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2 Dr.Rennell on the Pursuits of Literature....Mr.Blair on Nitrous Acid,e.

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Decem. 433 11th 37 17 & 19 51 Average of the year, 521

Hottest day, July 17, at 81° wind S. W. Coldeft day, Jan. 9 32

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N. E.

From a comparison of the above with the observations inferted in the Monthly Magazine for Jan. 1797, it appears, that, notwithstanding a great variation in particular months, the average of the whole year 1797 differs but 1 from that of 1796, which was 52. The months, January, April, June, Auguft, September, were colder in 1797 than in the year preceding; the other months were hotter in a greater or lefs degree. July 17th, 1797, was 6° higher than July 15th, 1796, but the thermometer never funk fo low as in fome of the days preceding the Chrittmas of 796.

DR

For the Monthly Magazine.

R. RENNELL having feen in the Monthly Magazine, a public mention of a report of his being concerned in the Purfuits of Literature, is perfectly convinced that the Editors will have the juftice to contradict, from him, in the most diftinct pointed manner, fo groundlefs and injurious a report. In no part of that production had Dr. Rennell the most diftant co-operation. Satirical writing of every kind, particularly of an anonymous nature, is perfectly alien to his habits and Occupations.

Dr. RENNELL will confider the infertion of this declaration in their next Magazine as a confiderable obligation con ferred upon him by the Editors.

London, Dec. 15, 1797.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

SIR,

T is well known that many medical

I men have ben lately engaged in mala

ing experiments to afcertain whether, or not, the venereal difeafe, in all its complicated forms, can be radically cured by medicines containing a large proportion of oxygen, or vital air; and particularly by means of the nitrous acid and oxygenated muriate of pot-afh.

The very refpectable teftimonies which have already appeared in favour of thefe remedies, and the mild as well as expedi tious manner in which they are faid to operate, have induced me to give them a fair and unprejudiced trial, in a great variety of cafes; and alfo to folicit the communications of other gentlemen in London, who have had opportunities of exhibiting them but I am forry to obferve, that our experience obliges me to differ in opinion from those physicians and furgeons who have raifed our expectations on this fubject.

This diverfity of opinion being founded on actual obfervation, and not on any preconceived notions, has emboldened me to use the freedom of circulating a printed letter, to recommend the trial of the new medicines in advanced ftages of the difeafe; where well marked blotches, nodes, ulcerated fauces, ozana, and other characteristic symptoms of a genuine Syphilis appear: fince, in thefe cafes only can we be fully affured that the fyphilitic poifon exifts in the conftitution, and indubitably requires the adminiftration of an anti-venereal medicine.

The moft judicious practitioners, and thofe of the largest experience, are ready to confefs, that although it be usually advifeable to give mercury in recent stages of the venereal difeafe, with a view to prevent the farther progrefs of the symp toms, or the occurrence of a confirmed lues venerea, yet, in very many fuch inftances, the patients would escape and recover their health, by a proper plan of treatment, without the ufe of mercury: and, notwithstanding this fact may be denied by fome fpeculative perfons, it is too well authenticated for us to rest the proof of an anti-venereal remedy folely, or even chiefly, on its efficacy to remove the primary fymptoms. All deductions from fuch premifes muft, therefore, be extremely fallacious and questionable.

I have taken the liberty to trouble you with these cursory hints, for the attention of medical men in the country, in hopes that you will favour me by inserting them

1

17983 Miftatements of Profeffor Robifon detected....Site of Paradife. 3

in your Magazine: and I beg leave, at the fame time, to fuggeft, that it is my intention to publifh the refult of my experiments and enquiries, (under the title of "Critical Remarks on the Venereal Difeafe," together with fuch obfervations and cafes as I may be honoured with from other practitioners.

Great Ruffel-Street,
Bloomfoury-Square.
Jan. 22, 1798.

