befide the heat from the coals, increafed by the blow-pipe, the gas was actuated by that which was difengaged from the mix ture. These ingenious philofophers tried the experiment with the fame fuccefs in tubes filled with mercury, and with water. In both these cafes, fome inches of gas were produced; in the former, it appeared to be fulphurated hydrogene mixed with fulphurous acid; they attribute it to the decompofition of water, which adhered to the mercury; in the latter cafe, the bursting of the tube prevented them from examining the gas generated. In order to determine whether the mixture, in confequence of its inflammation in the vial, had imbibed any oxygene, nitric acid was poured on it: but the nitrous gas, thus obtained from it, was exactly equal to what was produced by an equal quantity of the fame mixture which had not been inflamed. They found that when, instead of the fulphur, they fubftituted charcoal, or phosphorus, no flame took place; though a little charcoal, added to the mixture of fulphur, did not prevent the experiment from fucceeding. Thefe experiments certainly contradict the notion that the decompofition of oxygene gas, and the absorption of this principle, are abfolutely neceffary to the production of light and Hame: but, as the authors juftly obferve, if we attend to the principles of the Lavoiferian theory, as delivered by Lavoifier himself, we fhall find that thefe phenomena are not afcribed to the abforption of oxygene, but to the caloric difengaged from the gas, on its decompofition. If, therefore, a fufficient quantity of caloric be suddenly let loofe from any other cause, and without the abforption of oxygene, why fhould it not produce the fame phenomena? It is well known, fay they, that, when different fubftances are combined, a remarkable change takes place in their temperature when the compound thence refulting has either a lefs or a greater capacity of containing caloric, than the fubftances confidered feparately: in the former cafe, caloric is let loofe; in the latter, it is abforbed from the furrounding bodies. In the experiments here defcribed, the metal and fulphur, after their inflammation, are chemically combined, and form a metallic fulphuret; and it is probable that this combination may not have a capacity for caloric fufficient to abforb the whole of what was contained in the metal, and in the fulphur in this cafe, caloric must be let loofe, and, if it be fuddenly difengaged and in a fufficient quantity, not only fenfible heat but alfo light and flame will be produced: in the prefent inftance, the quantity must be the greater, as the combination does not take place till the fulphur is melted; and this cannot cannot happen without the abforption of a greater proportion than it could contain when dry. These reflections are not offered by the authors as a fatisfac tory explanation, but merely as conjectures, concerning which future experiments may enable chemifts to determine. They terminate their memoir by obviating fome criticisms that have been made on their ufing the terms burning, inflammation, flame, &c.; and here they obferve that, fince it has been difcovered that in many cafes the caloric difengaged in these phenomena proceed from the oxygene gas, fome have accustomed themselves to confider it in no other view than as one of the constituent parts of vital air:-but this is not always a just inference: we know, for inftance, from experiment, as well as from analogy, that hydrogene gas contains a greater proportion of caloric than oxygene; it cannot therefore be said that the flame, produced in the combustion of a mixture of these two gases, muft be ascribed to the caloric difengaged from the oxygene alone; for it is certainly not lefs owing to what is detached from the hydrogene gas. Hence, for greater exactness, it is proposed to call every feparation of caloric, which is accompanied with light and flame, by the general name of inflammation; to diftinguish thofe by the term combuftion in which oxygene is abforbed; and to referve the word oxydation for that flow combuftion in which no flame is perceptible. ART. XI. Reize Van GEORGE FORSTER, &c. i.e. Travels by GEORGE FORSTER. Tranflated from the German. Vol. IV. 8vo. pp. 196. Haarlem. 1794. IN IN our review of the third volume of M. FORSTER's Travels, we left him on his way from Dunkirk to Antwerp*; we now overtake him at Ghent, which city is described in the first of the letters before us. Among the various objects that attracted his attention in this place, is the ftatue of Charles V. in the market, which leads him into fome juft obfervations on the abfurdity of placing ftatues on columns. The antients have indeed left us fome inftances of this impropriety: but their errors ought not to be blindly imitated; and most of these statues were erected when purity of tafte began to decline. That attention which, in order to be excited, requires local elevation, does little honour to its object. The prefervation of this statue may be confidered as a proof that, if mankind be not always mindful of the benefits, they are at least equally difpofed to forget the injuries, which they receive from princes; for furely few * See Review, New Series, vol xii. p. 484. fovereigns Sovereigns ever deferved the hatred of a people more than Charles V. did that of the citizens of Ghent. This city was alfo unfortunately the object of imperial vengeance in the late contests between the Netherlands and the Emperor; it suffered much, in November 1789, from an attempt made by the Auftrian troops, under General Arberg, to burn and pillage it. Many houses were deftroyed, but the violent rain prevented the flames from fpreading. The cruelties perpetrated by the foldiers were dreadful; ninety-feven perfons, many of whom were children, were maffacred by them. They were however defeated by the citizens, who, affifted by fome patriotic volunteers from Courtray, attacked the military in their barracks, to which they would have fet fire, had not the officers laid down their arms and furrendered themselves. It redounds to the honour of the Flemmings that they fpared these barbarous wretches, and treated them as prifoners of war. We fhall omit the author's account of the paintings which he saw here, and in Antwerp, which is the next place described. His obfervations on these productions of art display true taste; which is not always gratified even by the most celebrated Flemmifh painters; who, though they closely imitate the common forms of nature, are deficient in that delicate expreffion, that ideal grace, beauty, and fublimity, which are the characters of the Italian fchool. Hence he is fometimes difpleased even with the paintings of Rubens, and efpecially with his celebrated picture of the affumption of the Virgin Mary, over the great altar of the cathedral of Antwerp. This good fat lady, he fays, fits as indolently on a cloud as if the were in an arm-chair, and feems quite indifferent to every thing around her; he acknowleges, however, that the production has excellencies, in other refpects, worthy of its author, which incline the fpectator to forgive its obvious faults. The fuperftition of the Brabanters, their blind fubmiffion to their clergy, and the manner in which the latter abuse their influence over the people, fill M. FORSTER with that indignation with which they muft infpire every friend to the true welfare of his fellow creatures. Their conduct, during the whole of the war with the late Emperor, fhews that their fole aim was to increase their own power; and that to this object they fcrupled not to facrifice all moral obligation, and all regard to truth. The furrender of the caftle of Antwerp, which had been obtained by bribing its garrifon, they endeavoured to perfuade the people to confider as a miraculous interpofition of the Deity in their behalf. This is often the language of priests in other countries; yet furely the time will come, though perhaps it is not immediately at hand, when mankind will awake out of the fleep in which ecclefiaftical and civil tyranny have fo long kept them, and fee how they have been abused: but, when this is the cafe, can we wonder that they should fly to the oppofite extreme, and reject that religion of which they have feen only the grofs perverfion? The more abfurd the fuperftition, and the greater the intolerance, which prevail in a national church, the greater will be the danger of a sudden transition from a falfe religion to atheism. M. FORSTER expreffes great fatisfaction on leaving Brabant, and enjoying the more lively fcenes of Holland. The neatnefs of the villages and farm-houses, with the induftry and comfortable circumftances of the inhabitants, indicate, in a forcible manner, the wide difference between a land of liberty, and a country governed by priefts and tyrants. With the towns and cities of the republic he is much pleased; and his notions of the national character are candid, and, we believe, juft; though we are not always fatisfied with the premifes from which he draws his conclufions. We cannot but wonder to see a man of his understanding lay fo much ftrefs on phyfiognomy, and in a metropolis in which the greater part of the inhabitants are not originally Dutch. His account of the Amfterdam theatre, with the actors of which he was much difgufted, is rather exaggerated. The ordinary performers, indeed, are very indifferent: but this is the cafe, in tragedy, on almost every flage; and it is evident, from this account, that he did not fee Mils Wattier, the principal actrefs; whofe talents would do honour to any theatre, and who may be claffed with the first tragic performers on the British ftage. At Haarlem, he vifited Mr. Hope's country feat and magnificent gallery, which cannot fail of giving pleafure to a man of tafte. He particularly mentions the grand marble ftair-cafe, the curious inlaid floor, and the chimney-pieces of Parian marble. Among the paintings, he diftinguifhes the landfcapes of Pouffin and Claude,the woman taken in adultery, by Rubens-the Cleopatra, the Magdalen, and the head of Chrift, by Guido; and the fleeping Venus, by Carlo Marati. Moft of the objects on which our author dwells in this volume are fo well known, that we shall not enlarge on his obfervations, whatever pleafure we received from them. We confefs that they might make a deeper impreffion on us than they otherwife perhaps would have done, from our reading them a fhort time after the French papers communicated the news of his death at Paris, on the 11th of January last, of a scorbutic fever. His character, as well as his talents, had fecured to him the esteem of all who knew him; and the writer of this article has often had occafion to obferve the affectionate as well as as refpectful manner in which he was mentioned by those who were perfonally acquainted with him; and they feldom fpoke of him without fome epithet that indicated his worth. His life, however, was a feries of difappointments; for this, alas! is not the age in which the friends of liberty and humanity, of truth and virtue, muft expect, every where, to meet with encouragement. The ftrict integrity and liberal fentiments of fuch characters cannot but be offenfive to thofe who wish to perpetuate the reign of ignorance and fuperftition, and to fubdue mankind beneath the yoke of arbitrary dominion. ART. XII. Converfation entre deux François Emigrés, &c. i. e. A Converfation between two French Emigrants on M. Mallet du Pan's Pamphlet, entitled "Confiderations on the Nature of the French Revolution, and on the Caufes which protract its Duration."* 8vo. pp. 60. Imported by De Boffe, London. Price 18. THE HE anonymous author of this conversation, who does not even tell us where his work was printed, brings together an Abbé and a Chevalier, the former of whom appears to have been alarmed by the perufal of the work of M. Mallet du Pan, whofe qualifications for reftoring peace to France and new modelling her government are ridiculed by the latter. A citizen of Geneva, unconnected with the French nation by birth, rank, fortune, or employment, having had no opportunity of acquiring a knowlege of its refources, trade, or jarring interefts, may not be well qualified for the arduous task of compofing the civil difcord which agitates a great empire, for reftoring order and obedience to law, and for giving to the people a conftitution equally remote from anarchy and defpotifm: but we think that the Chevalier treats M. Mallet du Pan with unwarrantable severity, when he afferts (page 13) that he has not common fenfe.' The Abbé informs the Chevalier that, anxious to guard against the effects of the political poifon which lurked under the fpecious doctrines of this writer, he had drawn up an answer to them, which he begs leave to read, and which, as our readers may prefume, is pronounced by the Chevalier to be forcible, conclutive, and triumphant. M. Mallet du Pan had infifted on the neceffity of fome conceffions being made to the perfons at the head of affairs in France, and to the bulk of the people, in order to difpofe them to the restoration of a limited monarchy; and of a previous treaty by which it fhould be declared that all idea of re-eftablifhing the antient defpotifm, the titles of the nobility, and See Rev. for January last, p. 93. APP. REV. VOL. XIII. PP their |