chiefly produced from the vegetable itself; and we want a much greater variety of experiments, than Dr. Home has made on this fubject, to ascertain the fource of the acids procured by diftilling peat. It may be proper to add, that every kind of mofs is not very fufceptible of the putrefactive fermentation; but we need neither to have recourfe to the oil or the acid, to account for the prefervation of wood in fuch fituations. If our author repeats Dr. Percival's experiments on the liquor of dung, in the Philofophical Transactions, with fuitable care, he will find that it does not militate against the general rule, that rotten vegetable matter yields no falts; and if he examines the constitution of the air, or the best chemical writers on the fubject, he will not, with Dr. Home, afcribe the virtues of alcaline falt to a vitriolated tartar, formed by extracting an acid from the atmosphere, which scarcely ever exifts in it.

The remedies for this deftructive evil, which our author recommends, are, either flooding, if poffible, by a neighbouring river, or compreffing by a weight of earth. Draining, combined with compreffion, is fometimes ufeful; but alone it is never effectual, nor will it fupply properly the place of the other method. An Effex farmer, who propofes ditches gradually deepened, and thinks that draining only fucceeds, yet orders the earth dug from them to be thrown on the peat: after all, the bog is destined only for afh. The operation of flooding is, in our opinion, more decifive of the nature of peat bogs than a chemical analyfis. The water ufually contained in them is abforbed by the minute cells of the matted vegetable, and is rather mechanically than chemically combined. A fuperabundant quantity of water destroys the plant; and, though it does not quickly advance to a state of putrefaction, yet it seems not very remarkable for an oppofite quality. Bogs of this kind are fooner covered with a vegetable mould than we can account for by the depofition of earth from water alone; and we think the flow deftruction of trees, in fimilar bogs, to be in a great measure owing to the exclufion of the air, and the uniform moisture in which they are preferved. Alternate wet and drying is most fatal to wood of every kind. The effect of preffure is certainly owing to the deftruction of the vegetable, either from the weight, or by preffing out the contained water. Mr. Turner ufes earth and ftones; but prefers a proportion of lime-ftone, which acts alfo as a proper manure.

On the whole, we would recommend this study to able chemifts. Our author has furnished facts, which will materially affift them; and what he has advanced from experience, refpecting

I

respecting the methods of reclaiming peat bogs, is very valuable. He would have been more fuccefsful in his pursuits, if he had advanced farther in chemical knowlege.

A Difcourfe on the Inftitution of a Society for enquiring into the Hiftory, Civil and Natural, the Antiquities, Arts, Sciences, and Literature of Afia; and a Hymn to Camdeo. By Sir. William Jones. 4to. Is. 6d. Payne.

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F the elegance, the learning, and the judgment of Sir William Jones were not already known, we might be more: diffuse in our commendations: it is fufficient now to obferve, that neither the Difcourfe on the Institution of the Afiatic Society, nor the Charge to the Grand Jury, at Calcutta, fully the author's former reputation. The extenfive defigns: fketched by the bold and animated pencil of an enthusiastic. admirer of Afiatic literature, may not perhaps be wholly filled up; but this is no fault a vaft defign may terrify an indi vidual, though a fociety, by its united efforts, may rife fuperior to its magnitude. How grand and ftupendórs is the following plan!

It is your defign, I conceive, to take an ample space for: your learned inveftigations, bounding them only by the geographical limits of Afia; fo that, confidering Hindoftan as a centre, and turning your eyes in idea to the north, you have, on your right, many important kingdoms in the eastern peninfula-the ancient and wonderful empire of China, with all her Tartarian dependencies; and that of Japan, with the clufter of precious islands, in which many fingular curiofities have too long been concealed. Before you lies that prodigious chain of mountains, which formerly, perhaps, were a barrier against the violence of the fea; and beyond them, the very interesting country of Tibet, and the vaft regions of Tartary, from which, as from the Trojan horfe of the poets, have iffued fo many confummate warriors, whofe domain has extended at least from the banks of the Hiffus to the mouths of the Ganges. On your left are the beautiful and celebrated provinces of Iran or Perfia; the unmeasured, and perhaps un measurable, deferts of Arabia; and the once flourishing kingdom of Yemen, with the pleasant ifles that the Arabs have fubdued or colonized; and farther weftward, the Afiatic dominions of the Turkish fultans, whofe moon feems approaching rapidly to its wane.-By this great circumference. the field of your useful researches will be inclofed: but fince Egypt had unqueffionably an old connexion with this country, if not with China-fince the language and literature of

the Aby Anians bear a manifeft affinity to thofe of Afa-face the Arabian arms prevailed along the African coaft of the Mediterranean, and even erected a powerful dynafty on the continent of Europe-you may not be difpleafed occafionally to follow the freams of Afiatic learning a little beyond its natural boundary: and if it be neceffary or convenient that a fhort name or epithet be given to our fociety, in order to diffinguish it in the world, that of Afiatic appears both claffical and proper, whether we confider the place or the object of the institution; and preferable to Oriental, which is in truth a word merely relative, and, though commonly used in Europe, conveys no very diftin&t idea.'

We indeed felt, at the introduction, how much ridicule might affect the moft ferious fubjects. When I was at fealaft Auguft, fays our author, I perceived, by the obfervations: of the day, that India lay before us, and Perfia on our left, while a breeze from Arabia blew nearly on our ftern.' Perhaps this exordium is too much ornamented: few readers will forget my Father Shandy's quotation, when my Uncle Tobythought his defcription real, and charitably concluded, that, if he was not the wandering Jew, he had loft his fenfes.

