of Great Britain", published anonymoufly; as "he was well aware that the introduction of his own name would not, at this period, affift its circulation". We come at length, however, to the termination of his labours. After a painful and lingering ilinefs, he died February 26, 1802, in the fixty-fifth year of his age. At this crifis, Mr. Good takes confiderable pains to repel an infinuation, that " on his death-bed he recanted many of his opinions, and tha: fuch recantation was ftudiously concealed". It evidently appears that he recanted nothing; and that, when preffed on the subject, he evaded questions in the ambiguous manner of which we have already given a fpecimen ; ex. gr. his confeffor, a M. St. Martin, faid, "you fully believe in the Scripture ?" He roufed himself from his fleep, and faid, "certainly." "In the doctrine of the Trinity ?""Certainly, but not in the manner you mean."—" In the mediation of Jefus Chrift ?"-" No, no, no-not as you mean: in Jefus Christ as our Saviour-but not in the atonement.”

We have no pleasure, however, in pursuing this fubject; he is now beyond the reach of all human praife or blame: and we fhould not have been fo minute in detailing his hiftory and character from the work before us, if we did not perceive a difpofition to enroll him among the good, and wife, and learned men, who have been accounted the benefactors of the human race, and the ornaments of the religious world. This, Mr. Good feems to confider as a duty; and we will allow that he has performed it with ability, but not with fuccefs. He has brought together a large portion of materials, which are illuftrated by learning, and by learned references; and he is, upon the whole, impartial, for which we are indebted to him. His portrait of Dr. Geddes is correct; but he has not been able to make it pleafing: and whoever confults his perfonal history in this work, will certainly be much lefs in love with him than his affectionate biographer. What, indeed, was his character, divefted of the ornaments of biographical panegyric? but that of a man misled by the love of fingularity into the mazes of contradiction and infidelity; determined to attack opinions, not because they were erroneous, but because they were eftablifhed; one who originally formed the fimple plan of tranf lating a book, which he conceived of the higheft utility; and yet afterwards, and in his maturer years, endeavoured to deftroy all that could make it ufeful or important. We hear much of his irritability, and indeed, without the authority of his biographer, he has left abundant proofs under his own band of this weaknefs; but this farely will not be thought very characteriftic either of the Chriftian or the philofopher; while the feeblenefs of his claims to either epithet is yet more confpicuous in the

trifling

-trifling and infignificant nature of thofe things which excited his paffions. His literary acquirements were, in fome branches, confiderable; but in the employment of his talents there was frequently fomething undignified and trifling, that fhowed a mind vexed with refleffness, rather than ferioully employed for the public good. While he was engaged in fo important a work as the tranflation of the Bible, he was perpetually ftooping to pick up any little dirty anecdote of the day, as the fubject for a pamphlet or a poem ; and while he was fuffering by the neglect or cenfure of those whofe religious opinions he had fhocked and infulted, he was feeking comfort in ridiculing the characters, of men who had never offended him by any species of provocation. For the many impieties, as we account them, in his last publication, his biographer, at the clofe of the work, attempts an apology; but of what kind? He afks,

"How feldom we have seen a man fyftematically educated in the characteristic tenets of any established community, and especially of the Church of Rome, who, when he has once begun to feel his independence, and has determined to shake off his fetters, and to think for Fimfelf, has not flown much further from the goal at which he ftarted ?"

And he refers us to the hiftory of Voltaire, D'Alembert, and Diderot. To fuch a vindication Dr. Geddes is heartily welcome. Mr. Good may not have intended it, but he has certainly placed him in the clafs to which he belongs, and ought not to have spoiled the effect of his apology by dubbing him, in the very next page, "a fincere Chriftian". We may alfo add, upon ftrong grounds of probability, that had he lived to tranflate the New Teftament, he would have flown yet "further from the goal", and far furpaffed (because he was more open and undifguifed) the illuftrious characters with whom he is affimilated in the race of independence.

We have only to add, that a lift is prefixed to this work of Dr. Geddes's publications, amounting to thirty-five; of which, there is not one that will probably ever be reprinted. We learn also that he left a confiderable part of a Translation of the Pfalmus, which is about to be published.

K

BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XXIV. AUGUST, 1804.

Ακτο

ART. VI. A Syllabus of a Course of Lectures on Chemistry, delivered at the Royal Inftitution of Great Britain. By Mr. Davy. 8vo. 91 PP. 3s. Cadell and Davies.

1802.

THIS Syllabus is divided into three Parts, the titles of which, together with thofe of their Divifions, are as

follows:

Part 1. The Chemistry of ponderable Subftances. Divifion 1. Of the Chemical Powers, and the Modes of Application. Div. 11. Of undecompounded Subftances, or fimple Principles. Div. 111. Of Bodies compofed of Two fimple Subftances. Div. IV. Of Bodies compofed of more than Two fimple Subftances. Div. v. Of Subftances composed of different compound Bodies, or of compound Bodies and fimple Bodies. Div. vi. Of the general Phænomena of chemical Action.

Part 11. The Chemistry of imponderable Substances. Div. 1. Of Heat or Caloric. Div. 11. Of Light. Div. III. Of the electrical Influence. Div. iv. Of Galvanism.

Part III. The Chemistry of the Arts. Div. 1. Of Agriculture. Div. II. Of Tanning. Div. III. Of Bleaching. Div. Iv. Of Dyeing. Div. v. Of Metallurgy. Div. vi. Of the Manufactory of Glafs and Porcelain. Div. vII. Of the Preparation of Food and Drink. Div. VIII. Of the Management of Heat and Light artificially produced.

