25. The Schoolmaster's most useful Companion, and Scholar's beft InAtructor in the Knowledge of Arithmetic. By D. Fenning. 12mo. Pr. 2s. 6d. Crowder.

In this work, as in other compendiums of the fame kind, the common rules of vulgar and decimal arithmetic are illustrated in the ufual manner by a great variety of examples, but much more judiciously collected and better adapted to the intended purpose than are generally to be met with in treatifes of this fort. Notwithstanding we cannot reafonably expect any new discovery with regard to the contents of this book, which have been already wrote upon again and again, yet the eafy manner in which Mr. Fenning has ranged the feveral parts of this performance, together with the fynopfis of book-keeping, and inftructions in menfuration, added by way of appendix, will, in our opinion, recommend it to the perufal of such as are defirous of acquiring a competent knowledge in vulgar and decimal calculations. We muft however take the liberty to obferve, that in feveral of the queftions propofed for the exercise of the rules already delivered, there are some mistakes (errors of the prefs we suppose) that have escaped the notice of the author; fuch as the answer to question 3, p. 76, 3001. instead of 350; likewife question 1, p. 171, where it is required to find What must be added to the fquare root of 3, to make it equal to the fquare root of its remainder (which is to be called whole numbers) both being extracted to a decimal of three places? Anf. 11.534.' And again, queftion z, on the fame page: Suppofe 4 times 8 be (or produce) 28; how much then will the fquare of 15 be? Anf. 18.' Thefe, and other inaccuracies of the fame kind, which fometimes (not often) occur in the course of this work, we hope Mr. Fenning will correct in the next edition.

26. An Introduction to fo much of the Arts and Sciences, more immediately concerned in an excellent Education for Trade in its lower Scenes and more genteel Profeffions, and for preparing Young Gentlemen in Grammar Schools to attend Lectures in the Universities. J. Randal. 12mo. Pr. 35. 6d. Nicoll.

By

In the preface to this work Mr. Randal informs us, he should have been extremely glad if fo much of the arts and sciences, more immediately concerned in trade and the genteeler employments and profeffions, had been by fome able author thrown into a narrow compafs, and properly adapted to the wants of schools; and that having waited above twenty years to fee this piece of fervice to the public performed, was at length absolutely obliged to write fuch an introduction himself, which the reader (continues pur author) is not to look upon as a collection, but

a per.

a performance arising from the different difpofitions and abilities of youth, their infelicities, and the great difficulty there generally is in fixing any fubject on their giddy minds, and making them fit for immediate ufe in their deftined fpheres. I cannot presume so far as to think the performance does not stand in need of the kindeft indulgence from those who are masters of the feveral fubjects herein treated of; for as there is a fort of novelty running through the whole, and fome attempts every now and then to make improvements in the different branches of the arts and sciences introduced, it will be a happiness if there is not too much room for reprehenfion.'

Mr. Randal next prefents us with a letter to a merchant in Bristol. Whereof a few copies were lately printed by the author's confent, under a fictitious name.'

In this letter we meet with the following ftricture thrown out against fome of the most eminent writers that perhaps this nation ever produced. The bufinefs of conducting youth has been extremely injured by the writings of fpeculative men, who, without the requifite experience, have declared to the world, that if a boy will not learn without the rod, he never will with it. This rafh affertion of the Spectator and others, hundreds of very worthy men can contradict from their own experience. It is much to be wondered at, that fuch names as Locke, Addifon, &c. fhould thus expofe themselves to the unwilling cenfure of many learned and humane teachers.' .

We confefs ourselves at a lofs to determine whether, by the above expreffion, hundreds of worthy men, &c.' we are to understand the whippers or the whipped; the words from their own experience,' feem indeed to indicate the latter; but however that may be, we fhall at prefent beg leave to fufpend our judgment concerning the utility of fuch fundamental methods for inculcating the true principles of polite literature, and proceed to give some account of the work itself.

