fill up its outlines and to finish those minute parts, which complete the system and give effect to the whole work. We have long been convinced, that, in future, chemists are to anticipate success in their pursuits only by a division of labour. By knowing what has already been done, it is easy to perceive what remains to be effected, and by concentrating their powers on individual objects, they will soon acquire an intimate knowledge of their properties and relations. The error of Dr. Ewell consists in bringing together in one view, and endeavouring to describe in the same work, two subjects of such immense extent.

The title

of his work led us to infer, that he had treated his subject in a desultory and unconnected manner. The term discourses' implies no necessary connection, no dependent series, and it was therefore in his power to have taken up any department of this science and treated of it in a way, which would have secured reputation to himself and information to his readers. Had the author confined his studies to a branch of chemistry, we are confident he would have been successful. In fact we anticipated with much satisfaction the perusal of his discourses on the arts, which are included in the subjects of mineralogy, and of the chemistry of animal and vegetable substances. These are of immense importance to society, and if minutely detailed would require volumes for their description; yet, except in one instance, we believe they have never been made the subjects of a particular treatise, nor even been collected into one work, where they have obtained more than ordinary notice. The author however by grasping at too much has failed in

all; and therefore, though he has introduced as much information on the subjects, of which he treats, as the extent of his work will allow, he has merely given us that kind of general knowledge, that outline of things, which is to be found in every systematick work on chemistry. In proof of our observation we have only to notice the descriptions of any of these arts, which we find scattered about the work. Let us take the formation of pottery ware and porcelain. The account of these manufactures is extracted almost verbatim from Accum's chemistry, a work professedly devoted to a general view of the science. His descriptions therefore, though sufficiently minute for a general scholar, must be unsatisfactory to the practical chemist. The author has neglected to name all the ingredients, or to mention their proportions. We hear nothing of the furnace nor of the technical terms, which are applied to the ware in the different stages or degrees of its formation. He has totally omitted the porcelain of Reaumer, and we look in vain for those necessary cautions on the application of the degrees of heat, on which depend not only the perfection of the ware, but the health of those, by whom it is used. It is well known, that the oxides of lead form a principal ingredient in the modern glazings, which are applied to the ware and to porcelain, when they have acquired that state, which artists designate by the term buiscuit. Now if the heat be not properly regulated or the glazing properly applied, their particles become imperfectly vitrefied, or simply agglutinated.

This glaze,' says M. Poidevin, is capable of being divided and taken up by all liquids, with which

The

it may come in contact.' underbaking is one of the most common and the most dangerous accidents, to which pottery ware is exposed. The oxides of lead are gradually taken into the body, where by slow, but progressive degrees, they gradually produce a long and generally incurable series of painful diseases. These facts are interesting and ought to be made publick, but it is incompatible with a system of chemistry to enter into the description of these minutia, without being extended to a bulk, which few would wish to purchase or peruse. This opinion begins to prevail in Europe, and there are chemists, both in France and England, who have deviated from the common routine of system-making, and and have concentrated their powers on those practical parts, on a knowledge of which depends, in a great degree, the ease and comfort of social life. In fact, the defect of this work arises from a neglect of noticing the proportions, and a want of minuteness in describing the processes of those arts, which result from the application of the principles of chemistry to individual objects.

Upon the whole, that portion of the work, which discourses on the chemistry of animal and vegetable substances, we think the best written, and perhaps the most valuable of the whole book. While speak ing of these, the author takes the opportunity of again introducing his theory of affinities, which we considered, while reviewing the subject of heat; but as we do not profess to understand this hypothesis, notwithstanding the assertion of Dr. Ewell, that it will be comprehended by all, who are capable of forming a distinct idea,' and that it has been approbated by many of the faculty, particularly by the

Vol. IV. No. 4.

Bb

learned Dr. Hosack, an eminent practitioner in the city of NewYork,' we shall once more take the liberty of referring its merits to the decision of his readers. We cannot refrain, however, from acknowledging our obligations to Dr. Ewell for a very comfortable 'reflection,' which he has introduced into his work, while on the subject of adipocire, or that substance resembling spermaceti, into which animal bodies are converted in particular circumstances. After mentioning the attempts, which have been made in various manufactories in England to use it as a sub stitute for tallow, he observes, that the product is found to have a disagreeable odour, which no doubt might be corrected; and then persons dying may have the pleasing reflection, that their bodies, instead of affording food for disgusting insects, will be exhausted in furnishing light for the illumination of elegant rooms and other useful purposes.'! On the milk of various animals the author is diffuse. He compares them with each other; he details with accuracy their constituent parts, their properties, and the different proportions, in which they are combined. While on this subject, he is naturally led to speak of the formation of butter and cheese. We do not profess to know much on these domestick topicks, but we assure the author, that the reputation of his work is not much increased by the insertion of a receipt for making Stilton cheese, on newspaper authority. The discourse on manures and the food of plants is written with accuracy and judgment; and notwithstanding the liberal use, which the author has made of the ideas and language of Thompson, he undoubtedly deserves much praise for the manner in which he has stated the most important

facts and experiments known on this subject, and the interesting deductions that naturally flow from their discovery. If the observation of Dr. Ewell, which proves that pit coal, when reduced to an impalpable powder, is a very excellent manure, be found correct by the experience of others, the inhabitants of his own state will have reason to view with gratitude the author of this discovery.

