Indies, than of a trip to Brighton. We fufpect Mifs P.'s connections to be of one defeription only; a more general communication with fociety, will both improve her pen, and give her more correct ideas of the human character;

ART. 28. The Hiftory of Vanillo Gonzales, furnamed the Merry Bache lor, in 2 Volumes; from the French of Alain René le Sage, Author of the celebrated Novels of Gil Blas, Te. 12mo. 75. Robinfons: 1798.

This production is in all refpects inferior to Gil Blas; which, however, it in many things fo much resembles, that it feems extraordinary for the two works to have been both productions of the fame pen. On the whole, we do not think Vanillo Gonzales was worth tranflating; and we are much miftaken if it had not been tranflated before. The French title is Le Bachelier de Salamanque.

ART. 29. Bungay Caftle: a Novel. By Mrs. Bonhote, Author of the Parental Monitor, Sc. in Two Volumes. 8vo. 7s. Lane, 1796.

To this novel we cannot award the praife of lively delineation, or juft difcrimination of characters; but only the more humble credit, of narrating adventures and incidents very marvellous, and fometimes interefting and affecting. We have two charges to offer against thefe volumes. One is, that they make love the fole business of human life; but to many readers, this will be no difparagement of them. The other charge is, that facred fubjects are fometimes touched upon with levity, and even with fome degree of profanenefs. We trust that English readers in general, and efpecially female readers, are yet fag from being gratified by this bafe fpecies of jocularity. See vol. i, PP 42, 59, 212, 213.

MEDICINE.

ART. 30. A pradical Effay on the Club-Foot, and other Diftortions of the Legs and Feet of Children, intended to show under what Circumfances they are curable or other-wife; with Thirty-One Cafes that have been fuccefsfully treated, by the Method for which the Author has obtained the King's Patent, and the Specification of the Patent for that Purpose, as well as for curing Distortions of the Spine, and every other Deformity that can be remedied by mechanical Applications. By T. Sheldrake, Trufs-Maker to the Weftminster Hofpital, and Mary-le Bone Infirmary. 8vo. 214 pp. 75. Murray, Fleet-ftreet. 1798, In the 8th vol. of our Review (p. 199) we gave an account of this author's treatise of distortions of the feet, in which the fuperiority of his method over all that had been before known and practised, seemed to be clearly afcertained. Further experience has fhown the juftness of the principles on which he proceeded. In the prefent volume he has given the hiftory of thirty-one cafes, in which his method has proved fuccefsful, many of them attested by persons of fo much refpectability,

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fpectability, as leaves no room to doubt they are fairly stated. As pa rious impofitions have been practifed to deprive the author of the eredit and emolument to which he is justly entitled, he has taken out a patent for his invention; the fpecification for which is here published, accompanied with engravings refpecting the machines he employs, as well as different kinds of clubbed feet, and of other distortions of the trunk of the body and of the limbs, to the cure of which his inAruments are adapted. But as the application of his machines requires great addrefs, the author warns the public from trusting to any that are not procured immediately from him, accompanied with his directions: and, where practicable, recommends that the patient continue under his care during the cure.

ART. 31. A Lecture, introductory to a Courfe of Popular Inftruction en the Conftitution and Management of the Human Body. By Thomas Beddoes, M. D. 8vo. 72 pp. is. 6d. Biggs, Bristol; Johnson, London. 1797.

The intention of the Course of Lectures to which this is an introduction, is to give fuch a general view of the constitution and strocture of the human body, as to enable perfons not educated to the practice of phyfic, to detect difeafes in their firft approach, and by fuitable regimen and management to prevent their increafing; or by early application to the phyfician, where they are of a more untractable and dangerous nature, to give a chance of cure, which is often loft by delaying too long to afk the neceffary affiftance.

The advantage the public might receive from the introduction of inoculation, it is here obferved, is in a great measure loft, for want of its general adoption. Partial inoculation, although beneficial to the individuals who fubmit to the operation, is perhaps mifchievous to the public; as many perfons are fubject to the infection, where a few perfons in a neighbourhood are inoculated, who might otherwife have escaped. But if the people were convinced of its utility, and the practice of inocula tion became general, the disease would in time be extinguished. This, the author thinks, would be effected, if perfons of all fituations in life were initiated in the principles of medicine. