at paffing our lives without acquiring a knowledge of the world we live in, or of our fituation with respect to the rest of the universe. But there is also another inducement to the Study of geography and aftronomy, as it brings us acquainted with numerous proofs of the benevolence of the fupreme Being, and affords us new occafions of admiring his power, There are already many ufeful publications for the affiftance of ftudents in the above mentioned fciences, but we recollect no one more concise and comprehenfive than the present, which must confequently be of general fervice, at leaft to thofe who have the advantage of a teacher, by whom thofe explanations may be given which they might, in vain, fearch for in the most copious treatifes of this kind.

Mr. Jones begins by defining the natural divifions of the land and water; after which he proceeds to the political divifions and fubdivifions of the earth; in his account of which we have several tables, pointing out the different countries, their positions, and chief towns, with the latitude and longitudes of the latter, and an enumeration of the lakes, rivers, mountains, &c.

This

After this follows an abftract of ancient Geography. fubje& has been generally neglected *; but as the writings of the ancients are univerfally read, their geography is neceffary to be understood, and this part of the work is confequently useful.

Mr. Jones is guilty of a flight inaccuracy of expreffion, when he mentions the iflands anciently belonging to Spain; ⚫the moft remarkable islands,' fays he, were the Baleares, or Balearides, now Majorca and Minorca. They were remarkable for their expertness in flinging, and were therefore called Baleares, from the Greek word Baλaw, to throw.' Çertainly the islands were not remarkable for their expertness in flinging, but the inhabitants.

We come next to a description of the globes, which is concife and intelligible; after which follows a great variety of problems to be wrought on the globes, with the methods of performing them.

In the eighth problem we find an error, which is not noticed amongst the Errata. On January the 30th,' it is faid, the fun has nearly 60 deg. S. declination; but the fun's declination is never more than 23 deg. and a half.

Mr. Jones has given a table of the right afcenfion and declination of the most remarkable ftars, to exemplify the folution of fome problems on the celeftial globe, and amongst

The public is now furnished with a very learned and useful work on the fubject, by Mr. Macbeane. See Crit. Review, vol. xxxv. p. 462.

the

the paradoxes which he has copied, to exercise the ingenuity of his readers, has inferted the following new one.

Paradox 15. There is an African island, in which on several days of the year, the fun is full north to one part of the inhabitants, and full fouth to the other part at the same hour and minute of the day.'

Which, however strange it may appear to fome readers, is certainly true.

1

The principles of dialling, and a method of constructing dials, are next explained, and from this portion of the work we shall make a quotation, that our readers may form a judgment of the manner in which it is executed. To render the principles of dialling as evident as poffible, it would not be amifs to be provided with a wire fphere, conftructed as follows; join together at the two poles or extremities of a wire axis, 24 wire femicircles, fo that each of them may be 15 degrees diftant from that which is nearest to it on either fide. These wire femicircles will then represent the 24 meridians, or hour circles on the globe, but those two of them which are intended to represent the hour circles for XII at noon, and XII, at midnight, thould be larger than the rest and beaten flat, fo as to resemble a common brazen meridian; or rather let an old brazen meridian (which may be eafily procured) fupply their place; this done, fix the sphere in a wooden frame with a ftand, resembling the horizon and stand of an artificial globe, and put within the sphere a thin circular plate of brass, or wood, which exa&ly fits it, fo as to be moved any way at pleasure about the centre of the sphere's axis.

If you rectify this sphere for the latitude of any place (as fuppofe of London) and move the circular plate till it coincides with the plane of the wooden frame representing the horizon, then the plate within the fphere will be the plane of a horizontal dial for London, the northern half of the axis will be its ftyle properly elevated, and right lines drawn upon the plate, from the center of the axis to thofe points of the plate's circumference which are interfected by the northern part of the brazen meridian, and the 8 nearest hour-circles on each fide of it, will be the hour-lines. But it must be remembered, that the meridian, or XII. o'clock line, is that which is drawn from the center of the plate to the north part of the wooden frame which reprefents the horizon, and that the forenoon hour-lines are thofe on the western fide of the meridian line, and the afternoon hours thofe on the eastern fide. If the fphere thus prepared is placed in the fun fhine at any given hour, fo as to ftand due north and fouth, with the circular plate in a horizontal pofition, the fhadow of the

northern

northern half of the axis will fall exactly upon that hours line, and its refpective hour circle which corresponds with the given hour.

If you rectify the fphere for the given latitude, and move the circular plate till it ftands erect and coincides with the plane of the prime vertical directly facing the meridian of the place, the plate will then become the plane of a vertical direc fouth dial; the lower half of the axis will be the style of the dial, and lines drawn from the center of the plate to those points of its circumference which are interfected by the lower hour circles of the sphere will be the hour-lines of the dial.

If the plate within the fphere thus rectified be made to decline, incline, or recline, any number of degrees less than 90, the hour circles of the fphere will ftill interfect the circumference of the plate in those points to which the hourlines fhould be drawn from its center, and the axis of the sphere will cast a fhadow on those hour-lines at the correfponding hour of the day. But if the plate within the fphere be moved till it coincides exactly with the plane of the equator, the fun, while he continues in the fouthern, or winter, half of the ecliptic, will conftantly fhine on the bottom of the plate; and while he continues in the northern, or summer half of the ecliptic, he will conftantly fhine on the upper fide of the plate; alfo thofe points of the plate's circumference which are cut by the hour-circles will be at equal distances from each other, and the upper half of the axis will be the ftyle of the dial in the fummer, and the lower half in winter.