In the 1ft, zd, and 3d fyitems, the common operations in. whole numbers and fractions, appertaining to the feveral articles of vulgar arithmetic, are treated in a clear, easy, and fa. miliar manner.

The 4th fyftem contains a fummary of algebra, together with the ufual theorems for the various cafes of fimple and compound intereft; to these are added fome very useful rules for finding the value of annuities upon lives, according to any given rate of intereft, extracted from the writings of the late celebrated mathematicians Simpfon and De Moivre.

The fecond part contains a few principles of geometry, geography, and aftronomy; to this is added, A Supplement to Geometry,' wherein the different measures of artificers in estimat

ing

ing their work by decimal and duodecimal arithmetic, is, in our opinion, treated in a very judicious and inftru&tive manner. The whole work concludes with A Supplement to Geography,' in which we find the two motions of the earth (after a long dispute maintained with great heat on the fide of the fun and comet, in oppofition to Jupiter, the moon, and one (nameless) fixed ftar) fettled to the entire fatisfaction of the contending parties.

27. The Modern Practice of the London Hofpitals; viz. St. Bartholomew's, St. Thomas's, St. George's, and Gay's. Con taining exact Copies of the Receipts, and a particular Acccount of the different Methods of Cure, at the different Hofpitals, for the various Difeafes incident to the human Body. Very proper for all Phyficians, Surgeons, Apothecaries, and particularly vfeful for all private Families, especially thofe refiding in the Country. I 2mo. Pr. 31. Coote.

This performance begins with a table of the diet ufed in the hofpitals; but whether it is peculiar to St. Bartholomew's, or common to it and all the reft, we are not informed.

The preparations feem in general well adapted to hospital practice; but we apprehend the compiler is fometimes a little miftaken in his application. E. g. in p. 4. he fays the dif cutient poultice of oatmeal and stale beer grounds, is far preferable to any other application in mortifications. According to our ideas, a difcutient poultice can be of no fervice in fuch a cafe, where the circulation cannot poffibly be restored, and the mortified part muft of neceffity be feparated from the found.Speaking of the myrrh ele&uary, he fays, p. 9. it is prescribed in diforders of the female fex fuccefsfully. But he ought to have specified thofe diftempers, otherwife the young practitioner may adminifter it very prepofterously. We are in fome doubts concerning the anodyne clyfter, here prescribed ; it confits of two ounces of starch jelly, with one ounce of the styptic tincture, in which two grains of extract of opium have been diffolved. We should imagine that in the first place, this composition must be too thick to pass through the pipe; and, secondly, too inconfiderable in point of quantity to befmear the inteftinal canal as far up as the valvula Tulpii.-As for the hysteric mixture, p. 23. confifting of a pint of lac ammoniacum, with half an ounce of tincture of affa-fætida, we should think it would be too naufeous for any stomach to bear.

In the practice of St. Thomas's hofpital, p. 76. we find the following prefcribed as a gargle for the mouths of children in the thrush. • Take honey of rofes one ounce, and burnt allung one drachm, mix them together.'-This may be very good as a liniment to touch the aptha with; but without fome other

ingredient or vehicle, it will never conftitute a gargle. P. 86. after specifying a powder for a bearing down of the anus, he adds, From five grains to a feruple of the compound ‹ fcammony powder of the London difpenfatory, may be given twice in a week.' Now, we fhould be glad to know if he propofes this powder as an additional remedy for the procidèntia ani; or for what other purpose?

There are feveral other articles which require explanation, and perhaps afford room for animadverfion: but it is not our province to engage in fuch a minute inquiry; neither do we pretend to criticise the practice of the medical gentlemen who attend the hospitals; nor to decide upon the merits of the differences which we find in their different methods of preparing the fame medicine.-A Supplement, containing many recipes, to which the reader is referred occafionally, conftitutes the latter part of this performance; which, on the whole, we will venture to recommend as an ufeful compendium to all practitioners, male and female, whether they are or are not of the faculty.

