ART. 38.- Essays on miscellaneous and interesting Subjects. By Richard Warthington, M. D. 12mo. Cadell and Davies. 1804. Dr. Worthington is so peppery that it is dangerous to come near him. Our brothers of the Monthly Review are chastised in the first pages of this work for some former affront, and are requested to leave this work to itself. We will also comply with this desire, and pass no sort of judgment. The reader will see, by the following extract, what sort of writer the doctor is, and how great is his knowledge of the importance of commerce to the country he lives in.

Why all this bustle? this ratling of wheels, this clattering of hoofs, this clangour of horns, this cracking of thongs, and bloody flagellations? Why this uproar and nocturnal revel? Why are whole towns to be disturbed, and chambers to be violated? On what account are quiet, honest people to be frightened out of their first sleep, and the hour, perhaps, of fortunate repose on the bed of sickness, terrified and chased away Our mail coaches, like Macbeth, "have murdered sleep." --Therefore, I would that mail coaches might revolve no more-But, I shall wish, and hope, and write in vain-Legs, arms, necks and beads must be broken; excellent horses must be driven to death in a year or two, and all the world distracted, that a few merchants, stock jobbers and brokers may receive their intelligence, or commissions, between breakfast and dinner, instead of between dinner and supper.

Who, that cannot see any great importance in these events, would believe, that it was merely on their account, or on others equally insig nificant, that a stately machine, carrying seven passengers, not one of whom has a concern in their success, was whirling around on a quadruple axis, at an impetus of eight, nine, ten, and, occasionally, twelve miles per hour, amidst every variety of season, and inclemency of sky; amidst the damps and darkness of night; the heat and splendor of day; braving alike the perilous and midnight blasts of January, and the meridian blaze of June! Nay, on the wings of such fiery expedition is it often seen to drive, that, was it not for the difficulty of mistaking a tipsy coachman, ardent and ruby from the gin shop, for Apollo, or the son of Apollo, glowing with celestial fire; or a turnpike road, overwhelmed with dust or dirt, as accident may determine, for the galaxy of the heavens, a young mythologist might almost doubt whether his astonished vision had been crossed by a mortal car, or the impetuous chariot of the sun, in wild and desperate career.' ART. 39.-Historical Outlines of the Rise and Establishment of the Papal Power; addressed to the Roman-catholic Priests of Ireland. By Henry Card. 8vo. 3s. 6d. Longman and Rees. 1804.

While one part of the empire is distracted by the intrigues and su perstition of the Romish priests, perhaps Mr. Card has been well employed in pointing out the infamous conduct of the predecessors of those who have lately sat on an uneasy and precarious throne-a throne sapped by scepticism and infidelity, and since stormed by democratical turbulence. We can highly praise the motive and respect the execution; but we fear it will be useless; for those who can alone profit by it will not, we suspect, hear the voice of the charmer, charm he never so wisely. These outlines are written in a spirited, elegant style, and well adapted to prove that the catholics are not solely and exclusively, as they suppose, members of the church of Christ.

CRITICAL REVIEW.

Vol. IV.

SERIES THE THIRD.

FEBRUARY, 1805.

No. II

ART. I.—An Essay on Chemical Statics; with copious Explanatory Notes, and an Appendix on Vegetable and Animal Substances. Translated from the original French of C. L. Berthollet, Member of the Conservative Senate, of the Institute, &c. By B.Lambert. 2 vols. 8vo. Mawman. 1804.

CHEMISTRY, notwithstanding its wonderful advancement within the last thirty years, as a practical art, has by no means hitherto attained that comprehensive knowledge and catenation of results, which can characterise it as a complete science. There are no laws deduced from the notices we have of all its phenomena, that can be fairly compared with the laws of motion in general, as they are delivered by Newton, or as they are proved in their particular application to the motions of the planets. The most general law of chemistry, “that all bodies are expanded by caloric," has none of that exactness, nor can it be applied in calculation, like the law of planetary motion," the square of the periodical times is as the cubes of the distances."-On the contrary, in the progress of chemistry it has been found requisite to form different theories to account for the phenomena, and to give the mind a portion of that satisfaction, which it requires to animate its pursuit. Perhaps it is fortunate, that the first digestion of the mind (as lord Bacon calls it) of modern chemists, did stir up such a field of inquiry, as to render some theory requisite. Hence arose the doctrine of phlogiston. This doctrine demanded experiments. The experiments of Priestley led to the discovery of oxygen. The experiments of Cavendish led the way to the discovery of the composition of water. These, and an infinite number of other newly observed facts, were finally confirmed by the French chemists, and the immortal Lavoisier and his school have CRIT. REV. Vol. 4. February, 1805.

I

brought into shape that beautiful fabric, which is now generally adopted as the system of chemical knowledge. The present publication of Berthollet advances a step farther, by first abstracting the general rules of that system, passing lightly over those that are obvious, and resting upon those that are obscure; embodying the facts on their several trains, and then disentangling them from their several combinations; and finally by recognising affinity as the cause of all combinations, by tracing its successive and relative actions, by examining the mutual dependence of chemical properties of bodies, compared, at first, with each other, and afterwards considered in the different substances; what are the forces which arise from their action in the effects produced by them, and, what are the properties of the forces which contribute to these effects, or which are in opposition to them.' Vol. i. P. xviii.

Before we proceed to a regular analysis of the work before us, we cannot but admire the comprehension of mind, the profusion of acquirement, and the liberality of philosophical sentiment, of the writer. He has dived into the depths of chemical knowledge. Not a fact escapes him; and, what is admirable at the present hour, and we trust will become a fashion again, he remembers the name of the author of each experiment. But it would be waste of time to enlarge on M. Berthollet's great powers as a philosopher. His discoveries and his writings speak for themselves, and far be it from us to attempt to depreciate their merit by any allusion to his character in a political point of view! Science should have nothing to do with party distinctions-she belongs to mankind.

