thor of that letter, no doubt from the most laudable motive, juftice to the public as well as the manufacturer, has thought proper to contradict the account you had given of the business in a preceeding number, and kindly offers you "better information on this point than you feem to be in poffeffion of."

Unfortunately, this fuperior information is founded upon groundless rumours and vague reports. The writer talks of -fuppofed facts, the nature and circumitances of which he feems to be little acquainted with. I give him credit for the incerity of the motive which he profeffes, the good of the public, and hope that, confiftently with that view, he will permit me to correct fome unintentional miftatements of his, and particularly the inferences he draws from them.

"Mr. Definond, (he fays,) I have underflood first introduced the practice, and in connection, I believe, with a Mr. Biggen

to

-established a tannery near Weftminster-bridge." So far his information is accurate enough; but what follows, and particularly the inference he draws from it, is not altogether fo. "In this fituation, (he adds), thefe gentlemen were at liberty to avail themselves of all the advantages derivable from the new procefs; but I do not understand that they continue to purfue the plan-a pretty #trong prefumption that it was not found advantageous to them as individuals.”

The connection between thefe gentlemen was diffolved fome years ago, for reasons best known to themfelves; it is therefore true, as your Constant Reader underftands, that fince that diffolution they do not continue to pursue that or any other plan together; but it by no means follows, nor is it true in fact, that in the tannery near Weftminster-bridge the new process is difcontinued. If your Conftant Reader will take the trouble of inquiring, he will find, that the only deviation introduced there, from the original plan, was the effect of neceffity, not of choice. The vats being few in number, and of finall dimenfions, the want of fufficient room to fufpend the hides and fkins in, rendered it neceffary to lay them one over the other according to the old practice, in which fituation they require frequent bandling. This the writer of the letter will probably not confider as an improvement: the inconvenience which produced it is about to be remedied, and the manufaЯory fhortly to be carried to a refpectable extent more than a ftrong MONTHLY MAG. No. 9o.

prefumption, that it is found advantageous.

Your Conftant Reader denies that in the operation properly called tanning, "the ratio of a day, by the new procefs, to a month, by the old, is by any means correct." Of this correctnefs however many have frequently been eye-witneffes: but if he will not take my word for it, and wifhes to be convinced of his mistake, I beg leave to refer him to the 8th vol. of the Repertory of Arts, &c. p. 350, & feq.

But, as your Conftant Reader justly obferves, the important queftion is, whether the public is likely to be benefited by the new process or not? Though he does not tell us that he ever knew of an experiment properly made to ascertain the merits of it, he fays, that, if he is rightly informed, experiments have been made at feveral manufactories: he then asks, are there any of extent which continue to purfue it?

It would have been more fatisfactory if this gentleman had informed us when, where, or by whom, the experiments had been made, and what the refult was. If he had ftated even one trial fairly conducted which did not fucceed, his affertion might have been of fome weight; and as to his question, whether there are any manufactories of extent which continue to ufe the new procefs, the anfwer is, Yes. He may not perhaps be difpofed to admit, as proper examples, Mr. Seguin's manufactory near Paris, which, as he may read in the 2d volume of the Monthly Magazine, page 719, was in the beginning of 1796 already capable of tanning yearly fifty thoufand ox-hides, two hundred thousand calf skins, &c. and where fince than four times that number of hides have been annually tanned, befides feveral other manufactories on the fame plan eftablished in different departments of France. But if he must have examples at home, and will take the trouble of going to Birmingham, he will find one capable of manufacturing more leather in a year than perhaps any two manufactories in England upon the old plan. He will hear of feveral others, though upon a lefs extenfive fcale, in Warwickhire, Stafford hire, and other neighbouring counties.

If he visits Yaxley, in Huntingdonshire, he will find one where the new procefs has been very extensively and fuccefsfully purfued for fome years. This may be fufficient to an wer all that gentleman's questions and remove his doubts.

D

He

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

ers.

