of Ireland, fubfervient to an improvement of trade, manufac tures, and commerce.'

Under the auspices of the last-mentioned Society, the Public were favoured with thofe valuable publications, the Natural and Civil Hiftories of the Counties of WATERFORD, CORK, and KERRY; befide that of the County of Downe, which was prior to thefe. The furvey of the counties of Waterford, Cork, and Kerry, was the work of the late ingenious Mr. Charles Smith; who acquitted himself fo well in the execution of his undertaking, that we could not but greatly lament the lofs which the Public fuftained by the death of this very able and truly ingenious fon of Science. He lived, however, to fee, with the utmoft regret, and mortification, the decline of the Phyfico Hiftorical Society, and with it, the lofs of that patronage under which he had undertaken a task † so agreeable to his genius and inclinations. This difappointment he pathetically laments, in the introduction to his Hiftory of Kerry; of which we gave an account in the 17th volume of our Review .

It was, we find, at the inftance of the laft-named Society, that Dr. Rutty undertook the profecution of the natural History of the County of Dublin:'-a task, he adds, with the modefty ever infeparable from real knowledge and learning, to which I confefs I was unequal; and the more fo, as I bad fcarce any help from my predeceffors in this work.'-The Doctor, however, acknowledges that he was farther prompted to engage in this undertaking, by a moft cordial regard to the noble defigns' of the DUBLIN SOCIETY; to whom this Effay is refpectfully addreffed, in a dedicatorial preface,in which he exhibits a fummary view of the materials naturally afforded for fuch a work. An extract from this addrefs, wherein the Author himself gives an account of the information and entertainment which the curious Reader will find, in the perufal of these volumes, will not be improper, in this place.

Nature, fays Dr. Rutty, far from being more penurious in her productions in this than in the neighbouring countries, hath abundantly fupplied us with a great variety, whether of matters of curiofity, or fuch as may be fubfervient to the fpeculations of philofophers, or to medicinal or œconomical ufes, v. g. Among ftones which have been found in different parts of this country, the Lapis Judaicus, the Ofteocolla, the Gypfum ftriatum, answering the purposes of the plaister of Paris, and in fome refpects fuperior to it, the Lapis Afbestos, a great variety of marbles, equal, perhaps fuperior to the Egyptian or Italian, the granite, the porphyry, the Lapis Lydius or

.. The ultimate object of the Society was, to procure the natural and civil hiftory of every county in the kingdom.

1 In our 5th volume the Reader will alfo find an account of the Hiftories of Waterford and Cork.

touch

touch-ftone, a great variety of petrifications, fpars, crystals, and pebbles, and even real gems, fo far, that whatever may be faid of the fuppofed amethyfts in the county of Kerry, I have good authority for faying, that the Cornelian has been found here, and perhaps the emerald alfo; and the Lapis Specularis of Pliny, ifinglafs or Mufcovy glass; pearls are found in our Poolbeg oyfters, and ambergris has been frequently found on our coafts, and particularly of late in large quantities in the county of Kerry; and good fpermaceti hath been prepared from that fpecies of the whale which yields it, which is fometimes caft upon our coafts. Now if fuch has been the refult of a few recent enquiries, there is no doubt but many yet unheard and unthought of "difcoveries will be the confequence of further fearches.

But to proceed to articles of more immediate and general usefulnefs. 1. We are very liberally supplied, even in this county, with great plenty and variety of ochres and painting earths, not at all inferior to thofe imported from England, France, and Flanders, and I am well informed that at Newbridge in the neighbourhood of Cronebaun (of which hereafter) there has been found a red ochre in large quantity, of which one ounce gave feven grains of pure filver and fome gold.

2. Lead ore is frequent with us and fmelted, in this county, in which also there are feveral traces of copper; and our water at Cronebaun in the county of Wicklow, may well vie with those of Herengrund and Ciment in Hungary. Of ours I received the following account in the year 1765, from a person converfant in thefe matters: "It is faid to tranfmute iron into copper, but the fact is, that it precipitates its contained copper upon iron bars immerfed. It continues in its full ftrength, and in feven years last past yielded to its proprietors a fum no less than £. 17,259. 18 s. 91 d. and all this without the expence of fuel and men."

