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between them. On measuring the interval separating the combs, it will generally be found about four lines. Were they too distant, it is very evident the bees would be much dispersed, and unable to communicate their heat reciprocally; whence the brood would not be exposed to sufficient warmth. Were the combs too close, on the contrary, the bees could not freely traverse the intervals, and the work of the hive would suffer.' (p. 263.) This instinct being admitted, it is evident that bees may be induced to construct new combs, by merely separating those already built, so far asunder, that they may have room to build others in the interval. The cause of the bees, which has been so eloquently and pathetically pleaded by the Poet of the seasons, is supported by M. Huber on a principle more intelligible perhaps, and more persuasive, to most country bee-masters, viz. interest. He deprecates the destruction of bees, and recommends to the cultivator to be content with a reasonable share of the wealth of the hive; arguing, very justly we believe, that a little taken from each of a number of hives, is ultimately much more profitable, than a greater quantity obtained by the total destruction of a few.

M. Huber, in the conclusion, promises to give to the public a separate work on the economical management of bees. This has not yet been published; but the experience and sagacity of the author lead us to anticipate in it, the most useful practical book that has ever appeared on the subject. We may observe, however, that to the edition printed at Paris in 1796 is subjoined a Manuel-pratique de la Culture des Abeilles,' by a Frenchman. This little tract contains, in our opinion, a good deal of useful information, exhibiting the most recent and improved plans adopted in France. A translation of it, we conceive, would have been a valuable addition to the work now before us.

Upon the whole, M. Huber's treatise is both an entertaining and an instructive little volume. Throughout the performance, however, a want of arrangement is conspicuous; and in this respect the original is still more faulty than the translation; for the translator has with propriety removed to an appendix some minute anatomical details, which interrupt and darken the narrative; and has, on the other hand, engrossed in the text some important and closely connected passages which are improperly thrown into foot-notes in the original.

The author mentions in his preface, that he had long been deprived of sight, and was obliged to depend on an assistant in making his experiments. We should not wonder if the reader should agree with us in being at first somewhat mortified at this intelligence, and should wish that the author had seen every thing

with his own eyes :-we should really be surprised if he did not smile with us at finding this untoward-looking circumstance actually considered as an advantage by the translator; for, after mentioning the circumstance, the translator, in his preface, immediately adds, Thus these discoveries may be said to acquire double authority!' Now, it seems pretty evident, that though a naturalist's assistant may possess a pair of very good eyes, he may yet be quite inadequate to the task of intelligibly describing what he sees. M. Huber, however, fortunately enjoyed, in Francis Burnens, a philosophic assistant, who himself appears to have entered with enthusiasm into the pursuit, and to have conducted the experiments, not only with the most patient assiduity, watching every occurrence oculis emissitiis, but with great address, and no small share of steadiness and courage-qualities indispensable in those who attempt to work among the stinging nations.

In respect to the translation, it is anonymous; but bears intrinsic marks of Scottish extraction. In his preface, the translator obferves, It is vain to attempt a tranflation of any work without being to a certain degree skilled in the fubject of which it treats. Some parts of the original of the following treatise, it must be acknowledged, are confused, and some so minute, that it is extremely difficult to give an exact interpretation. But the general tenor, though not elegant, is plain and perfpicuous; and fuch has it been here retained.' We fhould be forry to detract from this modeft claim. The tranflation is certainly always plain, and it is generally perfpicuous. The extracts we have given may be confidered as affording a fair fpecimen of the whole. We muft not conceal, however, that in fome few inftances it is careless and faulty. The fenfe is entirely mistaken at p. 112; and at p. 23 inextricable confufion is produced by his chufing to render reigning queens' by the extraordinary phrafe of virgin females. Upon the whole, however, the tranflation is better than that of moft French books.

As Mr Bonner's treatife is pretty well known, and his opinions generally circulated, especially in Scotland, we have thought it not amifs, in the courfe of the preceding analysis, to state the chief points in which M. Huber differs from him; and we confefs that it has appeared to us that in these cafes our countryman generally ftands corrected by the Genevefe obferver. They appear both to have been engaged in making their experiments and obs fervations about the fame time, from 1788 to 1791. M. Huber, however, poffeffed feveral eminent advantages. He was directed in his researches by one of the first philofophers of the day, M. Bonnet; he was not reftrained in his experiments by any confiderations of time or expenfe; and he was aided by an adiftant pecu

liarly

liarly expert in working among bees. Our Bonner, on the other hand, was much restricted, both as to expenfe and time, having a family to fupport by his daily earnings at the loom; and he long laboured under a very peculiar and almost incredible disadvantage, -that of refiding in the midst of a populous city; for we underftand it to be a fact, that his apiary was for fome years kept in a garret in Glasgow.

The practical directions contained in Mr Bonner's book, * are, we have no doubt, in general excellent; but many of them are of partial application only, being peculiarly adapted to the climate of North Britain; and it must not be concealed, that this climate is unfavourable to the cultivation of bees. In this respect, it is inferior not only to the climate of France or Italy, but even to that of Denmark or Russia: for in these last countries, the bees remain, during the whole winter, in a state approaching to torpor, and never leave their hives till the frost have fairly broken up, when, as is well known, the genial season immediately commen ces, and continues steady for several months. With us, on the contrary, the great changeableness of the weather in the months of March, April and May, opposes almost an insurmountable obstacle to that extensive culture of those insects, so enthusiastically projected by the worthy bee-master; and if we be not misinformed, the issue of some pretty extensive trials made by the author himself, under the patronage of the indefatigable President of the Board of Agriculture (Sir John Sinclair), has not much tended to encourage those high expectations.

