600 
he conteives might be advantageoufly 
deduced from the length of the ftyle, the 
curvature of it, its attitudes, the varieties 
of its figure, as cyiindric, angular, ca- 
pillary, &c. Dr. DaRWIN properly de- 
precates thofe idle attempts which have 
lately been made, to add thofe claffes al- 
ready deduced from fituation and propor-~ 
tion, to thofe which are fimply numerical. 
He is of opinion, that fhould the fyfem 
of the great Linneus ever be intrinfic- 
ally improved, the plan which he has 
propofed of ufing the fituations, propor- 
tions, or forms, with or without the 
numbers of the fexual organs, as criteria 
of the orders or claffes, muft lay the 
foundation “‘ but that it muf? require a 
great architect to ered the fuperfirudiure.” 
Should the doétor himfelf turn archireét, 
cur hopes would be fanguine of fuccels. 
The indefatigable Dr. Mavor has 
publifhed a volume of ‘ Natural Hiftory, 
for the ufe of Schools, founded on the 
Linnean Arrangement of Animals, with 
roper Defcriptions, in the Manner of 
Gold{mith and Buffon, iliuftrated by 46 
copper plates, reprefenting 166 of the 
moft curious objeéts."” The plan of this 
work is good, and the execution equal to 
it: Dr. Mavor has givena general ac- 
count of each clafs, and defcribed fome 
of the moft ftriking objeéts comprifed in 
jc: in the feleétion ef them he has fhewn 
great judgment, and the defcriptions are 
interciting. The plates are of unequal 
Merit. 

PHYSICS. 
Mr. Roperr Heron has publifhed 
in one odtavo volume, ‘ The Elements 
of Chemiftry,’”’ &c. &c. We cannot 
think fo highly of this workas the author 
himfelf does, who feems to confider it by 
far the beft and moft important publica- 
tion of the kind which has hitherto made 
its appearance. 
Dr. ScHERER’s “Short Introduétion 
to the Knowledge of Gafeous Bodies” has 
been tranflated fromthe German. This 
is to be confidered as a fort of text book 
for thofe who attend the doétor’s lec- 
tures at Weimar. The tranflator, who 
has fubjoined fome excellent notes, has 
prefixed to the work a Sketch of the Hif- 
tory of Chemiftry, in which he has by 
fome unaccountable accident omitted the 
name of PRIESTLEY! 
«©The Chemical Pocket Book, or Me- 
moranda Chemica, arranged in a Com- 
pendium of Chemiftry, according to the 
jJateft Difcoveries, with BERGMAN’s Ta- 
ble of Elective Attractions, as improved 
by Doétor G. PEaRsoN, by JAMES 
Retrofpe& of Domeftic Literature—Phyfics. 
Parkinson.” This is a concife, and 
elegant performance, and may be put into 
the hands of chemical ftudents, with the ~ 
higheft advantage. The fame may he 
faid of the “Elements of Natural Hiftory, 
and Chemical Analyfis of Mineral Sub- 
ftances, for the Ufe of central Schools ; 
tranflated from the French of MATHu- 
rIN James Brisson, Member of the 
National Inftitute.”” 
The firft number is publifhed, of 
‘¢ Journals of the Royal Inftitution of 
Great Britain.” We have repeatedly ex- 
patiated on the objeéts, and related the 
proceedings of this excellent eftablith- 
ment, concerning the fuccefs and utility 
of which we cannot for a moment fuffer 
ourfelves to doubt. 
ALEXANDER ANSTRUTHER, Efq. 
of Madras, has publifhed “‘ An Effay on 
the Nature and Conneétion of Heat, 
Ele&tricity, and Light.” In contemplat- 
ing the phenomena of heat, Mr. A. was 
unable, fatisfa@torily, to account for them 
on the common hypothefes ; he fought, 
therefore, for fome other agent, and 
every thing, fays he, pointed out elec- 
tricity, as the active power to whofe 
exertion, in combination with heat, all 
thefe phenomena are afcribable. Mr. 
Anftruther endeavours to fhow that light, 
heat, and eleétricity, are modifications of 
the fame principle: his obfervations are 
philofophical and ftriking, and his argue 
ments, though not often conclufive, are 
always ingenious, 
We ought to have mentioned in a for- 
mer retrofpeét that Mr. NICHOLSON has 
tranflated from the French of Pajot Des 
Charmes, * The Art of Bleaching Piece- 
goods, Cottons, and Threads, of every 
Defcription, rendered more eafy and ge- 
neral by Means of the oxygenated muri- 
atic Acid, with the Method of rendering 
painted or printed Goods perfeétly white 
or colourlefs: to which are added, the 
moft certain Means of bleaching Silk and 
Wool, and the Difcovertes made by the 
Author in the Art of bleaching Paper.” 
Des Charmes confirms the opinion which 
has been entertained, that the exhaufted 
bleaching liquor accelerates the vegeta- 
tion of plants: he affirms from repeated 
experience, that it poffeffes peculiar qua~ 
lities in this refpeét ; that thofe plants 
which he has watered with it, have not 
only grown more quickly than others of 
the fame kind, planted in the fame bed, 
and watered with river water, but have 
likewife acquired double the fize. This 
furely is a very important faét, and gives: ~ 
ftrength to the hint which one of our cor. 
re{pondents 
