well known that the Author, although fomewhat confined in his
religious fentiments, was exemplary for piety and charity; and this
part of his writings may contribute to affift and ftrengthen the fame
excellent difpofitions in others.

Art. 49. A Difcourfe upon Repentance. By Thomas Scott,
Morning Preacher at the Lock Hofpital. 12mo. 15. Johnson.

1786.

H.

This is one of thofe ufeful tracts, which, without entering into
learned difquifitions, apply acknowledged and important truths to
the heart, in the way of plain and affectionate addrefs. It is written
in a style adapted to the understandings of the common people, and
is a very proper book to be diftributed among them.
丘,

Art. 50. Strictures on Two Difcourses, by S****1 C****r, D. D.
occafioned by the Death of his Eldeft Daughter. 12mo.
Kearfly, &c. 1787.

Our brother Reviewer is too perfonal. Whatever may be the me-
rit of his criticisms on Dr. C****r's Sermons, it is abforbed and loft,
in the farcafms and feverity of his ftrictures on their Author. Surely
there must have been fome private pique in the cafe !-But be that as
it may, the manner of attack, from whatever motive, is certainly il
liberal.

Art. 51. A Difcourfe on the Nature and Defign of the Lord's Sup-
per, with the Advantages which may be reasonably expected from
a regular and ferious Attendance on it. By Robert Gentleman.
12mo. 4d. Shrewsbury, printed, and fold by Buckland, &c. in
London. 1786.

A plain and practical treatife on the fubject proposed, intended
principally for the poor and the young, but adapted alfo to the
fervice of all others.

H.

Art. 52. Six Letters to a Friend, on the Establishment of Sunday
Schools. By Philip Parfons, A. M. Minifter of Wye, in Kent:
Author of Dialogues betwixt the Dead and the Living. 12mo.
Is. 6d. Becket. 1786.

The nature and defign of Sunday schools is now pretty generally
understood. This gentleman is a warm advocate in their favour;
a rational advocate, who confiders them as juftified and recommend-
ed on every principle of piety, humanity, juftice, and even interest.
He has fucceeded in his endeavours of eftablishing one in his own
parish; and he labours, in thefe letters, to promote an attention to
the scheme, in all other parishes, and to answer the objections which
are fometimes raised. To the letters is added, a fhort and fuitable
addrefs to the parents and children at Wye, who do, or may reap
the benefit of this inftitution. As this publication is properly
adapted to the purpofe, we are glad to find that it has been difperfed
among the families in that parifh. The letters are well written;
and we have been much pleased with the perufal of them. The
Author appears to be one of thofe worthy patriots who are zealous
to promote the plan of Sunday fchools from principle, and who have
exerted themselves, doubtless, with heart-felt fatisfaction, in their
Jaudable endeavours to carry it into execution.

H.

SERMONS.

SERMONS.

I. Preached at St. Thomas's, Jan. 1, 1787, for the Benefit of the Charity School in Gravel-Lane, Southwark. By Abraham Rees, D. D. F. R. S. 8vo. 6d.. Longman. 1787.

་

Dr. Rees confiders the teftimony recorded in the text, O God, thou haft taught me from my youth; and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works, as the declaration of a perfon who, in the review of his life, valued himself on account of the many advantages he enjoyed, and who, in his addrefs to God, recognizes it, as the higheft privilege conferred on him, that he had been taught from his youth. Our Author, availing himself of this evidence, given by a perfon in advanced life, enumerates, with great propriety, the principal circumftances that ferve to evince the benefit of early inftruction in religion.

II. Preached, Sept. 20, 1786, at the Meeting of the THREE CHOIRS, of Hereford, Gloucester, and Worcester. By Hugh Morgan, M.A. Canon Residentiary of the Cathedral Church of Hereford. 4to. Is. Evans.

An elegant compofition, well adapted to the occafion. H III. Preached at the Lock Chapel, April 30, 1785, on the Death of the Rev. Dr. Conyers of Deptford. By Thomas Scott, Morning Preacher at the Lock Chapel. 8vo. 6d. Johnson.

