competent to cure, with little, and often, no other affiftance, are, typhus fever, fcarlatina, marafmus, a particular fpecies of hæmatemefis, or vomiting of blood, chorea fancti Viti, chlorofis, with a few other chronic difeafes." Thefe complaints, though apparently fo different, are all, he thinks, derived from, or much aggravated by conftipation of the bowels, and are only to be remedied by removing the load of fæces, which will invariably, in his opinion, be found accumulated in them.

The difference between the author, and that of his medical brethren, confifts not fo much in his giving purgative medicines, in the feveral difeafes enumerated, for we believe it is the pretty general practice to begin the cure of thefe, and of most other difeafes, by clearing the firft paffages; but he ftands fingle, perhaps, in fuppofing that the difeafes depend altogether on conftipation, and therefore infifting on the repetition and continu ance in a course of purgative medicines, until the disease is conquered, and health reftored. In compliance, indeed, with the practice and prejudices of his medical brethren, he permits the patients fometimes to take tonic medicines to complete the cure; but thinks that, in general, they are unneceffary, and the place of them much more ufefully fupplied, by exercife in the open air, and a cordial and nourishing diet. "I have not," he says, p. 83,"felt the neceffity of having recourfe to tonic medicines; under a proper regimen of light and nourishing food, and of exercife in the open air, my patients, in general, quickly recover their ftrength. But many practitioners fet a value upon tonic medicines; and the ufual routine of practice demands them."

We fhall not venture to give an opinion of the author's doctrine, which can only be appreciated, as he rightly obferves, by experience; but while we admit that fome practitioners are too remifs and inattentive to the ftate of the alvine difcharges, it may be, that the author attributes to them, more than their due weight. Still, however, he deferves commendation for drawing the attention of his brethren to the fubject, on which he appears to have bestowed much ufeful labour. But we cannot help obferving, that he has fallen into a ufual error, of extending his cafes much beyond what was neceffary. If, inftead of copying out his whole journal, he had confined himself to giving two or three of. the best marked cafes, under each class, and had informed us how many more patients, fimilarly affected, had been treated in the fame manner, fuch an abftract would have been read with more attention, and would have been full as fatisfactory as the long. details he has inferted, which occupy nearly two thirds of his volume.

As the author has adopted the new nomenclature of the College of Edinburgh, which has not yet been introduced into the London pharmacopeia, he has given tables of the old, and of the, new titles of the medicines employed.

ART.

ART. 16. Obfervations, &c. on the Epidemic Difeafe which lately prevailed at Gibraltar, intended to illuftrate the Nature of Contagious Fevers in general. By Seguin Henry Jackfon, M.D. 8vo. 104 PP. 25. Callow. 1806.

The author corteiving that he can throw fome light on the na ture of epidemic fever, which appears to be involved in much ob fcurity, and has been hitherto, he thinks, much mistaken, is induced to lay the refult of his investigation into the fubject before the public. In performing this duty" he has adopted the plan," he fays," of publishing his illuftration of the Gibraltar fever, and of epidemic fevers in general, in parts. The part before us embraces general obfervations on the fcience of medicine, and on the prefent opinions of febrile and fenforial pathology. The fecond part will comprife fuch communications, with occafional remarks, as have already been received on the particular fubject of the late Gibraltar fever. The third part will confit of commentaries on thofe communications, and on the treatment of the faid diforder, in the light both of an ordinary peftilential diftemper, and in the way the author has conceived of it, namely, as an epidemic phrenitis, or brain fever. The fourth part will par. ticularly have in view practical obfervations on the whole; with indications appropriate to the future prevention and cure of fuch a truly local or phlegmafial difeafe."