SIR,

MONG various periodical pub

Alications the various per projected in the course of the laft half century, reviews of new books have held a diftinguished place. The idea was plaufible and popular; the encouragement prompt and ample. The benefits to literature, and to the public, expected from such registers, were too obvious and important not to meet the hearty good wishes of most readHow pleafing and convenient, to have a regular register of all new publications, and an account of all that is most important in them. How useful thus, not only to be apprised of whatever new books come forth on the fubjects we are most interested in, but alfo to be informed of their particular merits and contents, for directing our choice or rejection, and to be amuled and inftructed by abstracts judiciously made from them, and, in short, a condenfed epitome of the whole works! With fuch flattering ideas, we pleafed and congratulated ourselves, eagerly encouraging fuch obliging critics and reviewers, without dreaming of any adverfe confequences refulting from them. How could we fufpect any thing difaftrous from fuch obliging, good, and able men? They could have no end in view but the public good. Who could harbour a thought of their ever being actuated by the mean paffions of jealoufy, envy, malice, and all uncharitableness; of turning their privilege of concealed Reviewers to all the purposes of a job, to mislead the public mind-to abufe its confidence-to puff off the very trash of their own connections and their friends-to mifreprefent and condemn the moft valuable works of others; thus concealedly and implicitly deceiving the public by falfe notions, to the great difcouragement of true and genuine litera

ture?

From fuch difaftrous confequences, at firit unforeseen or overlooked, but which experience afterwards evinced to be but too poffible, we have been induced to think that Reviews, as they are now partially conducted, tend rather to vitiate than to improve the public tafte; and that, unless they return to the original plan of a fair analysis of contents, and an impartial account of ftyle and manner, we can hardly help wishing that Reviews may be completely discountenanced by all literary men. Works of real and fterling merit made their way properly before there were Reviewers to direct or to mislead the pub

lic judgment; and why may they not do the fame again?

I have been led into these reflections by

the oblervation and report of many flagrant inftances of the abufe of privilege in Reviewers, to the annoyance of true learning and modeft merit. It would be endlefs to attempt to expofe or repeat all the inftances of cruel injuftice that have been practifed by these concealed tyrants. I fhall at prefent only advert to one particular inftance, because it is a cafe in which the fubject is at prefent of very great importance to the nation, and against an individual unconscious of provoking affault. The cafe here alluded to is relative to the improvement of the harbour of London, chiefly by means of a new bridge over the Thames, and extenfive wharfs. On this occafion, two ingenious engineers, among feveral others, Meffrs. Telford and Douglafs, announced their proposal for a caftiron bridge, of a single arch only, instead of the prefent London-bridge, which fhould be of a height fufficient to admit trading fhips of confiderable burden to fail through the arch, and fo proceed with their cargoes as far as Blackfriars-bridge. This propofal, from its own magnitude, and the importance of its object to the publie, became greatly interesting, and the fubject of very general conversation. The Parliament of the nation were even im. preffed with the magnificence and grandeur of the object, to that degree, as to appoint a felect committee of members for properly examining this proposal, and conducting the inquiry and concerns relating to it.

To accomplish this the more effe&tually, befide the exhibition of the models and drawings, they caufed magnificent engravings of the defigns to be executed, which they communicated to a number of fcientific and profeffional men, the most able and likely to give advice on fo important an occafion, together with copies of a collection of interefting queries relating to the project, to which they requefted their anfwers. This was a very wife and prudent meafure in the committee, and well calculated to ensure safety and fuccefs in their deliberations.