The earnestness and ardour with which Mr. Scott has recommended, to his hearers and readers, a due preparation for death and judgment, are very fuitable to fubjects of fuch great folemnity; and fince the preacher's defign is evidently to do good, we cannot but with him fuccefs. H.

IV. Preached at St. Mary, Whitechapel, on the Sunday following the Funeral of the Rev. Robert Markham, D. D. late Rector of Whitechapel, and Chaplain to his Majefty; containing a Sum-mary of his Character. By the Rev. Edward Robfon, Curate. 4to. Is. Bayley. 1786.

An excellent character is here given of the deceased, and we have no reason to question its being a juft one. The preacher particularly remarks, that Dr. M. did not live on the revenues of a church whofe tenets he could not approve.' The fubject of the difcourfe is PATIENCE, a virtue which, on Chriftian principles, is here very properly and forcibly recommended. The text is, James, i. 4. Let patience have its perfect work; words, we are told, frequently ufed by Dr. Markham in his laft illaefs. This fermon is printed at the request of the parishioners.

H. V. In the Parith-church of Hardingftone, in the County of Northampton, Oct. 8, 1786. Supplemental to a Sermon preached there on the Etablishment of a Sunday School. By the Rev. Robert Lucas. 4to. 15. Robfon.

An excellent difcourfe, recommending, from Ephefians, vi. 1, 2, 3, 4, the mutual duties of parents and children; and well adapted to promote the great end propofed by a Sunday School, by rendering the inititution not merely a matter of form, but productive of effects likely to be permanent, and really beneficial to the community at Jarge, as well as to the more immediate objects of the charity.

H.

VI. At the Chapel in Stonehoufe, near Plymouth, Devon, on the 22d of October 1786, before the Subfcribers to a Sunday School, lately established in that Place. By John Bidlake, A. B. Mafter of the Grammar School, Plymouth. 4to. IS. Law.

Another good fermon, on a fubject which at prefent feems fo laudably to occupy the public attention. Whatever profits may arife from the fale of it are to be applied to the fund of the charity which it immediately recommends. The text of this difcourfe is Matthew, xxv. 40. From which inftructive paffage this philanthropic preacher confiders, and enforces in a judicious and eloquent ftrain, the duties and pleafures of benevolence; particularly that most useful exercise of it on which the prefent difcourfe is founded. VII. Sanday Schools recommended, before the affociated Diffenting Minifters in the Northern Counties, at their Annual Meeting at Morpeth, June 13, 1786. To which is added, an Appendix concerning the Formation, Conduct, and Expence of thefe Schools. By the Rev. William Turner, jun. 8vo. 1s. Newcastle printed, London, fold by Johnson.

H.

This difcourfe must take place among the best of those which have appeared on the fubject of the Sunday charity. The Author rejects, with juft difpleafure, the Mandevillian and tyrannical argument against the inftruction of the Poor, and urges, with fenfe, reafon, and piety, an attention to the practice which has happily fo much prevailed in many parts of this country; and at the fame time he anfwers objections that may be raised against it. The little hiftory of thefe fchools, and the conduct of them, added to the difcourfe, may be ferviceable to thofe who are engaged in the fame defign. The benevolent Mr. Raikes of Gloucefter, the first mover of these institutions, is mentioned with deferved refpect; and, among other things, a letter of his concerning them is inferted.

CORRESPONDENCE.

H.

To the AUTHORS of the MONTHLY REVIEW. N your Review for November laft, you notice two publications by William Matthews, and inform your Readers the Author is a Quaker.

IN

Without at all entering into the merits of his publications, or the peculiar tenets with which you fay they are tinctured, I wish to inform you and your readers, that William Matthews, in confequence of differing from the Quakers in fome points deemed by them eflen-tials, is difowned by them, and as fuch cannot properly be called aQuaker. This is a circumftance that I wonder did not occur to your recollection, as it is not very long fince you reviewed his explana tory appeal to his brethren, wrote in confequence of their difowning

him.

Your candour will perceive the neceffity of ftating this matter truly, that the fociety of which he was once a member may not be held answerable for any peculiar opinions in thefe, or in any future publications from the fame pen. Before I conclude, I would cb

• The circumitance had, indeed, efcaped our recollection.

ferve that the Quakers have ever efteemed fuch as are approved Speakers amongst them to be minifters of the Gofpel; being firmly perfuaded that without a Gofpel-call, and ordination, they cannot minifter to profit.