It will hence be obferved, that the opinion which the author at. tempts to establish is, that the plague, yellow fever, &c. are local difeafes, taking their origin from inflammation of the brain, or fome other of the vifcera: that they are not contagious nor untrac table to medicine, fo that when phyficians fhall have attained to a true knowledge of them, "we shall never again hear of fuch a mortality of the human race," he fays, p. 10, " in this, or in any other part of the world, as was fo recently experienced at Gibraltar." The grounds of this opinion, and the experiments by which it is fupported, will be gradually developed in the courfe of the work. We only here incidentally learn, that part of the evidence, proving that the fevers are local difcafes, is derived from appearances obferved in the bodies of persons who have died of what are called infectious fevers. Care, however, muft be taken to diftinguish thofe appearances of derangement in the brain, or other vifcera, which were the confequences from thofe which had occafioned the difeafe.

As the complete developement of the author's fyftem will be contained in the fecond and third parts of the work, which are nearly ready, he informs us, for the prefs, we fhall defer giving any opinion on the fubject, until opportunity fhall be given us, to examine the whole of the fyftem, together with the evidence on which it is founded. We may however obferve, that in the part before us, containing only preliminary matter, and intended to lead the ftudent in medicine regularly, and by steps, as it were,

to the principal subject, we see sufficient marks of diligence to enable us to recommend it to the attention of that clafs of readers for whofe use it feems, in a particular manner, to have been defigned.

BIOGRAPHY.

ART. 17. An Account of the Life of James Beattie, LL. D. Praf for of Moral Philofophy and Logic, Aberdeen. In which are occafionally given, Characters of the principal Literary Men, and a Sketch of the State of Literature in Scotland during the last Century. By Alexander Bower. 12mo, 55. Baldwins. 1804. pp. 230.

To afford an early gratification of the curiofity which Dr. Beattie's death excited, was probably the ohject of the author of this crude and hafty sketch. Of Dr. Beattie, however, he appears to have known little but what common report afforded; and that little he has contrived to eke out with remarks and di greffions on many perfons and fubjects which have no natural connection with the Life of Dr. Beattie, more, at leaft, than with the life of any other Scotch Profeffor, who may have flourished during the fame period. But although this volume conveys very little information to the diftant fcholar, thofe who are locally connected with the hiftory of the Univerfity of Aberdeen, will be pleased to find many curious, and we are told, authentic notices, of the progrefs of literature, and the hiftory of literary men, in that quarter, for above half a century. In all other refpects, it must give place to the more elaborate and elegant Memoirs of Dr. Beattie, published by Sir William Forbes, Bart. of which we hope to be able to prefent our readers with an early

account.

LAW.

ART. 18. A Compendious Report of the Trial of Henry Viscount Melville, upon the Impeachment of the Commons of the Unied Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in Parliament offembled, for High Crimes and Misdemeanors. 8vo. 250 pp. 35. 6d. Afperne. 1806.

This account of the trial was published very fpeedily after its conclufion, to meet the eager wishes of the public. Even now, when the full account has been published from the work of the fhort hand writers, it may be more acceptable perhaps to many readers than the particular detail of every queition and anfwer, whe her fignificant or not. The parts that are important are here given in fufficient detail, the fpeeches of Mr. Whitbread, Sir S. Romilly, and Mr. Plumer; now do we conceive that a per

fon,

fon, who shall carefully perufe this report, can be materially deficient in his information refpecting this very momemtous and

remarkable trial.

ART. 10.

BOTANY.

A Synoptical Compend of British Botany, (from the clajs Monondria to Polygamia inclufive) arranged after the Linncan Syftem: and containing the effential Characters of the Genera, the fpecific Characters, English Names, Places of Growth, Soil, and Situation, Colour of the Flowers, Times of Flowering, Duration, and References to Figures. By John Galpine, A. L.S. 12mo. 97 PP. 10s. 6d. Salisbury, printed. Bagster and White, London. 1806.

