fults of feveral that were taken near the same time, and under the like circumstances, it appeared, that in general the observer was not liable to err more than one minute in judging of the apparent contact of the moon's limb and the object with which it was compared. Now this being nearly the fame error that would be found to obtain if the like obfervations were to be made with the fame inftruments on land, it may hence be inferred, that in moderate weather the motion of the fhip is no otherwise an impediment in this fort of obfervations, than as it renders the repetition of them more tedious and troublesome to the obferver, which yet ought by no means to be omitted; because if each fingle obfervation be liable to an error of a minute only, by taking the mean of five or fix, the error on this head may be fo far diminished as to be of fmall moment.'

The Appendix, whence the above extracts are taken, contains likewise the copy of a memorial prefented to the commiffioners of longitude, by the Rev. Mr. Nevil Mafkelyne, Aftronomer Royal, on the 9th of Feb. 1765, in which he observes, that the longitude deduced from obfervations made by himself and others, with the help of Mr. Mayer's printed tables, always came within a degree; but (he adds) as I am informed that Mayer's laft manufcript tables are much more exact than the printed ones, it may be prefumed that the longitude deduced from them will come confiderably within a degree.'

Were it neceffary to add any further teftimony to those ale ready alleged, we might produce many more. Several mates of Eaft-India fhips attended the board of longitude by Mr. Mafkelyne's defire, and were feparately examined as to the utility and practicability of the above-mentioned obfervations; they produced their journals, and fome abstracts of the refults of their obfervations, and all agreed, that they had determined the longitude of their respective ships, from time to time, by obfervations of the moon, taken in the manner directed by the aforefaid book, and found the faid obfervations easily and exactly to be made, and that the longitude refulting always agreed with the making of land (near the time of making the obferyations) to one degree; that they could make the calculation in a few hours, not exceeding four hours; and are of opinion, that if a Nautical Ephemeris was published, this method might be eafily and generally practifed by feamen.'

Upon which, the Board came to a refolution, that these tables fhould be printed; and that application fhould be made. to parliament for power to give a fum not exceeding 5000l. to the widow of Prof. Mayer as a reward for the faid tables; and that a Nautical Ephemeris fhould be compiled, in order to make the faid lunar tables of general utility.

Mr.

Mr. Profeffor Mayer's curious and elaborate Theory of the Moon's Motions, according to the Newtonian Syftem of Gravitation, was published at the fame time.

ART. VIII. An Hiftorical Collection of the feveral Voyages and Dif- coveries in the South Pacific Ocean. Vol. I. Being chiefly a literal Tranflation from the Spanish Writers. By Alexander Dalrymple, Efq; 4to. 1 l. 11 s. 6d. Boards (for the two + Volumes). Nourfe, &c. 1770.

R. Dalrymple appears to be animated with that laudable unremitting zeal without which no enterprizes of importance can be atchieved and were it in our power to equip a fmall fleet to go under his command on difcovery, he should have no caufe to deem us unfavourable to a point which he has fo much at heart. But when Mr. Dalrymple thought proper to be angry at the article (Rev. vol. xl. p. 427.) relating to his former publication on this subject, and to ftate it in a kind of previous advertisement to his prefent production, he should at Jeaft have dealt fairly by us; for there is fometimes a little difference between telling partly the truth, and declaring the whole truth. It is not fuppofed that Mr. D. intended to mifreprefent the conteft he has been pleafed to have with us, but it is fuppofed that he might be too much out of humour on other accounts to attend coolly to the remarks of byeftanders.

We did not, in the article above referred to, fay any thing tending to difcourage the profecution of difcoveries to the Southward; we did not object to the qualifications of Mr. D. to undertake fuch an expedition, nor impeach the grounds of his perfuafion that important difcoveries were to be made within the limits he lays down: we did not fay that any future publication on this fubject was unneceffary, which latter is the grand complaint Mr. D. makes against the Review. What we did fay may be feen by turning to the article, and it amounts to this, and this only that the republication of the old voyages in queftion, which had already appeared in various forms, feemed to be unneceffary: but with an exprefs exception to any communications of his own,-fomething of that nature having been hinted by him.

With refpect to the volume of early Spanish voyages now before us, what have they produced on the part of the induftrious Compiler? Little more than complaints of their deficiencies, attempts to reconcile their variations, and conclufions upon probabilities. We had too many hints of thefe Southern lands from the voyages as they already stood, to doubt

* Printed for Nourfe, &c. 4to. 2s. 6d. fewed. 1767. The fecond volume is not yet published.

of

Dalrymple's Collection of Voyages in the South Pacific Ocean. 29r of their existence; or to be altogether at a loss how to steer for them if they were fought after; and, fo far as yet appears, our knowledge of them is not much enlarged by the prefent publi cation. For the meer purpose of exciting the attention of the nation toward establishing an intercourfe with those remote regions, we remain ftill of opinion, with or without the leave of Meffrs. Dalrymple and Des Broffes, that one clear well connected memoir, deduced from the materials in Mr. D.'s cuftody, would ftand a good chance of commanding more regard, than a difplay of the detached papers themselves; which require a zeal equal to that of the Compiler to collate with each other. In this view we confider the chart of the South Sea, given in this volume, and the annexed paper containing the data on which it was formed, as by much the most valuable part of it; while it ftill remains for future trials to determine what that value may be.