I am your Friend,

G. B.

* An anonymous letter, bearing the Bridgnorth poft-mark, propofes an alteration, with refpect to the manner of printing, on our blue covers, the lift of the articles in each number of the Review; but the method recommended by this unknown Correfpondent cannot be regularly adopted, for want of room, as it is fometimes very difficult to comprize the numerous lift of Contents within the limits of the page. When the number of articles is fhorter than ufual, the letter-writer's method might be followed: but in thofe cafes, the neceffity of the alteration is also leffened.-The other parts of our nameless correfpondent's letter cannot with propriety receive a public

anfwer.

1st Homo Medicus is received; but the intelligence it contains. cannot otherwise be communicated to the Public than in the form of an advertisement. If the fubject of his letter be reduced to that form, may be inferted on the cover of our Review, on the ufual terms.

it

1st We fhall anfwer CESTRIENSIS more fully when we are fatiffied as to the fact of flates being ftained. We could have wished that Ceftrienfis had been more fpecific in his accufation of the work to which he alludes, and that he had referred us to fatisfactory authority for the fact which he afferts.

Mr. M. A. R. will be fo good as to remit the postage of his letter, to Mr. Becket. When that is done, we fhall more particularly attend to the subjects on which he writes.

The "Poetical Tranflations," of which J. C. has given us information, being now in our Collector's lift, will, probably, be further mentioned. We had not, before, heard of this publication.

ERRATA in the Appendix to Vol. lxxv.

P. 552, 1. 8, for

wrongs,' read wrong.

554, 1. 5, for

that general,' r. that in general.
-556, 1. 22, for the original,' r. their original.
562, par. 2, 1. 3, for fpread,' r. Spred.
566, 1. 8, for difcoveries,' r. difcourfes.

ERRATA in the Index to Vol. lxxv.

For Doucet,' read Doulcet.

• Marot,'

Maret.

ERRATA in the Review for January.

P. 8, 1. 8 from the bottom, for inconfiftent,' r. confiftent.

- 62, 1. 8. dele the comma at would,' and put it after the preced-
ing word them.

Erata

M.

in

嘟

this month

P. III. P. 7. fr. bot. for capable, x. able :

115. P. 16. for sounds, v. wund.

THE

MONTHLY REVIEW,

For MARCH, 1787.

ART. I. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS of the Royal Society of For the Year 1786. Parts I. and II.

London. Vol. LXXVI.

Concluded: See our laft, p. 121.

PHILOSOPHICAL and CHEMICAL Papers.

Experiments on Hepatic Air. By Richard Kirwan, Efq. F. R. S.

H'

EPATIC air is that fpecies of permanently elaftic fluid, which is obtained from combinations of fulphur with alcalies and other fubftances, as particularly in the decompofition of hepar fulphuris by marine acid. Its moft obvious characteriftics are, a peculiar fetid fmell; inflammability, when mixed with a certain proportion of common or nitrous air; mifcibility with water in a certain quantity; and a power of difcolouring metals, particularly filver and mercury.

This air acts an important part in the economy of Nature. It is frequently found in coal-pits; and Bergman has hewn it to be the principle on which the fulphureous properties of mineral waters depend. There is alfo reafon to think, that it is the peculiar product of the putrefaction of animal fubftances: rotten eggs, and corrupt water, are known to emit the smell peculiar to this fpecies of air, and to difcolour metallic fubftances in the fame manner: and feveral other indications of this air have lately been difcovered in putriñed blood.

Though this fubftance appears to deferve a thorough examination, it hath as yet been very little attended to. Dr. Priestley has almost entirely overlooked it; and the experiments made by others, have either not been fufficiently extenfive, or the air was collected over water, by which it is in a great measure abforbed; from both which fources fome material errors have arifen.

Mr. Kirwan's examination of this interefting fluid is accurate and complete; and we recommend it as a model for other experimenters in the fame line. He first delivers the fimple facts, afcertained by repeated trials, and difengaged from all theory and conjecture; under the heads of-the fubftances that yield the heVOL, LXXVI,

patic