thofe of Horace; Mr. Sale, a learned and worthy Englishman, ftudied the Alcoran till he was more than half converted to mahometanism; and Montefquieu talked and wrote of the English constitution, till he became in love with it, though it is plain he did not understand its first principles. As we never had the fupreme happiness of feeing this fame Shaftah, we fhall give Mr. Holwell credit for all he fays, though we heartily wish that he had laid down fome critic 1 rules to prove this fame Shaftah not to have been a rhapfody collected by fome zealous Afiatic or European, from the Egyptian, Greek, and Roman writings, and impofed upon the Gentoos, who by alb accounts are the moft credulous fet of mortals in the world. This is the more probable, because from the twelfth to the fif teen century there was a prodigious intercourfe between the Arabs, Arminians, Jews, and other nations, half chriftians half heathens, and thofe Eaft-Indian Gentoos. Neither the univerfal reception the Shaftah may meet with as the standard of religion in that country, nor Mr. Holwell's private conviction as to its antiquity and authenticity, will have much weight with the public, unless fupported with critical characters to prove both.

Our author informs us, that at the capture of Calcutta in 1756, he loft many curious Gentoo manuscripts, and among them two very correct and valuable copies of the Gentoo Shaftah. This puts us in mind of Boniface in the play, "Ah, mafter, what a delicate loin of veal we had yesterday!" Mr. H. has, by the lump, condemned all authors, from Arrian down to the abbé de Guyon, who have treated of the affairs of the Hindoos (meaning, we fuppofe, the Gentoos) and the religious tenets of the bramins. He is fevere upon the modern authors, who are chiefly of the Romish communion, and therefore, from fuperftitious zeal, depreciate and traduce the mythology of the venerable antient bramins.

Having, fays he, tranfiently mentioned the Viedam and Shaftab, (the Gentoos fcriptures) it is neceffary I fhould inform you The book first named, is followed by the Gentoos of the Mallabar and Cormandel coafts, and also of the island of Ceylon.-The Shaftah is followed by the Gentoos of the provinces of Bengal, and by all the Gentoos of the rest of India, commonly called India Proper; that is to fay-the greatest part of Oriffa, Bengal Proper, Bahar, Banaras, Oud, Eleabas, Agra, Delhy, &c. all along the courfe of the rivers Ganges and Jumna to the Indus.

Both thefe books contain the inftitutes of their respective religions and worships, as well as the hiftory of their ancient rajahs and princes; often couched under allegory and fable; their antiquity is contended for by the partifaus of each-but

the fimilitude of their names, idols, and great part of their worship, leaves little room to doubt, nay plainly evinces, that both thefe fcriptures were originally one.And if we compare the great purity and chafte manners of the Shaftah, with the great abfurdities and impurities of the Viedam, we need not hefitate to pronounce the latter a corruption of the former. All that I need add here is, that my remarks follow the Shaftah only.

Tafte in reading differs as much as in the choice of viands; what proves a delicious morfel to one, is difguftful to another. I was never invited to a feaft in my life, that I did not regret the abfence of a bill of fare: therefore to fave you from this difficulty, I here prefent you a lift of what is provided for your entertainment in the following sheets, in eight courfes; fo that if your ftomach does not ftimulate you to taste the whole, you will be enabled to fall to on that dish which may best suit your appetite.

I. General.—A short hiftory of the fucceffion to the empire of Indoftan, from Aurenge Zebe to Mahomet Shaw. This fubject has been already touched upon by my ingenious friend Mr. James Frafer, but being foreign to his more immediate concern (the invafion of Nadir Shaw) he has touched it fo lightly, as to convey a very imperfect idea of the circumstances attending the many astonishing changes that happened in this fhort and memorable period. Thefe particulars I was favoured with at Patna, A. D. 1733, bỷ a fenfible Armenian, who refided alternately at Agra and Delhy, in a civil poft of fome truft, under the emperors during the courfe of thefe tranfactions.

II. Tranfactions in the fubahdaary of Bengal, from the period that Jaffier Khan ruled thefe provinces, to the ufurpation of the government by Aliverdi Khan, with the extraordinary cir cumftances attending the rife of this laft mentioned foubah, and his brother Hodjee Hamet.

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III. A fummary account of the provinces of Bengal, (properly fo called) its principal towns, their bearings and distance from each other, and from Calcutta ; with an eftimate of their revenues, and a feasonable perfuafive hint to the gentlemen in the East India direction.

IV. A fummary view of the fundamental religious tenets of the Gentoo's followers of the Shaftah.

V. A short account from the Shaftah of the creation of the worlds, or universe.

VI. The Gentoo manner of computing time, and their conceptions touching the age of the worlds, and the period of their' diffolution.

VII. An account and explanation of the Gentoo fasts and festivals, with a reprefentation of their grand feast of the Drugah, comprising a view of their principal idols, and the genealogy of their fubordinate deities. If the fafts and festivals of any nation are clearly understood, there wants little more to convey to us a diftinct idea of their religious principles; the one being the only true criterion of the other.

VIII. A differtation on the Gentoo doctrine of the metemp fycofis, improperly called Pythagorean, by all who have wrote on this subject, hitherto fo little understood.'

We cannot here help recommending to our readers the brief account of a voyage to India, undertaken by M. Anquetil du Perron, to discover and tranflate the works attributed to Zoroafter, and read before the Royal Academy of Sciences in the year 1762; and likewife the fame M. Perron's account of the MSS. attributed to Zoroafter, and of the other works relating to the religion of the Parfes, which he has depofited in the king of France's library. They who are fond of fuch kind of learning may poffibly find fome entertainment in comparing those two tracts with Mr. Holwell's Account of the Gentoo religion, when it fhall appear in public.

