The Increase of Manufactures, Commerce, and Finance, with the Extenfion of Civil Liberty, propofed in Regulations for the Intereft of Money. 4to. 6s. in Boards. Robinfon." THE 'HE fubject, of which this author treats, is of great ñational importance; and we have the pleasure to find, both from his narrative and obfervations, that he has investigated it with particular attention. He endeavours to prove, that the prefent laws relative to the lending of money, by confining all intereft, whether for large or small fums, and upon certain or uncertain fecurity, to the fame standard, and without any regard to the neceffities or circumftances of the borrower, are by no means fufficiently comprehenfive or liberal to answer the lawful purposes of trade. To remedy this inconvenience the author gives the sketch of a plan for fupplying individuals with fums of money, upon principles which would conduce greatly to the extenfion of commerce. outlines of the propofed plan are as follow. The • The first regulation, in an inftitution of this fort, would require to be, That no loan fhould ever be granted which did not appear to be for the advantage of the Lorrower, whatever other circumstances might warrant the expediency of granting it. That, as the minds of men are often too apt to be biaffed by circumstances, there should be a limit fet to the highest rate of interest that may be taken, which must be regulated by the extent of the loan; that is to fay, the power of granting ufurious loans not to be left to the directors of fuch a bank. The extent of the loan fhould be estimated by the intereft which it produces during the whole time of the existence of the loan. Thus, 500l. for two years, fhould be reckoned the fame as 1000l. for one year. That the principal management be in the hands of men who have no intereft in exacting too high a premium of infurance, nor of increafing the expence of the negociation. That men of character fhould be employed to inquire into the particular circumftances of borrowers, under the best regulations that can be devised for coming to the true state of their affairs. That a certain time elapfe between the asking a loan and the granting of it, unless it be under fuch particular circumftances as may be excepted from the general regulations. That, in order to avoid making any kind of monopoly of the lending of money, where fecurity is fo good as not to require much premium of infurance, this bank be never al lowed lowed to lend money without a premium, nor unless that premium amounts to two-fifths of the intereft. That, in order alfo to render the inftitution quite competent to the equalizing the monied affairs of the kingdom, and without refpect, in this inftance, to public revenue, any perfon may be allowed to take, for the loan of money on une certain fecurity, two-fifths premium of infurance more than what, at the time of fuch loan being granted, is given for the 4oan of money on mortgage. This laft general licence for taking premia not to extend to loans above a certain amount. Registers of all tranfactions to be fo kept, that the circumftances attending them may be known at any time afterwards. Probably the regulation of the inftitution might with advantage be fubjected, in fome degree, to the yearly inspection of a committee of the house of commons; and, at all events, as there would be a good deal of difcretionary power vefted in the managers, it ought to have every poffible check, which frequent and minute infpection into the exercife of fuch an office might afford.' It is a preliminary article in this plan, that upon any appli cation for money, the circumftances of the borrower should be made known with the utmoft fidelity. The propofal is undoubtedly reasonable and neceffary; and when the result of the enquiry fhould be fuch as ftrongly favoured the probabi lity of re-payment, to obtain a loan even at high intereft, and at fuch a rate as at prefent comes under the denomination of ufury, might not only extricate the borrower from embaraffment, but prove the means of both improving his private fortune, and of benefiting the public. Thefe are the important confiderations on which the author founds the utility of his plan; and we must acknowlege, that however the propofal may be received by thofe who could carry it into execution, it does honour to his benevolence and his regard to the interefts of the public. A Treatise on the Influence of the Moon in Fevers. By Francis Balfour, M. D. 8vo. is. 6d. Robinson. ΤΗ PHIS little work, originally printed at Calcutta, is reprinted at the defire of Dr. Cullen. The recommendation of this very refpectable profeffor has led us to examine the Treatise with particular care, and it feems defigned to induce practitioners to obferve the periods of fevers, as connected with the changes of the moon, with greater attention. Dr. Balfour feems to have clearly established its influence at Bengal, and Dr. J. Lind had ob obferved fimilar appearances; but the former feems chiefly to fail in extending this influence to other countries. He acknowleges, that it is much lefs obfervable at Madrafs; and yet fuppofes that it has fome effect on fevers in ftill more diftant climates." He has chiefly mentioned Hippocrates, as having obferved the influence of the moon on the periods of fevers; but he might have added Ramazzini, Ballonius, Diemerbroek, and fome others. It may be alleged that, if this be true, it fhould long fince have been eftablished beyond a doubt; but, independent of its having been little attended to, fo ftrong are the prepoffeffions against any regular progreffion in fevers, that critical days are, even now, generally difbelieved. Yet, on mature reflection, we fee an epidemic fo gradual in its fteps, and uniform in its appearances; we fee attacks fo frequent, patients in different periods of the lunar revolution affected in the fame way, and the events, at all times, fo nearly alike, that we must either difbelieve the influence of the moon, or fuppofe that our meafures counteract it. In either cafe, atten tion to it, except as a matter of curiofity, is ufelefs. But we fhould rather fufpect, that the influence is confined to the warmer climates; for our author ufed the bark very liberally, a medicine that more effectually disturbs the operations of fever than any other. 