W. BLAIR

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.
SIR,

A LATE

of a Confpiracy, &c. by Profeffor ROBISON, has excited my great furprize; and I am at a lofs to conceive how circumftances, long ago buried in oblivion, could, without making any farther enquiry, be reprefented as ftill exifting, by the author of a book, which tends to ftigmatize fome of the most refpectable characters in Germany. From the beginning of 1799, EVERY CONCERN OF THE ILLUMINATI HAS CEASED, and no Lodge of Freemafons in Germany has, fince that period, taken the least notice of them. Evident proofs of this affertion are to be found among the papers of Mr. Bode, late Privy Counsellor at Weimar, who was at the head of that Order in this part of Germany, and who died in 1794. After his death, all thofe papers were delivered up to the prefent DUKE of SAXE-GOTHA, who, on application, would, doubtlefs, permit the infpection of them. The league of Dr. Barth, known to Mr. Robifon only from the Annals of Giessen, a very obfcure periodical publication, was a phantom, which no fooner appeared, than it was laid and deftroyed by Mr. Bode himfelf, who printed a pamphlet, entitled, More Remarks than Text, which foon opened the eyes of the public. This league, a poor financial fcheme, was planned by a man of more genius than principle, but never carried into execution. This appears from the papers, written during the whole of the tranfaction, which being bequeathed to me by Mr. Bode, are now in my poffeffion, and true transcripts of them may be obtained by any one, who wishes to receive them. Although I was not a member of that fociety, yet I was intimate with Mr. Bode, and prefent at his death; confequently I am enabled to vouch folemnly for the truth of the above; engage, that any perfon in Great Britain, who, being alarmed at the erroneous

and to

statements contained in the book beforementioned, may obtain the requifite information, by applying to me.

AUGUSTUS BOETTIGER,
Counsellor of the Upper Confiftory,
and Provost of the College
of Weimar.

Weimar, in Saxony,
Jan. 5, 1798.

D

For the Monthly Magazine. ANVILLE, in his Geographical Memoir L'Euphrate & le Tigre, page 14, has indicated to the caft of Roha, or Edeffa, a tract of country, elevated and beautiful, which now bears the name of

the lands included between the Tigris and the Euphrates. At its foot arifes, on the eaftern fide, the river Mygdonius, on which are fituate the towns of Nefibis and Sinjar; and on the western fide, the river Chaboras, on which are fituate the towns of Refain and Thallaba. These two rivers now unite, and fall into the Euphrates at Kerkifich; but neither of them appears to purfue its ancient course, the Mygdonius having originally flowed, amid the dry ravine called Tirtar, which meets the Tigris above Hatra; and the Chaboras amid the dry ravine called Sebaa, which meets the Euphrates below Ofara.

What forbids our fuppofing this Eden to have been in the contemplation of the author of the fecond chapter of Genefis?

Dr. GEDDES, in his note on the paffage (II. 14,) admits, that by Hiddekel is meant the Tigris, and by Perath the Eu phrates with the other two rivers only he is embarraffed, and at length fixes on the Araxes and the Oxus, which travel to the Cafpian and Euxine feas.

The Phifon, however, is faid to bound the land of Havila, where there is gold. Now, a confiderable stretch of the Mygdonius is yet called Al Havali, and thus retains obvious traces of the name and contiguity of that province, which may well have extended as far fouth as the mouth of the Zab, a ftream celebrated for its gold.

Of the name Gihon, no traces are indeed to be detected along the banks of the Chaboras; but this river is faid to have bounded the land of Cufh. Now, the land of Cufh (Genefis X. 7,) comprehended the five fubdivifions or townships of Seba, Havilah, Sabtha, Raamah, and Sabthechah. Safa and Zabdicena, (or Gezirat) on the western bank of the Tigris, appear evidently to preferve the names of Sabthah and Sabthechah. Seba, with the prefix

En,

.

Benefit Societies....Prevention of Bank Forgery.

