arrange themfelves in an atmospheric rectilinear form around them; in which state they produce all the appearances of attraction, and repulfion, and all the various mutations and operations of nature, which prefent themselves to the philofophic mind; or, by combining together, in the ftates of light and fire, they give beauty, life and activity to the whole.' Such are our author's principles, in other words, his data: they are truly gratuitous, except fo far as we know that folid particles must exift, and that effects are produced by causes in which we can perceive nothing material. He goes on, however, refting on thefe data, to confider the different combinations of the fixed and active principles, which form the most active bodies, particularly alkalis and acids; fecondly, chemical affinities, which are, in his opinion, attractions taking place, between this combination of fixed and active principles; thirdly, the degree of folidity, which he thinks depends on the attraction of the fecond active principles, when united with the fixed, while the fpecific gravity depends on the latter wholly. So far as this fyftem is reafonable or probable, it is not materially different from the common, fubftituting fpheres of attraction and repulfion to the combination of fixed and active principles. Before mentioning the active particles particularly, Dr. Peart treats of fire, the effect of the union of the æther and phlogiston without any fixed principles, as well as of water, which he confiders as the fixed ftate of the two airs, and with the French and the generality of English chemifts, to be a compound of these. In the confideration of the theory of gafes, our author confiders air as compofed of a fixed principle as a center, and many furrounding particles of an active principle. The principle of acidity has, he thinks, the greateft affinity to æther, that of alkalinity to phlogifton, but, in the explanation of the reafon of their affuming the gafeous form, he retains all the difficulties which attended the fyftem of their depending on the caloric. From the two contending principles of acidity and alkalinity, arife the refpective combinations of the two moft fimple aerial fluids, the pure, and the inflammable air. • Inflammable air is, therefore, the most perfect of the phlogiffic aeriform fluids with bafes of alkali, and pure air of the etherial fluids with bafes of the acid principle. If thefe two be mixed together, in a proper proportion, they will have little fenfible action upon each other, becaufe each atmosphere is fo fully and widely extended around its refpective bafis, as to be fcarcely excited, and nearly inactive; but, if they be ftill more extended by fire, they will then actually feparate from their former arrangement, and, acquiring act vity by ignition, will themselves combine and form fire, and, communicating their activity to the reft, the whole of the phlogistic and ætherial atmospheres will rufh together; their refpective bafes, by that means, will be brought into contact and form a neutral com. pound, water; and, the phlogiftic and etherial atmospheres, thus violently acquiring their liberty, will combine and elcape in the form of flame, in which is fire and light.' From the fpecimens we have thus given, it will be obvious, that, by this new fyftem, we have fcarcely advanced beyond the former: we have the fame in effect and almost in form, with the addition only of what is, at beft, hypothetical, moft probably erroneous. We need not add, that to raise a system on the old obfolete doctrines of Stahle, a doctrine now for faken, probably, by every English chemist, is, at best, an adventurous, we think a dangerous attempt. Dr. Peart, how ever, means to purfue the fubject in examining the galeous fluids, arifing from different combinations with thefe fimple original airs. Yet we think his attention and ingenuity might be better employed. He is building a fyftem which a breath may deftroy: he is pursuing an ignus fatuus, and exhaufting talents, by which he may become useful in other applications, that may render him equally refpectable and valuable. Poems, Lyric and Paftoral. By Edward Williams. 2 Vols. 12mo. 10s. fewed. Johnson. 1794. IF F it be a natural confequence, as experience has fufficiently proved that it is, of having been gratified by the works of an author, that our curiofity is excited to know fomething of the man; it will equally follow, that when the man is found to have fomething extraordinary about him, curiofity will make us wish to become acquainted with his works. We are here prefented with the poems of a genuine Welfh bard, an original genius, who derives his poetical defcent from Talieflin, and his infpiration from nature, for his fituation in life is no higher than that of a working ftone-mason. The account he gives of the earlieft impreffions made upon his mind, is as follows: 'I was fo very unhealthy whilst a child (and I have continued fo), that it was thought useless to put me to school, where my three brothers were kept for many years. I learned the alphabet before I can well remember, by seeing my father inscribe grave-ftones. My mother, whose maiden name was Matthews, was the daughter of a gentleman who had wasted a pretty fortune; she had been well educated; she taught me to read in a volume of fongs, intitled The Vocal Mifcellany; for, I could not be prevailed upon to be taught from any other book. My mother fang agreeably, and I understood that that the learned her fongs from this book, which made me fo very defirous of learning it. This I did in a fhort time, and hence, I doubt not, my original turn for poetry. There is no truth in that old adage, poeta nafcitur, non fit; for, I will venture to fay, that a poetical and every other genius is made by fome accident in early life, making an indelible impreffion on the tender mind of infancy. I could buy no books: there was not at this time a