are heightened, the perfonages are more accurately difcri minated, and fome collateral circumftances added, which greatly improve the fpirit of the whole. We have, in the former article, given our opinion of the tendency of thefe publications, and are forry to be obliged again to remark, that ill. nature and difappointment are till too confpicuous, and diminish the pleasure we fhould otherwife receive from lively wit and pointed humour. The parts too, which relate to Mr. Rolle, are not equally diftinguishable for their spirit and their juttnefs. The Scrutiny is now almost forgotten; but our readers will yet feel the force of the fatire in fome parts of the following diary: Lord Melcombe's Diary has become fo univerfal a theme of polite criticism, that it feems many of our young courtiers intend to follow the example, by keeping a register of fuch parts of their conduct as they think most worthy of being transmitted to pofterity. The following fpecimen of this new mode of Mifcellaneous Memoir, though well known in the fashionable world, may perhaps be new to our country correfpondents: Lord G's Diary, during the first week of the new Parliament. • May zo. Went down to the houfe-fworn in-odd facesafked Pearson who the sew people werehe feemed cross at my aking him, and did not know--I took occafion to inspect the water-clofets. N. B. To tell Rofe that I found three cocks out of repairdidn't know what to do left my name at the duke of Queenf berry's dined at White's the peafe tough-Lord Apfley thought they ought to be boiled in fteam-Villiers very warm in favour of hot water Pitt for the new mode and much talk of taking the fenfe of the club-but happily I prevented matters going to extremity.' 23. Hyde Park-Pitt-Hamilton, &c.-Moft of us agreed it was right to bow to lord Delaval-Pitt won't to any one, except the new peers dined at Pitt's-Pitt's foup never falt enough-Why muft Prettyman dine with us ?-Pitt fays, to-day he will not fupport fir Cecil Wray-Thurlow wanted to give the old toaftPitt grave--probably this is the reafon for letting Prettyman stay. May 24. Houfe-Weftminster election-we fettled to always make a noife when Burke gets up-we ballotted among ourfelyes for a fleeping committee in the gallery-Steele always to call us when Pitt fpeaks-Lord Delaval our dear friend!— Private meffage from St. James's to Pitt-He at last agreed to fupport fir Cecil. 25. Bankes won't vote with us against Grenville's billEnglish obftinacy-the duke of Richmond teazes us-nonfenfe about confiftency-what right has he to talk of it ?but muft not 1 not fay fo-Dundas thinks worfe of the Westminster business than-but too hearty to indulge abfurd fcruples. 26. Court-King in high fpirits, and attentive rather to the duke of Grafton-Queen more fo to lord Camden-puzzles us all-So it is poffible the duke of Richmond will confent to leave the cabinet-Dinner at Dundas's- -too many things aukwardly ferved-Joke about Rofe's thick legs, like Robinfon's, in flannel.' The extracts from lord Mulgrave's fuppofed Effay on Eloquence are highly humorous, and the epigrams addreffed to lady Wray, in the ftyle of the author, are entertaining and characteristic. I hofe on Dr. Prettyman are too much on the fame fubject, and we have given a fufficient fpecimen of it in the extracts from the Probationary Odes: every language is employed in accumulating ridicule, and diverfifying the fame idea. Since this article was written, a new edition of the Rolliad has been published, to which a new dedication, fome additional Jines, and two entire numbers have been added. The Supplement to the former edition is fuppreffed, for the present, and feems defigned to make part of a new publication. FOREIGN ARTICLES. Mon Bonnet de Nuit. Par M. Mercier. TH chatel. 2 Tom. 12/10. Neuf 6 HERE are ftrong marks of good fenfe and reflection in this work, but the popularity of the author has affisted its fale; and we own, that we are fomewhat difappointed, when we confidered that the fame pen had produced the Tableau de Paris. Yet, confidered abstractedly, thofe volumes poffets fome fhare of merit; and it is fufficient not to know the work juft mentioned, to receive much pleasure from them. M. Mercier tells us, that he has contracted the habit, on returning home or retiring to reft, to write down the reflections which the adventures, or the studies of the day have excited. How pleasant is it, fays he, to converfe in our clofets, by means of our pen, with a night