fome very important Obfervations on the powerful and most furprising Effects of Animal Magnetism, in the Cure of the faid Difeafe; as communicated to the Author by Dr. Mesmer and Madame de L—-g. And a Dedication to the faid Lady. By F. G Profeffor of Phyfic and Aftrology, and Member of feveral learned Academies and Societies. 8vo. pp. 42. 18. Published for the Benefit of the Tin Miners of Cornwall, and fold by Bateman. 1790. This effay comes from the pen of Dr. James M. Adair, and is one of thofe publications, which, probably, will be perused by few, excepting reviewers, who read, that they may fave others the trouble of reading. Its contents are fufficiently explained in the title page, and it is perhaps needlefs to add that the author attempts to be witty: it may be more neceffary to observe that he has not wholly fucceeded. Art. 25. A candid Enquiry into the Truth of certain Charges of the dangerous Confequences of the Suttonian, or cooling Regimen, under Inoculation for the Small Pox. Recommended to the ferious Confideration of Parents and Guardians, as being of the utmoft Importance to the Welfare of the rifing Generation. With fome ufeful Remarks on a fuccessful Method, ufed fome Years ago in Hungary, in the Cure of the natural Small-Pox, and tending to demonstrate the Benefit to be expected from a fimilar Method of Management under Inoculation. By James M. Adair, formerly M. D. Fellow of the Royal College of Phyficians of Edinburgh, &c. &c. &c. 8vo. pp. 37. 15. Bateman. 1790. Dr. Adair imagines that the ufe of weakening remedies, low diet, and the application of cold to excefs,' as recommended during inoculation, by the Suttons, are productive of dangerous confequences; principally in laying the foundation for other fubfequent difeafes. He obferves, likewife, that the ufual mode of preparation is too generally adopted; and that due attention is not paid to the different ftates of different individuals.-The method of management, to which he alludes in his title page, and from which he has experienced the greatest fuccefs, is moderately to fweat the patients every night between the incifion and the eruption. By what means the fweating is produced, we are not told; we fuppofe by the warm bath, fince the remedy feems to have been taken from Dr. Fifcher's practice. About the year 1748 was published a Latin treatise on the treatment of the natural fmall-pox in Upper Hungary, by Dr. Fischer. As foon as the patient was feized with a fever, fufpected to be that of the fmall pox, the patient was put into the warm bath, and continued there twice a day from half an hour to an hour and an half, till the puftules were dry. The foods were broths, eggs, chickens, pigeons, and cray fifh; and, during the eruption and fuppuration, milk boiled with fugar.' The advantages, which are faid to have been derived from this plan, are too triking not to be enum rated; and, perhaps, we may add, too numerous to be implicitly allowed. 3 1, The 1. The Dr. remarked that the eruption generally appeared the next day after the fecond bathing; whereas, in the ordinary mode, it feldom appears till the third or fourth. zdly. The eruptions appeared all at once over the body, and the fuppuration went on fo rapidly, that the puftules burft the fixth or feventh day. On the other hand, both eruption and maturation are much more flow in the ordinary courfe of the disease. 3dly. None died, whether the eruption was distinct or confluent ; nor was the difeafe followed by cough, confumption, or any other difeafe frequently confequent of the ordinary method of treating the disease.' HISTORY. Art. 26. Additions and Corrections made in the fecond Edition of Mary Queen of Scots vindicated. By John Whitaker, B. D., Author of the History of Manchester, and Rector of Ruan-Lany horne, Cornwall. 8vo. pp. 454. 