Among the additions made to this re-publication, we are pleased to find a letter to the Author, from the holy fathers of the monaftery at the mountain of Montserat, in acknowledgment of the present which he had sent them of his perspective view of that mountain, &c. which he justly styles (in the preface to this edition) one of the most fingular and beautiful productions of nature*. The substance + of the letter is as follows:

Worthy Sir,

• The letter and print which came enclosed to me, demand our warmest thanks, and it is with pleasure we hear of your health, and that of your worthy family; this whole community highly value the print, on two accounts; first, for the excellent and delicate manner in which the work is executed, and secondly, for its strong resemblance to the place; but as none of our fraternity understand English, the books would have been to us quite useless. We should be happy to see you and your good family once more on our mountain. Pere Tendre, is at this time very much indisposed, but defires his respects. May all manner of felicity attend you and yours, for which I offer up my prayers, being, with great esteem

Your obliged servant,

PERE PASQUAL RODRIEGUO.”

A letter from the Hermits of Montserrat, is like news from the other world: with what peculiar pleasure must it have been received by Mr. Thicknesse: we envy him his feeling on this occafion.

Art. 28. Candid and impartial Narrative of the

Transactions of

the Fleet under the Command of Lord Howe, from the Arrival of the Toulon Squadron on the Coast of America, to the Time of his Lordship's departure for England. With Observations, by an Officer then ferving in the Fleet. 8vo. Is. Almon. 1779.

From the circumstances detailed in this narrative, we are led to conclude, that the pamphlet is really the production of a perfon actually present in the service which he defcribes.

The Author highly extols the conduct-the skill, the bravery, of Lord Howe, but he violently exclaims against the 'ignorance,' the daftardly councils, or treacherous designs,' of our ministry; and he, particularly, makes very free with the name of Lord Sa-h. -He may have spoken the honest truth, in the warm praises which he has bestowed on his favourite hero; and we are inclined to believe that he has done so; but we cannot commend the splenetic, the virulent, we may add, the outrageous manner, in which this ' candid and impartial' Narrator inveighs against the steersmen placed at the helm of the British state. He produces, however, fome facts in support of his invectives; and we must do him the justice to acknowledge, that he can argue as well as rail.

* Our extract from the Author's very ample description of this erial habitation of monks and hermits, may be seen in the Review for Sept. 1777

+ The original is given at length, in our Author's Appendix. † One of the good fathers of the monastery, particularly mentioned in our Author's description of Montferrat.

Art.

Art. 29. Verses to the Memory of Colonel Ackland. With fome Letters to a oble Lord. Particulary one on the Advantages arifing from the Newfoundland Fishery, to Great Britain and Ireland. 4to. 1 s. 6 d. Brown.

A strange jumble of wretched verse, and illiterate profe. What had the accident by which Col. Ackland unfortunately lost his life, to do with the advantages of the Newfoundland fishery? Why did the author not add a differtation upon Dumplins?

Art. 30. Effays Moral and Literary. By the Rev. Mr. Knox, Fellow of St. John's College, Oxford, and Master of Tunbridge School. The second Edition corrected and enlarged. 12mo. 4s.

Dilly. 1778.

Having already expressed our sentiments on the merits of this publication*, we again introduce it to the attention of our Readers, only to make them acquainted with the name of the Author, and to inform them that they will meet with several additional essays, equally ingenious and elegant with those which appeared in the first edition. The subjects of these are the art of Phyfic:-the means of vindicating old Age from Contempt : - Ridicule as a test of Truth in commen life:the old English Poets.

Art. 31. The present State of the West-Indies: Containing an accurate Description of what Parts are poffeffed by the several Powers in Europe. - The Materials collected on the Spot (here are many Spots!] during the last War, by fome of the Officers of his Majesty's Forces, and diligently compared with all authentic narrators. Illustrated with a complete Map of the West Indies, done from the latest Observations. 4to. 3s. Baldwin. 1778.

As the West-Indies are at all times, but in these times, especially, a great object of commercial attention in this country, the present compilement will probably afford much fatisfaction to those Readers who need the information of books on the subject. What the Compiler observes in his preface, is certainly just, ' the last peace,' says he,

has made fuch various changes in the whole face of affairs in this part of the world, that all former accounts of it are become almost ufeless, and contradictory to the present state, with regard to trade, government, and proprietors: a new description and history of the West-Indies, and adjacent countries, was therefore highly neceffary.' What new changes the next peace may make, time will reveal, to those who live to fee it.

