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MR. Bergman is preparing for the prefs, at Riga, his obfervations on theCalmuc Tartars, which he collected during a three years residence amongst them.

MR. Brathwaite recommends the use of the oxygenated muriatic acid, as a fpecific for the scarlet fever. A dram of the acid is mixed with eight ounces of diftilled water, and fhaken; and this quantity is to be taken every twelve bours, by a patient from fourteen to twenty years of age. The liquid muft never be taken by tpoon, but from a glafs. For purifying a room, take a china tea-cup and faucer; put into the cup two ounces of common falt, and half an ounce of the black oxide of manganefe, previoutly powdered, with one. ounce of water; then take an ounce and a half of fulphuric acid, and pour a little of it now and then in o the tea-cup among the other ingredients: immediately a great quantity of oxygenated muriatic acid gas will be diffufed through the apartment; and this fhould remain only a few minutes, and, the door being opened, it will be diffufed through the whole house. This mixture fhould be frequently taken into the room during the day, a little fresh fulphuric acid being added.

MR. Ruffel has received a prize from the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, for an improvement on the bucket, which will be of great ufe in all countries, where, as in Kent, they are obliged to go deep for water. It is well known that the bucket must be made of confi

derable weight, that it may fink when it

arrives at the water in the well; to obviate this, a valve is made in the bottom of the bucket, and of course the water forces it up with eafe. When the bucket is filled, by drawing it up, the valve is clofed, and fcarcely any water will efcape before it arrives at the top, where, by a particular contrivance, the valve is forced up, and the water dif charges itself into a trough. The model of this contrivance is preferved at the Society of Arts, and is well worthy of the inspection of every one who is about to fink a deep well.

MUCH curious information has been

communicated lately to the Society of Arts on the fubject of the dry rot; an evil which produces much inconvenience in many parts of the kingdom. When it is owing, as is very frequently the cafe, to a plant of the fungus kind, which is frequently brought into the houfe on laying the foundations, nothing

VOL. I.

can be done but to trace the plant to its origin, remove the foil, and cover it up with lime, core afhes, or fimilar subftances. If any earth is left in which the fungus is, and the plant can communicate to any wainscot or wood, it will, by degrees, confume that piece of wood, and all that is in contact with it. The difeafe was known in the time of Mofes, and particular enquiries are ordered to be made relative to it. The plant is of fuch a nature, that, if it receives fufficient nourishment, it will make its way through even a brick wall. Other plants of the parafitical kind will detroy wood; and every perfon who has the dry rot in his house must be careful to afcertain from what cause it originates; as he may either be at a great expence in removing it, or having, as he thought, removed it, leave it ftill in the ground.

A VERY ingenious method has been difcovered by Mr. Piault, for preventing chimnies from fmoking, as is frequently the cafe from the wind driving down the fmoke. The contrivance confifts in a partition dividing the chimney in a tranfverfe direction at the top, penetrating about a foot below, and as much above the top. Half of each of the fide walls is then raised to the height of the partition; fo that the fide walls, thus raised, and the partition, make a direction, therefore, the wind blows, one figure of this forms. In whatever of the apertures of the chimney is preefcapes by that aperture. ferved from its action, and the fmoke

MR. Hornblower has recommended a very ingenious method of cleaning chimnies by fweeping them with air, inltead of the trowel of the chimney-fweeper's boy. The contrivance is fimple. Air is condenlindrical feet, as far as poffible: a small fed in a veffel, containing about three cytube communicateswith this veffel,which is let up the chimney, and fome gravel valve opens, and the air is forced, in is placed in the tube, fo that when the the courfe of a fecond, out of the veffel, the gravel and air will be forced through the chimney, and the chimney will be cleaned. A common experiment may fatisfy people as to the use of this conit is not uncommon to fire a piftol up trivance. When chimnies are on fire, them, by way of bringing down the foot; and the foot, it is well known, is brought down by the blaft of air carried up the chimney. If, therefore, the blaft of air from a piftol will produce this effect, the

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fame may be done by a draft of air forced up a chimney from a condenfing veffel. We fhall be glad to hear of the fuccefs of this contrivance; as, notwithstanding the theory, we are not perfectly fat.sfied of the eafe of its being brought into practice.

THE prize queftion for the phyfical clafs at Paris, is-What are the characters that, in animal and vegetable matter, diftinguifh the active and paffive fubftances in the operation of fermentations?

MR. Coray, a Greek by birth, has published, at Paris, a tranflation of Beccaria on Crimes and Punishments into modern Greck,' with a view of roufing his countrymen to the ufe of those faculties for which they were once fo diftinguifhed: but they are funk too low to receive benefit from the work; for their priests are as great a fcourge to their minds, as the Turks to their bodies.

