"It requiring a proper person to infpect into and manage "those affairs, I have taken upon me to give Mr. Milbourne "Marfhe (his majesty's naval officer that was at Mahon, and "who came down with Capt. Edgcumbe) an order to act as "mafter fhipwright, which I hope, their lordfhips will ap"prove, and have given him orders to use his beft endeavours "to put the wharf, &c. in the beft condition he can, for very "foon they will be wanted; as I apprehend, this is the only "place the fhips of the fquadron can come to refit, and many "of them are in want of repairs and careening; particularly "the Portland, who has not been cleaned these twelve months, "nor the Chefterfield, ten; befides many of the fhips that came "out with me are foul: I fear from the inconveniencies we "fhall meet with here, there will be great difficulty in keep"ing the fhips clean, as there is but one wharf for them to prepare and careen at.

cr

By a council of war, held by general Fowke, a copy of "which is herewith tranfmitted, it was not thought proper "to fend a detachment equal to a battallion for the relief of "Minorca, as it would evidently weaken the garrifon of "Gibraltar, and be no way effectual to the relief of that "ifland, for the reafons therein given; but, as I had repre"sented that there was a deficiency of men on board the "ships late under the command of capt. Edgcumbe, on ac- ́ "count of his having left a number of failors and marines at "Minorca to affift in the defence of that place, and that it "was neceffary to fend a detachment on board those ships "to help to man them, this the general complied with, and "I fhall diftribute fome feamen from the fhips that came out "with me to compleat their complement.

"The Chesterfield, Portland, and Dolphin are on their paffage" "from Mahon for this place. The Phoenix is gone to Leg "horn by order of capt. Edgcumbe for letters and intelligence;" "and the Experiment is cruizing of Cape Pallas, who I ex-' "pect in every hour.

"By a letter from Mr. Banks, our conful at Carthagena, "to general Fowke, dated the 21ft of April, it appears, that "twelve fail of Spanish men of war are ordered for Cadiz

" and

and Ferrol, which are expected at that port, but on what "account he could not tell the governor.

"We are employed in taking in wine and compleating our "water with the utmost dispatch, and fhall let no opportunity "flip of failing from hence.

"Herewith I fend you enclosed a copy of fuch papers as "have been delivered me, which I thought neceffary for their "lordship's infpection.

"I am,

"Your most humble fervant,

"SIR,

“ Hon. J―n C―d, Efq;”

"J. B.

The fenfible reader muft perceive that these paragraphs and this letter were not fuppreffed out of tenderness to Mr. B-g. He must see the injuftice of pretending to foretel the ad—l's cowardice from any of the above expreffions; as well as of difmiffing him with disgrace, unheard, upon the partial misreprefentation of a profeffed enemy; before the m-y could poffibly know the particulars of the engagement.-In order to refute the affertion that Mr. B-g retired before an enemy of inferior force, he inferts two tables comparing the different fleets, in the articles of guns, weight of metal, and number of men; by which it appears that the French had a confiderable advantage over him; and then he infifts upon the English ad-l's having defeated them in fpite of this fuperiority.

Whether Mr. B- fhall prove on his trial, that he did his duty in the engagement, or it fhall appear that he betrayed the honour of the British flag, we cannot help thinking that pains have been taken to charge upon him the lofs of Minorca, which it was not in his power to fave.--We hope he will meet with that justice and impartiality of judgment to which every individual of this happy nation is intitled by his birthright; and that neither rank, quality, or undue influence wil screen the guilty, whofoever they may be, from the right vengeance of an injured people.

ART. VI. An enquiry into the occafional and standing fimilitudes of the LORD GOD, in the Old and New Teftament; or the forms made ufe of by Jehovah Aleim to reprefent themselves to true believers, before and fince the law by Mofes. With a differtation on the fuppofed confufion of tongues at Babel. By Julius Bate, A. M. 8vo. Pr. 45. Withers.

WE

E need not, perhaps, take the pains to acquaint our readers that the author of this performance, Julius, or, as he is generally called, Kar aynı, Rabbi Bate, is one of the chief pillars of the Hutchinfonian temple; an edifice built on the ruins of fcripture and common fenfe, and fupported by enthusiasm and falfe philofophy. Our ftaunch difciple is full as confident and almost as unintelligible as his master, and feems to demand our pity, as one of those whom much cabalistical learning hath made mad; which will fufficiently appear from a very few extracts which we fhall here fubmit to the judgment of the public. A vulgar reader, unacquainted with the rabbinical language, would not be able even to conceive what our author means in the title page, by occafional and fanding fimilitudes of the Lord God, (fing. num.) reprefenting themselves (plural) to true believers. But Mr. Bate will inform them, that fcripture is its own best comment, and the knowledge there, is to be dug for, as well as what we get elsewhere. It is no wonder therefore that Mr. Bate, who has dug fo very deep, fhou'd bury himself in utter darkness, or, as Milton calls it, darkness vifible: Mr. Julius Bate therefore, after being a long time under ground, fteps forth into light, and acquaints us with the fubterraneous treasures which he had there difcovered: he affures us firft, that we are taught by fcripture (which, by the bye, is more than we ever dream'd of) what the fubftance of matter is, viz. fmall, impenetrable, and indivifible units. But Jehovah the father, the deity itself, no man hath seen or can fee; his attributes however may be illuftrated by fymbols, figns, and figures. It is plain from fcripture (fays Mr. Bate) that it hath pleased God, in revealing himfelf to his prophets in vifions and dreams, to convey ideas of his attributes and defigns by animal forms, and other corporeal figures and appearances, standing and permanent,

