fide MIDWIFERY, 39. Amidst all these treatifes we are surprised not to find PHYSIOLOGY. The word indeed occurs, but inftead of a treatise on the subject, or even an accurate explanation of the term, we have only See Phyfiology. Such ftrange inaccuracy we remember not to have before met with. The neglect of this very important branch of medicine is the more blameable, fince it is univerfally allowed to be one of the chief corner-ftones of the healing art, and the only foundation on which a true and rational theory can be erected.

Medicine, however, is not the only fcience which admits of a number of different branches arranged in different places. The treatise on Optics, which occupies 160 pages, does not contain the whole of that science; but we have diftinct and separated treatifes on Catoptrics, Dioptrics, Chromatics, &c. inferted in their respective places in the alphabet. How can the compilers call this method concife?

In philofophical subjects of all kinds, the fame method is purfued, but with fome alterations. Since all natural philofophy is founded on mathematical principles, we should have thought that these principles would have been attended to, or at least fuch fundamental parts of them as are abfolutely neceffary for the explanation of the more common phenomena in nature. Conic fections, for inftance, are dispatched in three pages; we expected to find the various properties of the different curves enumerated at least, if even the demonftrations of them had been with-held. The whole doctrine of fluxions, too, is comprifed in four pages. These two branches of the mathematics are abftrufe, and the many useful theorems they contain are not eafily recollected by people not continually employed about them; confequently, a recital only of the various propofitions concerning the curves and fluxions would have been highly proper, especially, as we have before observed, that works of this kind are calculated rather to refresh and affift the memory, than to inftruct.

-

Mechanics is a fcience of infinite ufe in life; its principles therefore cannot be too fully explained and elucidated; but the compilers of this performance have no otherwife treated this fubject than Fergufon had done before them, the whole of their treatife upon it being copied from that ingenious popular philofopher, who, difregarding fundamental truths, exhibits but the externals of fcience. Had this been the only defect, it might have been excufable; but blunders, owing either to inadvertency or any other caufe, are unpardonable. An inftance of this we meet with under the word pendulum: The times of vibration in different pendulums are as the fquare roots of the times of vibrations :-inftead of The times are as the fquare roots of their lengths.'

N 4

Hydrostatics

Hydroflatics and Hydraulics have been equally obliged to Fergufon's lectures,-the whole of his book, tables and all, being transferred into these articles.

The doctrine of Pneumatics is reduced to the fmall space of fix pages; the whole of which confifts of a few unconnected and unimportant entertaining' experiments on the air-pump. This inftrument, with all its improvements, would have been a very proper article in a dictionary, but we have no account of its conftruction, or any hiftory of the many improvements made upon it by almoft every philofopher of note, from its firft invention to the prefent time. Under this head we expected to find fomething faid about the barometer, but we were difappointed, and referred to the article Barometer. Turning to Barometer, we find indeed an accurate defcription of it, occupying no lefs than 12 pages, with a long detail about the Torricellian controverfy, and other matters that might have been as well paffed over in filence while the most useful part of the fubject is unnoticed; namely, the conftruction of weather glaffes upon true principles. Thermometers, indeed, are largely treated, and full directions are given about filling, dividing, and framing them.

The fcientific articles in this performance, which feem best executed, are thofe in natural hiftory, especially in the animal and vegetable kingdoms; for befide complete treatifes on Zoology, Botany, and Mineralogy, giving an account of the various fyftems of different authors, and defcribing the fubjects of each kingdom, with their generic differences, we find alfo treatifes on each clafs of the inhabitants of the animal kingdom, as Ornithology, Entomology, Conchology, &c. all which articles are tranflations from the Amanitates Academice; or, at leaft, very judicious abridgments of them. Botany and Mineralogy have been equally attended to; and befide thefe feveral diftin& treatifes, each genus is particularly defcribed in its proper place in the alphabet. Though the compilers follow Linnæus in Zoology and Botany, they have rejected his fyftem of Mineralogy, and adopted that of Swab, commonly known by the name of Cronsted's fyftem. Various have been the opinions of the learned about these two fyftems; each of them are undoubtedly excellent, and each of them have alfo their imperfections. The fyftem of Linnæus is founded entirely on the outward appearance of the objects, while that of Swab depends on the principles of chemistry, and the component parts of the bodies. The advocates of the latter prefer it, because it is better adapted, in their opinion, to MetalJurgy; but furely the former is not deficient on this account. According to Linnæus's fyftem, we are taught by the external form and appearance to judge of the internal structure and component parts of minerals, a method much readier and more easily practifed than Swab's, though perhaps not fo certain.

Although

Although we think the natural hiftory not ill executed in this compilement, yet we meet with feveral things that are trifling, nay fome that are even ridiculous; for example, a Genealogical table of the different races of dogs. Under the article Cock, we have a long account of cock-fighting, deducing the antiquity of the art from Greece. Bull-baiting is alfo traced from the reign of our King John: but not a word of bear-baiting, or chuckfarthing.

Chemistry has, within thefe few years, received quite a new face. The many improvements that the prefent age has made in fo ufeful a fcience, are of the greatest importance; but we meet with very few of them in this part of the work, which we are nevertheless told contains all the latest difcoveries and improvements.'

Aftronomy. This treatife fills rather more than 100 pages. Moft of it is copied from Fergufon, or rather the whole of Fergufon's Aftronomy is here inferted, with fome little matters from other authors. We have a great quantity of metaphyfical difquifition about gravity and attraction, caufe and effect, &c. Every objection against the Newtonian philofophy is here fet forth in oftentatious parade; but to what purpose we know not, except it be merely for the fake of fwelling out an article. A fyftem founded on the unalterable laws of nature, and fupported by the undeniable evidence of mathematical demonftration, cannot be overturned by the quibbling of fchool jargon or the falfe notions of atheiftical fcribblers. The compilers have followed fome French writers, who have called the Newtonian fyftem the Newtonian hypothefis of Gravity or Attraction. They have alfo made a filly and futile objection to the equality of ultimate ratios.

