A Treatife of Artillery, containing general Conftructions of Brafs and Iron Guns ufed by Sea and Land, and of their Carriages. 2d, General Conftructions of Mortars, Howitzes, their Beds. and Carriages. 3d, The Dimenfions of all other Kinds of Carriages used in the Artillery. 4th, The Exercife of the Regiment at home, and its Service abroad in a Siege or Battle. 5th, Its March and Encampment; Ammunition, Stores, and Horfes 6th, and laftly. The neceffary Laboratory Work. To which is prefixed, a Theory of Powder applied to Fire-Arms. For the Ufe of the Royal Academy of Artillery. By John Muller, Profeffor of Artillery and Fortification. 8vo. 7s. 6d. Millan.

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T has frequently been obferved, with truth, of this nation, that how numerous foever our publications may be in other branches of learning, our military Writers have been very few, in comparison with the French or Germans. But tho' Mr. Muller is no Englishman, his works are English, and he is therefore to be confidered as an English Author. His former publications, which bear any relation to the Art of War, are,

1. Elements of Mathematics, in 2 vols. They comprehend the first principles of Geometry, Conic-Sections, Trigonometrv, Surveying, Levelling, Menfuration, Laws of Motion, Mechanics, Projectiles, Gunnery, Hydroftatics, Hydraulics, Pneumatics, a Theory of Puinps, and the Principles of Algebra. As the principles of Mathematics are, and muft remain the fame, in all Authors, it will be fufficient to obferve of thefe two volumes, that they are written in a concife, yet clear, intelligible manner.

2. A Treatise containing the Elementary Part of Fortification, Regular and Irregular. In one volume. In which the Reader will find the various methods of conftructing both regular and irregular fortifications, according to the methods of the most celebrated French Authors, particularly Meffrs. Vauban and Coehorn; as alfo many of their deficiencies pointed out, and their mistakes rectified.

3. A Treatife containing the Practical Part of Fortification, In four Parts The first comprehends the theory of Walls, Arches, and Timbers: the fecond, the properties of all kinds of Materials, and the method of ufing them: the third, the manner of tracing a Fortress, of eftimating, and executing the work: the fourth, the method of building Bridges, Harbours, Quays, Wharfs, Sluices, and Aqueducts.

4. The Attack and Defence of Fortified Places. In three Parts. The firft, of Attacking; the fecond, of Defence; and the

third, of Mines.

This volume is almost entirely translated from Vauban, Belidor, and Le Blond.

Thefe, together with the treatife which is the immediate object of our prelent examination, compleat the Author's Fortification, Artillery, and Mathematics, in fix volumes.

This treatife of Artillery is more truly original than any other of Mr. Muller's productions. The following tranfcript from his Introduction, will give our Readers a fufficient idea of the improvements he proposes.

If we confider the various Lengths and Weights that have been given to Pieces of Artillery, at different times, by all nations, it will appear, that no principle is fo uncertain and indetermined as that upon which the Artillery Artists have grounded their conftructions. For in Queen Elizabeth's time they made fome twenty-four feet long, cafcable included, fuch as the Culverin in Dover Caftle, and that at Nancy: and in King Charles the fecond's time, one Count Mansfield • made fome fix-pounders, that weighed but one hundred and ⚫ eighty pounds; and twenty-five-pounders of feven hundred weight, as is related in the account of the fiege of Breda by the Spaniards, under the command of Spinola: and about the fame time the Spaniards caft fome others nearly as light as these, as I find by one here at Woolwich, which is feven feet long, and weighs twenty-one Hund. three Qrs. and four Pounds, and carries a ball of about forty-one pounds of our ⚫ weight.

Tho' thefe light picces were then highly efteemed, for their eafy carriage, and facility of working them, yet much longer and heavier have been made ever fince, without any manner of reafon and we should have continued fo, had it not been for Colonel Weideman, a German, who brought light pieces into use again, as a new invention; by the exprefs command of his Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland: and no less authority could have prevailed over the abfurd, fervile attachment which practioners have for the old eftablished cuftoms of their predeceffors, and whofe only knowlege confists in bare imitation.

"Whoever confults the oldeft Authors, will find, that Guns are made at prefent, nearly in the fame form, as they were at firft: for fince Dilichius, a German, who wrote two hundred years ago, fcarce any alterations have been made; and the French make their carriages exactly in the fame manner at this day, as he has delineated them in his work. Tho' our fieldpieces are made lighter at prefent, and have been found to ⚫ answer

• anfwer better in the field than any others we ever had, yet we • continue to make all our other pieces in the fame manner as formerly; which plainly fhews how difficult a task it is to change a practice established by cuftom, whether right or ⚫ wrong.'

The Author then proceeds to prove, from undoubted experiments, that our light field-pieces will bear being fired thres hundred times in three hours and twenty-feven minutes, without the least damage, which is certainly more than the most obftinate engagement can require. The only objection to light cannon in a battering train, or on fhip-board, is their recoiling more than the heavy ones: but he obviates this objection, by faying, that batteries fhould not be more than two hundred yards from the object in which the breach is intended, and that a fhot which has velocity fufficient just to enter the wall, shakes it more, and destroys it in less time, than if the velocity was much greater.