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MRS. Duncombe, the widow of Mr. Duncombe, the clergyman, of Canterbury, and author of feveral works, has in her poffeffion fome letters of Richardfon, who feems to have been as voluminous in his epiftolary correfpondence as in his long-winded novels.

THE Princess Elizabeth fome time ago made a series of defigns, which have confiderable merit, though the subject is almoft worn out. Poetry has already been called in to illuftrate them; but another attempt is to be made by Mr. Campbell, the author of The Pleasures of Hope, in an allegorical poem, under the title of Cupid turned Volunteer.

WEYLAND, of We mar, has declared his intentions of tranflating Clarke's Progrefs of Maritime Difcoveries into German.

MR. Fairman, of Lynfted, near Sittingbourn, Kent, has made feveral experiments, by which the grafting of trees is confiderably improved. He terms it extreme grafting; because, instead of cutting off large branches from a tree that had ceafed bearing, the grafts are inferted at the extremity nearly of every branch. The previous procefs is to cut

out all the spray wood, and make the tree a perfect fkeleton, leaving all the healthy limbs: then clean the branches, and cut the top of each branch off, where it would meature in circumference from the fize of a fhilling to about that of a crown piece. The branches are to be taken out which crofs each other, and the arms left to fork off; fo that no confiderable opening is left, when you ftand under the tree.

THE Emperor of Ruffia has ordered ten thousand copies of a treatife on the cow-pox, written in the Russian language, to be printed at his expcuce, and diftributed gratis in the various govern ments of his vaft empire.

THERE is a profpect of the abolition of flavery in Ruffia. A gentleman purchafed fix thoufand flaves of Prince Truboifki, and gave them the opportunity of purchafing their freedom by paying him the fame fum, which they foon collected; and, in a letter of thanks to the Emperor for the edict authorizing thefe tranfactions, they beg permifhon to build a church, and offer to cut a canal of importance to trade fifteen verfts in length.

AN Entertaining book on the various qualifications of the dog is nearly ready for publication, illuftrated by a great number of curious anecdotes of that trufty animal, by Jojeph Taylor, Efq.

THE numerous MSS. collected by the late Rev. James Granger, Vicar of Shiplake, in Oxfordshire, for a continuation of his Biographical History of England, we understand are now revifing, and receiving confiderable additions for publifhing, by the Rev. M. Noble, F. A. S. L. & E. One volume, containing the reigns of K. William and Mary, and of Queen Ann, will be published with all convenient fpeed.-The continuation will come down to the end of K. Geo. II,

THE Rev, W. Gooch, of Cockfield, in Suffolk, is appointed by the Board of Agriculture to write a new report of the hufbandry of the county of Cambridge, He is now taking a furvey thereof for that purpose.

STATE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS.

THE laft month has prefented an appearance in the political world, which, to thofe who are unacquainted with the practical conftitution of the

country, feems most extraordinary, and difficult of explanation. A minifter has been fet afide, and a new one appointed, without the leaft expreffion of awith,

on the part of either King or people, that any change thould be made; and the new one is the very perfon whofe difmiltion from the cabinet, only two years ago, by the King, was received with univerfal approbation by the people. Or the pretences held out for the change, and the mode of apponiting the miniftry, the public papers have been full: many things are afferted w th confidence which cannot eali y be known to have taken place; and, when the character of the principal agent in this bulinets is considered, we thould be very cautious what degree of credit we allow to the information imparted by his part fans.

The facts on which we are to build an explanation of thefe proceedings are fimply thele: A junction was formed by a certain number of perfons who have the greateft influence in the reprefentation of this country, and by a body of peers, who were determined that Mr. Addington fhould be no longer minitter. This body tried its ftrength in both houfes, and in both houfes divided with fuch itrength, that it was evident the minifter's power was much thaken, and, as generally happens in fuch cafes, he was fearful that the enemy's party would be increased by defertion from his own quarters. The great trial of ftrength remained. The lait divifion had thewu, in the Houle of Commons, a minority confifting of nearly one-third of the whole houfe, and only between thirty and forty fhort of the minifter's phalanx. The next division might have given the majority to the enemy; and, to avoid this fuppofed difgrace, he determined to refign his poft, and to leave the field of battle to his adverfaries.