or

or occafional, and temporary; the Lord came down on the project of Babel; no doubt to give directions in perfon, to those who were willing to renounce a fettlement in this world, and become wanderers, to escape the contagion that was broke out in the land of Shinar. To Abraham God appeared several times, before he left his own country, and afterwards, in what form is not mentioned; till at the promife of Ifaac; nor with what infignia, till at the confirming of the covenant to him, by cutting off a purifier with him, Gen. xv. When a fmoaking furnace and a burning lamp, i. e. the fiery cloud in miniature, paffed between the parts of the creatures on God's behalf; as fubftitutes of himfelf. No other vifible is mentioned, nor any animal form, till at fixing the time for the birth of that fon through whom the promised feed fhould be tranfinitted to mankind, Gen. chap. xviii. where we are told, that Jehovah appeared to Abraham amongst the oaks of the most High,

⚫ and he fat in the tent or tabernacle door, in the heat of the < day.' At mid-day, as the vifion was to St. Paul, and he lift up his eyes and looked, and lo three men ftood by him,' fc. by Jehovah, not by Abraham, for he was at a distance, and ran to meet them.' Here it is plain, that these three men were for Jehovah that appeared, or the vifible perfonators of what could not be feen in itself. The men fpeak as Jehovah, and are fo called; both in the plural and fingular number, as being one Jehovah, and three perfons. Abraham therefore (Jays Mr. Bate) according to the testimony of our church, did here entertain the Lord in trinity, though the common opinion is, that he did not, but that one only was Jehovah, and the other, something no-body knows what.

Thus, reader, may'ft thou find the doctrine of the trinity where thou didst never expect it: fuch is the wonderful power of rabbinical learning, and the immense profundity of Julius

Bate.

There lived heretofore a gentleman whom fome of our readers may poffibly have heard of, one Sir Ifaac Newton, who was reckon'd, in his time, a man of no contemptible abilities, and who had a tolerable knack at a fyftem; but the fagacious Mr. Hn and his followers have fince difcovered him to be a mere empirick in philofophy, and his fyftem

a very idle and improbable fiction. They have therefore taken the pains to fubftitute fomething elfe in its ftead, infinitely more ingenious; for a perfect account of which we must refer our readers to Mr. Hutchinfon's Mofes principia, contenting ourselves, at prefent, with a little sketch of it extracted from his illuftrious difciple in the work before us.

Glory (fays our author) is the powers of this system in epitome. The folar fire and light iffuing from it in all directions; warming and actuating the whole body of heaven, or fluid mass of aerial matter, (as far as it was neceflary the motion should extend) surrounded with thick darkness or stagnated air. The inertia of matter fetting bounds to the empire of the expansion; and as in a whirlpool, the circulating fluid becoming a wall to itself, and that motion, which within a proper distance of the centre, shall draw any thing into its vortex, gradually decreafing till it become a perfect calm towards the circumference. This philofophy afferts a plenum in oppofition to that novel doctrine of a vacuum, and the occult qualities of Sir Ifaac Newton and his followers; and afcribes all to the impulfe of the aerial fluid, which mechanically performs all the operations of nature. The motion begins at the fun; or as Philo de mundo, p. 1154. expreffes it, from the middle, and reaches to the extremes; and presently af<ter, turns back its courfe from the circumference, to the place it first set out from." The return of the spirit to the folar fire, has been thought a difficulty, but if all be full, it muft, as in a whirlpool of water, be a confinement; or to ufe Philo's metaphor, a bond to itself; and prevent its going off to all diftances; and as fome goes out, other matter muft come in. Motion in a plenum has been thought, at leaft reprefented, as impoffible, without confidering that the fluid circulates round into the place the moving body leaves, as it fhifts its ground, and that immediately; as a fifh moves in

This expanfive power of the fcripture differs from the Cartefian vortex, being a motion from center to circumference, and vice verfa, the light iffuing from the fun, neceffarily caufing the fpirit or groffer air to return, quantity for quantity. And here I do with great pleasure, and full confidence, refer the reader to The enquiry after philofophy and theo

I

logy.