THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE: XXVII.] FOR JANUARY, 1798. [VOL. IV: A few days fince was published (price One Shilling) the SUPPLEMENTARY NUMBER, completing the FOURTH VOLUME of this Work. The Articles contained in it are conceived to be highly valuable andinterefling; among them are the following: :---I. The half yearly Retrofpet of the State and Progress of Domestic Literature.---2. A curious Tranflation from Plato, by Mr. TAYLOR, on the Atlantic Hifiory and on the State of Athens, nine thousand Years prior to Solon, which has never before appeared in any modern Language--3. Experiments on Prussian Blue, by M. PROUST;---4. Mr. RICHTER on neceffary Connection :---5. On Exchanges ;---6. Proportion of Light from Combuftible Bodies, by J. H. HASSENFRATZ;---7. LALANDE's History of Aftronomy for 1796; ---8.The Medals of the French Revolution, &c.--9. Defcription of the Marine School at Amfterdam;---10. Lives of Vandermonde and Flandrin;---11. Account of the Perfon who committed Suicide at Bristol ;---12. Conclufion of Mathematical Questions, &c. &c. With the Title and Indexes to the Volume. The four Volumes may now therefore be had complete, of every Bookfeller, price One Pound Nine Shillings, neatly half bound. For the Monthly Magazine. IN LONDON IN 1797. with a north-west expofure, gave the fol- April 484 May 52 June 59 Average of the year, That of the year 1796 was 4912: fo that the difference of heat in the two years confifted almoft folely in the distribution, not in the fun. In 1796, the first months were warmer, the middle of fummer cooler, and the end of the year more frosty, than in 1797. With respect to heat, the year 1797 offers little remarkable, except that February was colder than March, almoft as cold as January; and that December was warmer than November. The excess of July above June is alfo fomewhat uncommon. The wetness of 1797 has been the moft obfervable circumftance attending it, in which it has furpaffed all the years for a confiderable period. As no actual measurement of rain has been taken by the prefent writer, he can only give the loofe refult of his daily obfervations on the ftate of the weather. From thefe it appears, that the four firft months of the year were by no means unufually wet. February, on the contrary, was uncommonly dry; but fog was confiderably prevalent in it and the other cold months. MONTHLY MAG. No, XXV. May began with much rain; but became fine, with a high degree of heat, in its advance; and ftrong lightning was an earlier occurrence than ufual in it. June number of fine days to engage the farmer in cutting down all the grafs, which the preceding month had brought to unusual ranknefs of growth, but had alfo fuch alterations of heavy rain, that hay-making was a very difficult and uncertain bufi nets. July had great heats and fome tremendous thunder: it was, on the whole, a tolerably fair month; but was liable to occafional forms of wind and rain, which did much damage in beating down the corn, which from the length and thick neis of its talk, was generally unable to recover itself. Auguit afforded very unfavourable weather for getting in the harvet. Its nights were for the most part rainy, and prevented the benefit of many drying days. September began pretty fair, but ended rainy. One perfectly fair week in the beginning of October was the whole of the ufual Michaelmas fummer. The rest of the month was warm, and variable. Cold and wet, and warm and wet, were the refpective characters of November and December, with occafional tempeftuous weather, fog, and an uncommon moisture in the atmosphere, even when it did not rain. The prevalent winds in the whole latter part of the year were from the fouth and weft quarters. If a northerly wind one day gave an appearance of the fetting in of winter, a change on the next, railed the temperature of the air to autumnal warmth, and co 2 Dr.Rennell on the Pursuits of Literature....Mr. Blair on Nitrous Acid,&c. vered the sky with clouds. The year For the Monthly Magas ine. 49 6th 42 25th 60 70플 April May 45 25th June July 68/2 3d 58 17th Auguft 645 & 23 Septem. 59 26th 55 October 51 26th Novem. 45 24th Decem. 43 67 59 35 6, 7, && 53 11th 37 17 & 19 51 From a comparison of the above with the obfervations inferted in the Monthly Magazine for Jan. 1797, it appears, that, notwithstanding a great variation in particular months, the average of the whole year 1797 differs but 1 from that of 1796, which was 52. The months, January, April, June, Auguft, September, were colder in 1797 than in the year preceding; the other months were hotter in a greater or lefs degree. July 17th, 1797, was 6o higher than July 15th, 1796, but the. thermometer never funk fo low as in fome of the days preceding the Christmas of 2796. For the Monthly Magazine. TT is well known that many medical men have been lately engaged in mak ing experiments to afcertain whether, or plicated forms, can be radically cured by not, the venereal difcafe, in all its commedicines containing a large proportion of oxygen, or vital air; and particularly by means of the nitrous acid and oxygenated muriate of pot-af. The very refpectable teftimonies which have already appeared in favour of these remedies, and the mild as well as expedi operate, have induced me to give them a tious manner in which they are faid to fair and unprejudiced trial, in a great variety of cafes; and alfo to folicit the communications of other gentlemen in London, who have had opportunities of exhibiting them but I am forry to obferve, that our experience obliges me to differ in opinion from thofe physicians and furgeons who have raised our expectations on this fubject. : This diverity of opinion being founded on actual obfervation, and not on any preconceived notions, has emboldened me letter, to recommend the trial of the new to use the freedom of circulating a printed medicines in advanced ftages of