, שפתים By

tunate than ourselves, may hereafter poffibly meet with fome authority which may tend to fupport it. We fufpect, then, that the Pfalmift here alludes to the victory obtained by Joab and Abishai over the Ammonites and Syrians, who, with their two armies, furrounded the troops of David in the neighbourhood of Medeba. See 2 Sam. x. and I Chron. xix. which is of the dual form, we understand duas acies, from the primary notion of the root no difpofuit, ordinavit, ordine collocavit. The dove we fuppofe to mean a standard, bearing the figure of a dove, wrought in filver and gold. The custom of bearing on their ftandards the figures, or the emblems, of their deities, was common to almost all heathen nations *. And Venus, to whom the dove was peculiarly facred, was, it is well known, one of the grand deities of the Syrians †. With respect to bun in verse 14. or 1, if we read plurally, with the LXX. Xionσola, and the Arabic, it may be observed, that in the Arabic language is nix, is frigidus, and

ثلج

ثاليج

in the fourth conj. fignifies lætitia affecit, recreavit, refecit vel fe, vel alium: fo in the Hebrew is nix, and prawn may, perhaps, be tranflated, refrigerium cepiftis, recreaftis vos, refeciftis vos. The Ifraelites might probably encamp, and reft on Mount Salmon, in their return to Jerufalem, after their victory over the Ammonites and the Kings of Syria. And, if there be any foundation for these remarks, the paffage may be thus rendered: After ye had lien between the two armies, the wings of the Dove that was covered with filver, and her feathers with burnished gold; when the Almighty had fcattered Kings with her (the Dove), ye refreshed yourselves (rejoiced) on Mount Salmon.

In thefe tranflations of the Pfalms Dr. K. has certainly corrected fome mistakes, and illuftrated fome obfcurities; yet there are many paffages in which the common verfion is as faithful to the acknowledged fenfe of the Hebrew, though the authors of it forbore to facrifice the genius and idiom of their own language to a verbal and even difgufting fidelity. There are other paffages, in his tranflations, the fidelity of which, though it be not

We need not remind our Readers of the Roman Eagle, or the Danish Raven. Diodorus Siculus tells us, that the Babylonians worshipped the Dove, as an emblem of their deified Queen Semiramis: Διο και της Ασσυρίας την περίτεραν τιμαν ὡς θεον, απαθανατίζοντας την Σεμιράμινο lib. ii. c. zo. See alfo lib. ii. c. 4. and Rabbi Azarias thinks that on this account the Babylonians carried the figure of a Dove on their ftandards; and on this principle applies Jerem. xxv. 38. xlvi. 16. and 1. 16. to Nebuchadnezzar. See Voffius de Idolol. lib. i. c. 23. + See Selden de Diis Syris, Syntag. ii.

merely

merely verbal, atones not for the awkwardness, we had almoft faid the barbarism, which deforms them. It were tedious, to collect all the offences, which we have met with, against the tafte, and even the ear, of the English reader, unauthorised by fuch improvements in the fenfe as tend to confirm the faith, or purify the practice of a Chriftian. The following may fuffice to fhew, that thofe, who have been moft clamorous for a new authoritative verfion of the Holy Scriptures, have demonftrated the difficulty of the fcheme by their unfuccefsful attempts to pro

mote it.

Pfalm xiv. 1. They have corrupted, they have made abominable their behaviour.' xvi. 3. As for the divinities which are upon the earth, these, and the heroes, my delight is not in them.' Ib. 7. By nights mine own thoughts infruct me.' xxxiv. 10. There is no want to them who fear him.' xxxvi. 2. The revolter to wickedness declareth folemnly. xxxvii. 38. The end of wicked men fhall be cut off xli. 8. The fentence of being guilty is pronounced upon him. Ib. 9. Even the man of my peace, he whom I trusted.' 1. 21. I will disprove thee, and fet the comparison before thy eyes.' Iv. 3. On account of the leader of the hoftility.' Ib. 4. For they transfer upon me iniquity.' Ixviii. 4. Oh, fing ye unto God, celebrate his name; clear the way for him who rideth through the deserts.' b. 20. The God for us is the God for falvations; and to fehovah belong the decrees iffued for death. cxviii. 10, 11, 12. In Febovah's name fhall I disappoint them. lxxxvii. 4, 5. Even of Sion, as the mother, it shall be faid; fuch and fuch men fhall be born in her.' In the register of the nations, it shall be written, this and that fhall be born there for ever.

Upon the whole, this volume resembles the other works of the Author, all of which exhibit marks fufficiently unequivocal of his literary character. If in brilliancy of genius, or elegance of tafte, he had many fuperiors; if in the ftudy of Oriental languages in general he was comparatively deficient; and if in critical acumen, and felicity of conjecture, he ftood not in the very first rank; yet in a profound knowledge of Hebrew, and in the perfevering induftry with which he applied it to the illuftration of the facred page, he had very few equals. His collation of the Hebrew MSS. was a work which added splendor to a great nation and an enlightened age. To the Hebrew fcholar it unlocked the richeft ftores of facred philology: while, by eftablishing the general purity of the Hebrew Text, fo far as the effentials of religion are concerned, it has confirmed the faith and hopes of every pious and rational Chriftian.

ART.

ART. VIII. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Vol. I. 4to. 11. 5s. Boards. Cadell. 1788.

TH

HE new Society, to which the Public is indebted for this volume of Literary Tranfactions, was incorporated by Royal Charter, March 29th, 1783, under the name of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

In 1731, a Society was inftituted for the improvement of medical knowledge, by collecting and publishing effays and obferv. ations on the various branches of phyfic and furgery. Though not the most numerous, this Society was one of the most learned of any at that time in Europe. Dr. Monro, the firft anatomical profeffor, and the founder of the medical school which has juftly attained great eminence and celebrity in Edinburgh, was the fecretary to the Society, and under his direction five volumes of tranfactions were published, with the title Medical Effays and Obfervations; a work which is defervedly honoured with the encomiums of the learned in every part of Europe. In 1739, foon after the publication of the laft of the abovementioned volumes, Mr. Maclaurin, profeffor of mathematics at Edinburgh, and famous for being the author of a most complete treatise on Auxions, fuggefted the idea of enlarging the plan of this society, by extending it to fubjects of philofophy and literature: it was accordingly altered, new regulations were made, the number of the members was confiderably increased, and it was from that time diftinguished by the name of The Society for improving Arts and Sciences, or more generally by the title of The Philofophical Society of Edinburgh. A few years after the fociety had received this new form, the political diforders of the country put a temporary ftop to the regular meetings; and no fooner was the public tranquillity re-established after the rebellion in 1745, than the fociety, and indeed the whole learned world, fuffered a fevere loss by the death of Mr. Maclaurin, June 14th, 1746*.

In 1752, the meetings of the fociety were renewed, and the firft volume of their tranfactions was published in 1754 t, the fecond in 1756, and the third in 1771.

From a variety of caufes, the Philofophical Society, though its meetings were not altogether difcontinued, appears to have languifhed till about the year 1777, when, by the uncommon zeal

His death, at the early age of 48, is faid to have happened in confequence of the fatigues and hardships to which he expofed himfelf, by the active part he took in fortifying and defending the city of Edinburgh against the rebel army.

+ For an account of this volume, fee Review, vol. xi. p. 169. where we gave the hiftory of the inftitution more particularly than we have here done; for the fecond volume, fee Review, vol. xv. p. 381; and for the third, see vol. xlvii. p. 94.

and

and abilities of Lord Kaimes, the purfuits of the fociety were renewed with greater ardor and fuccefs.

About the end of the year 1782, at a meeting of the profeffors of the university of Edinburgh, most of whom were members of the Philofophical Society, and warmly attached to the common interefts of science and literature, Dr. Robertfon, principal of the univerfity, propofed a fcheme for eftablishing a new fociety. on a more extenfive plan, which, like fome of the foreign academies, might have for their object, the cultivation of every branch of science, erudition, and tafte. The plan was adopted, the royal patronage was obtained, and the society was incorporated by charter.