fingle bookfeller except itinerants, that fold Welsh books, in all Wales. The whole of my (or rather my mother's) little library, confifted of the Bible, fome of Pope's works, Lintott's Mifcellany, Steele's Mifcellany, Randolph's Poems, Milton's poetical works, a few volumes of the Spectator, Tatler, and Guardian, The Whole Duty of Man, Browne's Religio Medici, and Golding's Tranflation of Ovid's Metamorphofes, in the black letter, which I foon was able to read; and, with thefe, two or three books of arithmetic, which my mother procured for me; and it was the that taught me to write, and the first five or fix rules of arithmetic, with tomething of mufic. My first attempts in poetry were in Welsh, that being the country vernaculum, though English was the language of my father's houfe. In 1770, my best of mothers died; I was then, though twenty-three years of age, as ignorant of the world almost as a newborn child; this I gradually found by woeful experience. I had worked at my father's trade fince I was nine years of age; but I never, from a child, affociated with thofe of my age, never learned their diverfions. I returned every night to my mother's fire-fide, where I talked or read with her; if ever I walked out, it was by myfelf in unfrequented places, woods, the fea-fhore, &c. for I was very penfive, melancholy, and very ftupid, as all but my mother thought; when a chearful fit occurred, it was wild extravagance generally.' Those who have read Beatie's Minstrel, will be ftruck with the fimilarity between young Edwin and our ruftic poet.After his mother's death, Mr. Williams tells us, that not being able to bear home where he was never more to be seen,' he rambled about for fome years, working at his trade in London and other placés. Returning into Wales he married, and for fome time laid afide his favourite ftudy. But by degrees, the notice of friends encouraged him to print his poems by fubfcription, in which we fincerely rejoice he has met with fo much encouragement. From this account of his feanty advantages, our readers are probably prepared to give his productions the qualified eulogium, which is fo often the utmoit that belongs to a felftaught genius. They are really very extraordinary, confidering! -But we can affure them, that if they are true lovers of poetry, they will find much of real, as well as relative excellence. C. R. N. ABR. (XI.) July, $7,94⋅ N A 1 A flowing and eafy melody in a variety of measures; images and manners truly paftoral; enlarged ideas and glowing fentiments of liberty, civil and religious.-He is tinctured with an honeft enthusiasm for his country and his country's productions, for which no one who has himself felt the amor patriæ, will think the worfe of him.-We do not mean, however, to bestow indifcriminate praise upon all the contents of these two volumes. Many of them contain little more than those general praises of the country and a paftoral life, and those vague cenfures of the folly and wickednefs of towns, which poets are apt to indulge themselves in, and which, when they expect notice or encouragement for their labours, they bring, not to the cottage which they celebrate, but to the city which they decry. Some of the poems are tranflated from the author's own Welsh, for he writes in both languages, and a few from the ancient Welsh bards. We particularly noticed a very elegant one from a Welsh bard who flourished, as we are told, about the year 1350. It defcribes the journey of a female pilgrim from the ifle of Anglesea to St. David's in Pembrokeshire. • What haft thou done, thrice lovely maid No, Morvid, no; thy gentle breaft Has ne'er one thought, one feeling known, Yet, lovely nymph, thy way pursue, And to th' untimely grave convey'd.' He goes on to defcribe, in a picturesque manner, the ftreams and torrents fhe has to cross in her journey. O! could I guard thy lovely form Sons Sons of the tempeft, ceafe to blow, Peace! rude Traeth Mawr; no longer urge She dreads thy wrath-she owns her fears; Securely through thy windings wade.' Among those of Mr. Williams, we would point out The Holiday Prize, a paftoral, in which the gay and the domestic temper are contrafted with equal novelty of thought and neatnefs of execution. On the Approach of Winter, written with much feeling of the plaintive kind; and, more particularly, two Odes, which for fublimity of conception and loftiness of fentiment, may bear a comparison with fome of the most esteemed in the language. They were recited, according to the custom of the ancient bards, on Primrofe Hill, where they have a stated meeting on the equinoxes and folftices. The one is entitled, On the Mythology of the ancient British Bards. It seems their leading doctrine, derived from the Druids, is the metempsichofis, which they have interwoven with their Christianity. They believe that all animated beings originate in the lowest point of existence, whence they rise higher and higher to the greatest poffible point of happiness and perfection. That if a man leaves this world without having acquired virtues which fit him for a higher state, he is fent down again into the inferior claffes of existence, when in process of time he rises again. That, however, after paffing through the state of man, he is not liable to fall from happiness, but that good fpirits, who have been men, often voluntarily return to the earth to inftruct mankind, and that the most diftinguished bards, the Jewish prophets, and Jefus Chrift himself, have been of this number. That after paffing the ftate of humanity, a being recovers the recollection of every former ftate.In the Ode we mention, the bard recites his tranfmigrations into different states. We fhould quote from it, if we did not give the other entire. ODE ON CONVERTING A SWORD INTO A PRUNING HOOK. -4 Recited on Primrose Hill, at a Meeting of ANCIENT BRITISH BARDS, Residents in London, Sep. 22, 1793, being the Day N 2 whereon |