


844. State of Chemifiry in Germany... A SubjeG for a Poem. 
the theory of oxygene, in parallel with 
that of phlogifton. He had done nearly 
the fame thing, the year before, in 
the fecond edition of his ‘* Foundations 
of Phyfics.” A third edition of that 
work has been jut printed, in which he 
explicates the phenomena of the fcience, 
after: the fyftem of Lavoisier. His 
Fournal of Phyfics, of which feven vo- 
lumes have been publifhed, has always 
admitted, indifcriminately, the articles 
for and azaintt both-theories. GMELIN 
devotes his whole attention to hiftorical 
and technical chemiftry. In the fecond 
edition of his Manval of Coemifiry ap- 
plied to the Arts, ‘ju finithed, he has 
given the theory according to the an- 
cient principles. THis Iniroduction to Ge- 
neral Chemrjiry furnithes'an account of 
the ftate and progrefs of the {clence, in 
poth theortes. 
WESTRUMB is a practitioner of tech- 
nical chemiftry, extremely well verfed 
in the art. His writings on pharmacy 
evince equally the man of refleciton in 
a f{cience where it cannot be denied, 
that every thing (till remains to be done. 
In both thefe purfuits, he Jjudiciouly 
negleéts reafoning for facts. 
CRELL is the editor of the Annals of 
Chemifiry, an mvaluabie collection, which 
has, in fact, given the grand impulte to 
the prevailing ftudy of chemifiry m 
Germany. In this work, the editor ex- 
preffes taithfully the very language, as 
well as opinions, of thre authors. , He 
makes fome hefitation, however, to adopt 
the new principles; but, at his age, per- 
liaps, it 1s difficule to renounce long en- 
tertained ideas. Crexn has alfo fome 
correfpondents, &c. (whom it is his in- 
rereft to keep on ,good terms with) 
among the difciples of Stahl, 
GIrvaANNer, another eminent che- 
mift, maintains. that phofphorus is com- 
pounded of azote and hydrogene ; that 
it contains in it more or lefs of carbone, 
a principle which, however, does not en- 
tex Into Its compcution ; that i may 
fhine in azotic gas and carbonic acid by 
means of the water. contained in thofe 
gafes ; and that it 1s capable of decompo- 
fition, inafmuch as a hydrogeneous phof- 
phorated gas may be procured from it in 
Experiments. 
Should the foregoing prove acceptable, 
T wiih, Mr. Editor, you could prevail on 
fome of your intelligent correfpondents 
46 furnish an account of the State of Che- 
mical Opinions in ENGLAND. 
Your's, &c. 
Now. 17, 17798. Silks 
[ Dee. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
STR 
THE poetry of the ancients differs 
from that of the moderns, as in many 
other refpects, fo efpecially, in abound- 
ing more in matter, and lefs in words. 
Even, their moft flowing writers do not 
fcem to have poffeffed the happy att of 
fo many.poets and poeteffes of the pre- 
fent day, in drawing out a fine and bril-~ 
liant tiffae of defcription and fentiment. 
from the feanty ftaple of two or taree. 
flight circumftances or ideas. They do 
not feem to have been aware, that the 
eflence. of poetry confifts not in come- 
pretiion, but in amplification; and that 
the practice of “ always halftening to the 
event,’ muft reduce the happieft fub- 
jeéts down from. epic or heroic bulk, to 
the diminutive fize of ode, or even epi- 
gram. Let thofe who with to fee the 
different effects of the fame fubjeét, when 
treated in the concife and the expanded 
manner: compare the original odes of 
Horace with the beautiful paraphrafes 
of them, by a poetefs of diftingutfhed 
excellence in the fplendid fabrications 
abeve hinted at. The difference cannot 
fail to ftrike; and the reader muft la- 
ment, that the Sabine bard has fo often 
-wafted upon a few of his lyric ftanzas, 
what would have ferved, if properly ma- 
naged, for a piece as long as a modern 
canto. From the general character of 
Ovid, and the wonderful facility with 
which he turned every thing into verfe, 
it may be thought he would not have 
been guilty of this fault; yet fuch was 
his fuperfuity of matter, that 1 know 
not any author who affords more ex- 
amples of the dry Roman brevity, both 
in narration and fentiment What can 
be a more remarkable inftance of this, 
than wheré, in his Fa/f, he makes the 
goddefs Flora relate the principal adven- 
ure of her life in two lines ? It is true, 
not one material circumftance is omitted 
in this fhort compafs ; a power of com- 
preflion, that we might admire in an 
epigram—but what an opportunity of 
fhining has he fuffered to efcape him } 
In the lope that fome poet of our own 
growth, bleft with the calent of harmo- 
nious verfification and elegant diffufion, 
will take up the theme, amd make of it 
all it is capable of affording, 1 thall juft 
fxetch out a defign which, I think, 
might be happily followed, without de- 
Viaring from the outline of Ovid. 
Vererat; errabam. Zephyrus conf{pexit; abibam. 
Enfequityr ; fugio; fortior ille fuit. 
Ver 
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