While we were purfuing this examination of what the Authors of the Encyclopædia had advanced concerning the Newtonian philofophy, we turned to the word Gravity, which we are informed is an incorporeal or fpiritual fubftance that never can be perceived by any other way than by its effects.' Could any one suppose the age we live in, and the country where philofophy has been fo much cultivated and improved, to have produced a book containing fuch a paffage? an incorporeal fubftance! a body and no body! For more particulars concerning gravity we are referred among others to the words Plenum, Vacuum; the former of which is barely noticed, and the latter article, confifting of three pages, is full of old hypothetical matter. Under Attraction indeed we find fomething like a definition; namely, the caufe by which bodies tend towards each other;' though it is by no means a fatisfactory one.

The mathematical articles are in general extremely defective; especially such as are of most universal and effential utility. Al

gebra,

gebra, which is fo extenfively useful in every part of practical mathematics, and is the foundation of arithmetic, might have been much enlarged, not only in the treatife under the word Algebra, but in feveral other places in the alphabet. This circumftance, however, might be of little confequence, compared to fome capital errors in the definitions themfelves. For example, Series, in mathematics, is a number of terms, whether of numbers or quantities, increafing or decreafing in a given proportion.' How will the following agree with this definition: r-r+r-r+r, &c. ad infinitum? The terms of this feries neither increase nor decreafe, yet it is univerially called a feries, and has been the cause of much fpeculation among the mathematicians of the prefent age. We expected to have met with fomething concerning the fummation of feries, or their properties explained; but nothing on the fubject of feries is to be met with in any part of this voluminous work, except the imperfect definition above. The writers on the ferics might have been mentioned; the labours of Bernoulli, of Newton, and others, in order to difcover the properties of infinite feries, deferve to be recorded; the inventions and contrivances of these great men, and of Waring, and others among the moderns, in order to determine the fums of feries, are too ingenious and ufeful to have been paffed over in filence.

The Arts we expected would have been particularly taken notice of; but we were difappointed. Agriculture and architecture however are more enlarged on than others, but they are at the beginning of the alphabet. The neceffary arts of Dying, Tanning, and Weaving, are flightly noticed, although they are very material articles in a commercial country, efpecially our own, where they form a confiderable branch of our manufactories. The destructive art of War, notwithstanding ample articles under the words Artillery, Fortification, Gunnery, &c. is extended through no fewer than 133 pages. We find alfo a large treatife Naval Tactics.

on

Among the mechanical arts, none have received greater improvement, of late years, than clock and watch-making. When navigation became a new fcience, by the invention of the compafs, accurate time-keepers were much wanted, for finding the longitude at fea. In confequence of which, a variety of improvements were made on the very imperfect machines then in ufe, and a great number of inventions rendered clock making almost a new art. The applying of pendulums and balance fprings to the movements of clocks and watches, was a great and important contrivance; and the various methods made ufe of to caufe a uniformity of motion are to be ranked among the moft ufeful inventions of the prefent age. In examining how the compilers had taken notice of thefe circumftances, we find,

that,

that, in fo great a field, the moft material parts are in a curfory manner related; but the hiftory is fo fcattered under the various words Longitude, Clock, Watch, Pendulum, Time-keeper, Harrifon, Navigation, &c. that it is no eafy matter to collect all that is laid upon the fubject. The application of pendulums to clocks is here afcribed to Galileo; yet it is certain, that we have accounts of clocks fimilar to ours, being made in the time of Edward the Third, who granted, in 1368, a licence to three artifts to come from Holland, and practice their occupation in England; and of clocks made of brafs in the reign of Charlemagne, to whom one was prefented by Aaron King of Perfia, in the year 807. As to watches, our compilers affirm that the invention of of pocket watches belongs to the prefent age.' We are surprised to fee fuch an affertion when fo many proofs of their greater antiquity are upon record. Mr. Barrington gives a full and fatiffactory account of a pocket watch, belonging to Robert Bruce, who began his reign in 1305, of which we gave an account in our Review for April 180. We have accounts of repeating pocket watches as early as the time of Charles the Fifth, who had one stolen out of his pocket, and the thief was detected by its ftriking the hour. In Shakespear's Twelfth Night, Malvolio fays, I frown the while, and perchance wind up my watch, or play with fome rich jewel.' Guy Fawkes had one found upon him, with which he and Percy ufed to try the times of the burning of touchwood, for fetting fire to the train of powder.

We find in this work, however, a very good account, drawn from the Supplement to the first edition of the Biographia Britannica, of Mr. Harrison's labours and contrivances; and the great degree of perfection to which thefe inftruments have been brought by him, and by Arnold, copied, literally, from our Review, Vol. LXIII. p. 198-207. The various methods in which time-keepers are used for finding the longitude of a fhip at fea are fufficiently defcribed; but the great improvement which navigation has received by the methods of finding the longitude from the distances of the moon from the fun and fixed ftars, is not any where to be met with.

We have feveral inftances of extraordinary definitions occur. ring in this performance :-perhaps none is more curious than the following: Artift, a perfon poffeffing an habitual power of becoming the cause of some effect.' Query, are fuch things below criticism, or above it?

Hanging, we did not expect to find in a Dictionary of Arts and Sciences, and are yet at a lofs to determine whether it is an art or science. In the article Drowning we meet with the methods made ufe of for the recovery of people apparently drowned, hanged, or fuffocated; which are judicious, and may be ferviceable.

Christianity,