On the German Character....Stirn. them, a wild extravagance of fancy, and à morbid irritability of feeling, which we cannot eafily fuppofe to be copied from nature. The feverish pride, the wild, maddening love, the imagination extracting from every incident and appearance, new means of forrow; make the Werter of Goethe, appear almost a being different in genus from those which romance and real life prefent to us in Britain. Schiller is equally accounted to have, in his fine dramas, overleaped the bounds of nature. Charles Moor, Fiefco, with the young hero and heroine of his " Cabal and Love," appear to us fo extravagant in all their fancies and all their diftreffes, that we should not, probably, endure with patience, their reprefentation upon our stage. But, fome facts have fallen within my knowledge, which incline me to believe, that there characters must seem to the Germans, for whom they were written, to be fufficiently within the range of the probabilities of ordinary life. I have had occafion to be acquainted with feveral gentlemen from Germany, who have visited this country. I think that I have obferved in them all,that generic character, of which "Werter," and others imagined by Schiller, are but fubordinate Ipecies. They were men of virtue and learning, of elegant manners, of a certain generofity of nature, fitted to win affection, and to command efteem. But, their imaginations were uncommonly fervid and romantic; their feelings were pregnant with exceffive fenfibility; they were, in their tempers, jealous of the respect and attentions which they thought their due, even to a degree that it was impoffible to fatisfy; there feemed to hang about them a wayward ficklinefs of fpirit, unfitting them for the fober and uniform business of common life. In one of the early volumes of the old "Annual Regifter," there is an affecting account of the trial, condemnation, and execution of a youth, named Stirn, for the murder of a Mr. Matthew, which feems to confirm, in a remarkable manner, this idea of mine. Stirn was a German youth, of extraordinary genius and accomplishments, who had come into England to feek a fituation, in which his qualifications might make his fortune. With difficulty he obtained the employment of an ufher in a boarding-fchool. His integrity, the elegance and accuracy of his knowledge, with his affiduity in teaching, made his affiftance exceedingly valuable to the master of the school; while, *73 on the other hand, the incredible jealoufy of his temper rendered him exceffively troublefome, as an inmate in the family. Ere he had been long here, he became acquainted with Mr. Matthew, by whom he was invited, with offers of refpectful treatment and a liberal falary, to take up his refidence in his family, for the purpose of inftructing his wife and daughter in mufic, and Mr.Matthew himfelf in the Greek and Roman claffics. With Mr. Matthew he had not long refided, when he began to fancy, that mockery and infults were offered to him, which had no exiftence, fave in his own diftempered imagination. He became furioully querulous; and reciprocal ill-humour was naturally excited in the minds of Mr. Matthew and family. Frequent explanations made Stirn, from time to time, curfe the gloominess of his own temper, intreat pardon for his fufpicions, and abjure them in the deepest anguish of heart." Nevertheless were thefe fufpicions still renewed on the very next moment, and ftill exafperated beyond their former rage. Matthew became at length no lefs unjuft than Stirn; in the madness of refentment, he accused the youth of attempting to seduce the affections of his wife, and of filching fome articles of his property; then thruft him contemptuously out of doors. Stirn, utterly incapable of these crimes, or indeed of any bafe and mean act, was driven, by this treatment, to the laft frenzy of despair. He regarded himfelf as contaminated and debafed beyond the poffibility of reftoration to honour, by the very circumftance of any perfon's having dared to name fuch crimes in the fame breath with his name. Branded as a thief, and as a feducer driven ignominioufly out of doors; how should he continue longer in England? how return to meet th eyes of his friends inGermany? No; thus vile, he could not endure to live : nor fhould the author of his woes furvive the wrongs which he had done him! Having folicited a meeting with Mr. Matthew, in the prefence of fome common friends; the unfortunate youth feized an opportunity of fhooting him through the head; and was, with difficulty, prevented from confummating the fame violence upon himself. then feized, conveyed to prifon, brought: to trial, condemned to death. I do not certainly remember, whether he did not, by taking poifon, withdraw himfelf from the ignominy of a public execution. I think, upon recollection, that before he refolved to afflafinate Matthew, he He was had 174 Univerfal Tontine....MS. of the late Mr. Flood. had, in vain, called him out to fingle combat. Befides, if I miftake not, there is not a little in thofe diftinctions of rank, and those fubdivifions of dominion which are established in Germany, that tends to foment this irritability of imagination and temper. The pride of birth and rank ftill reigns there, in its full vigour, infefts all the scenes of common Jife, and continually disturbs the pleafures of focial intercourfe. There are in Germany, a very great multitude of poor nobility, who have nothing but the pride and pretenfions of high birth, the education, the manners, and the wants of gentlemen; and who are obliged to feek their fortune in the world, amid difficulties with which it often happens that their pride can ill brook, to contend. The intercourfe too, among the inhabitants of fo many different principalities and states, is neceffarily carried on with a punctiliousness