1 general way; that, for the amufement and difcuffion of philologers, it contains abundance of matter; and if it should be neglected by them, the fault will not be in the author or in the fubject; but probably in the faftidiousness of learning, which will not pay attention to remarks not fanctioned by a celebrated name. Mr. Seyer, however, deferves to be celebrated for research and acutenefs; to these, fo many pages on the fingle fubject of time bear fufficient teftimony. ART. 23. PHILOSOPHY. An Effay on the Torpidity of Animals. By Henry Reeve, M. D. Member of the Royal College of Phyficians of London, and Fellow of the Linnean Society. 8vo. 152 PP. Longman and Co. 1809. 6. Dr. Reeve, in this truly philofophical treatife, with great care and precifion, has collected the experiments of others, and employed fome of his own, to afcertain the natural history of hybernating animals, fo far as it relates to their state of torpidity, and has afcertained feveral important facts, from which he draws the most correct and judicious conclufions. The facts determined by him are, that 1. The température of hybernating animals is diminished. 2. The circulation of the blood becomes flower. 3. The refpiration is lefs frequent, and fometimes entirely fufpended. 4. The action of the ftomach and digeftive organs is fufpended. 5. The irritability and fenfibility of the muscular and nervous powers are diminished and fufpended. He obferves from Mr. Carlile (Phil. Tranf. 1805) that in all the hybernating Mammalia, there is a peculiar ftruck ture of the heart and its principal veins," which that author defcribes. The philofophical obfervation of these circumftances leads to further remarks on the temperature of animals, and very nearly to a demonftration of the influence of refpiration in pro ducing animal heat. He arrives finally at the following con. clufions. "1. That the temperature of animals is effentially connected with the function of refpiration." 2. That the temperature may be varied by correfponding variations in the refpiration, without injury to the life; but this range of variation is lefs in the more perfect animals than in the amphibia or cold-blooded." 3. That it is most uniform in man, and in animals which con fume most oxygen, though uniformity of temperature is not to be confidered as the most effential characteristic of animal life." Laftly, that torpidity is natural to fome animals, and is the means means furnished by nature for preferving life under circumstances of difficulty and danger." P. 131. In the course of these investigations the author is led to make fome valuable remarks on the fubject of instincts, which he very accurately defines; and to decide, we think conclufively. against the fuppofed torpidity of fwallows, and fome other birds in winter. In the clofe of his book, he comes more particularly to his own science, that of medicine, and throws important light on the medical effects of cold, concerning which he fays, that unlike moft other ufeful propofitions in phyfic, this remedy has never been attacked, (that of cold effufion in fevers particularly) the experience in its favour is uniform and incontrovertible; yet it is not employed fo generally as it deferves, owing to unfounded apprehenfions, and to prejudices which time alone can remove. "I am difpofed to think," he adds, "that fome of these prejudices may be overcome by extending our views to the operation of such a powerful agent as cold upon other bodies befides our own; and with this view, perhaps, fome remarks contained in the forego. ing pages may not be entirely useless." P. 151. We are very apprehenfive of having done fome injuftice to this admirable tract, in this hafty view of its fubjects, but if we have faid enough to make it more generally enquired for, by perfons competent to judge rightly of it, we have performed what we wifhed. OECONOMY. ART. 24. The Art of preferving all Kinds of Animal and Vegerable Subftances for feveral Years. A Work published by Order of the French Minister of the Interior, on the Report of the Board of Arts and Manufactures. By M. Appert, Tranflated from the French. 12mo. 184 PP. 5s. Black and Parry. 1811. An art of fo much utility, which has received complete approbation from the perfons employed to judge of it in France, ought to be made known, as early as poffible, in this country. For as the tranflator fays, " if, by a fimple and unexpenfive procefs, articles of animal and vegetable food can bekept fresh for only one year, that is, from the feafon of produce through the feafons of fcarcity; if no other articles, for inftance, than eggs, cream, and vegetables, can be preferved in their flavour and excellence. during a long winter, there is not a mistress of a family in the kingdom, rich enough to lay by a flock of thofe articles, and not too rich to defpife [rather, fo rich as to defpife] the economy of a family, who will not find herself benefitted by the perufal of the fmall work here put within her reach; and there is no reafon to fufpect the correctness of this part of the author's ftatements. This, however, is but one of the more obvious benefits of his procefs; and if thus much be afcertained, then an in terminable profpect of refources is opened, which the flate, ftill more than the individual, will be called upon to employ." P. vii. We cannot therefore too strongly recommend attention to this fubject. It is mentioned, towards the end of the preface, that a patent has been taken out for proferving provifions according to the procefs defcribed in this book." Such a parent, if it can be valid, may perhaps impede the public adoption of the plan, but certainly will not afford any kind of obstacle to the experi ments of private families. We may obferve that this is a part of the French plan for diminishing the confumption of fugar. POLITICS. ART. 25. The American Review of Hiftory and Politics, or general Repofitory of Literature and State Papers, Nos. I. and II. Ja. nuary and April, 1811. To be continued Quarterly. 8vo. 366 pp. 35. 6d. each, Philadelphia printed. Longman and Co. London. 