Retrofpect of American Literature—Chemiftry, EF. 
ver,” all of which do credit to their au- 
thors. It isa pity that ** Hosack’s In- 
troductory Lecture on Medical Educa- 
tion,’’ is too poor and paltry to be placed 
in the rank of refpectable writings. ; 
That quarterly publication on Medi- 
cine, Surgery, Agriculture, Natural Hif- 
tory, and the Auxiliary Branches of Phi- 
lofophy, called ‘* The Medicai Repo- 
fitory,”’ is ftill continued, and with in- 
creafing exertions and {Pfirit. Tt is the 
vehicle of all the knowledge on thole fub- 
jects which America affords, and is there- 
fore highly interefting to the European, 
who wifhes to know the progrefs of in- 
formation in that extenfive and grawing 
country. The two latter numbers of the 
fourth volume have appeared within the 
time of the prefent retrofpect.* They 
contain a large proportion of new and in- 
terefting matter. The fatts concerning 
the fubmerfion of {wallows, and on the 
huge foffil bones lately dug up about fe- 
venty miles north of the city of New 
York, will be valuable to the naturalit. 
‘The papers on the fuperiority of calca- 
reous ftone for the houfes and pavemenis 
of cities—on the antipeftilential and anti- 
feptic quality of foda—on the application 
ot alkalies to ulcers, and a fumigation 
with ammoniac, are adapted to the pur- 
poles of police-officers, and magiltrates 
as well as of phyficians. Various corret- 
pondents continue their communications 
about the yellow fever ; and Dr. Prieitley 
and Profeffor Woodhoute are ttill engaged 
in the phlogiftic controverly. 
CHEMISTRY. 
Dr. PriesTLeyY, fince his refidence in 
America, purives his chemical inquiries 
with great zeal. . His laft pamphlet on 
«© The Refutation of the Compofition of 
Water, and on his eftablifhment of the 
Doétrine of Phlogifton,’’ has been fol- 
lowed by feveral differtations of the ex- 
perimental kind, by the Profeffor of Che- 
miftry in Philadelphia, Dr. WoopDuHouse. 
In addition to thofe pieces of chemical 
difcuffion which the ** Medical Repof- 
tory’* comprizes, there are numerous other 
eflavs contained in the ** Tranfa€tions of 
the American Philofophical,”” eftablithed 
- jn Philadelphia ; and fome more extant in 
“The Trantagtions of the New York 
Society, for the promotion of Agriculture, 
Arts and Manufaétures,”” whole mectings 
are now held at Albany. 
MISCELLANEOUS LITERATURE. 
A piece intitled < Defultory Reflec- 
tions on the Political Afpect of Public 
PU) Sh i ER Sa al el AE UE 
* They have not yet reached London. 
615 
, Affairs in the United States of America”? 
is a rafh and abufive attack upon the ad- 
.miniftration of the Federal Government, 
and upon all republican inftitutions. 
The Newtonian philofophy had fuffered 
a boid, though we will not fay very for- 
midable, attack, in ‘¢ the New Phyfical 
Syitem of Aftronomy,”’ publifhed by Dr. 
JosEPH Young. 
Mr. M. Carey’s ‘‘ School of Wif- 
dom” is a colleétion of fublime and ele- 
gant extracts from fome of the beft wri- 
ters on ethics, theology, and_ politics, 
well adapted to the ufe of {chools. 
The ‘* Effay on Political:Society”’ by 
an anonymous writer, poffefles a large 
fhare of abftract {peculation, and even as 
great force of underflanding. 
In the ‘* Letters addreffed to the Peo- 
ple of Northumberland (P) and its neigh- 
bourhood,”? Dr, PrigsTLey, the author, 
enters into various political difcuffions 
relative to himlelf, the late Prefident of 
the United. States, and the Federal Goe . 
vernment. 
Mr. SHepnern’s ** Columbian Ac- 
countant,”’ is aSyftem of Praétical Arith- 
metic, particularly adapted to the dom- 
merce of the United States of America. 
In Mr. Berr’s ‘ Ditiertation upon 
Oratory,’ there is nothing new, nor fo 
well written as has often been written be- 
fore. 
. On the fubjeé&t of finance nothing re- 
markable has been publifhed except the 
Congreffional Reports, fince Mr. GaLLa- 
Tins ‘* Views of the Public Debt, Re- 
ceipts, and Expenditures of the United 
States, in°-1800.”’ 
‘¢ The Monthly Magazine and Ame- 
rican Review,’ of which three volumes 
had been publifhed from the prefs of T. 
and J. Swords at New York, has, fince 
April 1, 1801, been converted into a 
quarterly publication, entitled ‘ The 
American Review and Literary Journal.°’. 
Authorthip in the Weftern hemifphere is 
become fo frequent that befides the /ixty- 
two American publications reviewed in, 
the Magazine during the eighteen montlis 
which have elapfed fince it was under- 
taken, there have been noticed upwards of 
twenty more fince the alteration was made 
to its prefent form of a Review, uncon- 
neéted with a Magazine. The number 
of publications, exclufively American, 
without reckoning the numerous. repub- 
_lications of European works, is {o great 
as to afford materials enough for this new 
Review. a ae 
[This Retrofpe& will be regularly conti- 
nued in our future Supplements. | 
4K2 RETRO- 
