"Having been informed, by travellers from your quarter, of your exalted fame and reputation, my heart, like the bloffom of fpring, abounds with fatisfaction, gladnefs, and joy. Praise God that the ftar of your fortune is in its afcenfion. Praife him, that happiness and ease are the furrounding attendants of myself and family. Neither to moleft or perfecute is my aim it is even the characteristic of our fect to deprive ourselves of the necefJary refreshment of fleep, fhould an injury be done to a single indi vidual; but in justice and humanity, I am informed, you far Jurpass us.. By your favour I am the Rajah and Lama of this country, and rule over a number of fubjećts.-I have been repeatedly informed, that you have been engaged in hoftilities against the Dah Terria, to which it is faid the Dah's own criminal conduct, in committing ravages and other outrages on your frontiers, gave rife. From a regard to our religion and cuftoms, I request you will ceafe all hoftilities against him; and in doing this you will confer the greatest favour and friendship upon me. I have reprimanded the Dah for his paft conduct; and I have admonished him to defift from his evil practices in future, and to be fubmiffive to you in all things, "As to my part, I am but a Faquier † ; and it is the custom of my feet, with the rofary in our hands, to pray for the welfare of mankind, and for the peace and happiness of the inhabitants of this country; and I do now, with my head uncovered,, intreat that you may ceafe all hoftilities against the Dah in future. -In this country, worship of the Almighty is the profeffion of all. We poor creatures are in nothing equal to you; having, however, a few things in hand, I fend them to you by way of remembrance, and hope for your acceptance of them." The remaining papers of this volume are-Article 20, in which an account is given of a volcanic hill near Inverness; by Thomas Weft, Efq; and Article 21, in which Mr. Tiberius Cavallo relates fome experiments made with Mr. Volta's Electrophorus, and the effects of electric difcharges fent over the furfaces of painted cards. He defcribes likewife an improvement of Mr. Canton's Electrometer. In Article 33, William Baftard, Efq; defcribes a method of raising pine apples in water. The plant contained in a pot of earth is placed in a pan, which is always kept full of water, and which ftands on a fhelf near the highest, and confequently the most heated, part of the back wall of the hot house, so that the pine plants ftand as near as pof We have already informed the Reader that the good Lama knows very little of the world, and confequently of his new European acquaintance. This word here means a religious perfon in general. fible fible to the glafs without abfolutely touching it. The fruit reared in this manner is faid to be always much larger, as well as better flavoured, than when it is ripened in a bark bed.-In the 37th and laft Article is given the report of a committee appointed by the Royal Society, to confider of the beft method of adjusting the fixed, that is, the freezing and the boiling points of thermometers; and of the precautions neceffary to be used in making experiments with thefe inftruments. B....J. ART. XII. A Differtation on the Value of Life Annuities, deduced from general Principles, clearly demonftrated, and particularly applied to the Schemes of the Laudable and Amicable Societies of Annuitants for the Benefit of Age; with Tables adapted to their feveral Rates and Modes of Adm.ion; fhewing, at Sight, the real Value that ought to be given by Perfons of any Age for the Annuities promised by thofe Societies: And alfo the Annuity that each Member ought to be entitled to, according to his refpective Payments. To which are added, all the Tables neceffary for Calculations of this Kind. By W. Backhouse. 8vo. 2 s. Richardson and Urquhart. 1778. Th HE Author of this performance fets forth in his preface that it has ever been an opinion among the generality of mankind, that no conclufions, drawn from fo precarious a principle as the duration of life, can merit regard, and that even to attempt things of this nature has been looked on as pretending to fathom the depths of infinite wisdom; but, as he juftly enough obferves, it is not the business of these computations to affign, or fix bounds, to any particular life, which alone can be liable to thefe objections, but only to affign the probability of its duration; and this is gathered from the mean of a great number of obfervations made on the yearly bills of mortality, kept at places which are nearly under the fame circumftances, in refpect to every thing which may affect the health of its inhabitants, with that to which the computations are to be applied, 1 He begins his work with fome definitions and problems relating to the doctrine of chances, on which all calculations concerning annuities on lives primarily depend; and which the Author has, through inadvertence we fuppofe, forgot to tell us are taken chiefly from Simpfon and other writers on that fubject. He then proceeds to examine the equity of certain terms on which perfons are admitted into the Laudable and Amicable Societies of Annuitants, established in London fome time fince, In the courfe of this inquiry he gives tables, exhibiting the values of the feveral annuities propofed to be given by thefe Societies, both in prefent money, yearly payments of a given fum each and alfo partly in yearly payments, and partly in ready money, according to the feveral plans of thefe Societies; 9 money money being fuppofed at four, and alfo at three per cent. and he concludes that, on a fuppofition of an exact number of members being admitted of every age from 5 to 55, and according to the prefent terms of admiffion, the Laudable Society may undertake to pay no greater annuity to each claimant than about 23 1. money being at 4 per cent. or 181. if money be supposed worth only 3 per cent. And that the Amicablé Society may afford to pay to each claimant, according to one of their modes of admiffion, an annuity of about 121. if money be fuppofed worth 4 per cent. or of about 101. if the intereft of money be at 3 per cent. and by the other mode of admiffion the respective annuities to be paid by this Society will be about 11 and 9 pounds per ann. Hence Mr. B. infers that the terms on which the Amicable Society now admit their members are very difadvantageous to the members fo admitted; and that fome of them pay near three times the value of the annuity which they have to expect: alfo that this must arife, from many of their members being admitted on much lower terms than are now specified on their abftract. He next Thews at what age, and after which mode of admiffion, held forth by thofe Societies, members are admitted on the moft advantageous, and alfo on the moft difadvantageous terms to