If fmoke required a chimney to draw it upwards, how happens it that fmoke rifes from a fire which is made in the open air, where there is no chimney?

If a tube, open at both ends, and of such a length that its upper end be below the furface of the cold water in the jar, be held vertically over the mouth of the bottle which contains the hot coloured water, the hot water will rife up through it, just as smoke rises in a chim

ney.

If the tube be previously heated before it is plunged into the cold water, the ascent of the hot coloured water will be facilitated and accelerated, in like manner as fmoke is known to rife with greater facility in a chimney which is hot, than in one in which no fire has been made for a long time. But in neither of these cafes can it, with any propriety, be faid, that the hot water is drawn up the tube.-The hotter the water in the bottle is, and the colder that in the jar, the greater will be the velocity with which the hot water will be forced up through the tube; and the fame holds of the afcent of hot fmoke in a chimney. When the fire is intenfe, and the weather very cold, the afcent of the fmoke is very rapid; and under fuch circumftances chimnies feldom fmoke.

As the cold water of the jar immediately furrounding the bottle which contains the hot water, will be heated by the bottle, while the other parts of the water in the jar will remain cold, this water fo heated, becoming | fpecifically lighter than that which furrounds it, will be forced upwards; and if it finds its way into the tube, will rife up through it with the coloured hot water. The warmed air of a room, heated by an open chimney fire-place, has always a tendency to rife, (if I may ute that inaccurate expreffion,) and finding its way into the chimney, frequently goes off with the fmoke.

TO

STRICTURES

ON THE

LOVE OF OUR COUNTRY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE MONTHLY VISITOR. SIR,

THE

HE ingenious author of the Reflector, No. IV. endeavours to prove, that the love of our country being a common, and an exceedingly useful principle, cannot operate to the injury of fociety. The evils of fociety, therefore, fuch as tyranny and flavery, he attempts to fhew originate from other fources. He afferts, that "did not the influence of commerce, and a fame, the offspring of luxury, inflame the bafe, and erafe the mild wishes of the heart, never would the conquerer command or opprefs his infulted flaves."

The utility of the love of our country, and its conformity to the nature of man, if confined within juft limits, and made fubfervient to higher principles, are not difputed.

But that it will not, by gaining an undue afcendency in men's minds, operate to the prejudice of far nobler principles, and, confequently, to the injury of fociety, is difproved by the laws of human nature, and by fatal experience. From what other fources have tyranny and flavery their origin, but from fome of thofe homely principles on which our author bestows fuch unqualified encomiums? His reply is," from the influence of commerce, and from a fame, the offspring of luxury." We fhall, therefore, inveftigate these two fources, in order to determine whether they have not their origin in paffions nearly regarding either ourselves, our kindred, or our country.

By the influence of commerce, our author, probably, means avarice. Now what is avarice but a certain modification and excess of selfish paffions? Have univer

fal

fal benevolence and piety, a chief, or even any concern, in forming a covetous temper? On the contrary, Is not the want of thefe a characteristic of this paffion? Some more contracted affections, therefore, fome partial attachments, must be the fources whence avarice flows. Self, independant of any connections with others, may be regarded as the ground-work of avarice. But partiality, whether circumfcribed by kindred or by country, differs from abfolute selfishness only in degree, and by no means in kind. Wherever boundaries are prescribed for the human passions, and men arbitrarily fix the marks where love fhall end, and animofity or indifference fhall begin, fome vices, fimilar to thofe which arife from mere felfifhnefs, will be the refult. Hence nations may be avaricious as well as individuals. And whenever the individuals of a nation unite together in a plan of robbing another nation of its poffeffions, the love of their country exifts in the loathfome form of avarice operating on a larger fcale.