The essay is divided into two parts. In the first are considered all the elements of chemical action; in the second, the substances that exercise it. All chemical action he considers as the effect of affinity, modified by the constitution of the body which exercises it. Cohesion is the effect of the reciprocal affinity of the particles of bodies, and a force opposed to all those tending to cause them to enter into another combination, while on the contrary it tends to re-unite them. Every affinity which tends by its action to diminish the effect of cohesion, ought to be regarded as a force opposed to it, and of which the result is solution. These two forces, therefore, according to their solutions, produce different results; which are not to be attributed, in conformity to the opinion of some philosophers, to two affinities, one purely chemical, the other physical. Chemists have considered the force of cohesion, only as a quality of bodies actually solid; so that when solidity ceased, they thought it was destroyed on the contrary, its effects may cease to be sensible without ceasing to act, which is the case with all the physical powers comprehended in it: this is the

chief result in M. Berthollet's doctrine, which he afterwards illustrates by a long quotation from Saussure, Vol. i. p. 376, and by considering substances in solution, precipitates, saturation, &c. The expansive power of caloric modifies also the general law, that substances act in the ratio of the energy of their affinity and quantity, as does likewise the interval of time necessary for the performance of chemical action.

Under these heads, he considers generally all the known elements of chemical action; or in other words, endeavours to lay the foundation-stone of chemical science. He then proceeds, in the second part, to the substances. He examines the properties of inflammable substances, then of compound acids, then of alkalis, earths, and metals.

Vegetable substances and animal substances are very complex, not so much by the number of the elements which enter into their composition, as by the substances which arise from them, and which all act by a resulting force; they are so unsettled and so variable that it is very difficult to obtain an exact knowledge of the causes of the phenomena arising from them; the greatest circumspection is necessary in considering them: I shall confine myself to indicating what appears to me to be best ascertained, or what may be most reasonably conjectured, respecting the phenomena of this description, which chemistry has been able to attain.' Vol. i. p. 31.

On the subject of the new gas, which he calls oxi-carburated hydrogen, he treats as follows:

Until very lately the inflammable gas which contains only carbon and hydrogen, and another species of inflammable gas, which at the same time contains oxigen, and which I have denominated oxi-carburated hydrogen, have been confounded. The theory I have embraced on this subject, is in opposition to that supported by Guyton. It is asserted that the inflammable gas I call oxicarburated, differs from carbonic acid only by a greater proportion. of carbon.

"I am of opinion that it receives hydrogen into its composition; that it is indebted to this element for its specific lightness, which was ascertained by Cruikshank, and by Clement and Desorme, to be greater than that of atmospheric air; that this hydrogen may arise from the charcoal, which contains it even when it has been strongly calcined; from the water which some substances can retain at the highest degree of heat; and very often from both.' Vol. ii. p. 70.

After adducing a great number of facts and reasonings, he concludes

Carbon and hydrogen can therefore form two species of combination: one in which the carbon predominates, and which is fixed; and the other in which the hydrogen is superior, to which it then owes its gazeous state.

'Oxigen can produce a ternary combination with these two first elements; it is found in charcoal, but only in a small proportion; it can form a gazeous combination, and enter into it in a much larger proportion; this is the oxi-carburated hydrogen gas; and although the hydrogen can only exist in it in a small quantity, it is the most efficacious cause of its elastic state, and of its specific lightness.

I am of opinion that the existence of this gas is proved, principally; 1st. Because a similar one can be composed by combining a certain proportion of oxigen with carburated hydrogen gas, and because that obtained from urging charcoal by fire is also of this species.

2d. Because the most powerfully calcined charcoal contains hydrogen, and no effect of this element is to be found so energetic, if it is not admitted that it passes into the oxi-carburated hydrogen gas which is formed by its means.

3d. Because the specific lightness of oxi-carburated hydrogen gas cannot be reconciled with the supposition that it is only composed of carbon and oxigen; and which requires that the oxigen, after having experienced a contraction in the formation of the carbonic acid, shall follow a course, so opposite, that the combination resulting from a much more considerable addition of a solid and scarcely expansive element, will become specifically lighter than that of its elements, which are naturally very light, and have a great disposition to elasticity, while the accession of hydrogen gives a natural explanation of this lightness.' Vol. ii. P. 80.

The appendix on animal and vegetable substances, contains much curious and instructive matter. On the subject of fermentation and crushing of wine we have the following extract from Fabroni.

The saccharine matter is the element necessary to the vinous fermentation it is decomposed in it; it only ferments by the action of another substance, capable of re-acting upon it, and of disengaging an elastic fluid from it.

The matter which decomposes the sugar in the vinous efferyescence is the vegeto-animal substance; it is seated in peculiar utricles in the grape, as well as in the grain; by crushing the grape this glutinous matter is mixed with the sugar, as if an acid and a carbonate were poured into the same vessel; as soon as the two matters are in contact the effervescence or fermentation commences in it, as happens in every other operation of chemistry.

When these matters are liquid, the carbon of the glutinous part attacks the oxigen of the sugar; it burns and is disengaged in gas; the sugar, partly deoxidated, forms a new kind of combination with the hydrogen and azote.' Vol. ii. P. 413.

To those who seek for an elementary book of chemistry, the 5 Chemical Statics' will be of little usc. Lavoisier's Elements should be placed in the hands of the learner, and Berthollet