• The refult of what has been faid, is, that the plane of every dial is parallel to, or in the fame direction as, the plane of fome great circle on the earth, and that the style of every true dial is parallel to the earth's axis. The reason is, because the bulk of the whole earth is but a point if compared with the diftance of the fun; fo that if a wire fphere con ftructed as before, be placed any where upon the earth's furface, and the axis and that of the earth be kept parallel to each other, the sphere will fhew the fame vifible time there, as if it were placed in the center of the earth, and the shell or body of the earth were as transparent as glass."

As drawing maps is of fervice in imprinting on the mind the fituation of countries, Mr. Jones has given directions for that purpose; after which he explains the elements of aftronomy and chronology, in doing which he has been mindful to unite concifenefs with perfpicuity.

This work is defigned chiefly for the ufe of fchools, but those who have already acquired a knowledge of the fubjects it treats of, may, as the author obferves, find it an ufeful memorandumbook.

I. The Theory of Painting. II. Essay on the Art of Criticism, · fo far as it relates to Painting. III. The Science of a Connoiffeur. All corrected and prepared for the Prefs by his Son Mr. J. Richardfon. 8vo. 55. T. Davies.

IT

T affords us particular pleasure to behold a publication in which the principles of painting are justly delineated, at a time when that noble art is fo fuccessfully cultivated in this country, and its attainment to perfection must depend not only upon affifting the genius of thofe who profefs it, but alfo upon forming the tafte and judgment of others. We fee with regret, how much in many poetical productions of the latt century, the talents of our writers were prostituted to gratify the depravity of the times; and it is poffible for the labours of the painter likewife to be improperly influenced by a vitious tafte in the public. When works of genius cease to be estimated by the determinations of juft difcernment, an extraordinary perfon, indeed, may now and then arife, who fhall guide his pencil by the ftrong fuggeftions of a chafte and innate imagination, but for one Raphael who may astonish the world with his bold and regular invention, a thousand artists will be content with the humble merit of pleasing the capricious or uninformed judgment of the age.

It would be derogatory to the art of painting to confider it only as a fource of pleasure and amufement; for it certainly may with juftice be ranked among the arts which contribute to the improvement of the mind. In many cafes, ideas may be represented more forcibly by colours, than by all the energy of language; with this additional advantage, that whereas thofe tranfmitted by the latter are conveyed by a fucceffion of words, painting at once exhibits to the view a variety of images and fentiments.

Among many circumstances enumerated by Mr. Richardfon in favour of painting, there is one which particularly deferves to be remarked. It is that no other art whatever produces fo valuable a manufacture from inconfiderable materials. This country, he observes, is many thousand pounds the richer by the productions of Vandyke's pencil, whofe works have brought gold into the nation from moft parts of Europe. Such a confideration certainly raises painting to no fmall degree of importance, as an object of national utility.

After many just remarks on the qualifications necessary towards forming an eminent hiftorical painter, the author pro. ceeds to treat of the Art of Painting, which he ranges under

the

the following heads: viz. Invention, Expreffion, Compofition, Drawing, Colouring, Handling, Grace, and Greatness.

In painting, as well as in poetry, invention is undoubtedly the principal qualification of him who would excel in the art. All the powers that have been enumerated are in a great meafure mechanical, and may be acquired by rule and habit, but invention is that creative faculty of the mind, which the utmoft efforts of industry never can attain, and is the happy gift of nature to those whom he has destined to fhine in the higher departments of genius. When the artist has determined on the hiftory to be painted, our author observes that the first thing to be done is to make himself master of the fubject, as it is ufually delivered in books; and then to confider how the story may be heightened by art, so as not to violate probability. As an example of this improvement, our author inftances the conduct of Raphael in the representation of our Saviour's directing St. Peter to feed his flock, commonly called the giving him the keys.

• Our Lord seems, fays he, by the relation of the evangelift (at least a Roman Catholic, as Raphael was, muft be fuppofed to understand it fo) to commit the care of his church to that apostle preferably to the reft, upon the fuppofition of his loving him better than any of the others loved him. Now though the hiftory is filent, it is exceeding probable that St. John, as he was the beloved disciple, would have expected this honour, and be piqued at his being thought to love his Mafter less than St. Peter: Raphael therefore, in that carton, makes him addrefs himself to our Lord with extreme ardour, as if he was intreating him to believe he loved him no less than St. Peter, or any of the other apoftles. And this puts the fpectator upon imagining fome fine fpeeches that it may be fuppofed were made on this occafion, whereby Raphael hath given a hint for every man to make a farther improve'ment, to himself, of this ftory.'

Mr. Richardfon obferves that a painter fometimes is allowed to depart from hiftorical truth in his representations, but that this liberty ought to be used with great difcretion; and in fupport of fuch a principle he specifies feveral cafes.

Unity of time and action ought also to be trialy preserved in hiftorical painting, where the piece being fimilar in its na-ture to dramatic representations, the conduct of the painter is cognizable by the fame laws which govern the poet. He illuftrates this remark by the following paffage, in which we -meet with a lively apoftrophe to Raphael.

• There must be one principal action in a picture. Whatever under-actions may be going on in the fame inftant with

that,