The prudence of this decifion may be juftly called in queftion; and events have fhewn, that in the retirement, if neceffary, he thould have confulted more the feelings of the public. His predeceffor had been in a worfe fituation. When he came into power, a majority of the Houte of Commons was againit him; yet, in fpite of that majority, he kept his feat, and, by an appeal to the people, got the better of that faction, which was determined to controul the Sovereign's choice. How far the expreflion of faction may be allowed in the proceedings of lait month, we shall not determine; but we muit remark, that the perlon who used it has not difdained to accept a polt under the new administration.~

The object, we have observed, of the perfons who have the greatest influence in the reprefentation of this country, was, to drive the minifter from his poft yet it does not appear that they had matured a well-digefted plan of union; and when the cuemy was defeated, they were not agreed on the divifion of the fpoils. The laft was faid to be a weak and inetic ent admin itration. Let a strong one, then, be formed, it might be replied, and the honour and integrity of the oppofition will be feen in the formation of a more able body of men to conduct the affairs of the kingdom. Instead of this, the public heard, at the fame time, of the refignation of Mr. Addington, and of frequent conferences between the King and Mr. Pitt, for the formation of a new adminiftration. After a few days, it was known that Mr. Pitt was to be prime minifter.

For feveral days, nothing more was certain than that Lord Melville, the well-known Mr. Dundas, was to be his colleague, and to be placed at the head of the Admiralty: the completion of the lift was long delayed; and at laft, instead of an adininiftration diftinguithed by an union of talents, and the chief interefts of the country, there appeared a patchwork of the weakest and meaneft materials; and, to add to the confufion of the oppofition to the old miniftry, the new one retained its weakelt parts, and prefented to public view the abforption of power in a fingle individual.

The new adminiftration may be called Mr. Pitt's admin ftration. His word will, in the cabinet, be the law; and the public will not, in this refpect, be deceived on the importance of his coadjutors. We cannot fay, with many, that the public has been deceived in his operations, for in them it has had no concern: it was not confulted on the change; it has taken no part in the difputes of parliament; it has left the contenders for power to fcramble for themfelves exactly as they pleased. In fhort, it has been an abfolute contention for power; and Mr. Pitt, having gained the afcendancy, has nothing now to do but to laugh at thofe dupes by whom he has been placed again at that poit of pre-eminence, in which, if we judge froin the paft, we cannot expect him to perform any thing advantageous to the country.

The late minifter has retired from power, if not with a character for ta

fhould be expended with economy and propriety, the oppofition that he met with in every generous endeavour for the good of the navy, are univerfally known. What will now be the confequence we tremble to anticipate: yet we could with, that, though he is out of office, he would continue to aid the public councils by his advice, and, particularly, that the important plau for infuring to our brave failors a true diftribution of prize-money may not be entirely laid aside.

A queftion naturally occurs, on contemplating thofe changes, Whence arifes fo great an indifference in the public mind with respect to them; and whence is it that both fovereign and people fhould be fo little confulted in the choice of an administration? That it is the King's prerogative to appoint his minifters, no one can doubt; that his choice may not be agreeable to the withes of the two houfes, may also happen; and that public bufinefs cannot be well conducted when a difference takes place upon this fubject, muit be al lowed and fenfibly felt by all parties. The fovereign, of course, would not perfilt in retaining a favourite, against the manifeft difapprobation of a majo

lents, yet with the reputation of integrity, and a regard for his country. Whatever may have been the defects of his adminiftration, and fome very palpable ones there were, he conducted himself in fuch a manner as to gain the good-will of all with whom he had any business to tranfact. He found the country torn to pieces by the haughtinefs and infolence of his predeceffor; the prifons filled with men taken up under fufpicion, but without any intention of bringing them to trial; the nation diffatisfied and difcontented at a continued struggle, in which they perceived nothing but accumulated expence, without any profpect of fuccefs. Mr. Addington conciliated all parties: his manners were mild, his principles conftitutional; he opened the door of the prifon; he fuffered juftice to take its free courfe; he refufed to have recourse to the abominable measures of spies, and informers, and tortures; he would not inflame the public mind by vehement declamations against those who were to be brought before the bar of their country, nor did he fubject them to the rigours of a confinement more than was abfolutely neceffary for the fecurity of their perfous. Above all, he would not interfere in the election of reprefenta-rity of Lords and Commons; but, on tives, nor fuffer the public purfe to be devoted to the impure purposes of corruption; and if he did not do every thing which a wife and good man might with for, his forbearance to continue thofe practices which difgraced the country under the adminiftration of his predeceffor muft entitle him to a coniderable degree of approbation and applaufe. We hope to be deceived in our conjectures; but we are apprehenfive, that they who have been moft clamorous against Mr. Addington will have reafon to remember the old fable; and the reign of King Log will be lamented, when they are groaning under the rigours of King Stork.