En, or Ain, indicating fountains, may poffibly have given origin to the name of Nefibis; but it is far more probable fome deferted place contiguous to the dry ravine, yet called after it Sebaa. Havila was, no doubt, fituate in the province, and on the river of the fame name, and fhould be fought nearer to its mouth than to its head, because the names of rivers commonly afcend, being firft impofed where they are most confiderable. The name of Raamah may with faint probability be imagined in Aaraban, between Refain and Thallaba. If these indications be put together, it will follow that the land of Cush nearly anfwered to the modern province of Diarrabia, fince it contained five of the cities therein fituate: in a word, that it was the diftrict com prehended between the Tigris and the Charboras; and confequently that the Chaboras is the Ghion which bounded the land of Cush.

The four rivers of Paradise appear then to have been the Euphrates, the Chaboras, the Mygdonius, and the Tigris.

It is ftrange, that the garden of Eden fhould not oftener be mentioned by the early writers of the Jews. Except in an indecifive paffage of Deuteronomy, a book which feems to have been written during the captivity, (XXIX. 28) under Hofhea, no allufions to it occur, until about the period of the Babylonian conqueft. Was the account at that time new to Jewish li

terature?

I

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.
SIR,

AM much gratified, and much obliged, by the account Mrs. CATHARINE CAPPE has given in your Magazine for Noyember, of the fuccefs that has attended a female benefit club; and I think thofe who founded or promoted fuch an inftitution, are entitled to public regard. I beg leave, through your Magazine, to throw out a hint or two, which, I humbly apprehend, might be improvements upon these excellent inftitutions. In the first place, I fhould recommend, that in fuch focieties, on any female marrying, a fall fum of fixpence per quarter, or whatever fum may be thought adequate, fhall be paid, in addition to the former fubfcription, in order to raise a fund for allowing married women fomething in child-bed; fuppofe, ten fhillings and fixpence for the month, and in cafe they are not fully recovered, two fhillings per week during the remainder of their illnefs, unless fuch fubfequent illness is amongst the number provided for by the rules.

[Jan,

I further beg leave to hint, that I think the reduction of the allowance to one fhilling per week, if a member lies fick more than fix months, feems withdrawing the aid when moft needed, as it is probable the allowance of four fhillings per week will not frequently fupport a fick perfon, and pay all expences, of medicine and attendance; and if the extra expence is to be paid out of the neceffaries of the fick perfon, is there not reafon to fear fuch perfon may be left to great want, and one grand defign of such inftitutions loft, viz. a fupport in old age or inability to labour. ---Several inftances have lately been mentioned in the papers of different Friendly Societies fupporting fome of the aged and infirm members for feveral years.---But, although I take the liberty to give these hints, I do it with fome degree of diffidence and great deference to thofe respectable characters who have instituted and promoted the Societies in queftion, who having made obfervations upon their effects, will better judge of the propriety of fuch regulation than I can do..

I beg leave to obferve further, in addition to the hint I gave in your Magazine for September, that a complete trial of one of these focieties could not be made in lefs than forty years, that my calculation went upon the ground of the allowance not being leffened in fo great a proportion to a member, who might lie a long time fick, as is the cafe in the Berwick Society; nevertheless, I am still of opinion, that no fociety of the kind can have had a fair trial in lefs time, as many years must elapfe, after fuch an inftitution is formed, before it can have any old members belonging to it, therefore not fubject to thofe expences which fall moft heavy on the funds of the fociety. I am, Sir, your humble fervant,

J.K.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

SIR,

A Correfpondent of your's, who fub

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fcribes himself "A Sufferer by Forgery," has expreffed a wish to be informed, whether the Directors of the Bank of England have refufed a plan for preventing the forgery of Bank notes; a plan which would not only have rendered forgery more difficult than at prefent, but almoft, if not altogether impoffible, and of which the excellency was attefted by all the principal artists in London ?"

From the manner in which the question is put, I am led to fuppofe (though I cannot be certain) that your correfpondent has heard fomething respecting the plan

offered

1798.]