• This is a matter of fact grounded upon experience. Formerly battering pieces were charged with a weight of powder equal to two-thirds of their fhots; But it has been found fince, that half that quantity is fufficient. Now if, inftead of twenty-four pounders, we should ufe forty-eight, nearly of the fame weight, and load them with one fixth, or eight pounds of ⚫ of powder, its force being as the weight and velocity, will confequently be double that of a twenty-four pounder, loaded with eight pounds of powder; and as the forty-eight pound fhat would enter the wall with the fame cafe as the twenty-four pounder, and would make a breach nearly in half the time, it is manifeft, that fuch light pieces have infinitely the advantage over the heavy. And as to the recoil, which is not so much greater as they pretend, it may easily be diminished, to any ❝ degree, by the declivity of the platform.'

If we may depend upon these experiments, (and there is no reafon to difpute our Author's veracity) the many advantages arifing from this confiderable decrease in the weight of our Artillery, are fo apparent, that he will certainly have the fatisfaction to fee his fyftem followed, in defpite of all prejudice whatfoever. There is, however, a material objection against short battering cannon, viz. that, from the greater violence of the powder against the infide of the embrafures, they are much fooner deftroyed, than if the pieces were longer: but he has anfwered this objection, by giving a particular method of conftruction, in which the cannon are nearly of the ufual length, yet much lighter than those now in use.

REV. Jan. 1758.

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He further recommends a particular care in the choice of iron for the fea fervice, as there are fome mines which yield a much better ore for cannon than others; but more particularly advifes the use of brass cannon upon all occafions, and proves that it would be a confiderable faving to the nation, as brass cannon may be recaft as often as you pleafe, by adding a fmall quantity of tin, at a trifling expence; whereas, thofe of iron are, when unfit for fervice, of no more value than their weight as old iron, which is very inconfiderable. In fhort, Mr. Muller's defign in this work, is, to determine, what kind of Artillery, confidered with regard to their different ufes, and at the leaft expence, are capable of doing moft execution, in the leaft time, and with the feweft hands to work them. This is certainly placing the matter in a true light; and we dare venture to affirm, that his enquiries are fuch as might reafonably be expected from fo fkilful, and fo affiduous, a Mathematician.

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An Enquiry into the Nature and Causes of our Saviour's Agony in the Garden. By the late Mr. Thomas Moore. 8vo. Is. 6d. Noon.

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HE defign of this truly judicious performance, is, to fhew, that the fufferings of our Lord, commonly called, his Agony, in the Garden of Gethsemane, may be accounted for from natural caufes, without recurring to any abfurd or fanciful hypothefis, or afcribing it to fome, we know not what impenetrable caufe. In order to this, our Author, after having prefented the Reader with a diftinét view of the original account, from the feveral Evangelifts, and illuftrated it with a few plain remarks, enters upon the enquiry, according to the following method.

1. The circumftances are reviewed through which our Lord paffed, previous to this affair. And here it is obferved, that the work he went thro' the five preceding days, was fo great, and of fuch a nature, that it might have contributed to render him fomewhat low and weak, at this time. Six days before the -Paffover Jefus was at Bethany, two miles from Jerufalem, where dwelt his friend Lazarus, whom he had raifed from the dead; and where it is probable he kept the Sabbath. From hence our Author traces him, diftinguishing each day, and giving the order of the narration.

2. Thofe evils are confidered which might naturally prefent themselves to the mind of our Lord, which he exprefled under

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the notion of the Cup. Under this head is fhewn, the precife meaning of that expreffion, viz. as denoting affiction and fufferings. The evils comprehended by our Lord, under this notion of the Cup, are diftinguished into-fuch as related to himself, and fuch as related to others. Many of both forts are enumerated, and each largely infifted on, and accurately illuftrated, as to the nature and intenfenefs of them, and confequently the moment they were of, to produce the extreme dejection and deadly forrow our Saviour underwent thro' an anticipation of them in the Garden.

Laftly, 3. Some notice is taken of the circumftances of time and place, when our Lord was in this Agony. This, it is obferved, befel him juft as he had finished his public ministry;when he was entering upon a new fcene of fufferings;-and when he was on the fpot, where he was to prepare himself and meet them. In treating this part of the fubject, our Author has occafion to confider the common wo kings of human nature on fimilar occurrences; his Readers, however, will not find him affecting to lay open any curious fpeculation, which might dif play his talents as a Philofopher, at the fame time that they cannot perufe his remarks without being fatisfied that he was far from being a ftranger to the internal operations of human nature. For our own parts, we may reft the truth of the above obfervation, on the following fpecimen.

Again. He [Jefus] was now on the spot, where he was to prepare himself, and meet his fufferings. There may be facts, or a variety of events, to which we are subject, which fhall make the bare fight of a place raise a combination of ideas, and difturb and perplex the mind. It is fo natural to connect things with places, that very often we make the latter a fort of focus, where the moment of the whole bufinefs is ' collected. Have we a cause to litigate, or are we called to ' defend our country? The entrance into the court of judica

ture, or first view of the field of battle, fhall give a more ' warm and fenfible turn to the affections and paffions, than, • perhaps, we shall feel through the whole trial, or meet with ⚫ in actual engagement. And if this was not exactly the cafe of our Lord, yet as he came hither on purpose to prepare and meet his fufferings, thofe fufferings muft neceffarily be reprefented and brought to the full view of his imagination. In • order to fuit ourselves to a condition, that condition must be furveyed, and entered into by the mind. Wherefore, we may fuppofe, that the firft perception our Lord had, when he was at the place, was the kind and importance of the evils to which he was now to fubmit. This fuppofition is both pious

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