mifts likewife take notice, on the diffection of fresh negroe-carca-fes, of a peculiar ill-favour, which feems to partake of the canine fmell. The fhoulders, and especially the hips, and their diameter, are smaller, and the hands and feet flatter than in Europeans. Indeed among the negroes are particularly large, almoft gigantic perfons; but upon the whole they are smaller and more compreffed of ftature than the Europeans. Even the antients obferved in the negroes the out-bent knee, and the protuberant fhin-bone as peculiar to them. The calves of the legs are much fmaller and higher, than in well-fet Europeans; but in general the negroes are rounder, plumper, and more fpungy than the Europeans: by which plump and fpungy body they are easily distinguishable from the neighbouring Moors. To pass over the other characteristics remarked by M. Sommering of the negro-form, there is however one that ought not to be omitted, that the skull of the negro is much thicker or ftronger, and the nerves departing the brain much coarfer, than in Europeans.' Vol. i. P. 280.

We obferve that M. Meiner has not noticed the opinion of Volney, that the firft learned nation was a community of blacks.

There is an interesting paper upon the Efthonians in the first volume: but, in this, we were furprised to find the melody of English poetry eftimated by the little airs in the Lady's Magazine, which treat moftly of love and the paftoral life, and therefore are of the tender fpecies.'

The account of the earthquake in Calabria, in 1783, contains curious particulars of that calamitous event. We extract from it the paffage refpecting the fore-knowledge of impending danger among animals.

Much more remarkable undoubtedly were the prefentiments which were feen in living creatures. Man alone remained free from thefe forefeelings; neither on his body nor on the chearfulnefs of his mind had it the fmalleft influence; his nervous fyftem was not agitated by what excited the moft tormenting difquietude in the other animals;-a proof how much more acute the percep tive faculty through the outward fenfes is in the brutes than in mankind. But even among the brutes a vaft difference was here perceived. With fome it difplayed itself fooner, quicker and with greater vehemence; with others, later, more flowly and in a gentler degree. Thefe occurrences are too extraordinary to admit of neglecting to communicate to you what I know for certain of them. The fish in the fea appeared thortly before, as well as during the whole of this calamitous period, to be in one continued panic; they darted about in the water, and rufhed in greater quantities than at other times into the nets of the fishermen, and paid for their foreboding by a fpeedier death. The birds flew backwards

:

and forwards, fcreaming, in the air, as if purfued by fome enemy; and even feemed lefs fubtle in avoiding the fnares of mankind: the fame perturbation was alfo obferved in geefe, pigeons, and the other domeftic fowls. Among the quadrupeds, the dog and the afs appeared to be the most and the earliest affected by this prefentiment they ran about affrighted, with wildly ftaring eyes, and filled the air with dreadful cries and yells. Horfes, oxen, mules, and other animals of the larger kinds, were feized with a universal tremor, fpurned the earth, neighing and bellowing, erected their ears, and rolled around their ftaring and fufpicious eyes. When the dreadful moment actually came on, they placed their legs wide afunder on the ground, to fecure themselves from falling; and yet were generally thrown down. Some ftrove shortly before to escape by flight, but were overtaken by the toffings of the earth, and stopt fhort confounded and immovable. The fwine feemed to exhibit the leaft of this forefeeling; but the cats, though later than the affes and dogs, yet very forcibly; they fet up their backs and made a doleful cry; their hair briftled up, and their eyes were red and watry.' Vol. i. P. 116.

In the removal of the ruins after this earthquake, the dead men were found in the attitude of refiftance, the women in that of defpair, except thofe who were with their children at the moment of the fhock; and in them the feelings of maternal love were stronger than terror. In fimilar calamities this has ufually been remarked. The narrative fometimes exceeds probability. The earth is faid to have opened and caught one man by the foot, and prefently a fecond opening released him; another is thrown into a chafin by one fhock, and caft up again by a fecond. Thefe appear to be the idle tales of the populace.

One of the moft remarkable articles in the felection is the doctrine of John Peter Craft- That a man can do whatever he will, is fomething more than a mere matter of fpeculation.' This is inferted on account of its fimilarity to fome curious pofitions of one of our modern philofophers. The editor fhould have given us the date of this piece, and informed us whether it was written to burlefque thofe pofitions. From the fubfequent paffage our readers will probably imagine this to be the cafe.

Even death muft recoil, if thou wilt. Yea though he fat upon thy lips, and thou fayft that he shall and muft yield; then he must let thee alone, till thou haft given ear to rational arguments, and accommodated thyfelf to the order of nature by making room for thy fucceffors. For nature is not a mother that kills her child. To ufe a fimilitude: life is like a table at which mankind are entertained by nature. When thou haft enjoyed thy flare, and

other guests come with empty ftomachs; it is but reasonable thou fhouldft give place; and yet it would be very indecent to fhew thee the door. But, when, in all due thankfulness, thou haft drank up the laft drop, wipeft thy mouth, and fayeft, I have enough; then death, who ftands behind thee, draws the chair

away..

But, fhould there be a felfifh churl, who would not die at all, there is nothing to be done with fuch an one; but he must be let alone, till he fhall feel at lait, that, after long running about, fleep does him good; and he fhall fall afleep of himself.' Vol i. P. 206.

The four differtations on the Ruffian annals, by Schlötzer,. are not upon a fubject fufficiently interefting to the English reader, to deferve fo large a portion of one of these volumes; and the Effay on Superitition, with its reafoning upon fouls, can only, we think, have been tranflated for its abfurdity.