ART.

His work is entitled, A New Plan for fpeedily increafing the Number of Bee-hives in Scotland; and which may be extended with equal fuccefs to England, Ireland, or America, &c. By James Bonner, Bee-mafter. One volume Svo. Edinburgh, 1795-The book feems to be little known in England: for, in Mr Knight's paper on the Economy of Bees, in the ad part of the Philofophical Tranfactions for 1807, the circumftances of bees fending out a fquadron of scouts to fix on a habitation, before the day of fwarming, and of the swarm then flying in a direct line to the felected fpot, &c. &c. are announced as if they were new difcoveries; while it fo happens, that these very facts are minutely and diftinctly flated in the Scottish bee-mafter's work, pp. 156, 157. Another of Mr Knight's remarks will be found anticipated at p. 137,

ART. V. Caufes of the Increase of Methodism, and Diffenfion. By Robert Acklem Ingram, B. D. Hatchard.

THIS

HIS is the production of an honeft man, poffeffed of a fair share of understanding. He cries out luftily (and not before it is time), upon the increase of Methodifm; propofés various remedies for the diminution of this evil; and fpeaks his opinions with a freedom which does him great credit, and convinces us that he is a refpectable man. The clergy are accused of not exerting themselves. What tempofál motive, Mr Ingram asks, havė they for exertion? Would a curate, who had ferved thirty years upon a living in the most exemplary manner, fecure to himfelf, by fuch a conduct, the flightest right or title to promotion in the church? What can you expect of a whole profellion, in which there is no more connexion between merit and reward, than between merit and beauty, or merit and ftrength? This is the fubftance of what Mr Ingram fays upon this subject; and he fpeaks the truth. We regret, however, that this gentleman has thought fit to ufe against the diffenters, the exploded clamour of Jacobinifm; or that he deems it neceflary to call in to the aid of the Church, the power of intolerant laws, in fpite of the odious and impolitic tests to which the diffenters are still fubjected. We believe them to be very good fubjects; and we have no doubt but that any further attempt upon their religious liberties, without reconciling them to the Church, would have a direct tendency to render them difaffected to the State.

Mr Ingram (whofe book, by the by, is very dull and tedious) has fallen into the common mistake of fuppofing his readers to be as well acquainted with his fubject as he is himself; and has talked a great deal about diffenters, without giving us any distinct notions of the fpirit which pervades thefe people-the objects they have in view-or the degree of talent which is to be found among them. To remedy this very capital defect, we shall endeavour to set before the eyes of the reader, a complete fection of the tabernacle; and to prefent him with a near view of those fectaries, who are at prefent at work upon the deftruction of the orthodox churches, and are deftined hereafter, perhaps, to act as confpicuous a part in public affairs, as the children of Sion did in the time of Cromwell.

The fources from which we fhall derive our extracts, are the Evangelical and Methodistical Magazines for the year 1807;works which are faid to be circulated to the amount of 18 or 20,000 each, every month; and which contain the fentiments of Arminian and Calviniftic methodists, and of the evangelical clergymen of the church of England. We fhall ufe the general term

of

of Methodism, to defignate these three claffes of fanatics, not troubling ourselves to point out the finer fhades, and nicer difcriminations of lunacy, but treating them all as in one general confpiracy against common fenfe, and rational orthodox christianity.

In reading these very curious productions, we feemed to be in a new world, and to have got among a fet of beings, of whofe existence we had hardly before entertained the flighteft conception. It has been our good fortune to be acquainted with many truly religious perfons, both in the Prefbyterian and Epifcopalian churches; and from their manly, rational, and ferious characters, our conceptions of true practical piety have been formed. To these confined habits, and to our want of proper introductions among the children of light and grace, any degree of surprise is to be attributed, which may be excited by the publications before us; which, under oppofite circumstances, would (we doubt not) have proved as great a fource of inftruction and delight to the Edinburgh reviewers, as they are to the moft melodious votaries of the tabernacle.

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It is not wantonly, or with the most distant intention of trifling upon ferious fubjects, that we call the attention of the public to thefe fort of publications. Their circulation is fo enormous, and fo increafing, they contain the opinions, and difplay the habits of fo many human beings, that they cannot but be objects of curiofity and importance. The common and the middling claffes of people are the purchafers; and the fubject is religion,-though not that religion certainly which is established by law, and encouraged by national provision. This may lead to unpleasant confequences, or it may not; but it carries with it a fort of afpect, which ought to infure to it ferious attention and reflection.

It is impoffible to arrive at any knowledge of a religious fect, by merely detailing the fettled articles of their belief: it may be the fashion of fuch a fect, to infift upon fome articles very flightly; to bring forward others prominently; and to confider fome portion of their formal creed as obfolete. As the knowledge of the jurifprudence of any country can never be obtained, by the perufal of volumes which contain fome ftatutes that are daily enforced, and others that have been filently antiquated: in the fame manner, the practice, the preaching, and the writing of fects, are comments abfolutely neceffary to render the perufal of their creed of any degree of utility.

It is the practice, we believe, with the orthodox, both in the Scotch and the English churches, to infift very rarely, and very difcreetly, upon the particular inftances of the interference of Divine Providence. They do not contend that the world is governed only by general laws,-that a Superintending Mind never inter

feres

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