The general bufinefs of the fociety is managed by a prefident, two vice-prefidents, twelve council, a fecretary, and a treasurer. It was thought that the members would be more punctual in their attendance on the meetings of the fociety, if they had fome general intimation of the nature of the fubjects which were to come before them; it was therefore refolved, that the fociety fhould be divided into two claffes; one of them is denominated the Phyfical Class, and has for its department the sciences of mathematics, natural philofophy, chemistry, medicine, natural hiftory, and whatever relates to the improvement of arts and manufactures; the other is called the Literary Clafs, and has for its objects, general literature, philology, hiftory, antiquities, and fpeculative philofophy. Each clafs has four prefidents, and two fecretaries, who officiate by turns.

The volume before us confifts of two parts, the first of which contains the hiftory of the fociety. The introduction to this part we have already abridged, the remainder of it is a journal of the meetings, with biographical accounts of deceased members, and lifts of the members, and of donations.

The fecond part contains papers which have been read in the fociety; they are divided into two claffes, viz. the Phyfical and the Literary. We shall at present confine ourselves to the confideration of the hiftorical part, referving our account of the memoirs for future articles.

Mr. James Ruffel, furgeon, gives an account of fome experiments which he made on antimony, with a view of finding an eafy and cheap method of obtaining a folution of regulus of antimony in the marine acid, for the purpose of preparing emetic tartar, according to the laft edition of the Edinburgh Difpenfatory. He was induced to make this inquiry, because he thought the directions there given implied a very expenfive and complicated process. Mr. Ruffel endeavoured to obtain pure dephlogifticated marine acid in a fluid form, by adding to it the black calx of manganefe, and then diftilling it. He found however, notwithstanding all his endeavours, that it was im

poffible

poffible to condenfe the fumes of the acid when thus dephlogifticated. He then tried the effect of the vapour on the regulus of antimony placed in the receiver, and in the neck of the retort. This fucceeded to his wifh, the regulus diffolving quickly and copiously. He tried alfo to diffolve, in the fame manner, crude antimony, which likewife fucceeded. Some fulphur, fome undecompofed antimony, and a complete folution of the regulus in the marine acid, were found in the receiver. This folution was a perfect butter of antimony, and its precipitate, either by means of water or alkalies, was fimilar to the common one; and tartar emetic prepared from it appeared, as to all its chemical properties, to be without fault. Mr. Ruffel had not tried it medicinally.

Dr. Roebuck made fome experiments on the ripening and filling of corn, in cold autumns; by which it appears, that oats will ripen and fill, in a degree of heat not exceeding 43 of Fahrenheit's fcale. Farmers fhould therefore be cautious of cutting down their unripe corn, on the fuppofition that, in a cold feafon, it could fill no more.

The Earl of Dundonald communicated a new method of purifying fea-falt. He obferves, that the common fea-falt is mixed with a variety of fubftances which render it, in a great degree, unfit for the purpose of preferving victuals. These fubftances appear, by experiment, to be naufeous, bitter, cathartic falts, with earthy bases. The beft method of purifying common falt is, to diffolve it in water, and to precipitate the earthy bases with foffil alkali; but this is too tedious and expenfive for common ufe. His Lordship's method is founded on this fact, that bot water, faturated with fea falt, will ftill diffolve a large portion of bitter falts with earthy bafes; he therefore takes a conical veffel, having a hole in its small end, which is placed downward; this cone is filled with fea falt, and kept in a moderate heat; about the twentieth part of this falt is diffolved in as much boiling water as it will faturate; this folution is poured boiling hot into the cone containing the remaining nineteen parts of falt; the boiling water, being already faturated with fea falt, will diffolve no more of it, but will diffolve much of the bitter earthy falts, and this folution will drop out of the hole in the bottom of the cone when it ceases to drop, the process is to be repeated, by ufing fresh portions of the fame parcel of falt, already partly purified, till it be brought to the degree of purity required. Lord D. thinks that three repeated wafhings make the falt of this country purer than any foreign falt; each washing makes it 4 times purer than before, fo that after the fecond washing it will be (difregarding fractions) 20 times, after the third 91, after the fourth 410, and after the fifth 1845 times purer than at firft. The fuperiority of falt thus purified is obvious to the

tafte,