We have at length arrived to the concluding address,' which we have kept in reserve as a petit morceau of criticism for the lovers of novelty. This non-descript production, it seems, was delivered before the Philadelphia Medical Society, at their session in 1804, for the privilege of being an honorary member of that respectable association,' and equally disgraces the author, by whom it was composed, and the society, by whom it was tolerated. We confess, we think the title dearly bought, for the author appears to have lost his wits in the purchase. With a degree of candour, however, which is not always attached to the writings of learned men, Dr. Ewell acknowledges, that

A part of the doctrine here advanced was first introduced into the society by the accomplished and not less learned than eloquent Dr. N. T. Chapman, formerly of Virginia, at present one of the practitioners of physick of Philadelphia. The doctrine, which it. endeavours to support, is, that animal life is not in consequence of the agency of an intelligent spirit, called vis medicatrix, which regulates the motions of the body, as supposed by one set of philosophers; nor in consequence of its being the effect of stimuli acting on the excitability of the system, as taught by their successors; but that it (life) is in consequence of the affinities of matter exercised on each other when the necessary states are created."

We have before heard that some other great men of Philadelphia had advanced opinions in favour of

this theory, and had considered man merely as a compound of oxygen, azote, and some other gases, from whose actions on each other resulted that catenation of motions, termed life; but we were inclined to attribute these visionary ideas to a momentary enthusiasm, excited by some unexpected effects, resulting from chemical action, when, like the Pythia of Delphi, they uttered in their moody madness' a mass of incoherent expres-sions, which their obsequious pupils fashioned into a doctrine of animal life. To enter on a discussion of what Dr. Ewell calls doctrine in this address, would be an insult to our readers, by inferring, that their minds might possibly be warped by the warmth of argument, or biassed by the weight of intellect, which he discovers in its composition. The only passage, which affords even the shadow of an argument in favour of his hypothesis, is that in which he quotes the experiments of count Rumford and the abbé Spallanzani, and mentions the presence of animals in various parts of the body, whose production has never been satisfactorily explained. With this beggarly account of reasons, he imagines he has demonstrated what has escaped the penetrating genius of the whole sect of materialists from Democritus to Darwin. But we are convinced that those, who have withstood the formidable arguments of Hartley and of Priestley, are in no danger of being prostrated by the vox et preterea nihil of Dr. Ewell. We might considerably extend the limits of our review by extracting the many sublime passages, which are disseminated through this address, but we shall reserve only the last paragraph, as a fair specimen of the style and sentiment of the author.

Dr. Mitchell,' the 'not less learned than accomplished Dr. Miller,' the accurate experimenter, Dr. Woodhouse,' the accomplished scholar and secretary of the navy,' the venerable and hospitable Mr. Henderson,' and the accomplished and not less learned than eloquent Dr. N. T. Chapman, formerly of Virginia, at present one of the practitioners of physick of Philadelphia.' With respect to the execution of the work, it is printed on good paper with a clean type, but it was with much regret we noticed such a multitude of typographical errours in a book, which issued from a press usually so correct as that of Brisban & Brannan. We are informed, in a note by the author, that several material errours have most unfortunately escaped an earlier detection, in consequence of some parts of the work being unusually hurried through the press.' The occasion of all this haste we know not, but we are assured, that the publick would not have been disappointed nor injured at the delay of the work a sufficient time to correct these material errours.' In fact we are inclined to doubt whether the proof-sheet was ever inspected. Besides a number, which the author has corrected, we have noted several, which are of importance, as they effect the meaning, or sense of the passage; among these are minimum' for minium, sceptic' for septic, 'sulphur' for sulphuret, glans' for glands, chalk damp' for choak damp, from' for form, &c. &c. The pages of this work are continually disfigured with the minor errours of the press, such as 'soop,' 'morter,' ' quarts,' 'apotite,'' metalic,'sacharine,' diamons,' 'medic,' &c. and with the omissions of letters in some instances, and their wrong collocation in others. We

have thus finished the review of this work, and we dismiss it with this advice to the author, that in future he would remember the recommendation of Horace, Nonum prematur in annum.

ART. 16.

Original Anecdotes of Frederick the Great, king of Prussia, and of his family, his court, his ministers, his academies, and his literary friends. From the French of Dieudonné Thiebault, professor of belles lettres in the royal academy of Berlin. Vol. I. pp. 433. Philadelphia, E. Bronson. 1806.

Or the greatest warrior, that Europe produced in the last century, whose prudence was never diminished with success,and whose spirit was inflexible after defeat; of him, who, not satisfied with the glory of conquest, aspired to be ranked with legislators, and even panted for the honours of philosophy, we must receive familiar anecdotes with peculiar delight. The political character of Frederick is too well known to be illustrated in this work; but it proposes, beside exhibiting other great men, his contemporaries, to give us his sentiments on the common business of life, to show him, as a son, a husband, a brother, or as a wit, a critick, and a metaphysician.

The author was invited, as a Professor, to Berlin in 1765, twenty-five years after Frederick mounted the throne, when his disposition must have been formed, and his principles fixed, and the intimacy, allowed to the Frenchman, is often his boast. In his preface he declares, The first law, which I prescribed to myself on entering upon this work, and from