Art. 32. A Voyage to California to observe the Tranfit of Venus, with an Historical Description of the Author's Route through Mexico; by M. Chappe d'Auteroche. Also a Voyage to Newfoundland and Sallee, &c. By M. de Cassini. 12mO. 4s. Bound. Dilly. 1778. An account of the first part of this performance, the whole of which is tranflated from the French, was given in the Appendix to our xlviii. volume, page 560. The other part contains the relation of a voyage to Newfoundland and Sallee, made by M. Caffini, by order of the King of France, principally with a view of making trial of M. le Roy's Time-keepers. The Author's first observations on shore, were made at the island of St. Pierre; of which, and of the ifle of Miquelon (both lately taken by us from the French) he gives a description, and of the method of preparing and drying the cod-fish caught there. This is followed by an account of the Town of Sallee, in the King of Morocco's dominions; where a second course of observations was made. On his arrival at Cadiz, the Author was eager to examine the results of his various operations: from which he draws the following conclufions.

That a ship which had been at sea near four months, in the different climates through which he passed in the voyage, would have been misled by one of the watches under his care, only 56 minutes of a degree; which makes an error only of about 14 leagues in longitude. By the other watch, which had been opened at the island of St. Pierre, this error would have amounted to I degree and 45 minutes, that is, about 27 leagues.

Art. 33. An Appeal to the Public on the right of using Oil-Cement,

or Composition for Stucco, &c.- Containing Provisos in Letters Patent granted for Inventions; and the Provisos in the Act of Parliament for extending the Term of the Patent granted to John Liardet; with Specifications to Patents granted before that of Liardet, for Oily Composition or Cement, and those of Liardet; several Extracts from various Authors, some of which were produced in Court at a late Trial; also the Evidence given of the Public Use of Oil Compofition, in different Parts of the Kingdom, before the Date of Liardet's Patent. To which are added Remarks, &c. on Liardet's Patent and Specifications, &c. 8vo. I s. 6d. Bew,

In the reigns of Queen Elizabeth, and of James I. monopolies of various kinds were become so great a public grievance, that they re. quired a public remedy; and this grievance was at length in some measure removed by the statute of 21 Jac. 1. which declares monopolies to be contrary to law, and void; but an exception was made in favour of patents not exceeding the grant of fourteen years for New Inventions, upon certain conditions, in order to encourage the progress of commerce and the arts; and which if granted with proper caution might be a great public benefit; though this power like that of granting monopolies, it is obvious, must be very liable to abuse, and in danger of becoming a public injury.

The intention of this pamphlet is to prove that this power has been abused in a recent cafe; which has already occafioned two tedious and expensive trials at law; and the Author has recited prior patents, and receipts, long published, in various Authors, to shew that Liardet's or what is now called Adams's OIL CEMENT, is not a new invention; and in our opinion it plainly appears from his compilation and observations, that this famous cement so nearly resembles many compoficions known long before the date of Liardet's patent, that were they to be used now those who used them would risk danger of being profecuted by the Patentee, as imitators of his new invention; consequently, that the patent instead of promoting the public good, or bringing any new matter to light, has a tendency to prevent the public from making use of those lights which they had before, and which have been published for ages. In this, as in many other cafes, we may complain of the Ancients for having stolen our thoughts, and say with a gentleman well read in the history of philosophy, and the the arts, that we suspect neither Mr. L-, nor Mr. A-, nor Mr. J, were the inventors of the Oil Cement, but rather "one Mr. Vitruvius."

Art. 34. Obfervations on two Trials at Law, respecting Messrs. Adams's new invented Patent Stucco. 8vo. 6d. Fielding and Walker.

We learn from the preface that these observations are extracted from one of the periodical pamphlets for September last; being taken from the Review of a Pamphlet lately published, entitled, an Appeal to the Public on the right of using Oil Cement, or Composition for Stucco, ४८.

Art. 35. A Reply to Observations on two Trials at Law, respecting Meffrs. Adam's New-invented Stucco, containing Mr. Wallace s Reply to Mr. Dunning, with the Summary of the Evidence and Charge to the fury, as taken down in Court. 8vo. 6d. Bew.