7s. Boards. Murray. In thefe additions and corrections, Mr. Whitaker proceeds not only to vindicate the character of Mary, by additional corroborative proofs, but he developes, in a more particular degree, the character of Elizabeth and her minifters, who here ftand forward as a group of most deteftable wretches. The enemies of Elizabeth will read thefe additional strictures with much exultation ;-her friends will perufe them with difguft;-and the most impartial will own, that Mr. Whitaker gives the fulleft weight to every kind of evidence that is to be put into the one fcale, while he tries to diminish, as much as poffible, all that should be put into the other. Though we are fatisfied that he is, on the whole, in the right, we cannot help thinking that he often draws conclufions which cannot be fully inferred from the premifes on both fides of the question. We fee no reafon for altering the opinion which we formerly gave, respecting the feizure of Mary by Bothwell, near Linlithgow, though Mr. W. endeavours to obviate the objection which we ftarted. These additions are incorporated into the body of the work in the fecond edition. BIOGRAPHY. Art. 27. Anecdotes of the Life, Adventures, and Vindication of a medical Character, metaphorically defunct. To which are prefixed or fubjoined a Dedication to certain refpectable Perfonages; a curious dramatic Dialogue; and an Appendix, containing an expoftulatory Epiftle, addreffed to Counsellor Abfque, on his Conduct at a late Trial at Winchester; fundry Vouchers, and Specimens of Latin and English Poetry. Publifhed for the Benefit of the Tin-miners of Cornwall, By Benjamin Goofequill and Peter Paragraph. 8vo. pp. 370. 4s. Boards. Bateman, 1790. We have read this volume with various and very different feelings; of which, however, pity, on the whole, has been predominant. It gives the detail, in fome parts not unentertaining, of REV. Nov. 1790. A a fome fome private difputes in, which the author was engaged; the knowlege of which, however, can, we fuppofe, be of no great importance to the public. Nor have we any inclination, by our trictures, to add to the vexation of a worthy, but irritable and irritated man, to whom millions cannot now be preferable to penury, nor a palace to a dungeon,' EDUCATION, &c. Art. 28. The New Mentor; being a Mifcellaneous Selection in Profe and Verfe, from the most celebrated Authors: calculated to form the Tafte, and improve the Minds, of the rifing Generation. Highly proper for the Ufe of public Seminaries, and adapted to the Youth of both Sexes. Izmo. PP. 230. 3s. fewed. Walter, Piccadilly. 1789. Compilements of this kind are become fo numerous, and the difference between one and another of them is so inconfiderable, that the character of all feems to be comprized in the word mifcellany. A bare transcript of the title page of each may, therefore, for the future, be fufficient. Art. 29. AGRICULTURE. The Gentleman Farmer's Pocket Companion. 12mo. I S. This trifling performance can be of no ufe to any reader. The directions, if rightly drawn up, could be of little fervice to the ignorant practitioner, on account of their brevity but as they are often erroneous, they would mislead thofe who confult them. The fkilful farmer could avoid the errors:-but he has no need of the directions. HORTICULTURE. Art 30. The Gardener's Pocket Journal and Annual Regifter; in a concife monthly Difplay of all practical Works of general Gar dening throughout the Year. Forming a complete practical Remembrancer, and compendious Journal of the proper Seafons and different Methods of fowing, planting, propagating, and railing, &c. &c. &c. &c. By John Abercrombie, Author of the Gardener's Daily Affillant, &c. 12mo. PP. 251. Is. fewed. Stalker. Mr. A. after publishing a Garden Vade Mecum †, has now schemed à Gardener's Pocket Journal! Moreover, he raifes his literary crops in fuch rapid fucceffion, that it is fresh in memory, that after producing three Gardener's Calenders, he altered his mind; and, in his Kitchen Gardener ‡, adopted another form, by giving the culture of each plant apart, under its diftinct head, which he affirmed to be a clearer mode of arrangement. Nevertheless, thinking proper to cook up a fourth Gardener's Calender, he now, with out a blufh, alters his mind again, and returns to his monthly infructions! but when a man pays no attention to his literary cre Dr. James M. Adair. + See Re. vol. 1xxx. p. 444. ‡ Idem, ibid. dit, he becomes callous to any reprefentations of inconfiftency; fo that all we have to add is, that Mr. A. having given us repeated hashes of the fame materials, the public may chufe them by their titles or their prices. For our part, fo far as we may judge, we fhould prefer his earlier productions, before the gardener became quite fo expert a book-maker. POETRY and DRAMATIC. Art. 31. Poems, and Imitations of the British Poets; with Odes, Mifcellanies, and Notes. By W. Churchty. 