Rhapsody on Newspapers.

offered to the Bank of England by a Mr. TILLOCK; at the rejection of which, by a Committee of Bank Directors, I was prefent, together with Meffrs. BYRNE, FITLER, LOWRY, and SHARP. That it was our unanimous opinion, as well as the opinion of Mr. BARTOLOZZI, (who was prevented by indifpofition from attending on the occafion) that the fpecimen produced by Mr. TILLOCK of a newly-invented art, was not copyable by any known art of engraving; and that the attempt toward imitating it produced by the Engraver to the Bank was very eafy to be diftinguished from its original, may be acceptable information to your correfpondent, and perhaps not useless to the public.

To fay that this invention would utterly prevent the poffibility of forgeries on the Bank, would be hazarding a rafh affertion: to determine that, if adopted, it would, by increafing the difficulty, diminish the number of forgeries, requires no hefitation, and very little eye-fight, That I mean to deny that little to the Directors of the Bank, muft not be inferred, nor that I think they have fhewn themfelves lefs clear-fighted in this bufinefs than difinterested.

Irony apart, I fhould conceive it to be a point both of duty and honour, for the Bank Directors---not to tempt men to the commiffion of a capital crime, by authorifing an eafy mode of committing it-not themselves to fuftain the loffes arifing from the frequent forgery of Bank-notes, ---not to adopt Mr. TILLOCK's plan for the prevention of forgery, if a better can be produced, but---to call forth the talents and ingenuity of the country in fair competition, by offering a handsome reward for the best practical means of preventing forgery on the Bank.

That a precedure to this effect, is a duty the Bank Directors owe to the public, your correfpondent has fufficiently fhewn; that it fhould be confidered as a point of honour too, I think, is evident, when we recollect that honour due is, in all cafes, proportionate to confidence repofed.

I am, Sir, your's, &c,

Queen Anne-freet Eaft, J. LANDSEER.

Dec. 20, 1797:

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

SIR,

D
URING the parliamentary debates
of laft winter, relative to impofing
in additional tax upon newspapers, it

5

was difputed by fome of our state-orators, whether a newfpaper was an article of luxury or neceffity; but the Minister, who was more defirous to obtain an addition to the revenue, than to wait for the difcuffion of fo intricate a question, hurried the bufinefs forwards, without allowing time to determine it. Perhaps, indeed, he might think that much was to be faid on both fides; and that it was a matter of very little confequence to a mere financier whe ther it was determined one way or other, When, however, I look around me in this vaft metropolis, and mix in the varied focieties that are formed in it, I am clearly of opinion, that a newspaper ranks among the neceffaries of life, and ranks fo high, that, if we except the mere mechanical operations of eating and drinking, I fcarcely know any thing that is fo indifpenfible to the happiness of my fellow-citizens. As a question, "What news?" is fecond only to "How do you do?” and I am much mistaken if, on many occafions, it does not precede even now, and hereafter, in all probability, it will issue at the first opening of the lips.

It is, perhaps, impoffible to prove the mifery that would overshadow fuch a place as London, were there no newspapers pub lifhed in it; but my imagination has fometimes fuggefted to me the horrid thought of a fufpenfion of newspapers for only one week! "Dreadful idea! Intellectual famine! What crowds of distressed human beings, hurrying from place to place, afking and befeeching one another,

for the love of mercy," to supply one little bit of intelligence, to cool the parch ed tongue of communication---one little accident to supply the repetition of diurnal morality---one anecdote, ever fo meagre and barren, juft to keep the life and foul of converfation together---or one crim. con. or even the lealt fufpicion, hint, conjecture, or furmife, to employ the magnifying powers of imagination, and prevent the dreadful neceffity of feeking for what we know we cannot find---refources within ourselves.

