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thereby be reduced to beggary. Trade, fuppofing the most favourable circumftances, would languish under the fhackles of a military government. Jealousy, contention, and mutual injuries would prevail among the refpective fervants of government and the company. The commercial department would lofe that weight and influence, which, in India, it must neceffarily enjoy, to be able to form the investment. Revenues collected by military force, would foon become inadequate to the expences. The country would be forfaken by the inhabitants, and the disputed fovereignty, in a short time reduced, from one of the most populous, rich, and flourishing countries upon earth, to a naked, barren, and uncultivated defert.

Thefe are the effects which, we think, would infallibly refult from g―t's adopting the propofal made by our author. At the fame time, we heartily join iffue with him in wifhing, that fome effectual fteps may be taken to fecure the permanency to the nation of so invaluable a branch of commerce.

13. The Patriots of Jerufalem petitioning Artaxerxes for a Redrefs of Grievances; a Parody: infcribed to the Supporters of the Bill of Rights: by the Author of Balaam and bis Afs; a Parody. 8vo. Pr. Is. Griffin.

This little parody is intended as a fatire on the party to which it is infcribed. The allufion, it must be owned, is not perfectly appofite, but it is fupported with fome degree of addrefs; and contains more of rational and honeft zeal, than of blind or virulent invective.

14. Reafons for an Amendment of the Statute of 28 Henry VIII. c. 11. § 3. which gives to the Succeffor in Ecclefiaftical Benefices all the Profits from the Day of the Vacancy. 8vo. Pr. Is. Payne.

The hardship, which this writer confiders, is in the cafe of an incumbent dying a little before harvest, and his fucceffor receiving the greateft part of the annual profits of the living, without affigning an adequate proportion to the representatives of a man who probably may have discharged the duty of the parish ten months out of twelve, and been at a confiderable expence in improving the preferment.

The author offers feveral reafons for the amendment of the ftatute of 28 of Henry VIII, drawn from principles of juftice, equity, and compaflion.

This tract is drawn up in a masterly manner, and the subje feems to be deferving of fome farther and more effectual enquiry.

15. The

15. The Deftruction of Trade, and Ruin of the Metropolis, prognofticated, from a total Neglect and Inattention to the Confervacy of the River Thames, &c. 4to. Pr. 1. F. Newbery.

The author of this pamphlet, under the fignature Mercator, after having affured us that he is a merchant, a manufacturer, an Englishman, a brother of the Trinity, and also a moral man, proceeds to enumerate the feveral mistakes, blunders, and omiffions, arifing from the neglect, and inattention of those to whom the confervancy of the river Thames is configned, and prognosticates nothing less than the destruction of trade, and ruin of this now flourishing metropolis. In fupport of this affertion, Mr. Mercator cites the following report of the committee appointed by the lord-mayor, aldermen, and commons of the city of London, in common coun cil affembled, to take into confideration the petition of Robert and James Adam, James Payne, Dorothy Monck, William Kitchner, and Richard Norris, to the right honourable the lord mayor: That we have taken the faid petition into confideration, and having alfo confulted our furveyor thereon, are humbly of opinion, that an embankment of the north fide of the river Thames, from the angle formed by the York-building fire engine, and the wharf immediately below the fame, in a strait line to a point in the faid river, at the distance of one hundred feet from the wharf wall at the bottom of Salisbury ftreet, in the liberty of Westminster, in a continued ftrait line along the middle of the faid street, and from the faid point, in a ftrait line, to the baftion on the weft fide of Somerfet Gardens, would be of public utility, as it would tend to improve the navigation of that part of the faid river.' This determination our brother of the Trinity finds great fault with; and is of opinion, that the committee was led into this error by their furveyor; a man perhaps converfant enough in building houfes, &c (continues our author) but what has his judgment to do with the navigation of the Thames, even fuppofe him not partially biaffed, which, in fingle judgments, is not an uncommon cafe? This fort of difcourfe Mr. Mercator calls moralifing upon his fubject, we therefore apprehend the following extract will be fufficient for the reader to form a proper judgment of the philanthropy of the author, and the merit of his performance.

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It is the common order of human affairs, that men firft confider themselves as the fummum bonum of all projects they pursue, the public is only fet up as a standard flag to attract approbation, the play is on the weakness of fome, the wickedness of others, and the indolence or inattention of all; pre

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fumption does much, impudence more, and ignorance fills the scale, that outbalances all sense, judgment, and propriety.'

16. Directions for bringing over Seeds and Plants, from the EaftIndies and other diftant Countries, in a State of Vegetation: 10gether with a Catalogue of fuck Foreign Plants as are worthy of being encouraged in our American Colonies, for the Purposes of Medicine, Agriculture, and Commerce. To which is added, the Figure, and Botanical Defcription of a new Senfitive Plant, called Dionaa Mufcipula: or Venus's Fly-Trap. By John Ellis, F. R. S. 410. Pr. 25. L. Davis.

One of the principal methods, here recommended, for preferving feeds in long voyages, is that of inclosing them in bees-wax; but as there are alfo other useful means fuggested, we could wish that all those who have it in their power to furnish their country with exotic vegetables, would perufe the treatise itself. For the gratification of the curious reader, we fhall extract the author's account of a newly-difcovered fenfitiveplant, entitled Dionæa Muscipula, or Venus's Fly-Trap, from his letter to the celebrated Linnæus.

You have seen the Mimosa, or Senfitive-Plants, clofe their leaves, and bend their joints, upon the leaft touch; and this has astonished you; but no end or defign of nature has yet appeared to you from thefe furprising motions: they foon recover themselves again, and their leaves are expanded as before.

