Modern Seduction, or Innocence betrayed: confifling of feveral Hiftories of the principal Magdalens, received into that Society fince its Eftablishment. 2 vols. 12mo. 6s. Noble.

Very proper, fays the writer, to be read by all young perTons.We think, however, it might, on the contrary, be read more fafely by old perfons, if they could find any entertain, ment in it.

The Character of the Laws of England confidered. A Sermon preached at the Spring Affizes in Oxford, March 6, 1777. By James Chelfum, D. D. of Christ Church, Oxford, one of his Majesty's Preachers at Whitehall, and Chaplain to the Bifhip of Worcester. 4to. Is. Payne.

An ill-founded, though ingenious, eulogy on the Laws of England, and the adminiftration of them; both which, according to this courtly preacher, are arrived at their greatest degree of perfection. Dr. Chelfum certainly intended no more, by this fermon, than to pay the judges and their affociates at the affizes, an occafional compliment: there being nothing more notorious than that our penal laws, for the moft part, breathe the spirit of Draco; and, as to thofe which relate to civil caufes, certain it is that Hob-in-the-well gives a more juft idea of them, in the ftanza of an old fong, than our learned doctor in his affize Sermon,

The terrible law,

When it faftens its paw,

On a poor man, it gripes till he's undone,

Obfervations and Conjectures on the Nature and Properties of Light, and on the Theory of Comets. By William Cole. Svo. 2s.Keymer, Colchefter.-Robinfon, London.

We should not have fubjected ourselves to the reprehenfion of a friendly correfpondent, for neglecting this pamphlet, had it come earlier to hand; efpecially as the author indirectly calls upon us, to justify what, we have occafionally inserted, in our Review, refpecting the nature of Light. He appears, however, to be fo little converfant in philofophical refearches VOL. VI.

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and reafonings, that we hold him to be hardly qualified to comprehend the arguments, we might make use of, to support the theory, we maintain.-In our Review of Dr. Wilson's Medical Researches *, in which we were led to oppofe his notions refpecting light, it feems, we gave a loose and cursory definition of it in the following words:

"Light is (according to our notions) a vibratory motion propagated "in right lines, through a series of claftic bodies conftituting the mediúm called æther, and that without poffeffing any property of fire, 66 or generating any fymptom of heat, unless fuch motion be interrupted, and refracted by the interpofition of gravitating bodies; for "it is notorious from repeated experiments, that the rays of light pass "through a tranfparent fluid, nay, may be made to converge to a "focus within fuch a fluid without heating it."

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On this definition, Mr. William Cole is pleased to make the following remark.

"I cannot tell upon what experiments these Gentlemen found their notions, nor where they can find "a transparent fluid" that is not compofed of "gravitating bodies." But nothing feems more evident than that light cannot confift merely in a motion or affection of any medium whatever. For in all vibratory motions, in an elastic medium, when any one particle is put in motion, it impels that which is contiguous to it, and that impels the next, and fo on, expanding the motion in all directions through every part of the medium."

What could induce a perfon, who profeffedly, as well as evidently, knows fo little of his fubject, to fit down to write upon it, is truly furprising. He cannot tell, he fays, upon what experiments we found the notion that light may converge to a focus in a diaphanous fluid without heating it. The experiment has been many years notorious: had he read thofe of Mr. Melville in the Edinburgh Effays; he would not have afked the queftion. Again he cannot tell where a tranfparent fluid may be found, that is not compofed of gravitating bodies. Within the well-exhaufted receiver of an air-pump, and in the fpaces between the atmosphere of the planetary bodies, may be found a fluid, in which exift few, or no, gravitating bodies.-But we should have enough to do, were we to undertake to tell this writer what he cannot tell, himself.— Nothing, it feems, feems more evident to him than that light cannot confift merely in a motion in any medium whatever. To enforce this feeming evidence he attempts to tell us how motion is propogated though an elaftic fluid; which he proceeds to illuftrate by, what he calls, a fimple and easy expe

riment.

Unluckily, however, he makes his experiment on water, which is not an elaftic fluid: and, if it were, it would not

* Sce London Review for December, 1776.

aníwer

anfwer his purpofe. The air, as the medium of found, fuits him somewhat better; but even, in comparing that to the medium and propogation of light, he is very wide of the mark. Suppofing the common atmosphere were compofed of bodies, as purely elastic as we conceive the ætherial medium to be, the motion, generated in and propogated through it, would differ in proportion to the number of particles, or quantity, of the fluid impelled to move. He fays, in "in all vibratory motions, in an elaftic medium, when any one particle is put in motion, it impels that which is contiguous to it, and that impels the next, and fo on,"-very true, if but one particle is moved, it is fo, and the motion is propagated, in a right line, through the whole feries lying in the direction of the impulse. It is not, as this writer fays," and fo on expanding the motion in all directions through every part of the medium." The circular undulations taking place in fluids from a central inpulfe, are very different from the vibrations propagated in right lines through the contiguous particles of an elaftic medium. In the former, a number of particles are actually removed from their place; in the latter, the particle impelled remains, after the impulfe, nearly in ftatu quo; being repelled by the vis inertia of that lying before it: fo that, at inoft, it moves forward only on its own femidiameter.-But we defpair of making ourselves intelligible, on thefe fubjects, to a writer, who frankly declares,