Each of thofe Divifions is again fubdivided into fections, articles, &c. Of fuch a publication as the prefent, the order or difpofition of the materials, and their number, are almost the only particulars which can demand examination. With respect to the former, this author undoubtedly deferves our approbation. He begins with the fimpleft facts, and gradually proceeds to thofe of of a more complex nature. The chemifry of ponderable fubftances has been justly separated from the chemistry of imponderable agents; and he has bestowed proper attention on the ultimate object, or the useful part of of the fcience; namely, its application to the arts, and to the neceflaries of human life and economy.

With respect to the number and quality of the articles or materials, we may also confidently affert, that the work we are at prefent examining must be confidered as a very ample Syllabus, or affiftant to those who attend the lectures; for they will find in it a full statement of fuch particulars as are most likely to be forgotten; such as the names of ingredients in chemical

chemical compounds, and the quantities, weights, or measures, of thofe ingredients, and of the reful.s of fundry operations.

It only remains for us to add a few fpecimens of this author's, ftyle, which we shall do, by felecting one from each of the three Parts of the work.

"Hydrogene appears to be capable of combining with only three fimple bodies befides oxygene; nitrogene, fulphur, and phofphorus." For the hydrocarbonates, which were formerly fuppofed to confift wholly of hydrogene and carbone, contain, as it would feem from fome late experiments, a portion of oxygene. Its compounds are not poffeffed of many analogous properties; one of them is an alkali, and another an acid.

"1. Compound of hydrogene and nitrogene. Ammoniac, or volatile alkali, is obtained by the action of lime upon muriate of ammoniac; likewise it is formed when nafcent hydrogene is exposed to nitrogene gas at a low temperature. It is a permanent gas at common temperatures, weighing in the cubic inch about 0,18 parts of a grain. Its fmell is highly pungent; and its taste burning and acrid. It renders green, vegetable blues. It extinguishes flame. It produces white fumes when brought in contact with the volatile acids. It is extremely foluble in water, 75 grains of water being capable of abforbing 25 grains of gas, forming with it a fluid of fpecific gravity 0,908. Ammoniac is decompofed into its conftituent parts by the action of electricity, or of a high degree of heat. It is compounded of one part hydrogene and five parts nitrogene." P. 19.

"Of the Effects of Heat.

"1. Heat was confidered as the general power of expanfion in Part 1. Its particular agencies, and the laws by which it is governed, are worthy of a minute examination.

2. The effects of those actions of heat upon living organs, by which the peculiar fenfations of heat and cold are produced, are well known. They are relative, and influenced by the state of the organ.

"3. Bodies increase in volume when heat is added to them, and diminish in volume when it is fubtracted from them. The exceptions to this law are very few. Different bodies, and even the fame bodies, when differently heated, expand in different ratios, by the additions of equal quantities of heat. In general, gases are more expanfible by heat than fluids, and fluids than folids.

66

4. The more powerful agencies of heat upon bodies, are often connected with changes in their forms of aggregation. Solids by a certain increase of heat are converted into fluids, and fluids into gafes. Alfo by a fubtraction of heat, gafes become fluids, and fluids folids.

5. It was formerly fuppofed, that the abfolute weights of bodies were diminished by heat; but fome delicate experiments lately made, have proved that this opinion is erroneous.

6. Heat is poffeffed of most extenfive powers in producing chemical combinations, and decompofitions. For as it expands different bodies in different ratios, fo it likewife diminishes in different ratios the attractions of their particles for each other." P. 49. " Of

K 2

"Of Glass-making.

1. Glafs is formed by the fufion of potash, or foda, with fand, chiefly containing filiceous earth. It is made of different degrees of denfity, by means of oxide of lead; and it is rendered tranfparent and colourlefs by certain fubftances containing oxygene.

"2. The best kind of flint-glafs is composed of about 120 parts of white filiceous fand, 40 parts of pearl-ath, 35 of red lead, 13 of nitre, 25 of black oxide of manganefe.

and

3. Glafs is coloured blue by the oxide of cobalt; red by the oxide of gold; green by the oxide of copper, and yellow by the oxide of antimony and lead." P. 87.

ART. VII. A Voyage of Difcovery to the North Pacific Ocean: in which the Coast of Afia, from the Lat. of 35" North, to the Lat. of 52° North, the Ifland of Infu, commonly known under the Name of the Land of Jeffo, the North, South, and East Coasts of Japan, the Lieuchieux and the adjacent Ifles, as well as the Coast of Corea, have been examined and furveyed. Performed in his Majefty's Sloop Providence, and her Tender, in the Years 1795, 1796, 1797, 1798. By William Robert Broughton. 4to. 11.5s. Cadell and Davies. 1804.

GEC

EOGRAPHERS have often lamented, that the more northern parts of the Pacific Ocean have not been fufficienty furveyed; which probably would not have been the cafe, if Captain Cook had not unfortunately loft his life, or if Captain King, his fucceffor, had not been prevented by the feafon from profecuting fuch an attempt. To thefe great navigators, La Peroufe fucceeded; and Mr. Broughton feems to apprehend, that the more faftidious reader may fuppofe the prefent publication to be preoccupied by the difcoveries of the gallant Frenchman. This is, however, far from being the cafe. The difcoveries and furveys of the two navigators are separate and diftin&t; they did not follow the fame track; and whatever merit La Perouse may claim from the furvey of the great ifland of Sagareen, our countryman is entitled to fimilar and equal praife for his examination of Chica, and of Jeffo, or Infu. The infularity of Sagareen was afcertained by La Peroufe, by his failing through the ftraits which bear his name; and in like manner was that of Infu determined, by the failing of the Providence through the Straits of Sangaar. The western coaft of Infu was not at all inveftigated by La Peroufe; and, in their progrefs