themfelves, confidered as individuals; and he fubjoins a collection of tables, from different authors, neceffary in calculations of annuities on lives. We cannot conclude this Article without taking notice that the moft fcrupulous attention feems neceffary to be paid to the choice of the tables from whence computations of this nature are drawn; and that they be deduced, either from the bills of mortality which have been kept at the very place where the people live to whom the calculations are to be applied, or that the circumftances, with refpect to health and longevity, be nearly the fame at both places. For there is fo great a difference between the results drawn from the bills kept at different places, that we think very little dependance can be placed in computations which are founded on the bills of mortality kept at one place, when they are applied to people living at another, as will be abundantly evident to any one who will take the trouble of comparing the London bills with those of Northampton, Norwich, Manchefter, and other great towns, in different parts of the kingdom; and yet more fo, if the London bills, or even thofe of Northampton, Norwich, &c. be compared with the bills of mortality kept in country parishes. *See Dr. Price's curious remarks on this fubject, vol. lxv. p. 424 of the Philof. Tranfact. for 1775. ART. XIII Sketches of the Lives and Writings of the Ladies of France. Addreffed to Mrs Elizabeth Carter. By Ann Thickneffe. Vol. I. 2s. 6d. fewed. Brown. 1778. THE HE language of these Sketches is not every where correct; but they abound with traits of hiftory and entertaining anecdotes, intended to illuftrate the characters of the principal authors; who appear in general full as confpicuous for their gallantry as their literary talents. The ftory of the Butcher and Two Cordeliers, intended as a fpecimen of the genius of Margaret Valois Queen of Navarre, may at the fame time fhew the wit of the age, and give fome entertainment to our Readers. We must not quit the Queen of Navarre, without giving another little fpecimen of the fertility of that lady's genius, especially as there is fomething pleafant in the conceit. Two cordeliers, arriving late one evening at a little village, were obliged to lodge at a butcher's, and the chamber where they lay was only feparated by a few boards from that where the butcher and his wife flept. Curiofity led the cordeliers to hearken what the man and woman were converfing about. The husband began talking of his domeftic concerns, and faid, "I must get up, my dear, to-morrow betimes, and give a look at our cordeliers; one of them is, I think, in pretty good order, but we will kill both, and falt them down, which will turn well to our account."-Although the butcher fpoke only of his pigs, which he jocofely called cordeliers, the poor friars were so horribly frightened, that they were ready to expire with fear, and refolved to fave themfelves by jumping out of the window. The thinnest of the two fell lightly on the ground, and ran as far as the town without waiting for his companion: the other folJowed his example; but being very fat, fell fo heavily, that he broke his leg, and with much difficulty crawled to a little fhed which he found not far off, and which proved to be precifely the place where the pigs (his brother cordeliers) ufually lay. Early the next morning the butcher got ready his knife, and went ftraight to the ftye:-" Come, come, my cordeliers (faid he), come out, come out, for to-day I am refolved to eat fome of your puddings." The cordelier cried out for mercy; and the butcher, who concluded that St. François had metamorphofed one of his pigs into a friar, on purpofe to punish him for having fported with the name of a religious order of men, was overcome with fear; but the matter being foon explained, the good fathers, in gratitude for their hofpitable reception, and fortunate releafe from their fears, very peaceably parted with their hoft, and very kindly comforted them with their benediction.' .es!.WB.nt-y. As As these memoirs and anecdotes chiefly abound with amorous ftories and incidents, a few indelicacies have found their way into the work,-which will be deemed the more worthy of remark, as the book is dedicated to the excellent ELIZABETH CARTER. Several trifling articles, relating to perfons of whom little is faid, and who merit ftill lefs, are inferted; and certain Gallicifms appear, which will puzzle the mere English reader. Who, for instance, unacquainted with the ftrange liberties which the French make with fome of the moft venerable names of antiquity, will know who are meant by Mufa, Line, and Alicée? They may, indeed be gueffed at, by being found in company with Orpheus, Homer, Sappho, &c. MONTHLY For CATALOGUE, JUNE, 1778. Art. 14. A Treatise on the Medicinal Virtues of the Mineral Waters of the German Spa, &c. &c. To which is prefixed, by Way of Introduction, a chemical Analysis of the Water of each particular Source, from Experiments made upon the Spot. By J. Williams, M. D. * 8vo. 3 s. Becket. FRO ROM fome unaccountable accident this treatife was overlooked by us at the time of publication, in 1773; an omiffion for which we cannot better apologize, as well to the Public as to the ingenious Author, than by now, late as it is, attempting to rectify it. Dr. Williams follows the fame general plan in this work, as in his treatise on the waters of Aix-la-Chapelle and Borfet, which we recommended to our Readers in the Review for December 1772. He begins with a fhort account of the history and fituation of the several medicinal fprings in the vicinity of the Spa. He then proceeds to a chemical examination of the properties of each, conducted, as appears to us, in a very judicious and fcientific manner. From this part we shall select the feveral refults, as likely to afford useful information to our Readers. Of the Poubun, the principal and most famous of these celebrated fprings, he fays, that every pint of the water, in its natural ftate, contains, along with the common element, first, a fubtile acid fpirit, which flies off with the elastic air, leaving the water more or lefs vapid; and efcapes the fooner, as the atmofphere is more light and full of vapour. Secondly, fomething more than one grain of iron, diffolved in the water by means of this fubtile fpirit. Thirdly, fomewhat more than two grains of other folid contents, of which nearly one half is a mineral alkali, and the reft earth, confifting of about three parts abforbent earth, and one felenites. The water of the Geronfterre fpring is impregnated with the fame kind of ingredients as that of the Pouhun, but in different proportions; and also with the principles of fulphur, that is, vitriolic acid and phlogiston; not with fulphur in fubftance as fome have ima Author of the Hiftory of the Northern Kingdoms, &c. G. |