New Reduc. 5p. Ct. Cents. PRICES OF STOCKS from MARCH 23 to APRIL 24, 1804, both included: By Meffrs. Anthony Clarke and Robert Marsden, Stock Brokers, Princes Street, Bank. 3 per Cent. (3 p. Ct. Confols Old 5 per 4p. Ct. Long Short Imper. Imper. | India India Anns. Anns. Anns. 3 p. Ct. Anns. Stock. Bonds. Excheq Bills. THE UNIVERSAL MAGAZINE. MAGAZINE. No. V. of VOL. I. For MAY 1804. LIFE OF JOSEPH PRIESTLEY, LL.D. LEARNED, like other eminent men, of others who live after him. Doctor Priestley was born at Field Head, in the parish of Birstall, and Weft Riding of Yorkshire, the 13th of March, 1733; and at an early age was taken into the family of an aunt, the wife of Mr. Jofeph Keighley, who lived in the neighbourhood of his pa rents. His father and mother were efteemed for their piety; but as they were in confined circumstances, they were glad to fee their fon Jofeph adopted, as it were, by relations who had no children of their own. He was fent to a grammar-fchool at Batley, two miles from the place of his birth, and feven miles from Leeds. Here he acquired the rudiments of the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew languages; and, as his mind was religioutly impreffed, he very particularly applied himself to the latter tongue. He gave early tokens of proficiency in his general learning, and engaged the attention of all around him by the feriousness and folidity of his difcourfe. He is faid to have taken much delight, while a child, in reading the well known work of John Bunyan; and a profound filence would be obferved by all his fchool-fellows while he beld "The Pilgrim's Progrefs" in his hand. He early imbibed the Calvinistical doctrines, under a perfuafion that they contained all the truths of the Chrif tian Religion. It was with his confent that his friends propofed him for admiffion into the independent church, to which they belonged: accordingly the deacons were deputed to examine, in the ufual mode, the ftate of his mind, as to his fitness for ordination, One of the questions they propofed to him on the occafion was, "whether he believed that he was as guilty of VOL. I. [NEW SERIES. Adam's fiu as Adam was himself? This propofition ftartled his ingenuous mind; and he hesitated fo much in his anfwers to this and other questions, equally novel and extraordinary, and which he had never before thought of, that it was deemed fufficient ground. to exclude him at that time from church communion. Upon being informed that these were the effential points of the Calviniftic fyftem, he began to entertain fentiments of disgust towards it and towards those who made the belief of fuch abfurdity neceffary to the participation of religious privileges. He had now a very difficult work to perform, which was to thake off those prejudices he had early imbibed. Much of his fuccefs in this refpect he has confeffed to be owing to the found understanding and fincere friendship of Dr. Ashworth, the Rev. Mr. Graham, and others, with whom he had the happiness to be early and intimately acquainted. To Mr. Graham he dedicated his "Difquifitions relating to Matter and Spirit:" and in his addrefs, acknowledges how much he owes to his example and encouragement, on his entering on theological enquiries, for the fuccefs of his inveftigation, and the independency in his way of thinking. Soon after he left Dr. Afhworth's academy at Daventry, which he entered at the age of nineteen as a ftudent of divinity, he went as affiftant preacher to Needham Market, in Suffolk. His opinions, avowed with great franknefs, did not please the congregation of that place, and he quitted it, upon difcovering that his hearers gradually left him. that it was not altogether his opinions, It ought to be obferved, however and the choice of fubject matter for his difcourfes, which failed to please his audience; for he had from a child a habit of stammering, and, not conceiving the inconvenience of fuch a defect, or bad custom, he had very lit the endeavoured to correct himself of it: as foon, however, as he became fenfible of its inconveniencies, and of its obftructing his road to popularity as a preacher, he feriously fet about over coming it. His fuccefs in this refpect for he never did attain that gracefu was not fo great as that of Demofthenes 000 delivery which by its found pleases the generality of congregations more than fente lefs agreeably uttered. From Needham, Mr. Pretley removed to Namptwich, in Chere, whither he was invited to take charge of a fmall flock, whole c.rcumftances were fo fcanty, that ao more than thirty povads a year could be made up for the paftor; and therefore he resolved to open a day school as an auxiliary fupport. In this laft occupat on he engaged more attention, and laid a better foundat.on for the emo ament he afterwards der ved from perions capable of judging of his merit. He manfefted uncommon judgement in the item he adopted for the education of his pupils, enlarging their minds by va rious philofophical xperiments. His reputation fpread among his profeffional brethren so much, that many among them made a point of contributing to his profperity by every means in their power. On the death of Dr. Taylor, at Warrington Academy, in 1701, Dr. Aikm was choten tutor in divin tym his pace, and Mr. Prieftlev was invited to succeed the last mentioned gentleman in the department of belles lettres. This was a newly inftituted academy for educating the fous of diffenters, and particularly for young men intended for the miniltry anong diffenters. He entered on this engage ment with great zeal, and experienced all the advantages of allocating with men of great literary attainments. He introduced feveral valuable improvements into the fyftem of education at Warrington; and finding him felf, in a fhort time, perfectly eafy in circumftances, he looked out for one worthy to, fhare his happiness with him; and this perfon he found in Mifs Mary Wilkinfon, daughter of Mr. Wilkinfon, of Bertham Foundery, near Wrexham, a lady of good understanding, and of amiable manners. Mr. Prefiley was now in a fituation to give full fcope to his difpofition for literary pursu-ts and philofophical refearch; and the publications which he fpeed ly offered to the world proved the extent of his application and thought, and the originality of his genius. One of the firft and not the least of these works, which ferved to diftinguifh the nature of his ftudies, was a Chart of Biography, in which he ingenioufly prefents to the eye a proportional duration, and a chronological existence, of perions the moft eminent in all ages and countries for the fciences, the arts, and for great actions : it was a fynchronijmatic history at one view. Experimental philosophy afo began to engage a good portion of his tune at Warrington, where he compoled his "Hiftory and prefent State of Electricity;" a work which ran through feveral editions, was tranflated into the German and French languages, and obtained for him the diftinction of being admitted into feveral learned focet.es as an honorary member. It wis about this time that the University of Enourgh, in a very handiome manner, grinsed him a diploma of Doctor of Laws. After about fix years 1cfidence at Warrington, Dr. Prietley received a pretting avitation from an opulent congregation at Leeds, which be accepted, not merely as he willed to be uferul in his orig ual profellion, but as having a predilection for it. From his earliest age his mind had been firongly impreffed with devotional fentiments; and though he had more than once devated from the doctrinal opinions he had before imbibed, yet the pious ardor and zeal for religion remained with him undiminithed at all times. His writings, however, could not fail to mark his own way of thinking, and to fhew in full force the principles of a diffenter from the church establishment, Hs "Inftitutes of Natural and Revealed Religion" gave, in a popular and concile form, his fyftem of divinity, with its evidences. His "View of the Principles and Conduct of the Proteftant Diffenters" difplayed his notions of the grounds of diffent, and the proper character and policy of a religious fect; and thefe, with a great variety of controverfial and polemic writings, prefented to the world his views of the Chriftian difpenfation. Notwithfanding he was thus engagéd, he found time to profcute his experimental enquiries; and these were conducted with fuch rapidity and fuccefs, that, in fullowing him in his career, it is impoffible not to bear in mind his prototype, the great Bacon. His refearches on the fubject of air are fo numerous and important, that they form, as it were, a new era in the hiftory of natural ph lofophy. This elaftie rarefied fluid, fo neceffary to the existence of the vegetable and animal worlds, was little known to the wikit of us, till Dr. Priestley's discoveries and familiar experiments were publith |