18.1. It is very important that this publication, fhould be made known as much as poffible. It contains fo much information on the internal ftate of France, the nature of its prefent govern, ment, the spirit and defign of its military defpot, that no perfon can pretend to be well-informed on thefe things who has not read and confidered it. The author of this work is Mr. Walsh, an American, who was for fome time known and refpected in this country, and who, previously to his arrival here, had paffed fome years in France. His "Letter on the French Govern. ment," publified fome time ago, and here republifhed (fee out 35th volume, p. 483, where there is an ample account of it.) proved fo fully the extent and accuracy of his views, the foundnefs of his reafoning, and the vigour of his ftyle, that every one who peryfed it muft remain convinced of his great ability to form and conduct fuch a work as this. If it be poffible for any writer to open the eyes of the infatuated multitudes of America, to fhow them their true intereft, both with refpect to France and to this country, Mr. Walsh is the man to do it; and it is next to impoffible to conceive that a writer fo qualified should argue and perfuade in vain. This American Quarterly Review has fill lefs of the real nature of a Review than the British works which appear every three months under that title. The firft number had actually no reference to literature, and contained only reflections on the state of America and France, with the beginning of a series of letters on France and England, the refult of the author's own obferva, tions, and having very much the nature of a book of travels; only being, from the circumftances of the times, more interefting than travels travels in general. Thefe letters are continued in the fecond num ber. In this we have alfo fome fpecimens of literary informa tion, in an article on the works of Alexander Hamilton, an American General, whofe worth and talents are highly extolled by the reviewer. There is alfo an account of M. Faber's work on the Interior of France, which we have noticed both in the original (vol. 37, p. 488) and in the tranflation (38, p. 59). This number contains also a letter of James Logan, a famous character in Pennsylvania, written in 1731, and the fpeech of Mr. Emmott on the non-intercourfe bill. Such are the contents of this publication, so far as we have yet seen it; in giving an account of which, if we have deviated a little from our ufual plan, we have been induced to do it by the defire of diffufing valuable infor muation. DIVINITY. ART. 26. The Obligation and Utility of public Worship; a Dif courfe delivered at the Opening of the Old Jerry Chapel, in Jerwin Street, Dec. 10. 1809, and published at the Request of the Society. By Abraham Rees, D.D. F.R.S. Editor of the New Cyclopedia. 8vo. 27 pp. 15. Longman and Co. 1809. Dr. Rees pleads for public worship, with ingenuity and effect; but it is with a kind of diffidence, as if he thought it not improbable, that the congregation which had then impofed upon itfelf the expence of a new chapel, might in time defift from their attendance in it. "Should it be deferted," he says, "after the great expence incurred in conftructing it,-a fuppofition which I must befitate to admit-we fhall derive fatisfaction from the piety and benevolence of our intentions, although we may lament the want of fuccefs." He adds, however, "But whilft any of the prefent generation remain, this is an evil which we have no reafon to apprehend." P. 26. This at leaft is fome comfort, though the con templation of its future probability feems to fhow a consciousness that focial piety is on its decline in that congregation. The fol lowing paffage is remarkable, both for the curfory way in which the author paffes over fcriptural examples, and for the nature of those which he substitutes. "If we look back to the hiftory of paft ages, under the dif penfations of both the Old and New Teftament, we shall find, that men, eminent for their piety and virtue, and diftinguished by their wisdom and usefulness, manifefted their attachment to public wor fhip, their zeal for its fupport, and their folicitude for its prevalence. The Scriptures, which lie open to the perufal of all, abound with inftances to illuftrate, and with evidence to prove, the truth of this obfervation. The hiftory of the Chriftian church, from the age of the Apoftles through every fucceeding period, recites 0 4 facts facts without number to the fame purpose. But we are loft in this general furvey; and the variety of teftimonies that crowd upon our recollection may probably diminish their separate effect. It may, therefore, be most useful to confine our attention within more narrow bounds, and to call to mind what we have read, parti cularly in the history of those ancient PURITANS from whom many of us have the honour of being able to trace our defcent, or what we have been told, or what we ourselves have observed, of those whom duty and gratitude muft lead us always to recollect with veneration and efteem." P. 9. We are not accustomed to fee the old Puritans fo honourably mentioned, and the reference feems particularly odd, from thofe who doubt of being long able to fupport any kind of public worfhip. The examples of our Saviour and his Apostles, might at leaft have been produced more in detail. The fermon is, however, well argued, on human principles, and, as might be expected, well.written. ART. 27. Obedience the Path to Religious Knowledge: a Sermon preached before the University of Oxford, at Saint Mary's, on Sunday, January 28, 1810. By Daniel Wilfon, M.A. Viceprincipal of St. Edmund Hall, Oxford; and Minifter of St. John's Chapel, Bedford Row, London. 8vo. 56 pp. 1s. 6d. Hatchard, 1810. A well argued and well written difcourfe on the important text John vii. 16, 17. Jefus anfwered them and faid, my doctrine is not mine but his that fent me. If any man will do his will, he fhall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I fpeak of myself." In treating on this fubject, the preacher fhows, with great ability, in what manner it comes to pafs, that they who are anxious to do the will of God are enabled to understand his law, while they who regard it as a fpeculative matter only, are never capable of " knowing of the doctrine." "If," fays he, "your difpofition be different,"-from that of having a fincere defire to do God's will," If you approach the Scriptures from mere curiofity, with a mind occupied by prejudice, with a proud, angry, or difputatious fpirit, with a reliance on intellect and learning, to the exclufion of prayer and obedience; 'with á fecret inclination to embrace only what may confirm your preconceived notions, inftead of fimply deriving every fentiment from the oracles of God; in a word, if you take up the Bible, as you take up Ariftotle or Newton, and expect that the mere exertion of natural talents, affifted by literature, will make you mafter of divine truth, as it does of the principles of human art and fcience; then you fhall not, you cannot really know of the doctrine; you are not in a right frame of heart; you want the recipient faculty, if I may fo fpeak; the propenfities of your mind as much incapacitate you from being an adequate judge of the nature |