But the plant, of which I now inclofe you an exact figure, with a fpecimen of its leaves and bloffoms, fhews, that nature may have fome view towards its nourishment, in forming the upper joint of its leaf like a machine to catch food: upon the middle of this lies the bait for the unhappy infect that becomes its prey. Many minute red glands, that cover its inner furface, and which perhaps difcharge fweet liquor, tempt the poor animal to tafte them: and the inftant thefe tender parts are irritated by its feet, the two lobes rife up, grasp it fast, lock the rows of fpines together, and fqueeze it to death. And, further, left the ftrong efforts for life, in the creature thus taken, fhould ferve to difengage it; three small ere& fpines are fixed near the middle of each lobe, among the glands, that effectually put an end to all its struggles. Nor do the lobes ever open again, while the dead animal continues there. But it is nevertheless certain, that the plant cannot diftinguish an animal, from a vegetable or mineral fubftance; for if we introduce a straw or a pin between the lobes, it will grafp it full as fast as if it was an infect.'

17. A Short Account of the Waters of Recoaro, near Valdagno, in the Venetian State. 8vo. Pr. 15. Dodfley.

Thefe waters iffue from the Vicentine hills, which border on the Trentine Alps, about three hundred paces from the town of Recoaro, twenty-four miles from the city of Vicenza, and five from Valdagno. They are found, by chemical analyfis, to contain an active, very fubtle, and extremely elastic fpirit, impregnated with a vitriolic acid; a great quantity of chalybeate principles, united with a fmall portion of alcaline. earth; and a vast deal of a bitterish neutral falt, much refembling that of the Epfom waters in England. They are celebrated for their efficacy in many complaints of the stomach, fuch as weaknesses, heart-burnings, frequent vomitings, loathings or loss of appetite, irregular cravings, and indigestions; in the first stages of the fcurvy; in the jaundice; in nephritic pains, proceeding from gravel, or fmall ftones in the reins; in heats of the urine; in ftranguries; in hysteric and hypochondriac disorders; in the chlorofis; in barrenness; too violent flowings of the menfes; the fluor albus; the piles; and in the relics of long periodical fevers.

In short, fays the author, thefe waters are good in fo many and fuch cruel disorders, that feveral perfons, well acquainted with their virtues, have thought it would not be doing them too much honour, to beftow on them the title of a Panacea, or Universal Remedy.'

18. Experiments on the Caufe of Heat in living Animals, and Velocity of the nervous Fluid. By John Caverhill, M. D. M. R. C. P. F. R. S. 8vo. Pr. 1s. 6d. Robfon.

Almoft a whole hecatomb of poor rabbits has here been cruelly facrificed, to prove-what? That the heat in living animals is diminished by the deftruction of the nerves; a propofition which required no farther experiments to confirm. But it is not our humanity only that is fhocked by thefe experiments; for the inferences deduced from them, do violence even to reafon itself. This author proceeding upon a preconceived hypothefis, that the fluid of the nerves is of a grofs earthy nature, alledges, that it is moved with a velocity not exceeding in its progreffion the space of one inch in twenty-four hours; and yet from the inconfiderable attrition which would refult from this motion through the foft and unelaftic tubes of the nerves, he would derive the caufe of all animal heat. We fhall only obferve, in regard to this theory, that there is an infinite difference betwixt the motions excited in the nerves, when intire, by volition, or the influence of the foul, and those which are produced by the irritation of di

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vided nerves; and that no arguments drawn from the latter phenomena can ever be admitted as conclufive of the natural operations of the former. Were the nervous fluid really of fo gro's a nature, and moved fo flowly as is alledged by this author, why fhould it alone of all the animal fluids be invifible? Or could we reafonably fuppofe it to be a competent inftrument for the inftantaneous conveyance of fenfation, and the emotions of the mind?

19. The prefent, State of Midwifery in Paris. With a Theory of the Caufe and Mechanifm of Labour. By A. Tolver, ManMidwife. 8vo. Pr. s. 6d. Cadell.

This treatife contains a plain and judicious abstract of the art of midwifery; and we are perfuaded, will be read with pleafure by all the obftetrical profeffion.

20. The Ladies New Difpenfatory, and Family Phyfician. 8vo. Pr. 2s. 6d. Robinfon and Roberts.

This little volume contains fuch clear and concife directions for the cure of difeafes, that it cannot fail of being underitood by the ladies with facility, and read with great profit. The preferiptions, likewife, are remarkably fimple, elegant, and efficacious; and it may be efteemed, upon the whole, as the completeft and moft ufeful production of the kind.

21. Letters to the Ladies, on the Prefervation of Health and Beauty. By a Phyfician. 8vo. Pr. 2s. 6d. Robinfon and Roberts. The author of thefe letters informs us, that they are intended as a fupplement to the well known Sermons to Young Women; and that, as the preacher has delivered fuch precepts as may improve and adorn the mind, he (the author of the Letters) inftructs his fair correfpondents, in the art of preferving external beauty. It would, indeed appear, that this physician general to the young, the gay, and the beautiful, as he ftiles himself, is by no means a ftranger to the cosmetic art and there are fo many lively ftrokes of gallantry, as well as ufeful rules, and pertinent obfervations, in thefe Letters, that we make no doubt of their mecting with a very favourable reception from the ladies. The following letter may serve as a fpecimen of this agreeable production.

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Having, in my laft letter, directed the most effectual methods for improving and preferving the complexion, I fhall now confider the means made ufe of to difguife it, namely, the expedient of painting.

After carefully analyzing all the cofmetics which have been impofed upon the world under various denominations, I

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