If we have here a true copy of the Council's reply to Mr. Dunning, we do not wonder that the learned judge was fatigued, and the jury confounded; but the following summary has much more perfpicuity, and brings confiderable light out of that chaos in which the court seems to have been involved: -we cannot however subscribe even to this great authority, when he represents the merit of the invention as of little consequence; because it is obvious that patents for ineffectual or imperfect discoveries, are the means of preventing better things from taking place under the character of inventions.

We think the ingenious proprietors of the patent for Oil Cement have very confiderable merit in prevailing upon gentlemen to make use of a better plaistering than usual; and that in their hands it will contribute greatly to the beauty of our public buildings: but it does not seem to us to have such evident characters of a new invention as to entitle the discoverers to an exclusive right to the use of what we apprehend has long lain in a great measure dormant, not so much through ignorance of fuch compositions, as on account of the great expence attending the use of them: and which expence will still greatly limit their application and utility.

We apprehend it is yet as great a defideratum as ever to find out a cheap and durable covering for the walls of houses; and we hope such a discovery would not be deemed as an imitation of one much less valuable, because of less universal application.

AFFAIRS OF THE EAST-INDIA COMPANY. Art. 36. Every Merchant not his own Ship-Builder. Addressed is. 6d. Murray.

to the Proprietors of India Stock. 8vo.

1778.

On the fide of the ships husbands; but the Author's pert farcastic manner of treating his antagonist, the writer of Confiderations on the Important Benefits to be derived from the East-India Company's building and navigating their own Ships*, is disgustful enough to destroy the effect of any thing he may say to the purpose; and to excite a fufpicion that the force of argument is on the opposite side of the question.

* See Review, August 1778.

MEDICAL. MEDICAL.

Art. 37. Historical and practical Enquiries on the Section of the Symphysis of the Pubes, as a substitute for the Cæfarian Operation, performed at Paris by M. Sigault, October 2, 1777. By M. Alphonse Le Roy, Doctor Regent of the Faculty of Phyfic in Paris, and Profeffor of Midwifery. Translated from the French by Lewis Poignand, of the Corporation of Surgeons, London, and Surgeon to the Westminster Lying in-Hospital. 8vo. 1 s. 6d. Baldwin. 1778.

Whatever may be the fate of this attempt to introduce a new operation into the practice of furgery, the fact of its having been fuccessfully performed is certainly an important one in the annals of medicine, and well worthy the attention of every one interested in the improvement of the healing art. Without troubling our Readers with any extracts from the introductory part of this pamphlet, we shall lay before them the substance of the narrative relating this extraordinary cafe.

Mrs. Souchot, a very small and deformed woman, had four times been delivered of children which could not be brought into the world without the use of the crotchet. In her fifth pregnancy, a design was formed to put in practice upon her the operation of cutting the symphysis of the pubes, in order to allow the separation of those bones, so as to give room for the extraction of a living child. In justice to the gentlemen concerned, Messrs. Signault and Le Roy, it must be observed, that they had previously, by experiments on other animals, and on dead bodies, assured themselves, as much as possible, of the probable success of the operation. The patient confenting, it was performed in the following manner. An incifion was made with a bistory through the integuments (which were drawn downwards), from a little above the pubes to the middle of the symphysis, immediately after which, the upper part of the cartilage was divided; the lower part of the integuments, and of the cartilage, was then cut through in the fame manner. The purpose of this double incision seems to have been, to allow of the division of the upper edge of the cartilage, where it is connected with the bladder, before any hæmorrhage should come on, sufficient to obstruct this nicelt part of the operation. As foon as the cartilage was completely divided, the pubes parted with a degree of violence, which the writer judicioufsly proposes to prevent in fature, by not raising and opening the thighs till the section is finished. The space between the feparated bones was two inches and an half, admitting the writer's four knuckles. He immediately proceeded to extract the child; which, presenting by the feet, was brought in that direction, and was born alive. Very little blood was lost in the operation, and it was neither very painful nor tedious. On lowering the thighs, the feparation of the pubes was reduced to right lines. A particular journal is given of the progress of the cure, and method of treating the wound, concerning which we shall only observe, that it does not give a very favourable idea of French surgery. The event, however, was, that the bones perfectly reunited, the patient recovered her ftrength, was able to walk up and down stairs, and appeared with her child at the end of 60 days before the College of Physicians,