"A fame, the offspring of luxury," is mentioned by our author as another fource of oppreffion, and of the many attendant evils of fociety. It is difficult to conceive how the love of fame can, with propriety, be faid to be the offspring of luxury. If this love be duly mcderated, it is a natural and ufeful principle; and has its foundation in that defire of being esteemed and careffed, which manifefts itself in very early life. But our author, probably, means that excefs of it which is called ambition, and which prompts thofe in power to tyrannife over others. This principle derives its origin from a love of being confpicuous and chief among men, with which luxury has no immediate connection. It is an active principle which has been often accompanied with great aufterity and perfeverance in encountering hardfhips. But luxury can have little concern, furely, in promoting fuch a paffion as this; fince diffipation and a love of eafe, are its proper affociates. It is rather what may be expected to fucceed the gratification of

ambition,

ambition, than to precede it as its caufe. Experience evinces the truth of this affertion. The Romans, after the time of the ambitious, warlike Julius Cæfar, foon loft their martial enterprifing fpirit, and repofing on the bed of luxury, became a prey to the barbarian tribes.

Since, however, our author has affigned luxury as the only cause of national ambition, we will enquire fomewhat farther into its nature and origin. All the evils which immediately refult from a fuperfluity of outward goods, and the unrestrained enjoyment of them, may be termed luxury. The gratification of the fenfes is the grand object of this paffion. With the mind absorbed in fuch purfuits, focial pleasures are objects but of inferior concern. Few, who are immerfed in luxury, would difpenfe with thofe fuperfluities which make fo effential a part of their enjoyments, in order to relieve a diftreffed fellow mortal. They would oftener be induced to opprefs their poor dependants for the purpose of gratifying their favourite paffion. This paffion, therefore, may be faid to be wholly of a fenfual and selfish nature; and as partiallity differs only in degree from selfishness, being likewife unfounded in truth, fimilar evils are reasonably to be expected from it. Accordingly national love, applied to the enriching of that particular nation, or to the ftoring it with the objects of luxury, may be affected toward a neighbouring nation, under its power, as an haughty lord too frequently is toward his poor dependants.

But as it appears that luxury is not the fole, or the chief caufe of ambition, it remains that we trace its true origin. Its immediate general caufe is a love of applaufe and pre-eminence. This arifes from the complacency which we find in the approbation, efteem, and fubmiffion of others. The degree of reputation which we hold in fociety, depends upon the comparative excellence which we poffefs to the reft of its members. Therefore,

Therefore, he who is prompted by too eager a defire to excel, is liable to be induced to feek his object by endeavouring to difparage and degrade others. But this betrays the excefs of self-love in purfuit of its own intereft and glory, at the expence of those of others. And is not this what we term ambition, or an inordinate love of fame? It is, indeed, no other than a certain modification and excefs of felf-love, uncorrected by higher principles. In like manner a nation, when it is defirous of obtaining a pre-eminence over other nations, at the expence of their liberty and happiness ; when it aims at degrading them below their native dignity, for the purpose of exhibiting its own fuperiority, and of exercising its authority over them, it is actuated by the extreme of felf-love. And every individual of that nation who is fo prejudiced by a love of his country as to unite in this defire, is engaged in a felfifh and mischievous confederacy. The love of home, therefore, if not regulated by ftill nobler principles, will operate to the injury of those who are regarded as ftrangers; and he who purfues the fubject a little farther, will eafily perceive that, in due time, a juft punishment will alfo be reflected on the felfish fociety at home. Witness the Greeks and Romans, who deeming other nations barbarians, were, therefore, in a continual state of hoftility with them; but are now, alas !

no more.

In page 391-It is argued, that as men and women, we are neceffarily, and naturally, fuperftitious. It is. true, that the human imagination is too apt to fuperfede the exercife of the understanding; and to create objects of belief where there is no ground of conviction. What is fuperftition but vain and vague imaginations united with correfponding paffions? But, furely, mankind are not always to be thus bewildered. If the underftanding be duly exerted, thefe illufions will be difpelled, and the light of truth will fhine forth with an uniform unclouded luftre. In order, however, that it

may