4to. pp. 832. 11. Is. Boards. Wilkies, Parfons, &c. 1789. If the value of poetry were estimated, like a Dutch beauty, by its weight, this immenfe volume would be worth fome thing confiderable; for really it is very heavy. Such uniform folidity runs through the numerous pages, that the author muft excufe us from affenting to his request, that the critics will neither condemn, nor commend, by the lump, but deal out fpecimena,' as he terms them: indeed, by thus refufing, we are doing Mr. Churchey a kindness, for though we might eafily felect paffages to cenfure, we fhould be puzzled to find much to praife. Art 32. Poems, by D. Deacon, jun. 4to. pp. 135. 45. Riving ་ tons. 1790. These poems are five in number; the longest of them is styled the Triumph of Liberty: occafioned by the Centenary Commemoration of the Glorious Revolution.' We here meet with a few good lines amid a vast heap of thofe that are cenfurable; and even in paffages which might have been pafled over as decent, the author has injudiciously difgufted us by the ufe of terms, which fometimes mean nothing, and fometimes convey a meaning very different from what they are intended to exprefs. -- Hark! the clangous horn, infpired The pearly dew, Thrown from the leafless thicket, patters round' The fons of art now tine their ftores.' Veils the vale's expanfe.' is a beauty of a different kind, and is an happy imitation of Cicero's "O fortunatum natum." With regard to claffical allufions, this poet is quite at home: we are told of Caftalius's fount; and the word lares is ufed as confifting of one fyllable. If the Triumph of Liberty' is bad, Edwin and Clarinda' is worfe. We read of a young ladyfaving the fummer hours from incurvations:' of errlefs fhafts,' and of obtefting skies:' we have the word meteorous fqueezed into two fyllables, and in the next line, gorgeous is ftretched out into three. Well, then, bere be truths, I warrant ye*:"-yet, bad as these things are, they are not fo difgufting as the author's frequent offences against probability, and his total want of natural feeling. The Vanity of ambitious Expectation,' is by far the best poem in this collection: as a favourable fpecimen, we select the following ftanzas: Thus when the foul is from herself eftrang'd, And by delufive objects led afide, What us'd to please to dreariness is chang'd, Deems that majestic which was born of pride, And can th' imagin'd fource with raptur'd frenzy trace. Divine enhancer of terreftrial joy! To lend etherial fweetnefs to the air, Can't make that gloom more terrible appear, Art. 33. Reflections on Peace and the Seafons. In which is intro- Some unequivocal marks are generally perceptible, at once diftin. guifhing the true poet from the mere fcribbler of verses. One of thefe is that just talte which leads an author to prefent his thoughts in as few words as poffible. It is true, that this condenfing plan, this labouring after concifenefs, may fometimes occafion obscurity. Still there is a meaning, if readers have the wit to find it out; and who would not rather wish that his poem fhould be called obfcure, from the quantity of matter contained in it, than have its intricacies imputed to a want of meaning, and a fuperfruity of words? Mr. Pow feems as fully convinced of the value of concifenefs as we are; and the mode by which he arrives at it, if not new, is curious: we fay, not new, for we have occafionally met with it in our correspondence with merchants and others, who write us by return of peft," &c. This method confifts in leaving out words, which, indeed, are neceffary to make the fenfe perfect, but which the reader, if he has any understanding, can easily fupply. This was the mode in vogue with fome ancient writers; and, like them, the prefent poet deals much in what are termed, ablatives absolute. To us, this conftruction has the appearance of little independent and unintelligible fentences occasionally starting up, for what reafon we cannot imagine; though, doubtlefs, in the author's eyes, they have their connection with what goes before or follows, and readily harmonize into a perfect and beautiful whole. We shall present our readers with a few examples of this beauty, leaving them to fupply any vacancies according to their own tafte: · True |