"I own I was never able to conceive the poffibility of any motion at all, or of the removal of a body from one portion of space to another, without fuppofing fome parts of space to be abfolutely unoccupied by any body. Neither could I ever conceive, that there could be different degrees of denfity in bodies, where every thing was abfolutely, and therefore equally, full: where every particle touched its contiguous particles in all points of its furface. After the utmost effort of my imagination, I can form no idea of a plenum, but that of one uniform, motionlefs, and impenetrable mafs."

After fuch a declaration, we fhould, as before intimated, think we might with equal propriety difpute with a blind man about colours, or with a deaf one about founds, as with this writer about the first principles of natural philofophy †,

*For there may be vis inertia, where there is no gravity, notwithstanding we know them both, on more occafions, experimentally equal.

And yet the very first fentence of his pamphlet runs thus: Of all the operations of nature that have engaged the attention of philofophers, none have been more clearly explained, or more fatisfactorily accounted for, than thofe which relate to light and colours."-Either be or we are fadly in the dark, however, about this business.

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Obfervations on Chronic Weakness. By Thomas Withers, M. D. 8yo. 2s. 6d. Lewed,

Senfible and judicious remarks on the proximate caufes, fymptoms and method of cure of a general debility of the nervous fyftem; written, as it feems, by way of introduction to future tracts on particular chronic complaints,

A felett Number of Schirrous and Cancerous Cafes, fuccessfully treated, without cutting, by the peculiar Remedy of Melmoth Guy, Surgeon. 8vo. Is. Nichol.

The fuccefs attending Mr. Guy's peculiar treatment of fchirrous and cancerous diforders, is here exhibited in twenty. cafes, much to the credit of the ingenious practitioner.

The Ingratitude of Infidelity: proveable from the Humiliation and Exaltation of fefus Chrift, being the most beneficial Appointments to Mankind, that are within the known Plan of God's moral Government. Addreffed to Modern Deifts, Jews, Papifts, and other Unbelievers. By Caleb Fleming, D. D. 8vo. 1s. Johnson.

With all due déference to the acknowledged abilities of Dr. Fleming, we cannot help thinking that, inftead of ranking Papifs, with Yews and modern Deifts, as unbelievers, he should have rejected the Papifts, for being rather too credulous than incredulous, and have placed our modern Rationalifis by the fide of the Modern Deifts. Suppofing, alfo, that a man's belief depended on his choice, we really do not conceive, what great gratitude there is fhewn in believing no more than appears to be believed by Dr. Fleming. If Jefus Chrift did not partake of the divine nature, and die in our ftead: If he was not, in the orthodox fenfe of the terms, our Saviour and Redeemer, we fee little the believer has to thank him for, beyond what a Socrates or almoft any other heathen philofopher might lay claim to.-If, indeed, there be any ingratitude in Infide lity, our prefent race of heathenized Chriftians are certainly guilty of it beyond all others.

The Oeconomy of Quackery confidered, in a Reply to Mr. Spilsbury's Free Thoughts on Quacks and their Medicines. By Thomas Proffer. 8vo. 2s. Bew..

Mr. Spilsbury's pamphlet was fo compleat a filo de fe in itfelf, that we cannot help thinking Mr. Proffer's labour loft in this replication. It is fuperfluous to take the trouble of executing a fuicide.

Remarks on the ancient and prefent State of the Congregational Church of Norfolk and Suffolk. With fome Strictures, on the Account given of Churches of this Denomination in general, in the Ecclefiaftical Hiftory of the celebrated Mafheim. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Buckland.

The fpirit of religious diffention appears to have been heretofore fplit into fo many differences, that even the prefent poffeffors of it hardly know the grounds of their original diftinction. Thus the terms prefbyterian and congregational are generally fuppofed to exprefs fome difference in point of doctrine, which divide the profeffors fo called: Whereas the truth feems to be that they mean not any difference in religious tenets, but merely in the mode of Church-Government. This difference is alfo fo trivial that a coalition between them was once proposed and nearly effected: it is on this plan of union and brotherly love that, we are told, the congregational churches of Norfolk and Suffolk are at prefent conftituted.

***

-An Account of the Difeafes most incident to Children, from their Birth till the Age of Puberty; with a fuccessful Method of treating them. To which is added an Effay on Nurfing. By George Armstrong, M, D. Phyfician to the Difpenfary. 8vo 38. fewed. Cadell.

An enlarged edition of the author's former Effay on the diseases of Infants: the additions relating chiefly to the Disor- ders of children, who have passed the ftate of infancy.

An