152 SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



But I can enquire and can decide, that it did not become Dtv 

 Thompson to endeavour to depress his rivals by stating of 

 giving currency to untruths. This is a point of moral character 

 ■which I will treat in no other way than by shewing he has done 

 so. My statements are numbered correspondency with the 

 paragraphs at the beginning of this Notice. 



1. The Philosophical Journal was published for the first 

 year, ljsy, for the joint account of myself and Messrs. Robin- 

 sons. In J 788 the entire Cwpy-right became mine and has 

 continued so without interruption ever since. No bookseller 

 ever had power to employ, or did employ any person in editing 

 or interfering with the copy of the Journal That copy has been 

 provided by myself and Correspondents ; and I have always had 

 one assistant, fully acquainted with the Sciences, and Languages, 

 of my own knowledge and appointment, and not employed by a 

 Bookseller. My name as Author, and Proprietor has every 

 month been before the Public : was it not the duty of a good 

 man, instead of sheltering himself under the words, " if Report 

 says true," to have enquired whether the Report was or was not 

 true, before he ventured to join in propagating it? 



2. I am informed that Mr. Tilloch (not Tulloch) was not 

 a printer at Glasgow, and is proprietor (not publisher) of the 

 Star. These are unimportant sounds in themselves ; but they 

 shew the disposition of Thompson to lower his supposed op- 

 ponents, and his want of accuracy and correctness. All the 

 world knows how many eminent men have been printers, and 

 tow little in a nation like ours, the science and acquisitions of 

 men, depend upon their pursuits in business. 

 • 3. His prejudiced notice of the. Repertory speaks for itself: 

 4. And so doea his positive assertion that the Repertory is 

 merely an abridgment. He could not but have seen, though 

 he has thought fit to deny, the excellent original discussions it 

 contains. 



. 5. His summary deduction points out the spirit and motives 

 of his statements; namely, to shew that the English Journals 

 are bad, and, by inference, that his own will be much supe- 

 rior. 



My principal object has been to expose the Doctor's con- 

 diu.t with regard Jo myself. The world must determine for 

 him. whether thaWconduct can promote any interest for which 

 a well-disposed mind ought to be solicitous. 