Mr. Dalrymple's plan of this work, may be conceived by
the following extracts from his preface:

My plan originally was to publish the work in two parts:
• Part I. An Hiftorical Collection of the feveral voyages to
the South Pacific Ocean, in a chronological feries.

Part II. Sect. 1. Geographical Defcription of the places
hitherto difcovered between America and Papua, on the South
of the equator, comprehending,

1. Defcription of the country and anchorage.

2. Complexion, drefs, and manners of the Indians.

3. Signs of friendship amongst them.

4. Habitations.

5. Embarkations.

6. Arms..

7. Manufactures, arts, and commerce.

8. Provifions and refreshments.

Sect. 2. Examination into the conduct of the discoverers in the tracts they pursued.

And having thus recapitulated every thing that had been done

Sect. 3. Inveftigation of what may be farther expected in this quarter from the analogy of nature, as well as from the deduction of paft difcoveries.

Sect. 4. To point out the most eligible measures for fucceeding on fuch an undertaking, as well in the discovery, as intercourfe; at the fame time examining the conduct of past difcoverers to the natives, at the feveral places they vifited.

Sect. 5, and lastly, It was propofed to examine into the equipment proper for this fervice, and into the conduct adapted to the nature of discovery voyages.

• Motives,

4

• Motives, which it is unnecessary to lay before the public, induced me to print the tract abovementioned, in a very imperfect ftate; it is not only deficient in the arrangement, but as every thing not immediately relative to a Southern Continent was omitted, nothing is inferted to the weftward of the interfection of Schouten's track by that of Tafinan. The first fection, therefore, was very much curtailed; and as I found the opinions of other men very different from mine, on the two laft heads, I thought it would have too much appearance of prefumption to lay down rules for any conduct but my own.'

I fhall not at prefent publifh the fecond part, containing the Geographical Defcription, &c. This must be much enlarged, when the voyages lately made by the English and French are communicated to the world; I fhall wait till then before I go any farther than the Hiftorical Collection. So that the purchasers of this tract are to expect only the voyages of Schouten and Le Maire, of Tasman and of Roggewein.-These voyages will, I conjecture, be at least as much as what is now published.

I have prefixed to this Hiftorical Collection fome papers, which appeared to me not foreign to the fubject; and fome of them indeed absolutely requifite to make the work intelligible. These papers are,

1. Data, on which the chart of the South Pacific Ocean was conftructed.'

2. An Effay on the Salomon iflands: this is a very dry difquifition, which, perhaps, few men will have patience to confider with the attention neceffary to make it intelligible; however, future discoveries may fhew, that New Britain is not one, but many iflands; and then every body will fee, that the old maps, which fo defcribed them, were not merely conjectural.

3. A lift of Authors confulted in this work, as well as of fome whose publications or relations I have not been able to obtain.'

'I have added two papers of my own; one of them has been already published in the Philofophical Tranfactions; and from thence in fome of the periodical collections; but as it will explain the nature of many islands mentioned in this Collection, I thought it was not improper to insert it here.

The other is an account of the pearl fifhery, and fome natural curiofities at Sooloo; what is faid of the pearl fishery may be of use in explaining part of Quiros's Memorial; but my chief motive for printing these remarks was, that they might be preserved; the laft paper did not appear to me fufficiently correct for the Philofophical Tranfactions, at the fame

time, if it was to be printed, I did not chufe to let it be altered to other men's ideas or opinions: errors may lead to truth, but when all mens notions are ground in one mill, they ferve no purpose of investigation or difcovery.'

For the honour of our nation, and to reward this ingenious traveller, for his induftry in grinding and fifting the uncertain obfervations and notions of former yoyagers in his mill, we heartily with he had been engaged in an undertaking for which his actual experience fo amply qualifies him.

In the Appendix to the laft volume of the Review, p. 519, may be seen an account of fome memoirs of the Count de Redern, relating to the Antarctic continent, published in the Hiftory of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Berlin, which memoirs, if Mr. D. has not feen, he may be gratified by confulting.

ART. IX. A free Enquiry into the Authenticity of the first and Second Chapters of St. Matthew's Gospel. 8vo. 2s. 6d. White, &c. 1771.

WE

E have heretofore had occafion to mention, with ap plause, the manly and liberal turn of fentiment which is vifible in feveral of the clergy; their difpofition to follow truth, wherever it leads them; and their readiness, in particular, to point out the errors and interpolations that have crept into the facred writings. Few of our Readers can be ignorant how freely Dr. Kennicott has expofed the corrupted state of the commonly received Hebrew text of the Old Teftament, and that Dr. Owen has done the fame with regard to the Septuagint verfion. Nor have thefe learned gentlemen done injury to the cause of revelation, by laying open the alterations which, either through inadvertence or defign, have been made in the fcriptures; but have taken the very method that was neceffary to exhibit them in their genuine purity, beauty, and luftre.

Who or what the Author of the prefent Enquiry is, does not appear upon the face of the publication; but it is probable that he is a clergyman of fome denomination or other. Be that, however, as it may, he profeffes himself a fincere believer in Christianity, and feems evidently to have an intention of doing honour to the Gospel, in what he has now advanced, Many perfons will confider his attempt as a bold one; and, indeed, by calling in queftion the authenticity, not merely of here and there a detached paffage, but of two whole chapters of the New Testament, he has gone much farther than others, in general, have proceeded Nevertheless, he ought not to be baftily condemned on this account. What he hath faid is en