94 
Or my judgment fo correét, that I fhall 
vot be fometimes miftaken. 
prefume to feat myfelf upon the bench ; 
_ YT thall be content to a€t in the humbler 
€apacity of crier of the court—as I 
fhall’ oniy ‘mention thofe authors in 
which I am °converfant myfelf, fome 
valuable’ productions will, of courfe, be 
overlooked. ‘I fhall hold myfeif, how- 
ever, obliged to any of your correlpond- 
ents, who will undertake to correct my ~ 
ffatements, or fupply my deficiencies ; 
end to your readers I fhall fay, in gene- 
rel, that though I ‘pretend not to infal- 
libility, I may yet be of fome fervice ; 
or in the words of a well-known author— 
—— Si quid novifli rectius iftis, 
‘ Candidus imperti; fi non, his utere mecum. 
Natural philofophy is, 1 not the moft 
tifeful, at leaft, one of the moft captivat- 
ing of the fciences. To be totally tgno- 
rant indeed of that world which we 
inhabit, muft afford a painful fenfation ; 
and he who can obferve the 
phenomena of nature, without: withing 
to explore the caufes, muft:-be “défitute 

various 
of that curiofity which is’ almoft a cha- 
raGteriftic of man. But in this {cience, 
more than in any other, difcoveries are 
multiplied’; new theories * are ~almoft 
every day«prefenting ‘themfelvés to our 
notice ;/and «new fyftems-are: explored. 
Thé tieportait, but -recent, dilcoveries 
concerning ‘the compofition of natural 
bodies, and’par¢'cularly the zerial fluids, 
have been>only lately methodifed and 
colleéted'; and I fhould havebeen at a 
Tofs to m3 ah elementary beok, -had 
net yout laft retrofpe&t’ of literature, 
directed ‘cour’ Bitention to Dr. GRE- 
GORY¥'s, E 
as “2 comprehenfive and well-ari 
fummary of phyfical é 
cioufly adapted tu conuuct 
have not leifure for extenlive ‘readinu 
into a general acquaintance with | nd+ 
ture.’ The ‘work ‘igtelf .b have dro- 
cured, and examine atten- 
tion, and I can fafely give it mydanétion, 
as comprehending all the moft important 
of the new ditcoveries, and as expiaining 
them in a remarkably clear and intelli- 
‘gible “manner. The  fecond — baok, 
which treats of the nature of fire and 
heat, I would particularly recommend to 
the attention of ftudents, fince I have 
not feen the doétrine, which it explains, 
before in print—[ have, however, my- 
felt, long been in poffeffion of the fub- 
ftance of it, in a MS. copy, of the 
juftly admired Dr.’ Black’s Leé€tures, 
which I qgttaincd from a fludcnt at 
ed with fome 
athe 
Direétions in the Choice of elementary Books. 
I do fot : 
‘conftitutes the 
[Feb 
the Univerfty of Edinburgh, and from. 
thofe le&tures the Doétor muft have 
felected his principal materials. The 
different fpecies of airs are more correétl 
and clearly defcribed in his fourth book, 
than I ‘have obferved in ‘any’ other 
publication; and the whcele of the 
fecond volume, which relates chiefly to 
the ftruéture of the earth, and the ma- 
terials of which it is compofed, is well 
deferving the attention of the ftadent, 
and will ferve as an excellent’ introduc- 
tion to the ftudy of mineralogy. | 
Mr. NicHorcon’s INTRODUCTION 
to NATURAL PHILOSOPHY, Is a Very 
comprehefive and accurate work on 
thefe fubjeéts. The third book, which 
treats of aftronomy, I fhould particularly 
recommend, as well as the preceding 
bsok, which is conneéted with the fame 
fubject. The books on eleAricity and 
magnetifm, are thort, but fatisfaétory. 
The chemiftry is, in part, out of date, 
as it is compiled on the old phlogiftic 
principles, yet the greater portion of it 
is ftill correé&t, and may be read with 
improvement. Mr. Nicholfon’s’ book, 
T mutt add, however, is better adapted 
to the ufe of thofe who have made fome 
progrefs in- philofophy, than to. mere 
beginners; btit it may ferve as.an ufeful 
companion to thofe+who aré atrehding, 
: . i> £hct ia 
or have’attended, leéturesi7> = 
Drs ENFreLp’s’ INSTETUTE “OF 
NATURAL PHILOSOPHY, Is profeffedly 
incended' for thofe who -are imfruéted 
in the firt’principles of mathematics ; 
to fucht-I will venture’ to"récom- 
It, as ©) 
and 
on the fubjest: “it was’ “ap- 
arently intended to ferve as a text- 
to le&turers, 8c. and it is certainly 
A+ ran 
earrend 
acsdemictal courfes of Jec- 
e and clear. The late Mr. Feréu- 
On’s LECTURES are admirably adapted 
to the ufe of beginners ; 
previuus acquaintance with mathematics, 
and the ftvie is imple and perfpicuous. 
it is well known that Mr. Fergufon’s 
forte was mechanics, and this fubjeé 
moft valuable part of his 
lectures. I fay nothing of Dr. Gold- 
imith’s philefophy, fince, though it is 
beautifully written, it 1s fuperficial, and 
in fome parts, erroneous. 
Thofe readers who, without any con- 
fiderable knowledge of “ methematics, 
with to acquaint themfelves particularly 
with the difcoveries of Newton, will find 
them detaiied in a popular and pleafing 
The optics, I think, particularly 
they require no. 
ne of the cledreft and heft - 
adipted to the ufe of ftudents, - 
fryley 
—— > eo a 
