plants, and conduce to the fupport of vegetable life: their vegetating organs feize the carbonic acid gas which comes within their reach, and while they appropriate the carbon to themselves, the oxygen is thrown off to renovate the atmosphere by its union with the nitrogen rejected by animal refpiration. As all vegetables are in want both of carbon and hydrogen, there can be little doubt but that by their means the atmosphere is divested of carburetted hydrogen gas alfo. Thus, what is noxious to man is rendered beneficial to vegetables; and the oxygen which vegetables are not in want of, is feparated by them in its utmoft purity, for the use of man. The wifdom, the fimplicity, and the beneficence of this arrangement are fo ftriking, and addrefs us with fo much effect, that the mind of the reader may be left to make its own reflections on the goodness of the Deity." P. 55. One of the most remarkable facts in the economy of nature is connected with the freezing of water, which under thefe circumstances differs from all other bodies deprived of a portion of their fubftantial heat or caloric. This differ ence, and the importance of it, is moft diftinctly noticed by Mr. Parkes. "In general, all bodies, whether folid or fluid, contract their dimenfions, and become of more fpecific gravity in cooling. This axiom has been long known and acknowledged; but water affords a remarkable exception. Water, as it cools below 42° 5, inftead of contracting and becoming of greater fpecific gravity, actually becomes increased in bulk, and its fpcific gravity continues to leffen as it cools. Count Rumford noticed this fact fome years ago, in one of his early effays.Mr. Dalton has discovered that the expanfion of water is the fame for any num ber of degrees above or below the maximum of denfity. There fore the denfity of water at 32° and at 53°, is precifely the fame. The bulk of water at 5o, is equal to the fame bulk of water at 80°. "From thefe experiments we fee that water becomes of lefs fpecific gravity, whether it be heated above or cooled below 42° 5; a fact too aftonishing ever to have been difcovered or imagined a priori. The wifdom and goodnefs of the GREAT ARTIFICER of the world will manifeft itself in this arrangement, if we confider what would have been the confequences had water been fubject to the general law, and, like other fluids, become fpecifically heavier by the lofs of its caloric. In winter, when the atmosphere became reduced to 32°, the water on the furface of our rivers would have funk as it froze; another sheet of water would have frozen immediately, and funk alfe; the ultimate confequence of which would have been, that the beds of our rivers would have become repofitories of immerfe maffes of ice, which no fubfequent fummer could unbind; and the world would Dd 2 fhortly fhortly have been converted into a frozen chaos. How ad. mirable the wisdom, how skilful the contrivance, that, by fubjecting water to a law contrary to what is obferved by other fluids, the water, as it freezes, becomes fpecifically lighter, and, fwimming upon the furface, performs an important fervice, by preferving a vaft body of cabric, in the fubjacent fluid, from the effects of the furrounding cold, ready to receive its own accuf tomed quantity, upon the first change of the atmosphere. Thefe reflections, perhaps, will not be thought to be mifplaced, fhould they but afford "One ray of light in this terrene abode, "To prove to man the goodness of his God!" P. 94. Such reflections, which on every proper occafion are introduced, and never in an awkward or impertinent manner, give a diftinct value to the book, befides its philofophical merit, great as it is; and will be properly estimated by all right-minded readers. BRITISH CATALOGUE. POETRY.. ART. 15. The Affociate Minstrels. Crown 8vo. 214 pp. 75. It is fometimes a matter of regret to us, that we cannot affign to every meritorious volume of poems a confpicuous place, among our larger accounts of new works. But, on well confidering the alternatives, it seems better to give a fhort, but early commendation to fuch a volume, than to let it wait for the precarious chance of admiffion into the higher ranks. This reflection, and this only, has induced us to place the "Affociate Minstrels" in our catalogue. Who, or how many, thefe affociates may be, we know not, but it gave a favourable impreffion of their poetical connections, when we faw their volume dedicated to JAMES MONTGOMERY*; whom they ftyle their "friend." Obferving various fignatures, we prefume that the contributors are feveral, but this is of little importance; the chief point is, that the poems are good, which may be faid of them, perhaps, without a fingle exception. Some, of courfe, are fuperior to others, and a few of thefe we fhall particularize. The first poem in the collection is on "Silence." This is a * See our account of his collected Poems, vol. xxxvi. p. 277. fubject fubject which afforded many far-fetched conceits to the metaphysical poets. But no fuch trifling will here be found. The whole is the refult of genuine feeling, under the guidance of correct tafte. Other poems in the collection may, to fome readers, feem more pleafing; but this is clearly the moft elevated. It is, indeed, in many parts, not only elevated, but fublime. The following paffage, blending the fublime of Scripture with that of imagination, may perhaps be justly reckoned the fineft, yet many others are fo good, that we pafs them by with no fmall fhare of regret. "When Deity to man his chariot bent, Though many an awful harbinger he fent, P. 10. There are paffages of different character. The part where the poet enquires of Silence, "Has fhe no voice?" &c. is extremely beautiful. This fine poem is almoft the only one in the collection which has no fignature. Some of the compofitions have appeared before, in the Athenæum, and one, addrefied to H. K. White, in the fourth edition of that youth's poems. The following Яanza in a short poem "On throwing away a flower," has all the fimple beauty of natural thought, without being trite. "For ever!