Among feveral of the public profeffors of the universities, and other learned philofophers confulted on this occafion, was alfo Dr. Hutton, the profeffor of mathematics in the Royal Military Academy, who was deemed peculiarly proper for reference on a fubject which had formerly engaged his attention and employed his D 2

pen,

pen, on an occafion which produced an ingenious tract on the fubject of bridge. building, near 30 years before; a work which procured him high encomiums from the most experienced engineers and feien tific men. This tract having been long out of print, and eagerly enquired after, he was induced to give a new edition of it, which came out in two weeks after the project of the new bridge had been mentioned to him, and exactly as in its original state. This had no particular reference to the new project, though it feems it was thought that perhaps tome useful hints might be afforded by it: however, the author announced, in the preface, his intention to prepare another on the fubject, which, it was understood, might contain his more mature thoughts on the fubject, and perhaps on the new project in particular.

Matters were in this profperous fate, every perfon concerned uniting their endeavours in an amicable manner, to give the best advice and affiftance in his power; when an account of Dr. Hutton's tract came out in the Monthly Review for March 1802, evidently moft hoftile to his endeavours and ufefulness. This attack, it is fuppofed, came from the pen of a young man, of no particular experience in the fubject of the book, but who, it feems, had in fome inftances before, in the fame way, fhewn a determined and indecent hoftility to feveral of Dr. Hutton's publications. This fresh attack of the Reviewer, from whatever cause his pique may arife, was at once more flagrant in its nature, and more mischievous in its tendency, as relating to a fubject at prefent of immediate and public concern.— Regardlefs, however, of all poffible confequences, public and private, the Monthly Review is thus prostituted to the gratification of private pique and juvenile rashness. How illiberal, Sir, and contradictory of the boafted profeflions of impar tiality and ferious deliberation made by Reviewers! Whoever glances over the review of the book in queftion, is strongly impreffed with the hottile intention of the Reviewer, and of feveral injurious infinu ations, which, it feems, have fince been awkwardly relinquished by him, viz. in the Reviews for May and June, in which, however, he has renewed the attack with other erroneous and injurious affertions.

To justify these honeft 'reflections, Sir, let us just in a few lines confider only fome parts of this very imperfect and obnoxious account. The general caft of that flort account is declamatory, infidious, con

temptuous, imperfect, and any thing but fair, juft, and impartial.

The Reviewer begins his account in this manner: "Men of the pen have feldom very great fkill in conquering kingdoms, but they have ftrong inclination to give advice. The fame may be faid of specu lative men. However inefficient in the actual formation of machinery, they have ftill a great inclination to inftruct the mechanic and architect; but the inftructions are generally flighted, and the fuggeftions treated as mere airy fpeculations-as the ferious triflings of a theorist, claiming rank only among thofe unsubstantial fyftems which the pride of calculation is continually erecting, and which time and experience are conftantly overthrowing."Now, Sir, to what purpofe is all this declamation? Is this the way fairly to review the book in question-to render juftice to the public and to the occafion? Or is it not meant, without reafon, to overwhelm the author with indifcriminate obloquy? Is it meant to blame all theorists and speculative men, or only Dr. Hutton in particular, for troubling mechanics and architects with advice and fpeculations? This young Reviewer may have met with mechanics who have affected to defpife fuch fpeculations, through their own ignorance. But is that any good reafon or juftification of his general condemnation of theorifts, for exhibiting their speculations? This is very different from the practice and fentiments of the truly ingenious and learned engineer and architect, or even mechanic. These do not despise such spe culations; but, on the contrary, respect them, encourage them, and practile them themselves; well knowing that the difaf trous attemps of the mere mechanic are but too often the confequence of fuch ig norance as affects to defpife all theory and fpeculation. As to Dr. Hutton in particular, he has certainly not been forward in obtruding this work on the public. After the book had been many years out of print, and having been often importuned to the republication-having alfo been called on for his opinion and ideas on the fubje&t of it by the high authority of the Parliament, he at length confented to give it again to the public; and for this compliance it feems he is now infulted by the flippant declamations of a mere fpeculative and juvenile Reviewer.

But the reviewer proceeds: "The appellation, fpeculative men, when thus applied, is intended as a term of reproach, (very decent to be fure!) because a neglect of experiment has frequently led the

orifts