Round broken columns clasping ivy twin'd; 70 The manner in which Mr. Wakefield has conducted this work answers, in our opinion, to his declaration in the Advertisement. It is neither on the one hand encumbered with "a ftudied display of literature, fo as to offend ordinary readers, nor yet fo barren of genuine criticism on the other, as to disappoint readers of tafte and learning. The notes are, in general, ingenious and useful; and, as the immediate object of them feems to be to point out the beauties and blemishes of - Pope's verfification, afford fome good hints to critics and poets. Speaking of the Effay on Criticism, Mr. Wakefield obferves: • When we confider the multifarious excellencies of the following performance, both as a collection of critical obfervation and an effufion of poetic genius, and are informed at the fame time, that it was the production of a youth, who had not yet completed his one and twentieth year; the fingularity of the circumstance, or a jealous confcioufnefs of inferior powers, might at first incline us to fceptical infinuation upon the fact itself; but, when we find, that the actual publication of the poem effectually filences every fufpicion of this nature, we are compelled to acknowledge The Effay on Criticifm to be the moft aftonishing effort of tafte, judgment, good fenfe, and knowledge united, take it all in all, that literature, ancient or modern, has yet exhibited. And yet, as we proceed in our remarks on this performance, we fhall occafionally point out such specimens of inaccurate expreffion, flovenly verfification, and fuperficial judgment, as will abundantly evince, that, though Mr. Pope only was equal to fuch an effort, it was Mr. Pope in his immaturity: like Jove in Crete, fporting with his arrows and his javelin; not yet advanced to the fovereignty of the fkies, to compel the clouds and wield the thunder-bolt.' We see much to admire in our ingenious editor's notes, and little to difapprove; but we were furprised at finding that Mr. Wakefield fhould treat the fong (p. 326.) feriously, as he appears to do, which is evidently burlefque. mination of the verse. Ovid, in his epistle of Penelope to Ulysses, has a similar thought: ruinofas occulit herba domos. Encroaching grafs the ruin'd houses hides.' Ver. 69. The imagery of this and the three following verfes is fkilfully felected, and the conclufion is even fublime. The defcription of the hind in particular is characte iftic of that noble animal, and perfectly happy in energy of diction, and majefty of numbers. Ver. 72. And wolves with howling fill, &c.] The author thought this an error, wolves not being common in England at the time of the Conqueror. P. O 2 A Che A Chemical Differtation on the Thermal Waters of Pisa, and or the neighbouring aridulous Spring of Afciano: with an Hiftorical Sketch of Pifa, and a Meteorological Account of its Weather: to which are added, Analytical Papers refpecting the Sulphureous Water of Yverdun. By John Nott, M. D. of Briftol Hot-Wells. 8vo. 35. Jewed. Walter. 1793. THIS HIS Effay, fo far as relates to the waters of Pifa, is taken from an Italian treatife, written by Giorgio Santi, profeffor of chemistry and natural history in the university of Pisa. The waters have hitherto been indiftinctly known, and we are well pleased to add to the hydrological works every well conducted analyfis. Our riches, in this line, have lately increased; and we are almost enabled to compile a more fatisfactory account of mineral waters than has yet been published, of waters analyfed, fince chemistry affumed a more rational form, and extended its confines. We can only sketch the outline of our author's work, and muft pafs by many valuable remarks, which will be highly ufeful to the valetudinarian, who paffes the Alps, in fearch of health, from the air or the mineral waters of Pisa. We must take up the work in a more general view. The mountains of Pifa are chiefly calcareous. Beneath is found fchift, opake quartz, rock chryftal, and a beautiful red fpotted Brefcia, which laft pierces the fchift, and forms the apex. This fact feems to fhow that these mountains have been raised by fome fubterraneous force. Flint under fchift is no very common appearance; but it is by no means improbable. The minerals of this country are, in confequence of this structure of the mountains, chiefly calcareous. The general impregnations of the waters are, on the fame account, combinations of this earth. The heat of the thermal waters is from 86 to 106, moft commonly from 92° to 104°. Much of the earth is kept in folution by the excefs of aerial acid; confequently, when the water reaches the open air, fome depofition takes place, which is called tartar, and a cruft forms, called, in this treatife, a pellicle. We fhall add the contents of the water of the Refervoir, and the warm fpring of the Queen's Bath. We will now enumerate from experiment the feveral proportionate contents of 100 pints of the refervoir water. The pellicle and the tartar contained more than three-fourths of calcareous earth: about .13 of magnesia, and .05 of flint. The former contained moft calcareous earth, and the latter the largest quantity of magnefia: the flint feems to have been entanlged only with the precipitat The Afciano water is alfo aerial, and in Ico pints, con The water of the bath fountains is much loaded with earthy and other falts: that of the Pifa fountain is comparatively pure, and it is highly grateful. The falts are earthy, and thefe always render water pleafing to the tafte, without injuring its falubrity. The water in the refervoir, fituate in the middle of the eastern bath, is adapted for internal ufe: though warm, it