and jealoufy, which are not fo vigilantly exercifed in the intercourfe of perfons who are, all alike, subjects of the fame great kingdom. If I err not in my inference from thefe facts and confiderations, Schiller and Goethe, and the German writers of taste and fancy in general, are, by it, in a great meafure vindicated from that charge of extravagance, which English critics have too hastily urged against them. What would be with us extravagance, is with them but nature. Characters not very diffimilar to thofe of Moor and Werter are not unfrequent in Germany. It is from the state of human fociety in that country, that the wild, terrific pathos and fublimity of the German works of genius, take their origin. To thofe facts and characters which I have above cited in explaining my opinion, may be added, what the account of his life by Tiflot furnishes, concerning the late amiable Dr. Zimmermann. R. H. To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. SIR, HE infertion of the following ccrTection of the remarks in your laft number, on the London and Middlefex Univerfal Tontine, will be esteemed a favour, by yours, &c. ment of one fhilling per fhare to the agent, on the admiffion of each member; and thus corrected, the allowance to the agent, for his trouble in managing the concern, will be three thousand two bun! dred and twenty-two pounds. It must be obferved, that this is exclusive of the expence of preparing the articles, of advertifements, and all other incidental charges, which were paid out of the fines. By an overfight of your printer, the following reference to fome judicious obfervations on the unprofitable nature of tontines, for a fhort term of years, was omitted. *General Introduction to the fifth edit. of" Dr. Price's Obfervations on Reversionary Payments," published in 1792. To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine SIR, HE executor of the late Henry Flood found, amongst other valuable papers, "The Hiftory of the present Mr. Pitt's Administration," from its ccmmencement to that accomplished fenator's deceafe; complete and ready for the prefs. The manufcript interfperfed with characters of the most diftinguished ftatesmen in Great Britain, and containing materials for two 8vo volumes, was commit ted to Mr. Edmund Malone, who undertook with avidity its immediate publication. Upwards of four years have elapfed, fince that facred depofit of his friend's fame was made by Sir Lawrence Parfons. Through the channel of your valuable mifcellany, I therefore afk permiffion to inquire into the fate of a production, that I conceive muft contribute to the information, not lefs than the entertainment, of all thofe who feel interefted in the common caufe of Great Britain and Ireland. I remain, Sir, 'your obedient fervant, Dullin, January, 1798. A DRAPERI To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. SIR, YOUR correfpondent A. P. B. in YOUR your Magazine for January, treats the accounts of toads having been found alive in folid rocks and trunks of trees, as fabulous; and compares them to the March 3, 1798. J. J. G. vifionary tales of ghofts and fpe&tres; The number of deaths and defaulters, grounding his disbelief principally upon which in the fociety's advertisement is the uncertainty of the evidence, which, printed 986, fhould be 586, but the re- he justly remarks, has never been given duction which this makes, in the fum I by the eye witnefes themf Ives, but have ftated as the charge of management, through fo many channels, that the oriwill be overbalanced, by adding the pay-ginal propagator can feldom be traced out New Experiment on a Toad, by Mr. Smith. out to prove his affertions. I am glad to have it in my power to add fomething towards establishing the truth of this unaccountable phenomenon; with the advantage of relating only what fell under my own immediate obfervation. I was led to make an experiment on a toad, by the perufal of one of Dr. Franklin's effays; where he afferts (though only from report) that they will live for ages in folid rock; and also affures us of a fact equally astonishing, and out of the common courfe of nature: that flies, corked up in wine in the Weft-Indies, &c. may frequently be restored to life in England, by expofing them to the heat of the fun's beams. This he tried himself, and has established beyond any doubt. Sir, Franklin, on this occafion, expreffes himself rather romantically; he wishes he, and a few choice friends, could in the fame manner be preferved in a cafk of Madeira, and revived at the end of a century, to fee how his dear country America flourished. I was as doubtful as your correfpondent in respect to the toads; but did not prefume to difpute fuch high authority, merely on account of the improbability of the Rory, without affuring myfelf by the more certain teft of experiment, which frequently, as in the prefent inftance, baffiles our reafoning. I accordingly caught a large toad, which I confined in a glafs tumbler, covered at the top with a large piece of cork, closed with fealing wax, fo effectually, that no fresh air could be admitted, nor any thing poffibly escape. In this ftate I left it in my room, and in a few hours, returning, found the glafs, (which I had corked too tight) broken, and the animal efcaped through the window, and fallen on to the pavement nearly fourteen feet, which must have hurt it, and very probably haftened its death. I cominitted it once more to a fimilar confinement, with more caution, and in this state actually kept it alive fix months. As I had no thoughts of publishing this circumftance at that time, I did not make fo many obfervations as I otherwife should have done; but frequently remarked in the tumbler small black fubftances, refembling in fhape little animals; and, as thefe alternately appeared and difappeared, the