cap on our heads.' From this circumftance the volumes are called MY NIGHT CAP. : A work of this mifcetlaneous kind cannot be abridged; it might have been ftyled a philofophical dictionary, if it had been arranged alphabetically and if it fell fhort of Voltaire's celebrated work in wit and acutenefs, it would have exceeded it in morality and religion. In thefe refpects, it is unexceptionable. It is however certain, that the work, in all its parts, is not very confiftent with its title. A dream may be fuitable to a night cap; but it is not related in confequence of the adventures of the day, though it may have arisen from them. Fables are ftill lefs connected with a night cap'; yet this volume confiits not only of reflections, but of dreams, fables, epiftles, and difcourfes. It is of no confequence; we are generally entertained, and he must be a faftidious critic, who diflikes a work, becaufe it is not quite confiftent with the title. We know not when we have been more perplexed to felect a fpecimen we have again looked over thefe volumes, and feem to have fixed, when fomething inore fprightly, or more new, has attracted our attention. Is it for this reafon, that we select a paffage near the end, when we could meet with little to induce us to change? Let metaphyficians tell us; for it is enough that we ftop at the Mongolfier balloon, and felect from the conclufion the wonderful difcoveries of the year 1783. Our author is not however very correct in his epochs. The year 1783 has been a year of wonders: we make water without air, and air without water. We imitate the formation of hoar-froft and fnow; we fee how a leaf of a tree perfpires: we fpeak with knowledge of the electricity of vegetables. Comus has conquered the electrical fluid, and applied it to the cure of our difeafes with fuccefs. The Abbé Spalanzani has published his new experiments on digeftion, and hinted at thofe on generation, not lefs new, and itill more furprifing. Dextrous philofophers have made fubtile remarks, and nice experi ments on the hygrometer An Englishman, called Wright, has walked under the waters; and, if the hope of procuring pure air be realized, we fhall reach the bottom of the fea, and draw up thofe rich curiofities, that its greedy bofom has hitherto concealed. • We have grafted on the old stocks of the vine, and this method has many advantages; we have found in the ftalks of mallows, a thread more foft than hemp, and more strong than flax. Mefmer, armed with a new medicine, which aftonishes the faculty, is returned. By a furprising trick, a child's doll has fpoken: an ingenious philofopher, with all the air of a magician, has enabled us to fee the whole progrefs of vegetation. In an obfcure corner, which will be celebrated by the dif covery, the doctrine of affimilatory fermentation has begun to be perceived. Water may be changed into vinegar, wine, or any other liquor, without preffing through the complicated fibres" of wood, or the flow capillaries of vegetables. The change is fudden, by the great law, aut fuperat, aut fuperatur; ubi virus, ibi virtus. Who will understand the force of these words? This difcovery, yet in its infancy, will make a revolution in chemistry. I am confident of it. Another phænomenon of the fame year! This is a brazen" head, imitating the human voice, articulating and pronounc ing like ourselves, words and phrafes. If the ancients had made fuch, and they had reached us, there would have been no dead languages; 1 languages: they would have lived in brazen mouths, which would have taught diftant generations founds and accents, and we should have known how Greek and Latin were fpoken. 6 • You, who traverse the falt plains of the ocean, fear no more the most cruel misfortunes, the want of water: the fea-water will become fit for your ufe, by a fimple and eafy process. Add to the prodigies of an aerial navigation, the extraordinary events of the fame year; the earthquakes which have overs turned Meffina, and defolated Calabria; the volcanos of Iceland; the peace which has established in America a kingdom, compofed of ftates, which will grow, expand, and difplay to the whole world the enfign of liberty; the crefcent, alarined at the preparation of two powers, who, uniting their forces, feem to be aiming a blow, which fixes the attention of Europe, keeps it in fufpenfe, and embarraffes the politics of nations. Add alfo, the fingular crisis of the English government, the fituation of Holland, always