As the prefent volume communicates the hiftory of the feveral PEOPLE of Caledonia, the volume immediately to fucceed is to exhibit a dictionary of PLACES, chorographical and philological, for the investigation of the various languages which have ever been spoken in that country. This, we prefume, is already at the prefs. The two concluding volumes are to contain the local hiftory of every fhire in Scotland, upon an entirely new plan. The materials for the whole are collected and in part arranged. It is our fincere wifh that the learned author may fee the accomplishment and enjoy the fruits of his labours; nor can we better exprefs the fense we entertain of the value of this great work than by adopting the words which are quoted from Verftegan, at the conclufion of the preface:

FACILIUS CARPERE
QUAM IMITARI.”

ART. II. A Chemical Catechifm, for the Ufe of Young People; with copious Notes for the Affiftance of the Teacher; to which are added a Vocabulary of Chemical Terms, ufeful Tables, and a chapter of Amusing Experiments. By S. Parkes, Manufacturing Chemift. 8vo. pp. 607. Symonds, Hatchard, &c. 1806*.

IN the preface of the prefent Chemical Catechifm, which, by the bye, might, with more propriety, have been called by fome other name, this author mentions the circumstances which gave origin to his work; he briefly fketches the plan of it, and offers the ufual excufes for its imperfections; viz. that the original compilation of this elementary treatife was undertaken for the use of his fon; but as it appeared useful and important to infpire a tafte of chemical knowledge in early life, the work was enlarged and published for the ufe of young people in general; propofing that by them it fhould be read with the affiftance of preceptors. For this purpose the text, which confifts of queflions and anfwers, is very fhort, while the notes are very extenfive; these being principally intended for

* Having juft found room for this article, which we have had prepared fome time, we fee a new edition of the book advertised. We infert this, however, without alteration,

the

the affiftance of the preceptor, who may thereby be enabled to expatiate upon, and to explain, a variety of facts, or to anfwer fuch questions as the pupil may be led to afk. With refpect to the extent of the work, Mr. P. fays, that his object was to explain the rudiments of chemistry in fuch á manner as to invite a youth to ftudy other more extensive works, and to enable him to imbibe that part of the theory, which he can fubftantiate by the performance of experiments with his own hands. In excufe for the imperfections of his work, this author principally alledges the interference of his profeffional occupations.

Next to the preface comes the table of contents, which is as follows:

"An Address to Parents on the Importance of Chemical In ftruction. Chap. I. Introductory and Miscellaneous. II. Of Atmospheric Air. III. Of Caloric. IV. Of Water. V. Of Earths. VI. Of Alkalies. VII. Of Acids. VIII. Of Salts. IX. Of Single Combustibles. X. Of Metals. XI. Of Oxides. XII. Of Combuftion. XIII. Of Attraction, Repulfion, and Chemical Affinity.-Additional Notes;-Chemical Tables;Select Inftructive Experiments;-Vocabulary of Chemical Terms; -And a General Index."

In the addrefs to parents, which runs through 32 pages, this author propofes, that children, at a very early age, be invited to employ an hour or two of each day on the fcience of chemistry; by fhowing them a few easy and striking experiments, fome of which they may repeat with their own hands; and by endeavouring to make them understand the rationale, or theoretical explanation, of each process.

"Asfoon," this author obferves, "as children begin to talk freely. they discover adefire to know every thing around them, and to be acquainted with the cause of every effect which arifes in their prefence, Curiofity and a thirst for knowledge feem to be natural to man. The great art of EARLY education, then, confifts in fupplying this curiofity with fuch a series of gratifications as is calculated to keep the principle alive, and to depofit at the fame time those feeds which cannot fail to produce useful and valuable fruit in future life.

"If the child have the ufual activity of children, curiofity will be found to be the prominent feature, and if the parent do not beftrew his path with innoxious flowers, he will not fail to find fomething to ftrike his fancy, among the deftructive allurements which every where furround him."

P. 1.

Amusement is undoubtedly the child's object; but if amusement

C

BRIT. CRIT, VOL. XXXI. JAN. 1808.

amufement could be rendered the vehicle of useful inftruction, and if a variety of ufelefs toys could be fupplanted by the inftruments of fcience, this author thinks, that a great and important point would thereby be obtained. For this purpose, Mr. P. fays, the fcience of chemistry is peculiarly qualified; fince it offers an unbounded fource of amusement, is extenfively useful, and the causes which produce moft of its effects, are neither very difficult to be comprehended, when properly and familiarly explained, nor difficult to be remembered.

To thofe perfons who may not be apprifed of the value of chemical knowledge, Mr. P. fhows how effentially ufeful, and applicable it is, to almoft every operation of civil fo ciety, and in every ftation of life. He mentions feveral inflances of prodigious advantages having been derived from a knowledge of chemiftry, by mechanics, brewers, diftillers, potters, farmers, and manufacturers of every description.: Laftly, Mr. P. concludes his addrefs with obferving how highly important it is to direct the firft efforts of the human mind, and to employ the first years of life in a proper, a profitable, and a rational manner.