The precipitate thus formed being fluxed, yields above half of pure copper: for an ounce gave 12 pennyweights and 18 grains in one experiment, and 13 pennyweights and 12 grains in another." Now this is fhipt off to England to be fluxed there, and then by plating and rolling mills reduced to the fhape in which it is fold, and fent over to us, loaded with the expences of freight outwards and inwards, infurance for carrying to the part where it is fhipt off, amounting in all to £. 2. 3. per ton, all which might be faved, and the first preparation being made from the water without expence, gives abundant encouragement for erecting houfes for fluxing, and the proper machines for plating and rolling; to which I have heard of no objection, except the dearness of coals with us.

3. Of the Tripelas or rotten ftones, we have alfo a great variety, as appears from the enumeration here given of them in this county, and probably of equal ufe to any imported for polishing brafs, filver, &c.

4. I have alfo fpecified a variety of marls in this county, feveral of them not mentioned in the hiftories of the counties above named.

5. Fuller's earth is indeed a defideratum, but encouragement is given to fearch for it from the following observation among the re

G&

cords

cords of your Society, viz. " that large lumps of it are often found in the Clonmell tobacco-pipe clay."

6. At Bally-caftle, and likewife in the county of Waterford, a ftratum of clay over the coals, is faid to have been lately discovered, which is found in glafs-houfe pots to be equally ftrong, and to endure the fire as well as Stourbridge clay.'

7. A white bluish clay was formerly exported from Carrickfergus to England, for making that called the Delft-aware, which was fupplied to us from thence until of late we learnt to erect a manufacture of it near Dublin, which was profecuted with great fuccefs for 20 years, the ware being fuperior to the Dutch, though now declining, for want of the continuance of due encouragement.

8. The Manganefe, a substance of a dark grey colour, and of a metallic appearance when broke, of great ufe in making the black glazing in potters ware, by being fufed with lead ore, with which we ufed to be fupplied entirely from England, is found in feveral places in this country, and ours is faid to be fo much richer in the mineral than that imported from England, as to render a lefs proportion of lead neceffary for the purpofe aforefaid; an article more over of great moment, as being with arfenic of great ufe in taking away the greenness to which all glafs made of fand is fubject.

9. In the county of Wicklow, not far from Dublin, are large and deep pits of Pyrite, from which copperas might be made; and I have in the fequel traced plain veftiges of alum and copperas in a kind of Irish flate found in this county; and moreover, from fome hints given in relation to falt-petre, it seems to be a matter not to be defpaired of, that both copperas, alum, and falt-petre works may

be erected here.

In the appellations affixed to the foffils, I have followed Woodward, Hill, Walerius, Mendez da Cofta, and in fome matters of fact relative to this branch as well as the vegetables, the celebrated Linnæus, to the united labours of which authors a more clear and distinct account of these subjects than for ages paft is owing.

To my account of the minerals, it seemed proper to fubjoin that of the waters impregnated with fome of them, concerning which this general remark may not be impertinent, viz. that we have every fpecies of mineral medicinal waters here that they have in England, excepting perhaps that of Bath, feveral of which might be conveyed to diftant places as an advantageous article of commerce, as they are in England, being equally efficacious in the cure of diseases: however, as I had already published a Hiftory of the feveral Mineral Waters of Ireland in a separate treatise, I thought it fufficient in the prefent work, to give an account of feveral remarkable ones which have occurred to my obfervation fince that publication, the real good effects of which having obferved for feveral years paft, I have embraced this opportunity of prefenting them to the Public.

Next, as to the vegetables, a branch of natural history very little attended to in this country, though I trust its usefulness will be

*We are uncertain whether or not the Author here alludes to his "Methodical Synopfis of Mineral Waters-of Great Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, &c." 4to. See Rev. vol. xvii. p. 97.

abundantly

abundantly manifeft in the following work, in the large catalogue of Efculent Vegetables here given, i. e. of fuch as may fupply for d whether to men or cattle, divers of which may poffibly be of fingu lar fervice to the poor as fubftitutes for bread in times of fcarcity and impending famine.