-what a volume lies! The poem entitled "The Remonftrance," is apparently from a female author: but the juftness as well as beauty of its thoughts, on the relative characters of the two fexes, entitle it to much ad. miration. It will be found at page 91, and is fubfcribed A. But most will every married man, of right feelings, envy the thoughts and expreffions of the poem, addreffed to my Old Woman." It is written in the ftanza fo much ufed by Burns, and other Scotch poets, and is full of admirable touches of feeling and poetry. Some flight deductions might be made by fcrupulous criticifm, from the general merits of this volume, but we do not think them worth intifting on. That poetical taste and genius abound among us at this period, much more perhaps than at any former time, has long been our firm perfuafion. Were the matter doubtful, this volume alone, the work apparently of fix or more writers, might almoft decide it. ART. 16. The Wonders of a Week at Bath, in a Doggrel Addrefs to the Han. T. S. from F.T. Efq. of that City, 8vo. pp. 83. 75. Cawthorn 1811. This little poem is manifeftly an imitation of the celebrated Bath Guide, and may, upon the whole, be deemed a tolerable copy of that inimitable original. It contains a fatirical defcrip tion of the prefent ftyle of life, and amufements at Bath, with delineations of fome individual characters. Of the numerous imi tators of the late Mr. Anftey, it is furprifing how few have at tain'd (what we fhould fuppofe the eafieft part of their task) any refemblance to his fmooth and correct verfification. They fre quently place the accent on a wrong fyllable, and fometimes leave out a fyllable from the middle of the verfe; which makes it halt difagreeably. The laft of these faults is frequently committed by the writer before us *. On the whole, however, his lines are easy and flowing, and his general fatire not wanting in vivacity, as the following paffage, (which by the way contains one of the faulty lines alluded to) will fufficiently fhow. It concludes the account of a Monday at Bath. And then in the evening there's nothing at all, And really become very vulgar of late. *For inftance- And Englishmen hang, and Englishmen drown" (P. 2.)" Seem made for the fick, and mix up a hum” (P. 12.)For though you may faint, you never can fall" (P. 16.) There are feveral other lines of the fame kind. In one paffage (P. 68.) there are two in the fame triplet. that That you're ready to faint, but that's nothing at all,- The males are fo fcarce, to take what can be had: They think to improve on the dull London plan, Nor ask who you are,-'tis enough you're à man. P. 16. One In his defcriptions of the other days of the week, the author falls too much into perfonal fatire; which, befides being unfair, is uninterefting, the individuals alluded to being, in general, little known except to the frequenters of Bath. great merit of Anftey's fatire was that most of his characters (though they might be applied to certain individuals) were in themfelves of a general nature. This writer alfo dwells on circumftances little interefting to the public at large, fuch as a difpute refpecting the office of Mafter of the Ceremonies at Bath, and the fpeeches made on that important occafion. Though the work has these faults we deem it, on the whole, one of the moft tolerable of the imitations of the Bath Guide, which have appeared of late years, and in parts, not wholly unworthy of perufal. ART. 17. Iphotelle; or the Longing-Fit. A Poem by Ralph Palin. 8vo. pp. 71. 5s. Cadell and Davies. 1810. This Author's object (as he informs us in the advertisement) is," to combat the common prejudice of the force of imagination in pregnant women;" a prejudice which, we believe, is now almoft wholly laid afide, at leaft by women of liberal education and found fenfe. If however it ftill exifts, in any degree, it is certainly a very proper fubject for ridicule. This Author's poetical talents are by no means contemptible; yet we cannot fpeak of his performance with unreferved commendation. It is, in many parts, a close imitation of Pope's celebrated" Rape of the Lock." The Goddess of Spleen invoked by a beau, whofe addreffes, Lucinda the heroine, had rejected, fends her attendant Gnomes to disturb the fair one's repofe, and excite unquiet paffions in her breaft. Failing in this attempt, fe difpatches an evil fpirit call'd by the author Iphotelle, to infpire the lady (who, it seems, was "as women with to be who love their lords,") with a longing-fit. This fcheme unfortunately fucceeds, and great confternation is occafioned in the family by her calling for a bunch of grapes in the winter, when Dd 4 they |