Such have fometimes been the horrid

images which my imagination, probably difordered at the time, has fuggefted to me but how faint is this expreffion of the workings of fancy; for fure I am, it hath not yet entered into the heart of man to form words capable of difplaying the wretched state of our metropolis, were it to be afflicted with a ceffation of news. Wifely, therefore, did our ancestors contrive, that, on our first entrance into daily life, we should have it in our power to de

your

6

Rhapsody on Newspapers.

vour the newspaper and the breakfast at the fame time; that in an hour when fleep has left a blank in our thoughts, and the memory of past events hath perished, a new world, or a world of news, fhould Atart up to fight, and fet every fpring of the mind in fresh motion. This I call winding up our curiofity for the day; by means of which operation, the machine goes regularly for the accustomed time, The invention of morning papers was of infinite importance; for morning was not the original time of publication; moft of the old papers were published at noon, or in the evening, when they could be of ufe only to thofe perfons who make a trade of politics, At that time they were not deemed of much ufe in families; but when tea was introduced, morning papers naturally followed, and the contents of many of them are now happily contrived to give a particular zeft to the Indian luxury. The connection, indeed, betwixt a breakfast and a newspaper is indiffoluble. We may hear news at any other time of the day; but how lame, how imperfect, how unfatisfactory, how deficient in all thofe little circumftances of detail and defcription, for which we are

indebted to the abilities of editors and

collectors of paragraphs. Infenfible and ungrateful perfons can only count the value of a bleifing from the loss of it; but if ever the time comes that the propagation of news is fufpended, they will learn to prize the abilities of thofe geniuses who furnish the news of the day with appropriate imagery; give a brilliancy to an accidental fire; break the neck of a bricklayer with grace; and even cloathe the gallows in heroics ;---men, whofe mere reports tranfcend even facts in point of entertainment, aud whofe hints and furmifes are to the thirsty reader

"Confirmations ftrong, "As proofs of holy writ." By means of morning papers, the inbabitants of the metropolis are put upon a footing of equality in point of information, which is not to be looked for in provincial towns, far lefs in villages, where perhaps the great 'Squire only receives a paper, the contents of which he doles out to his especial favourites. Yet it may be faid, that this equality of information which prevails in the metropolis, can tend only to perfect filence, becaufe no man poffeffes an overplus of news which he may communicate; and at first fight this would appear to be the cafe, but in fact it is quite otherwife; for al

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[Jan.

though one may not know more than an other, he certainly may conceive more than another. It is a mistake to suppose that the intelligence in newspapers is to be underftood in a literal fenfe, or that we are to be contented with what the editor pleases to tell us. For example, we read that Yesterday was married at St. Dunstan's church, Mr. Joshua Tape, an eminent mercer, to Mifs Polly Languish, of Mileend." Were we to ftop here, I question whether all the papers in London would furnish half an hour's converfation. But this is no barren text; it includes doctrines and inferences, which may branch out into as many heads as a fermon of the laft century. Is it not necessary to ascertain what Mr. Tape's property is; how far he may be called an eminent mercer; when it is well known that he failed ten years ago, and paid only ten fhillings in the pound; and how far he may be called a genteel man, when it is well known he ftoops in the fhoulders? It may be alfo neceffary to determine whether he deferves the character of a polite fhop-keeper, who, it is well known, refufed to take back an article which a lady had kept only fix months: and, above all, whether the man was not an arrant fool to marry Polly Languish, who, it is well known, had not a fixpence ? Then, Sir, with refpect to the lady, many important questions arife; as, firit, how it can be poffible any perfon can think her handfome, when it is well known fhe has no complexion, very bad itaring eyes, appears to be crooked, and moreover, it is strongly fufpected, is thirty-three, or thirty-two at leait. Thus you fee that the above paragraph is a full and rich fountain, fending forth waters, fweet and bitter, and quenching the talkative thirft of the whole parish of St. Dun itan's, and, probably, the hamlet of Mileend.

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Let us take another example:---“ Yefterday Lady was detected in an amour with Col. His Lordship has fent her to her mother's, for the prefent, and is immediately to fue for a divorce." Now, Sir, will any lover of news ftop here? Will this fatisfy him? No. It is neceffary to divide and subdivide this into an infinite feries of leffer intelligences, all greatly contributing to a right understanding of the matter. the one hand, his Lordship, it is well known, was old enough to be her father, and what could he expect? On the other hand, Lady ------ it is well known, was young enough to be his daughter, and wherein was the difappointed? Then it is

On

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