irrefolute; the city of Dantzic blocked up and kept within its own walls; the death of celebrated mathematicians: Lattly, fome ftrange commotion raifed in the minds of people in general, which difpofes them to the most dangerous undertakings, to the most uncommon fituations. All ought to make the year 1783 the moft remarkable and aftonishing. : Age of Auguftus, of the Medici, of Lewis the XIV. fo ce lebrated by painters, fculptors, orators, architects, and poets; you may well vanish before an age, marked by fo many memor. able epochs! The impatient genius of my contemporaries, claiming its free range, requires permillion to expand it would manage the univerfe, in fpite of the obftacles which cold, contracted fpirits would put in its way it would filence detrators, and be fubfervient for this purpofe, even to thefe little gloomy, envious, jealous, and wicked characters, who are pleafed with ftopping the progrefs of fcience: it would with that the prefent reign, fince it protects and rewards the arts, fince it is illuftrated by the most brilliant difcoveries, may be for ever ce lebrated. And why fhall not the paffing transactions of the prefent age be related a thousand years hence? The glorious conquefts of genius, of the arts over the dark incommunicative pages of the book of nature. The Lord has opened it before our eyes, let us learn to read it. O philofopby! O cheiniftry! O kings, protect thefe important fciences !' The attentive reader will be pleafed with the account of various circumstances, concerning which, perhaps, his opinion will be very different from that of M. Mercier. He will be surprifed too, at having never heard of thefe important difcoveries; but we must wait, for we are told that fome of them are yet in their infancy. May they foon advance to maturity! Report Report des Cures Opérées a Bayonne par le Magnetifme Animal, par M. de Le Compte Maxime de Puyfegur. 8vo. Bayonne. THIS is another work in favour of Mr. Mefmer, and his Tremedy. The cures, which are all regularly attefed, are numerous; but if we were to admit this kind of argument, every remedy publicly advertised, would have the fame advantage. But among the various atteftations, we do not fee any one of the cure of the dog, mentioned by the count. This would have been an experimentum crucis; for no imagination could have influenced the event. In fact, the dog was magnetized, and he foon recovered; this we believe without the certificates, we only doubt of the complaint. The fact was this: a dog, ftand. ing in the way of fome young men at play, was taken by the tail, and whirled to a little distance. The fuddennefs, and the vio lence of the motion, as may be expected, deprived him of his fenfes, and this infenfibility continued long enough to allow of the ceremonies of magnetism, and to permit the count to boast of the cure. The author feems, as ufual, angry with medicine, and the medical commiffioners. He declaims, but he does not reafon. The notes by Monfieur Duval D' Efprèmenil contain more reas fon than declamation. We fhall fubjoin a fpecimen. When the count has dwelt on the almighty power of his certificates, he exclaims, Well then! this croud of atteftations, figned by fo many people, ferve only to show how many knaves and dupes, chance has affembled to prove me a fool. The argument,' adds the annotator is strong; but I know how to answer it: the way is to difbelieve the atteftations, and deny the cures; or rather to attribute them to nature, independent of magnetifm, that is, to nature, independent of herself. We must apply to M. d'Efprèmenil for the interpretation; if it has any meaning, it is not true.-Adieu, fir, we have no wish to examine you any farther. Confiderations fur le Magnetifme Animal, ou la Theorie du Monde des etres Organizes d'apres les Principes de Mefmer. Par M. Begaffe, 8vo. A la Haye.. SIN INCE animal magnetifin is almoft forgotten among our not puffue account of the different works on this fubject, any farther. Thefe, in our prefent Number, are chofen, either for the weight of facts, or curiofity of the reafoning. The author of the Confiderations,' tells us, that his work is not good, because we can do nothing good in three weeks; efpecially, when we must write on a new fubject, and one of fome extent. This work is indeed of a great extent. It proves The existence of animal magnetism, fhows its nature, its natural and moral effects, with many accidental circumstances relating to our |