One of the most curious papers is an account of the Deifts in Bohemia. Two and fitty families, upon the publication of letters-patent by the emperor Jofeph for a general toleration, prefented themfelves before the chief magiftrate of their ditrict, and delivered to him their confeffion of faith, expreffive of their belief in a God, and in a future ftate, in which the good will be rewarded, and the finner, according to the degree of his fins, either chaftened or deftroyed. They rejected Christianity, but believed that God wrote the ten commandments with his finger on the tables of stone, and at the fame time on the hearts of all mankind. They were in general remarkable for their quiet behaviour and good morals; but fome of their opinions refpecting property and government accorded as little as their religion with the established fentiments. Bishop Hay, of Konigfgrätz, examined them; and his report concerning them thows him to have poffeffed that charity which Chriftianity commands-fo frequently in vain. They were banished into Tranfylvania, because their principles were thought dangerous; and nothing more has been heard of them.

Some of the pieces contained in thefe volumes might have been omitted as trifling; but the work, upon the whole, is calculated for entertainment; and it is not deftitute of hints which may inftruct.

Tranfactions of the American Philofophical Society, held at Philadelphia, for promoting useful Knowledge. Vol. III, 4to. Dilly.

THESE volumes improve in their progrefs; and, if paiotic zeal, eager friendship, or a venial enthufiafm, have in

duced fome authors to gratify the curiofity of the public by an earlier publication of a few of the papers, we can readily forgive the anticipation, in confideration of the motive, and allow that the generality of thefe articles, though before publifhed, ought to be collected in an established national production.

The introduction confifts of an Effay on thofe Inquiries in Natural Philofophy, which at prefent are most beneficial to the United States of North-America. By Dr. Nicholas Collin, Rector of the Swedish Churches in Pennfylvania.

In this effay, we find many obfervations and facts which are of importance, and with which, in Europe, we are little acquainted. Various remarks in natural hiftory and medicine are of this kind.

Art. I.

Conjectures concerning the Formation of the Earth, &c. in a Letter from Dr. B. Franklin to the Abbé Soulavie.'

II. A new and curious Theory of Light and Heat; in a Letter from Dr. B. Franklin to David Rittenhoufe, Efq.'

III. Defcription of the Procefs to be obferved in making large Sheets of Paper in the Chinefe Manner, with one fmooth Surface.'

IV. Queries and Conjectures relative to Magnetifm, and the Theory of the Earth, in a Letter from Dr. B. Franklin to Mr. Bodoin,'

V. Explanation of a fingular Phenomenon, first observed by Dr. Franklin, and not hitherto fatisfactorily accounted for. In a Letter from Mr. R. Patterson to Dr. B. Ruth.'

VI. An Account of an Earthy Substance found near the Falls of Niagara, and vulgarly cañed the Spray of the Falls: together with fome Remarks on the Falls. By Robert M'Cauflin, M. D.'

These articles have appeared in former publications.

VII. Obfervations on the Probabilities of the Duration of Human Life, and the Progress of Population, in the United States of America; in a Letter from William Barton, Efq. to David Rittenhoufe, LL. D. Prefident A, P. S.'

This article contains various facts, collected from the best authors, refpecting the probabilities of life in different countries. It is, on the whole, highly interesting, though the obfervations must be admitted with fome referve, as their evident tendency is to exalt the falubrity of the American climate. After this precaution, we fhall felect the moft ftriking facts.

The births (eftimated from the christenings) in Philadelphia, in the year 1788, were 1583; and the burials, exclufive of negroes, amounted to 872. The number of negro births for this city,

as appears by the bills for the years 1789 and 1790, average 144 per annum. Suppofing one-third of this number to be included in the christenings, forty-eight must be deducted from the lift of births. This will give 1536 births, to 872 deaths, for the year 1788-and, taking the average proportion of births to deaths, for four years, it gives to 100 births, 564 deaths. The average number of deaths, among all the white inhabitants of this city, for the three last years, is 924 per annum. The proportion of births to deaths, in the German Lutheran congregation of this city, which comprehends about one-fifth of all the white inhabitants, is, on an average of fixteen years, as one hundred births to forty-five deaths: and therefore, taking the medium of this proportion and that above ftated, it gives to 100 births, 50 deaths. The bills, for the white inhabitants in this city, for 1789 and 1790, give the proportion as only 100 births to 49 deaths; and, as these bills áre the most full and fatisfactory of any I have yet feen, for Philadelphia, I think the births may be fairly stated as being double to the number of deaths.-At Salem in Maffachusetts, on a medium of the years 1782 and 1783, the births were to the deaths, as r00 births to 49 deaths, including the ftill-born in the number of deaths. Dr. Holyoke fays (in the memoirs of the American Aca demy of Arts and Sciences, Bofton), that both 1782 and 1783 were fickly at Salem; - particularly the latter year, in which, during the months of May and June, the meafles were epidemic. The births and deaths at Hingham, in the fame state, during 54 years, gives to 100 births 49 deaths. -Hence it may be inferred, that, fo far as deductions from thefe documents may be relied on, there are two births to one death, in this country.' P. 37.

The deaths, at Philadelphia, are about one in forty-five; and, in Salem, one in forty-feven. The proportion, we think, is more in favour of human life, in many towns and villages of England. The population of America has been doubled in about twenty years. Numerous inftances of longevity are noticed; and various meteorological obfervations of the heats and colds of that continent, as well as the rapid alternations from hot to cold weather, are given from the best authority.

VIII. Extract of a Letter from Andrew Ellicot, to David Rittenhoufe, Efq. dated at Pittsburg, November 5th, 1787, containing Obfervations made at Lake-Erie.'

This phænomenon is, by the feamen, called looming; that is, a delufive appearance of land, when perfons are really at a diftance from it. It is not, perhaps, with ftrict accuracy fo called; for it was only an enlargement, and confequently an apparent approximation, of real land, by being feen through a mift, or an atmosphere peculiarly circumftanced. It was pre ccded, in the evening, by a fine aurora borealis. At one pe