28. The Anfwer of Richard Guy, Surgeon, in Mark-Lane, to certain invidious Falfhoods and Reflections upon his Method of curing Cancers without Cutting, latesy publifked in an Introduction to the Elays, &c. of Thomas Gataker, Surgeon Extraordinary to his Majefy, S. Proper for the Perufal of all thofe, who are, in any Degree, afflicted with Cancers. 8vo. Pr. Is. Willock.

This is a very warm expoftulation, in which the author Foundly taxes Mr. Gataker with envy, malice, rancour, and detraction, evident in the remarks he had made on Plunkett's medicine for the extirpation of cancers. In the first place, he declares from the mouth of the faid Mr. Plunkett, that the affertion is falfe and groundlefs, of that medicine's having been given or bequeathed to St. Stephen's hofpital, Dublin: then he endeavours to prove that this medicine is not a cauftic; but, in our opinion, he only makes it appear to be more fafe, effectual, and lefs mifchievous than other caustics generally are thirdly, he brings quotations from Boerhaave and baron Van Swieten, to fhew that cancers have roots, and accufes Mr. Gataker of inconfiftency; which, however, is not clear. He afterwards enters warmly into a vindication of his own character and conduct, from the mifreprefentations of Mr. G-, upon whom he takes occafion to recriminate with many expressions of afperity, which had better been omitted. In the course of this vindication, we have feveral cafes of cancers cured by his medicine, in the families of regulac members of the faculty, who freely vouch for its effects.

7

We

We have here likewife the fubject of a converfation of conference that paffed at the Smyrna Coffee house, between Mr. Gataker and Mr. Guy; and many other curious particulars which it is not our province to specify.

By

29. An Account of the Inoculation of Small Pox in Scotland. Alexander Monro, fenior, M. D and F. R. S. Fellow of the Royal College of Phyficians, and. Profeffor of Medicine and of Anatomy in the University of Edinburgh. 8vo. Pr. 1s. Long

man.

The dean and delegates of the faculty of medicine at Paris, appointed to enquire into the advantages or difadvantages from inoculation of the fmall-pox, having written a letter to Dr. Monro, defiring his anfwers to five questions concerning inoculation, he has taken uncommon pains to procure fuch information as fhould prove fatisfactory; and this intelligence conftitutes the pamphlet that now lies before us. From a table of five thoufand five hundred and fifty-four patients inoculated for the fmall-pox in Scotland, it appears that scarce one of feventy-eight dies of the fmall-pox thus excited; whereas by the accounts of Dr.Juryn and Dr. Scheuchzer, every fixth perfon infected with the fmall-pox in the natural way, finks under the distemper: Inoculation has fucceeded in fome parts of England, even better than in Scotland; and indeed the advantages of it are fo evident and extraordinary, that we are not a little furprized to hear those learned delegates have, after the most mature deliberation upon the most accurate intelligence, declared their opinion unfavourable to the practice.

30. Brief Animadverfions on fome Paffages in the Eleven Letters to the reverend Mr. John Wesley, just published under the Name of the late reverend Mr. James Hervey. By a fincere · Friend to the true Religion of Jefus Chrift. 8vo. Pr. 1s. Payne. .. Mr. Hervey, in his Letters to Mr. Wefley, has repeatedly afferted that our Saviour has done every thing which is neceffary for our final acceptance; that, by his obedience, we are made perfectly righteous in the fight of God; and that we have liberty to claim and receive this privilege without performing any conditions. Thefe, and fome other antinomean reveries, our author has endeavoured to refute, by fhewing that they are contrary to the whole tenor of the gospel, and deftructive to all moral virtue. His remarks, though they are fhort and fuperficial, are juft and pertinent, and fufficient to fatisfy an unprejudiced reader. Ste vol. xix. page 113, of

the Critical Review.