With regard to the particulars communicated to our author by a fenfible Armenian in 1733, we must beg Mr. Holwell's pardon if we once more borrow an expreffion from Mr. Boni. face; A fenfible Armenian is a very good travelling name;' but fhall take leave to give him very little credit, unle's Mr. H. produces fome better authority for his veracity than a mere ipfe dixit. Thofe fenfible people, and oral informations, have long corrupted and confounded true hiftory. With regard to the charge of plagiarism brought by Mr. Holwell against the author of Reflections on the Government of Indoflan, &c. perhaps much may be faid on both fides; and we fhall not at all be furprized if the culprit, provided he is alive, fhould, with Martial's plagiary, retort the charge with a FUR ES. We fhall, however, with great patience, defer our judgment, and if no fuch claim is entered, Mr. Holwell shall have credit for being the original author; though in courts of justice, it is no very favourable circumftance for the plaintiff when he does not profecute within four years after the fact is committed. We shall likewife, with the fame impartiality, forbear giving any opinion concerning Mr. H's account of the Gentoos and their religion.

We are now fuppofed to enter into the body of the history, which is most folemnly introduced by the author with a string of reflections, not much the worfe for wear, as they have not been prefixed to above five thousand other hiftories.

The fift

first chapter contains the fucceffion of the Mogul emperors, from Aurenzebe, in which we find very little that is new, or, if new, interesting. Ministers betraying their princes, princes cutting the throats of their relations, and the latter wading to power or empire through feas of blood, form what we may call the fum total of this period.

Chapter the 2d. containing tranfa&tions in the fubahdary of Bengal, from the year 1717 to the year 1750, inclusive, affords more entertainment. There we fee two Tartar brothers, frangers and wanderers, and men of very different cafts, Aliverdi Khan and Hodjee Hamet, worm themselves into the confidence of a great prince, contriving, and at last compassing, his deftruction and death. The name of that unhappy prince was Suffraaz Khan; and in 1742 he was fucceeded in the fubahship by Aliverdi Khan, the traitor who defeated and killed him. The invasion of Bengal by the Maharattas fucceeds, and gives us a frightful picture of a noble country defolated by war.

The third chapter confits of matters not properly historical ; and ends with certain ftrictures upon the East-India company's trade, in which the author defcends fo low as to recapitulate fome temporary news-paper difputes, to which we must refer our readers. To conclude, we cannot think that the public ftood in any need of the information contained in the volume before us; and the author certainly ought to have fupported his narrative with better authorities than a dictaorial ftile, and reflections that lose all force and dignity in their travels between the closet and the counter,

XI. Short Remarks upon autumnal Disorders of the Bowels, and on the Nature of fome fudden Deaths, obferved to happen at the jame Seafon of the Year. Thoughts on the natural Caufes of the Bile's Putrefcency, aud its Noxioufnefs in the Circulation. Phyfiological Thoughts on Spafms, and the Seat and Origin of them in the Animal Oeconomy. By Andrew Wilton, M. D. Fellow of the Royal College of Phyficians at Edinburgh. 8vo. Pr. is. 6d, Wilfon and Fell.

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HOSE gentlemen who have ftudied the art of medicine at Edinburgh, generally return from thence fo brim-full of theory, that it runs over once or twice every feason for the benefit of the public, and then we have books, pamphlets, and effays, replete with new fyftems of medicine and philofophy.- -We think there thould be a form of prayer in the Liturgy, for the fupport and encouragement of thofe ftudents, who, in the course of their education, are obliged to perufe every

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every article of the medical library, from the works of Hippocrates to the lucubrations of Dr. Andrew Willon.Not that we would be thought to reflect upon the piece before us as the lowest ftep of the anticlimax; no, we must own there is a vein of ingenuity and obfervation which runs through the whole. We only with the doctor's matter had been a little more digefted; and that, as he feemed fo well-difpofed to inftru&t his fellow-creatures, he would confine his communications to the channel of practice and experience.

This pamphlet is dedicated to Dr. John Rutherfoord, profeffor of the theory and practice of medicine in the university of Edinburgh; whom the author refpects as his mafter, and efteems as his friend.

In his introduction, he propofes to give a fhort and clear definition of the diftinguishing characters of those disorders to which the bowels are fubject after long continued heat, upon the decline of fummer, or even the approach of winter, if the weather proves remarkably open. To thefe definitions, however, he fubjoins no method of cure, becaufe he thinks there are fuch antipathies, and fingularities of conftitution, as render the mention of particular medicines, or forms, of very limited ufe.

In order to give something of a connected view of autumnal disorders of the inteftines, fays he, I thought it would not be improper briefly to refume, in the beginning of this paper, the plan of the Effay on the Dyfentery.

The thoughts upon the bile in the fecond paper, were naturally, fuggested by the fubject of the preceding one. The doctrine of the four humours or temperaments, and of the four elements, upon which the temperaments were founded, and out of which they are fuppofed to be compofed, has been long neglected and laid afide, though univerfally taught and received by the ancients; with how much juftice I will not take upon me to determine: but the celebrated and judiciously cautious Boerhaave, who may be eiteemed the prince of mechanic phyficians, judged that diftinction ufeful and neceffary. Now, though both chemical and mechanical knowledge and reasoning, chastely used, are capable of giving great improvement to phyfic, and in many refpects have done fo; yet I may be allowed to prefume, that in fome cafes they would be more use. fully applied in explaining, and rendering more intelligible, thefe, and fome other doctrines tranfmitted from antiquity, than in totally difcarding diftin&tions, which were univerfally regarded by the greatest and moft fuccefsful phyficians of antiquity, and in former ages, in regulationg their practice. If I am not mistaken, even Hypocrates and Galen have confider

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