the difcafe; where well marked blotches, nodes, ulcerated fauces, ozana, and other cha racteristic symptoms of a genuine fyphilis appear: fince, in thefe cafes only can we exifts in the constitution, and indubitably be fully affured that the typhilitic poifon requires the administration of an anti-venereal medicine. thofe of the largest experience, are ready The most judicious practitioners, and to confefs, that although it be usually advifeable to give mercury in recent ftages of the venereal difeafe, with a view to prevent the farther progress of the fymptoms, or the occurrence of a confirmed men- venerea, yet, in very many tion of a report of his being concerned in the Purjuits of Literature, is perfectly convinced that the Editors will have the jutice to contradict, from him, in the moft diftin&t pointed manner, fo groundlefs and injurious a report. In no part of that production had Dr. Rennell the most diftant co-operation. Satirical writing of every kind, particularly of an anonymous nature, is perfectly alien to his habits and occupations. Dr. RENNELL will confider the infertion of this declaration in their next Magazine as a confiderable obligation conferred upon him by the Editors. London, Dec. 15, 1797. ftances, the patients would efcape and recover their health, by a proper plan of treatment, without the ufe of mercury: and, notwithstanding this fact may be denied by fome fpeculative perfons, it is too well authenticated for us to rett the proof of an anti-venereal remedy solely, or even chiefly, on its efficacy to remove the primary fymptoms. All deductions from fuch premifes muft, therefore, be extremely fallacious and questionable. I have taken the liberty to trouble you with thefe curfory hints, for the attention of medical men in the country, in hopes that you will favour me by inferting them 1798] Miftatements of Profeffor Robifon detected....Site of Paradife. 3 ALATE of a Confpiracy, c. by Profeffor ROBISON, has excited my great furprize; and I am at a lofs to conceive how circumftances, long ago buried in oblivion, could, without making any farther enquiry, he reprefented as ftill exifting, by the author of a book, which tends to ftigmatize fome of the most respectable characters in Germany. From the beginning of 1799, EVERY CONCERN OF THE ILLUMINATI HAS CEASED, and no Lodge of Freemafons in Germany has, fince that period, taken the leaft notice of them. Evident proofs of this affertion are to be found among the papers of Mr. Bode, late Privy Counsellor at Weimar, who was at the head of that Order in this part of Germany, and who died in 1794. After his death, all thofe papers were delivered up to the prefent DUKE of SAXE-GOTHA, who, on application, would, doubtlefs, permit the infpection of them. The league of Dr. Barth, known to Mr. Robifon only from the Annals of GieJen, a very obfcure periodical publication, was a phantom, which no fooner appeared, than it was laid and deftroyed by Mr. Bode himfelf, who printed a pamphlet, entitled, More Remarks than Text, which foon opened the eyes of the public. This league, a poor financial fcheme, was planned by a man of more genius than principle, but never carried into execution. This appears from the papers, written during the whole of the tranfaction, which being bequeathed to me by Mr. Bode, are now in my poffeffion, and true transcripts of them may be obtained by any one, who wishes to receive them. Although I was not a member of that fociety, yet I was intimate with Mr. Bode, and prefent at his death; confequently I am enabled to vouch folemnly for the truth of the above; and to engage, that any perfon in Great Britain, who, being alarmed at the erroneous statements contained in the book beforementioned, may obtain the requifite information, by applying to me." AUGUSTUS BOETTIGER, , Counsellor of the Upper Confiftory, and Provost of the College Weimar, in Saxony, of Weimar. Jan. 5, 1798. For the Monthly Magazine. D'ANVILLE, in his Geographical Memoir L'Euphrate & le Tigre, page 14, has indicated to the caft of Roha, or Edelfa, a tract of country, elevated and beautiful, which now bears the name of Eden. This district lies in the center the lands included between the Tigris and the Euphrates. At its foot arifes, on the eaftern fidé, the river Mygdonius, on which are fituate the towns of Nefibis and Sinjar; and on the western fide, the river Chaboras, on which are fituate the towns of Refain and Thallaba. These two rivers now unite, and fall into the Euphrates at Kerkifich; but neither of them appears to pursue its ancient course, the Mygdonius having originally flowed, amid the dry ravine called Tirtar, which meets the Tigris above Hatra; and the Chaboras amid the dry ravine called Sebaa, which meets the Euphrates below Ofara. What forbids our fuppofing this Eden to have been in the contemplation of the author of the fecond chapter of Genefis? Dr. GEDDES, in his note on the paffage (II. 14,) admits, that by Hiddekel is meant the Tigris, and by Perath the Euphrates with the other two rivers only he is embarraffed, and at length fixes on the Araxes and the Oxus, which travel to the Cafpian and Euxine feas. The Phifon, however, is faid to bound the land of Havila, where there is gold. Now, a confiderable stretch of the Mygdonius is yet called Al Havali, and thus retains obvious traces of the name and contiguity of that province, which may well have extended as far fouth as the mouth of the Zab, a stream celebrated for its gold. Of the name Gihon, no traces are indeed to be detected along the banks of the Chaboras; but this river is faid to have bounded the land of Cufh. Now, the land of Cufh (Genefis X. 7,) comprehended the five fubdivifions or townships of Seba, Havilah, Sabtha, Raamah, and Sabthechah. Safa and Zabdicena, (or Gezirat) on the western bank of the Tigris, appear evidently to preferve the names of Sabthah and Sabthechah. Seba, with the prefix En, |