The Charge to the Grand Jury is clear, judicious, and dignified. It is the language of an interpreter, not of the perverter of the laws; of an impartial judge, not of a biaffed. advocate. Laws indeed must be neceffarily general rules; and it is the province of the judge to apply these general rules to particular cafes. If they fometimes feem to injure thefe whom they ought to protect, it arises from a concurrence of circumftances, which the best legiflator could not prevent, because the wifeft could not foresee them.

The ufe of law, fays our author, as a science, is to prevent mere discretionary power, under the colour of equity; and it is the duty of a judge to pronounce his decifions, not fimply according to his own opinion of justice and right, bet according to prefcribed rules. It must be hoped that his own teafon generally approves those. rules; but it is the judgment of the law, not his own, which he delivers. Were judges to decide by their bare opinions of right and wrong-opinions always unknown, often capricious, fometimes improperly biaffed to what an arbitrary tribunal would men be subject! in how dreadful a ftate of flavery would they live!—Let us be fatisfied, gentlemen, with law, which all who please may understand; and not call for equity in its popular sense, which differs in different men, and must at best be dark and uncertain.'

2

In the Hymn, which is fubjoined to thefe orations, we perceive a furprising connexion between the Hindu mythology and that of Rome. Our author attributes it to the Etrufcans, from whom a great part of the religion of Rome was derived, and whose system had a near affinity with that of the Perfians and Indians. Whatever may be its fource, the resemblance is ftriking, and the ftories are related with all the wild imagery, and luxuriant language, peculiar to the poetry of the East. We may reasonably expect to enlarge our ftock of poetical ima gery, as well as of hiftory, from the labours of the Afiatic Society. If well-directed, and we have no reason to doubt it, they will be enabled, in a superior degree, to combine the ufeful and the pleasing. We fhall felect one stanza as a specimen of this poem, but muft premife that Krishen is the Apollo, and Mahadeo the Jupiter of the Hindoos; the Gopia are the Eastern Mufes.

Can men refift thy pow'r, when Krishen yields,
Krifhen, who ftill in Matra's holy fields
Tunes harps immortal, and to ftrains divine
Dances by moonlight with the Gopia nine?
But when thy daring arm untam'd'
At Mahadeo a loveshaft aim'd,

Heaven fhook, and fmit with ftony wonder,
Told his deep dread in bursts of thunder;
Whilft on thy beauteous limbs an azure fire
Blaz'd forth, which never must expire.'

We fhall take leave of the prefent collection, by expreffing our wishes, that this useful design may be fuccefsfully executed.

The Frogs. A Comedy. Tranflated from the Greek of Aristophanes, by C. Dunfter, A. M. 4to. 35. 6d. Rivington. IT has been obferved, that tranflators and commentators ge

nerally become partizans in favour of the original author : that they exalt his merits beyond their proper pitch, and studiously cast a veil over his defects, Such a mode of conduct is not to be attributed to a wilful defign of misleading their reader's judgment; it is founded in nature, and originates from a better principle, the innate fenfations of gratitude for the pleasure which attended their labours, whether the fuccefs was real or imaginary. From this good-natured error, the prefent writer feems not entirely free. He obferves that the elegance of Aristophanes' language, the brilliancy of his wit, and the poignancy of his fatire, have been universally admired.'

But Plutarch has afferted, that he wrote chiefly to please the vulgar; that he affected a style obfcure and licentious; that it was fometimes pompous, and often mean and puerile. He has pointed out many other defects, but we think with too great severity, in order to elevate the character of Menander, and fometimes poffibly from not entering thoroughly into the fpirit of Ariftophanes, who abounds in parodies, and often designedly blends the vulgar and fublime, to strengthen his ridicule. The author likewife tells us, that

The defign of Aristophanes in his writings was chiefly a moral one, though occafionally ill-directed and divefted from its object to ferve party-purposes, or gratify fome perfonal pique or refentment. His comedies are a very bold and general fatire on the misconduct of his countrymen.'

We allow the laft pofition; but if by moral defign,' this gentleman means inculcating the duties of life, we have obferved very few paffages of that kind, but many of a contrary tendency. If those works were honoured with a place under the pillow of the great Chryfoftom,' we do not think it redounds much to the faint's credit. Though their panegyric has been highly founded by the learned Scaliger,' the following paffage feems to fhew, whatever opinion he held of their author's abilities, he entertained no very favourable one of the virtues of his heart, or benevolence of his intention.Veteris quidem comedia argumenta omnia fulfa, feftiva, mordacia, maledica: ut quocunque verbo pronuntiato, illico capiatur occafio ad aliquid fubfannadum.-Quid alii in eâ parte valuerint, quia nihil extet, parum conftat: quantus fuerit Ariftophanes, fatis ex ejus fcriptis patet. Nihil ferè a quoquam dicitur, quod non ad alicujus perniciem accommodetur. Poet. I. iii.-The principal defign in most of his comedies feems to be, though various other objects of fatire are occafionally pursued, to expose those demagogues of Athens to ridicule and deteftation, who were enemies to himself, or the party with which he was connected. Confequently he ought to be confidered chiefly as a political writer: his abufe is of a fimilar nature, though more highly seasoned with wit, than that we now meet with in a party news-paper; it is fometimes fly and allufive, but generally grofs and perfonal; and we doubt not the Athenians were equally as well pleafed to hear their fuperiors traduced, as our own countrymen. It has been the custom to compare Foote with Ariftophanes; but we think Fielding, in his political dramas, bears, on the whole, a ftronger refemblance: they breathe his very fpirit; have the fame characteristic wildnefs of plot; the fame keennefs and

afperity;