The firft, or introductory chapter defines feveral terms belonging to the fcience, and mentions the meanings, the extent, the objects, and other particulars, of chemistry in ge neral, as alfo fome branches of natural philofophy more immediately connected with chemify. But feveral of thofe particulars, which are briefly mentioned in this chapter, are of fuch a nature, that they might each of them require perhaps more than a feparate chapter for a proper and clear explanation; and though it must be fuppofed that the preceptor mult fupply the neceffary illuftration; yet it fhould be confidered that few preceptors or parents are qualified fufficiently for this purpofe; nor do the notes fupply him with much elementary information. Thus, this firft chapter treats of the nature of chemistry, of fluidity and folidity, of fpecific gravity, of air, of the afcenfion of air balloons, of evaporation, of the formation of clouds, and of rain.

In page 50 this author fays,

"You fay the atmosphere is fluid, what proofs have you of its being fo-Many inftances might be adduced to show that the atmofphere is fluid, but the afcenfion of an air balloon is a fufficient proof of its fluidity.

"How do you account for an air balloon foating in the atmaphere?

"Because it is filled with a gas, which is fpecifically lighter

than common air."

And

And this is all the mention that is made of air balloons and of gas in the firft chapter. Would it not have been infinitely better to have mentioned fmoke, as an inftance of fomething fwimming in the atmosphere, which the child muft undoubtedly be acquainted with, than to have mentioned an air balloon and a gas, of which the child must be utterly ignorant ?

A fimilar obfervation might be applied to other parts of this and to fome of the following chapters.

The fecond chapter treats of atmospheric air, defcribing its fluidity, its elafticity, expanfibility, gravity, ufes, &c. alfo the various fubftances found in the atmosphere, the nature of gafes, the altitude of the atmosphere, with its effects, and laftly, the intricate process of refpiration.

The sd chapter treats of caloric;-its various fources; its latent ftate, as well as when it is called fenfible heat, free caloric, and combined caloric, &c.

In page 111 the question is, "What do you call the inftrument which is in common use to measure the temperature of bodies. "The answer is, "It is called a thermometer. It confifts of a glafs tube containing a portion of mercury, with a graduated plate annexed to it. The tube is hermetically fealed, to preferve it from the preffure of the atmosphere."

This is a very defective defcription of the thermometer; and it is not true that the object of fealing it hermetically is to preferve it from the preffure of the atmosphere.

In the 4th chapter, on water, the question is, "Do you know any of the methods of decompofing water?

To which the answer is, " Yes: it is done by paffing it through a tube over red hot charcoal, or by paffing repeated electrical hocks through it.”

It is remarkable that not a word is faid of the electrical machine or of electrical fhocks previous, or fubfequent,

to it.

We, now, might, in the like manner, point out feveral other improprieties of this publication; for it frequently mentions fubftances, or intricate operations, and inftruments, without any explanation at all, or with a very imperfect

one.

One of the defects of this work alfo is, that the chemical apparatus is not defcribed in it. There is indeed one plate facing the title page, which exhibits a very few articles; but this plate, being etched upon glafs in a rough manner by means of the fluoric acid, is inferted more for the fake of

fhowing the power of that acid, than for the explanation of the chemical apparatus.-A defcription of chemical operations is alfo wanting. In the 5th, 6th, and 7th, and 8th chapters, this author treats of earths, of alkalies, of acids, and of falts. And it is not before he comes to the 9th chapter, that he mentions the number and the characteristics of fimple or elementary fubftances. It feems to us, that an arrangement more methodical, fimpler, and more divefted of difficulties, would be much better calculated for the inftruction of young perfons, than a compilation like the prefent, which is likely to encumber the young mind with the very imperfect outlines of various, abftrufe, and probably to him, utterly unintelligible fubjects.

Confidering this work with refpect to the facts it defcribes, it must be acknowledged, that a great many of the new difcoveries are mentioned in it; and that the descriptions are in general clear and fatisfactory; fo that, with a better arrangement, with the addition of other particulars, fuch as the defcription of the chemical apparatus, as well as the most common chemical operations: fuch as diftillation, filtration, fufion, &c. inftead of the numerous poetical quotations from Darwin, Thomson, Walcott, &c. and other useless trifles, this work might be rendered more acceptable to the public..

Notwithstanding the numerous notes that are placed immediately under the text, feveral pages of additional notes are placed towards the end of the book. The chemical tables which follow thofe notes are,

"A table of carats, with their correfponding degrees of fpe. cific gravities, for afcertaining the fpecific gravities of alkaline leys, or other fluids, heavier than water.

"A table of the degrees of different thermometers (omitting fractions) at which fome chemical phenomena occur.

"A table of freezing mixtures.-From Mr. Walker's papers. "Numerical expreffion of chemical affinities. By M. Mor

veau.

"Table of the boiling point of fundry liquids, &c.

"Table of the quantity of real acid taken up by alkalies and earths. By Mr. Kirwan.

Table of the quantity of alkalies and earths taken up by 100 parts of real fulphuric, nitric, muriatic, and carbonic acids, when faturated. By Mr. Kirwan.

"Table of the component parts of falts. By Mr. Kirwan. "A table of the properties of feveral of the falts, arranged in each clafs according to the affinities of their radicals for the acids.

"Tables for Baume's hydrometers.

7

"Table