I have alfo given a Botanic Kalendar of the moft useful indigenous plants, exhibiting from obfervation, the times of their flowering in this county throughout the year. I have alfo given the ufes of feveral of them in Dying, from the practices of the ancient Irish, as well as more modern obfervations from faithful correfpondents; and morcover I have also subjoined a lift of our Vegetable Poisons, deeming it to be a matter of no fmall importance among a people little acquainted with the dangers they are frequently expofed to on this account; and here it seems to be but doing juftice to the merit * of a certain affociate in these ftudies to take this opportunity of congratulating the Public on his behalf, who during a long feries of years has been preparing and is now compleating a catalogue of the native Irish plants, adjusting their names to the Linnæan fyftem

⚫ I have distributed the Birds and Fishes into claffes according to Willughby's method, and of the first have added above thirty, and of the second twenty; that are not mentioned in the Hiftories of the counties above-named, in treating of which, as well as the beforementioned articles of natural hiftory, I have always had one thing in view, that is to point out whatever might be useful in food, or ferve as materials for improving our manufactures, trade, or com

merce.

Laftly, as the nature of the climate is undoubtedly no inconfiderable nor ufelefs branch of the natural hiftory of any country, which there is no way poffible of afcertaining but from hiftories of the ftate of the air and weather for a series of time in various seasons, and I was furnished with a hiftory of the weather in Dublin for 50 years †, I embraced this opportunity of publishing it from diligent and faithful obfervations, wherein are frequently interfperfed comparisons of the ftate of the weather in Dublin, and that of other remote parts of Ireland, England, and fometimes of the neighbouring nations, with meteorological and economical obfervations, not neglecting some account of the ftate of the plenty or fcarcity of provifions in different feafons, and a particular history is given of the memorable froft in 1740, with its dreadful effects on men and animals of all kinds, having been more pernicious than thofe of many peftilences, and I trust that from a series of obfervations during the period aforesaid, I have refuted the long entertained vulgar error of the influence of the moon on the ftate of the weather.'

From the foregoing view of the materials of which this work is compofed, as well as from the particulars enumerated in the transcript of the title-page, our Readers may perceive what kind of entertainment they will here meet with. They will

* Dr. Abraham Lionel Jenkins."

+ Dr. Rutty hath alfo publifhed, in one volume, 8vo. "A Chronological Hiftory of the Weather and Seafons, and of the prevailing Difeafes in Dublin:" fee Review, vol. xlii. p. 346. G 3

infer

infer, too, that they are not to expect, from this performance, that fort of gratification which is peculiarly afforded by landchape-writing; fuch as, in the most pleafing manner, ferved to enliven many parts of Mr. Smith's accounts of the three counties. Dr. Rutty's talk being confined to what strictly conftitutes the Science of natural history, his details will feem drier to the generality of readers; but they will be equally acceptable to the philofophical inquirer, the medical investigator, the cultivator of husbandry, and, in brief, to all who wish to become acquainted with the natural productions, and the prefent ftate, of every part of the British empire.

Particularly in his delightful defcription of the Lake of Killarney fee Rev. vol. xvii. p. 508, &c.

ART. II. The Apology of Benjamin Ben Mordecai to his Friends for embracing Chripianity; in feveral Letters to Elisha Levi, Merchant, of Amfterdam. Letters II. III. and IV. 4to. 6 s. Wilkie.

1773.

W

E have formerly had an opportunity of paying our respects to this acute and fenfible Writer: it is with pleasure we renew our acquaintance with him, on this occafion, and, without any farther ceremony, we fhall endeavour to lay before our Readers a fummary account of the three letters contained in this volume.

The defign of the first letter (which is the fecond in the order of publication) is to examine into the person and character - of Chrift, and to fhew, whether he answers to the defcription of the Meffiab in the fcripture prophecies. In order to pave the way for this. enquiry, our Author takes notice of the various appearances of Jehovah under the ancient difpenfations of religion, and endeavours to afcertain the rank and character of that BEING, to whom this title and office belonged. Thefe appearances, he obferves, are recorded as hiftorical facts; and, as the SUPREME GOD himself never appeared to men, either in perfon or by any vifible fymbol, it is a matter of great importance to determine, who the other Being is that is fo frequently honoured with the appellation Jehovah: this Being, he apprehends, is the fame that in other places, and on other occafions, is called the Angel of Jehovah : “And the reafon he is called by the fame name is thus well explained by R. Jofue F. Sebib, according to the common maxim not only in ufe among the Hebrews, but allowed of by the general cuftom of the world; Loquitur Legatus fermone mittentis eum.”

• See Review for October 1772,

The