toad must have fwallowed them; fo that itis poffible it poffeffes the property of the ruminating animals, in a much greater degree; for the throat had a contant motion, as if in the act of maftica 175 tion; yet, what is rather extraordinary, all the time I kept it, I never once faw its mouth open; and it feemed as strong a few days before it died as at firft'; fo that I attribute its death rather to the fall, than to confinement, or want of food. The fides of the glafs were fo frequently obfcured by a dark moisture, that I could fcarcely difcern the animal through them. Your correfpondent A. P. B. doubts, very naturally, that a creature furnished with lungs fhould exift when deprived of air; but what is here related, in my opinion, is a proof to the contrary; as the very finall quantity in the glafs, at the time of clofing it up, would be vitiated and unfit for refpiration in a few minutes; and I find no difficulty in admitting, that if this animal can (in direct contradiction to all the known laws of animated nature) exift for fix months, deprived of air, food, or water, it may, for any argument we can produce to the contrary, furvive centuries in fimilar circumftances; nor should I be at all surprised, if it was found to live in vacuo for a confiderable time; an experiment, however, I have no inclination to try. I rather think what I have already done needs fome apology, and fhall add a few words in my own juftification, as it may appear, that in this experiment I have permitted curiosity to get the better of humanity. I have read, with abhorrence, the cruel experiments of Fontana, and fome others, where thousands of harmless creatures, under the pretext of being ferviceable to mankind, were put to death, in the most fhocking and prolonged tortures: but in the prefent inftance, I felt assured, that if the toad could live one day without fresh air, it must exift by means we are unacquainted with, and without pain or effort. Indeed, had it suffered vifibly from a few minutes confinement, which I naturally expected, I should certainly have liberated it, and purfued the trial no further; but on the contrary, it feemed fo perfectly at eafe, that I fully expected it would have furvived me, and the prefent generation. I beg leave to fubfcribe myself, Sir, your's most respectfully, EGERTON SMITH. Navigation Shop, Pool-lane, To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. I SIR, Have lately heard of several inftances, in which the fcurvy prevailed to a A a 176 Mode of Ventilating Ships, by Mr. Abernethy. great degree in ships, wherein the feamen had a confiderable quantity of lime-juice and vegetables daily diftributed to them. In all thefe inftances, the disease broke out after a continuance of cold, rainy, and ftormy weather; which made it neceffary to keep the ports fhut, obliged the feamen to remain much between decks, and allowed them no opportunity of drying their cloaths, I was, in confequence of fuch information, led to enquire and think of the modes of ventila ting fhips; and one occurred to me, which I cannot but believe would be very effectual, requiring no labour, and it might be put in practice at an inconfiderable expence. The principle of the plan which I propofe, I find, by looking into the "Encyclopædia," is not new; but I think the mode of accomplishing it, which I propofe, could not have occurred, or it would have been carried into execution. If Sir, you think well of the plan, you will oblige me, by procuring its infertion in the Monthly Magazine, as, by this means, the public may be put in poffeffion of it, and be enabled to judge of its expediency. The plan which I offer is extremely fimple, it confifts merely in caufing two tubes to defcend from above the deck to 'the bottom of a veffel, or as low as ventilation is required; and which fhould communicate by fmaller pipes (open at their extremities) with thofe places defigned to be ventilated. There should be a contrivance for ftopping thefe communicating pipes, fo that ventilation may be occafionally prevented from taking place, or confined to any particular part of the veffel. One of the principal air tubes fhould defcend as near to the ftern of the veffel as convenient, and the other as near to the ftem. Through that tube which is in the head, the foul air is to be extracted; and through that which is in the ftern, the fresh air is to defcend to the different decks and other apartments of the veffel. The extraction of the air is eafily effected, in the following manner: let a tranfverfe tube be fitted to that which defcends in the head of the veffel; it may be funk within the level of the deck, fo as to caufe no inequality of furface. Let it be continued till it comes beneath the fire-place, then afcend in a perpendicular direction through the fire, and open a little above it; or it may be made to communicate with the chimney. It would be more convenient if the fire was near the place where the tube rifes through the deck; and, in Indiamen, I am told, that the fire is in the forecastle; but the experiment muft equally fucceed, if the tube be made to defcend again till it is beneath the common fire-place. The effect that will refult from this contrivance, is obvious; when the tube which paffes through the fire, is heated, the air will afcend with a force proportionable to its levity, and the afcending column can only be fupplied from below, confequently it must come from all thofe parts of the fhip with which the main tube communicates. When the ports are open, the quantity of air thus exhaufted from the ship, will be fupplied from all quarters; but if they were all fhut, and the hatchways and other openings completely clofed, the renewal of fresh air is made certain by means of the tube which descends in the ftern. The main air tube, where it rifes above