amufement could be rendered the vehicle of ufeful 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 feience of chemistry is peculiarly qualified; fince it offers an unbounded fource of amufement, is extensively useful, and the caufes which produce most of its effects, are neither very difficult to be comprehended, when properly and familiarly explained, nor difficult to be remembered.

To those persons who may not be apprised of the value of chemical knowledge, Mr. P. fhows how effentially useful, and applicable it is, to almoft every operation of civil fociety, and in every ftation of life. He mentions feveral inftances of prodigious advantages having been derived from a knowledge of chemistry, by mechanics, brewers, diftillers, potters, farmers, and manufacturers of every defcription. 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, on introductory chapter defines several terms belonging to the fcience, and mentions the meanings, the extent, the objects, and other particulars, of chemiftry in ge neral, as alfo fome branches of natural philofophy more immediately connected with chemistry. 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 must 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 firit 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 £uid, what proofs have you of its being foMany inftances might be adduced to fhow that the atmosphere is fluid, but the afcenfion of an air balloon is a fufficient proof of its fluidity,

"How do you account for an air balloon floating in the atmos phere?

"Because it is filled with a gas, which is fpecifically lighter than common zir.”

And

And this is all the mention that is made of air balloons and of gas in the first chapter. Would it not have been infinitely better to have mentioned fmoke, as an inftance of fomething fwimming in the atmosphere, which the child must 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 second chapter treats of atmospheric air, defcribing its fluidity, its elafticity, expanfibility, gravity, uses, &c. allo the various fubftances found in the atmosphere, the nature of gafes, the altitude of the atmosphere, with its effects, and laftly, the intricate procefs of refpiration.

The 3d 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 glass tube containing a portion of mercury, with a gra duated 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 preserve 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 anfwer is, " Yes: it is done by paffing it through a tube over red hot charcoal, or by paffing repeated electrical thocks 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 publications for it frequently mentions fubftances, or intricate operations, and inftruments, without any explanation at all, or with a very imperfe&t

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 respect to the facts it defcribes, it must be acknowledged, that a great many of the new difcoveries are mentioned in it; and that the defcriptions 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, Thomfon, Walcott, &c. and other ufelefs 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 those notes are,

"A table of carats, with their correfponding degrees of fpecific 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

"Table of the quantities of acids and bafes which mutually neutralize each other.

"Table of the affinities of fundry bafes for four of the acids, according to their intenfity. And

"A table of the real fpecific gravity of folutions as indicated by Baume's arcometer for falts."

After thofe tables, comes a collection of familiar and eafy chemical experiments, which certainly is a very good, felection of the kind. It contains 154 experiments, briefly,, yet clearly defcribed. The following is a specimen.

54. Spread a piece of tinfoil, fuch as is used for coating electrical jars, upon a piece of thick paper; pour a small quantity of ftrong folution of nitrate of copper upon it. Fold it up quickly," and wrap it round carefully with the paper, more effectually to exclude the atmospheric air. Place it then upon a tile, and in a fhort time combuftion will commence, and the TIN WILL IN

FLAME.

55. Take three parts of nitre, two of potafs, and one of fulphur; make them thoroughly dry, and then mix them by rubbing them together in a warm mortar. The refulting compound is called fulminating powder. If a little of this powder be placed upon a fire-shovel over a hot fire, it gradually blackens, and at laft melts. At that inftant it EXPLODES WITH A VIOLENT RE

PORT.

56. Whenever uncombined muriatic, or any volatile acid is fufpected to be prefent in any chemical mixture, it may be detected by ammonia. A fingle drop of ammonia held over the mixture will immediately render the VAPOUR VISIBLE.

"57. Ammonia in folution may in like manner be detected by a fingle drop of muriatic, or acetic acid, which will produce very. evident WHITE FUMES. This is merely the reverfe of the former experiment.

"58. Procure a bladder furnished with a ftop cock; fill it with hydrogen gas; and then adapt a tobacco-pipe to it. By djpping the bowl of the pipe into a lather of foap, and preffing the bladder, foap-bubbles will be formed, filled with hydrogen gas. Thefe bubbles will rife into the atmofphere, as they are formed, and convey a good idea of the principle upon which AIRBALLOONS are inflated.

59. Procure a bladder fimilar to that defcribed in the laft experiment. Charge it with a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen gafes; blow up foap-bubbles as before; and touch them with a lighted match. The bubbles as they rife will EXPLODE WITH A SMART NOISE." P. 544.

The vocabulary of chemical terms, and the general index, which are placed at the end of the book, are in alphabetical order, and form a useful appendage to the work.

C 3

ART.

ART. III. Fragments of Oriental Literature, with an" Outline of a Painting on a curious China Vafe. By Stephen Wefton, B. D. F. R.S. S. A. R. L. H. 8vo. 180 PP. Payne.

1807.

F the mifcellaneous articles which compofe this volume, that immediately following the preface and table of contents is Meleager's beautiful Idyllium on the Spring, with a Latin verfion, more close and literal than the translation made by Grotius, and a poetical paraphrafe in English. After this we find a compilation of paffages from feveral Arabian and Perfian writers expreffing thoughts fimilar to thofe of the Grecian poet. To this cento, (as Mr. Wefton ftyles it, p. xxv.), are added fome explanatory notes, the value of which would have been confiderably enhanced by references to the various authors from whofe works the Arabic and Perfian lines were selected.

The pedigree of an Arabian horse follows (p. 28); it was fufpended from the neck of a celebrated charger, purchafed in Egypt during the laft campaign in that country, but a great part of the original Arabic, (of which a tranflation is given, p. 30), has, by accident, as we fuppofe, been omitted.

The ingenious author prefaces fome remarks on the manners of the Arabians with a paffage fo ftrongly recommending the ftudy of Arabic literature, to all whofe object is an intimate acquaintance with the original language of the Bible, that we are induced to quote it in his own words:

"It has often been faid by the profeffors of Arabic, both at home and abroad, and impreffed with great force on their hearers by Pococke, Hunt, Ockley, and Schultens, that the study of the Arabic language is the true road to the understanding of the Hebrew; and fo certain is this obfervation, that the learned oriental world is now convinced no complete knowledge of the Scriptures can be obtained without a familiar acquaintance with the Arabic profe and verfe writers, whose works and manner of compofition have fcarcely a fhade of variation from the oldest Jewish manufcripts of the Bible, in idiom, imagery, diction, and fin gular ftyle of expreffion; (f) that whilft you are reading the best authors of Arabia, you meet continually with fuch strong refemblances to what you have left in Hebrew, that you fancy you are still perufing the Proverbs of Solomon, or the poetry of Mofes and Ifaiah, the fon of Amos.-Juft as a French writer, Bonnet), remarks of Pliny's letter to Trajan on the Chriftians. It looks as if I had not taken up another author in reading the

Acta