does not nauseate, even drunk largely its aerial acid renders it exhilarating and antifeptic; it is a gentle attenuant, incides, and clears away the fharp vifcid humours of the firft paffages; it is cleanfing, detergent, and anthenmintic. It pervades the minuteft vefiels, gives tone to the folds, O 3 moderates moderates the circulation; it alfo promotes perspiration and urine, which laft, if crude and clear, it renders properly fedimentous. It is confequently ufeful where the inteftines are ulcerated, abound with fordes, or with any of the causes of obftinate diarrhoea and dyfentery: also, in lienteric and cœliac affections, where the meyfenteric glands are obftructed, or any of the abdominal vifcera; and it mitigates the concomitant febrile fymptoms. It effectually cures jaundice, and diffoives gall-stones; it expels gravel and ftony concretions. It relieves, and has cured, ifchury, diabetes, gleets; alfo, ulcers of the kidneys and urinary paffages. It allays pains in the ftomach, with exceffive vomitings; and for chlorofis it has proved a certain remedy. many In drinking this water, its virtues are in difeafes heightened by partial injections of it at the fame time; for, by thus coming in immediate contact with the affected parts, it must have greater efficacy than when it reaches them changed and combined with the animal juices. This applies to ulcers in the rectumn, bladder, and womb, fluor albus, hæmorrhoidal ulcers, periodical colic, dyfentery, and habitual diarrhoea.' 4 The difeafes which the Baths are found to relieve, are principally rheumatism, gout, periodical head-aches, pains over the eyes, convulfions, hypochondriac and hysteric affections, palfy, weaknefs of the joints, rickets, white swellings, jaundice, fcurvy, tinea, : herpes, and old ulcers. The douge effects the resolution of stagnant humours, particularly if external; it re-produces action in debilitated indolent parts, quickening circulation through them; and it cleanfes wounds.' The heat of the waters is attributed to decompounded minerals. The fulphureous waters are faid to owe their heat to decompounded pyrites, and the faline, according to Dr. Nott's reprefentation of profeffor Santi, to fchift, argillaceous earth, and magnesia. We wish the English chemist had been more 'explicit, for we are yet to learn that the two former contain the matter of heat, and the laft, probably, does not hold it fo loosely combined, as to yield it, in any quantity, to the aerial acid. We believe heat in mineral waters, from decompofition," is wholly owing to acid, or to fulphurs. The Afciano water cannot, in its effects, be very different from the Pifa water. The hiftorical account of Pifa is entertaining; but we find nothing in it particularly new. In the meteorological journal for the winter months of 1787, 1788, viz. October, November, January, and February, we find the thermometer from 35 to 69; and, in in the month of December, 1792, and January 1793, from 32° to 60. In the two correfponding months of of this period, there was not fo great a difference, the thermometer rifing only to 62° in January 1788. The account of the waters of Yverdun is the more curious, as they have been little known: their heat is but a little above the furrounding atmosphere, at the time the obfervation was made, viz. 78°. They are fulphureous alkaline waters, which bear being carried to a diftance, without being decompofed, and they are useful as refolvents, like other hepatic waters. The water of the Baths is alfo fulphureous, but more volatile-chiefly, perhaps, impregnated with hepatic air. On the Punishment of Murder by Death. By B. Ruf, M. D. 8vo. 6d. Jonhfon. 1793. THE benevolent author of this little tract, which has been feveral times printed in Philadelphia, has written it to prove that to inflict death as the punishment of murder, and, a fortiori, for any crime lefs atrocious than murder, is contrary to reafon-to the order and happiness of fociety-and especially to the fpirit of the Chriftian religion.-We know not whether his arguments will afford as much fatisfaction to the enlightened legiflator, as his intention must give pleasure to the philanthropist:-they are chiefly textural, and he labours not a little to make the Old Teftament difpenfation, and the Jewith code of laws, accord with what he believes to be clearly the doctrine of the gofpel. Indeed he is reduced to fuppofe the one was intended as a foil to the other. The imperfection and feverity of thefe laws were probably intended farther-to illuftrate the perfection and mildness of the gofpel difpenfation. It is in this manner that God has manifefted himself in many of lus acts. He created darkness first, to illuftrate by comparison the beauty of light, and he permits fin, mifery, and death in the moral world, that he may hereafter difplay more illuftriously the tranfcendant glories of righteoufnefs, happinefs, and immortal life. This opinion is favoured by St. Paul, who fays, "the law made nothing perfect," and that "it was a fhadow of good things to come." Dr. Rufh fays, and the argument is fpecious, till men are able to give life, it becomes them to tremble at the thought of taking it away. Yet this argument will equally apply against taking away the life of brutes, and, indeed, there is fuch a provifion in nature, for even the enormous waste of life to which every fpecies is fubject, that we can hardly fuppofe mere life is confidered in the difpenfations of Providence as more precious than many other things for which it is daily facrificed. The great question, therefore, feems to be, can the life of delinquents be fpared confiftently with the fafety of the community, and 04 with |