1 This Treatife is written with candour and good fenfe. We fhall felect that part of it where the author endeavours to adapt his obfervations to the common putrid and nervous fevers of thefe climates. We muit, however, premife, that the three days previous to both the full and change of the moon, are most fatal, either in inducing dangerous fevers, or in influenc ing the terminations. Each period confitts, therefore, of fix days, of which the most powerful are thofe of the full and change themselves. The intervals are comparatively mild. In the cafe of putrid fevers, continuing nineteen days, I fuppofed that there must have been a strong putrid tendency in the habit, and that the febriferous influence of the air which prevails at the full and change, co-operating with this tendency at these periods, had the power of producing a fever on the fecond day from their commencement: and that before means could be used to top or correct this difpofition in the patient's habit, the fever continued to run on through the first full or change, and fucceeding interval, and alfo through a fecond full or change; but that the putrid tendency being now in fome degree overcome by medicine, and at the fame time the febriferous influence of the full or change removed by the arrival of the fecond interval, a crifis of confequence immediately took place at this juncture, just about nineteen days from the firft attack. In the cafe of putrid fevers continuing only feventeen days, I fuppofed that in them the putrid tendency of the habit was fomewhat lefs at the beginning than in the former cafe ; and that that the febriferous influence of the full or change had not power to excite a fever until the fourth day of the period, when the putrid tendency was farther advanced; that the fever continued to run on during the remaining days of that full or change, through the fucceeding interval, and alfo through another entire full or change, in the fame manner as the fever. of nineteen days; and that at laft, from the concurrence of the fame causes, it terminated critically, immediately on the commencement of the fecond interval; just about seventeen days from the first attack. The Benevolence of the Deity, fairly and impartially confidered. the fenfe, in which we are to understand benevolence, as applicable to God.-The fecond afferts, and proves, that this perfection, in the fenfe explained, is one of his effential attributes. The third endeavours to answer objections.' • Under one or other of thefe heads,' Dr. Chauncy gives us to understand, in his title-page, that occafion will be taken to view man as an intelligent moral agent; having within himfelf an ability and freedom to will as well as to do, in oppofition to neceffity, from any extraneous caufe whatever to point out the origin of evil, both natural and moral and to offer what may be thought fufficient to fhew, that there is no inconfiftency between infinite benevolence in the Deity, which is always guided by infinite wifdom, and any appearances of evil in the creation.' Such is the method in which our author means to conduct his confiderations on this important subject. He seems fenfible of its involving a folution of the great question of the origin' of evil, which has hitherto baffled metaphysicians and divines. There is, however, reafon to think fufficient data are wanting for a fatisfa Rory determination of this enquiry. It is not enough previously to demonftrate all the attributes of God; it fhould feem neceffary to afcertain their measure in explicit and decifive terms, and then to prove their perfect confiftency together, under the measures afcertained. Should we allow the firft of these three points, namely, the existence of the divine attributes, as ufually defined, to have been abfolutely demonftrated, the measure of each still remains unfixed, and muft remain fo till clear ideas of their extent, and adequate terms to exprefs them, can be found. To fay that the attributes of the Deity are infinite, immeasurable, &c. is admitting that Vol. LX. Od. 1785. U we we cannot comprehend their extent, and can confequently take no measures of them. But yet without them nothing fufficiently conclufive to fatisfy the mind can ever, we apprehend, be done in any efforts to folve this mighty difficulty of the origin of evil. If it be answered, that we may draw alt the neceffary conclufions from the nature of the divine attributes, without understanding their extent or confiftency, we think it too much to concede, in propriety of language, that even their nature can be wholly understood previously to our being able to afcertain thefe two important circumstances. If what is here faid be admitted, it will feem to follow, as is above fuggested, that we have not at prefent fufficient data to account conclufively for the origin of evil. Great merit, however, is to be given to those who have exerted the best efforts of learning and genius on fo momentous a fubject. Although the author before us does not profeffedly make it his principal enquiry, it is nevertheless fo involved in, and connected with it, that we thought it incumbent on us to advert frequently to the above confiderations; and we confefs ourselves influenced by them in rejecting fome of his conclufions. But it is neceffary to give our readers fome idea of the execution of this work. The first part, or fection, being employed in afcertaining the fenfe in which perfect and abfolute benevolence is to be attributed to the Deity, we felect the following fummary paragraph, as conveying the author's ideas on this topic as fully as can be done through our medium. The fom of what has been faid concerning benevolence, as attributed to the deity, is, that it fuppofes 66 a natural ftate of mind, inclining him to the communication of good; a ftate of mind analogous to kind affection in us men, only as kind affection in us is attended with frailty, in him it is abfolutely perfect, both as to mode of exiftence, and manner of exercife: that, as he exifts a free agent, in the higheft and most glorious fenfe, he is not mechanically, or neceffarily, urged on, from this natural difpofition, to the communication of good; but acts herein voluntarily, and of choice and, in fine, that, as he is an infinitely wife and intelligent, as well as free, agent, his exertions, in order to the production of good, are never unfit, never unreasonable, but always fit, reasonable, and abfolutely and perfectly fo. So that, in one word, benevolence in the Deity fignifies precifely the fame thing with "a difpofition freely to communicate all the good that is confiftent with wife and fit conduct:" for, fupremely perfect benevolence of nature, being, in him, conjoined with an all-comprehending understanding, and unerring wifdom, he muft know all the ways |