Convenience of fize and elegance of form are among the imme diate recommendations of this Synopfis; which is intended to fupply the place of Smith's Flare Compendium, in the hands of those who are not qualified to ufe a Latin work. The particulars it contains are fufficiently enumerated; for the abfence of the clafs Cryptogamia this decifive reafon is given, that it would have extended the publication to thrice its prefent bulk. The whole is thrown into the form of tables; which, having the clafs and order fuperfcribed, as a running title, are divided beneath. into eight columns, exhibiting thefe objects. 1. Linnean names; the g neric names being printed in capitals, the specific names in Imaller characters. 2. The English names. 3. Soil or fituation. 4. Colour of the flowers. 5. Time of flowering. 6. Duration. 7. References to figures. 8. Specific characters. Prefixed to each clafs is alfo a fmaller table; giving a view of the Orders, and Genera, with the generic characters. To enable the author to comprefs fo much information into fo narrow a compass, he has had recourfe to many abbreviations; but as thefe are clearly explained in a table prefixed, a very little ufe will render them. familiar. The Genera are numbered, both in the generic tables at the head of each clafs, and in the margin of the tables which exhibit the fpecies.

Nothing can exceed the clearness of this whole arrangement; and among many particulars which cannot fail to be pleafing to the English botanist, the references to plates deferve particu lar notice. In thefe, Mr. G. refers to the following works. Sowerby's English Botany, Flora Danica, Curtis's Flora Londinenfis, Jacquin's Flora Auftriaca, and Hortus Vindobonenfis, Tranfactions of the Linnean Society, Lobel's Icones, Flora Scotica, Martyn's Flora Ruftica, Petiver's English Herbal, Ray's Synopfis, Stillingfleet's Mifc. Tracts, Withering's Botanical Arrangements, Woodville's Medical Botany. This method will enable the young Botanist generally to verify his difcoveries, or fatisfy his curiofity, as to what he cannot find;

and

and it has the additional advantage of pointing out what English plants are not yet figured in any of the above works. Complete indexes of the Genera, and of the English names, are fubjoined. We object to nothing in the whole but the unufual and barbarous word COMPEND, in the title page; the Latin word Compendium having been long completely naturalized in our language.

DIVINITY.

ART. 20. A View of the Old and New Way of Dedrine, Difcipline, and Government, in the Churches of Chrift. Including Remarks on Baptifm, the Lord's Supper, the Plurality of Elders, their Ordination, &c. By David M'Rae, A. M. 12mo. 204 PP. 2s. For the Author, Inverness.

1805.

This poor man announces to his readers, that "having completed his ftudies at the King's College, Aberdeen, and having attended the divinity hall there, during three months, he commenced an itinerant preacher, in 1801." He was then advifed, after "labouring in the work of the Lord" near twelve WEEKS, to be ordained: and the hiftory of his ordination is fufficiently curious. "Being unconnected," he fays, " with any denomination of profeffing Chriftians, after fome hofitation, he was or dained at Huntly. Though he perceived very evidently, that the three minifters who engaged at his ordination, were not agreed among themfelves, in regard either to doctrine, difcipline, or government," a pretty kind of ordination!" yet he fubmitted to the laying on of their hands." He was not, however, likely to agree with them, for twelve months after his ordination, he had informed one of them, by letter, that he difapproved of feveral things in the writings of Calvin, Harvey, Marshall, Boftan, Erskine, &c. &c. and obferved briefly, that many fentiments in their performances were anti-fcriptural." This gave great offence to these holy brethren, and, instead of being allowed to argue with them, he was every where treated by them with grofs abufe. He is, however, confeffedly fingular, for he owns that, " among all the different characters in the north, whe. ther profeffors or profane, he does not know, except those who meet with him as a church, but very few who feem to accord with his views."

This is furely an edifying picture of thofe who fet up churches, every man on the bafis of his own imagination, without regard to authority, or any regular fyftem of inftruction. It is a chaos of endless confufion: and Mr. M'Rae may ftate as he pleafes the old and new way, there is no way but to chaos, where it all ends and is completed. It would be of little ufe to purfue this trimestrian divine to the various peculiarities of his opinions. They are confeiledly difclaimed by thofe to whom he moft nearly

approaches.