the deck in the ftern, fhould, think, have an horizontal one fitted to it, which might be made to traverse, fo that it could be turned to windward; it might alfo expand at its extremity liks the mouth of a trumpet; and thus perfectly fresh air muft enter, and the force of the gale would tend to impel it into the yeffel. When that part of the tube which paffes through the fire, is red hot, the draught which would be thus occafioned, might, perhaps, be too great, and the open pipes which communicate with the decks, might emit and imbibe the freshair info direct a ftream, that it might be injurious to thofe perfons within the cur rent. I therefore think it would be better, if thofe fmaller pipes which lead from the main tubes were made to run along the decks, and communicate with them by numerous orifices. Two pipes opening into the main exhaufting tube, might be extended along the tops of the deck, in the angle formed between the fides and the cieling: and thus the air would be extracted equally from all parts, and in a manner not likely to occafion injurious currents. Some divifion of the ftream of air which enters from the stern, might alfo be made, if it were thought neceffary Thus, I imagine, a very complete, and in Mr. Abernethy on Ventilation.....National Debt. in no way injurious, ventilation may be obtained the air in the veffel would be perfectly changed when the fire was Itrong, without expence or trouble; and a gradual and falubrious alteration of it might, at all times, be made, by a very little additional quantity of fuel. The air tubes fhould confift of feparate joints, fo that occafionally they might be taken to pieces. 177 fhip. This objection is of no weight, in my eftimation; as the copper pipes may be made of any required degree of ftrength, may be placed against the fides of the veffel, and may even be incafed in wood. I have neither leifure nor inclination to be obtruding this plan on the notice of those to whom such schemes are ufually prefented; but, Sir, if you think well of it, you will oblige me by laying it before the public. I am, Sir, with much refpect, your obedient fervant, JOHN ABERNETHY, St. Mildred's Court, March, 1798, I forbear to dwell upon particulars, as there are many circumstances in the conftruction and management of a fhip, with which I am unacquainted, which might require alterations in this plan, the principle and general defign of which is all that I fuppofe myfelf capable of judg- To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. ing. The draft, I imagine, might be made fo confiderable, as even to allow of the conveyance of heated air into the interior parts of the veffel, fhould it, under any circumstances, be thought expedient. Another advantage, which, as it appears to me, might arife from this contrivance, is, that of being able to dry the wet cloaths, by producing a current of air through any allotted part of the fhip. For this purpofe, the cloaths fhould be hung up in a clofe chamber, into which two pipes fhould be introduced, leading from each of the principal air tubes, and their communications with every other part of the veffel fhould be cut off, fo that the whole current of air, which the fire produces, may be made to pass through this chamber. I have, Sir, already mentioned the circumstances that led me to think of this plan; which appears to me so obvious and fimple, as to reflect no credit on the proposer of it. As the fubject is fo foreign to my general purfuits, I may probably judge erroneously refpecting it; but whilft I retain my prefent fentiments, I fhould feel myself culpable were I not in fome way to make it public. In tranfport veffels, which are crowded with perfons between decks, the enabling them, in all weathers, to breathe fresh air in fuch a fituation, is fo important an object, as to vindicate me in this intrufion on your time, and on the public, although the fcheme which I have laid before you, fhould prove ineffectual. I mentioned the plan to fome gentlemen converfant in nautical affairs; but they thought the tubes would be injured, or put out of order, by the rough ufage which they would meet with on beard a SIR, Perfectly agree with your correfpond ent G. C. (M.) . M. Ö. p. 270,) in the general fentiment of the injuftice and impolicy of confifcating the property of the public creditor. But I can by no means accord with all the fentiments contained in his letter, or the arguments upon which he builds his conclufion. Adopting, as I have done, upon mature deliberation, the fettled conviction, that every thing that relates to the morals and poli tical inftitutions of fociety, ought to be open to free and unreferved difcuffion; my mind could not but revolt, at finding every attempt at investigation on this fubject moft dogmatically profcribed three dif tinct times, in one fhort letter of a fingle page. Had the Magazine which contains this letter reached my retreat at an earlier period, I fhould have troubled you with my animadverfions before: for I am deeply impreffed with the magnitude of the object; and whatever may be the confidence of G. C. in legislative decifions, I am convinced that the time is faft approaching, when no recognition of minifters, no vote of parliament, can prevent the difcuffion he would prohibit. May that difcuffion be neither tumultuary nor impaffioned! May the public mind be properly prepared to weigh every circumftance, and confider this important branch of our internal policy in all its relations and confequences! May the crifis of decifion not precede the hour of mature deliberation! If this fhould be the cafe, I make no doubt that the people will be relieved from the oppreffion of this national burthen, and the public creditor be indemnified as he ought. But let the fundholder reft his claim upon a just foundaA a 2 tion |