But, if the refignation of Mr. Addington may be confidered as not of great importance, the public has deep reafon to regret the change of adminiftration, from a removal of much greater confequence to the public fervice. Lord St. Vincent has left the Admiralty, and his efforts to cleanse the Augean ftable, in which he had acted with fo great fuccefs, are unfortunately paralyfed before the important work was concluded. The reforms he had made in the dockyards, his endeavours to bring all to their duty, and that the public money

the other hand, the oppofition is carried too far, and affuredly in an unconftitutional manner, if, befides the expreffion of difapprobation to the exifting adminiftration, it fhould infift on obtrading on the fovereign a junto of its own appointment. In the prefent cafe this cannot be faid to have been done, for the oppofition has in great measure been duped; and, if the King has confented to part with his minifter, the new appointments have been made rather from neceffity than from any with on his part, and to the total confusion of the principal leaders of the oppofition.

It still remains a queftion, how it comes to pafs that the people fhould be fo inactive; and this is answered by a very flight confideration of the subject in difpute.The people were not concerned in it; they faw no advantage to be obtained from the refult of the conteft. They had a minifter not the beft, probably, that could be conceived; but they faw no profpect of any adminiftration being formed, which fhould excel the others in talents, activity, and integrity. Their determination is founded in good fenfe; but it will be confidered as a manifest

proof of the change in the conftitution

of this country, a change which naturally arifes from the meatures pursued within the last fifty years, and the violation of the constitution of 1688, with refpect to the duration of parliament. The Houfe of Commons may now be confidered more as an inferior peerage than a body of reprefentatives of the people. The polletion of a feat for leven years gives to each individual a great degree of influence, and. opens the way to combinations of powerful men, which may be too ftrong for any other influence. In the firit infiance, this lengthened duration of parliament added to the influence of the crown, and diminished the weight of the ple; by degrees it was turned to the peoadvantage of a few: the power of the, mifter or oppofition in the Houfe of Commons became a matter of arithmetical computation; and they who had the greatest number of boroughs at their difpofal carried the greatest weight in the new combination. To deltroy the effect of this fpecies of combination, it will be probably found hereafter neceffary to refort again to short parliaments, and to restore to the people thofe rights which in fact are as beneficial to the fovereign as to themfelves.

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We have, however, a new administration, and one formed in fo curious a manner as to hold out no great profpect of either beneficial energy or long duration. The head came into power very young, and before he could have ftudied the nature of political goverument. The mistakes into which he fell were natural. Youthful fumption might be confidered as a fpecies of apology. A retirement of two years from ouice may have led him to fome uteful reflections; and the experience of former years cannot be fuppofed to have produced no effect. If these things have mollitied his temper; if they have led hun to any enlarged views of government; if he has acquired any knowledge with refpećt to finance, and any economy, in the difpofition of the public money; fhould fee him encouraging any men if we of talents and genius, or promoting any work of national utility; if we fhould, in fhort, fee a conduct in every refpect almoft different from that which marked his laft adininiftration, we hall feel no regret at the change that has taken place: but in the prefent critical fituation of this country we are

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not inclined to expect much from the minifter; and the falvation of the enemies fhall try their menaced expecountry mult, and will, we truft, if our riment, refult entirely from themselves.

The new minifter comes in at a time very feaf ble for himtelf: the juit before he quitted office; and this late premier had concluded his loan loan as well as the other that he made for in the management of that eafy but proves him not inferior to his predecef fuppofed difficult part of finance. The money was railed at the rate of five pounds nine thillings and eight pence three farthings per cent: the new minifter will, if the war lats a few years, and feven per cent. fee the interest railed to between x As he has money

at command, we may and we undergrand military projects. The tone ftand we are to hear foon of fome expedition, an idle icheine, whofe con✩ vanity of an individual who aid claim trivance has given full fcope to the to the honour of fo bright a thought, is abandoned: what new expeditions will be planned time muft di.cover; but it is to be hoped that Oftend, Quiberon, Dunkirk, Holland, &c. &c. full live in the remembrance of our war minipublic money, as well as the profpect ters, and will prevent a fimilar watte of of fimilar digrace.

minitry, whofe name is diftinguished One perion is retained of the old by the part he has taken in fettling the rights of amballadors, and difcuting the queftion on Mr. Drake's conduct. The French have been affiduoutly employed the indignation of foreign courts, and in the endeavour to excite against us to reprefent us as incendiaries, the fomenters of difcord, and the pa rons of in his report on the cates of the perfons affallination. The Minifter of Juftice, to be tried for high treafon, does not hefitate to name Mr. Drake and Mr. feem, that his report had produced S. Smith as our agents; and it thould fuch a fenfation, as required the interference of our adhiniitration. · The French government had fent letters to all the ambaladors on the fubject of the conspiracy, and the part which taken in it. Lord Hawkelbury has adGreat Britain was fuppoled to have drefied, in oppofition, a letter, in which indignation of his fovereign at being he is not contented with manifefting the implicated in fo unfounded a charge, but enters into the difcuffion of that

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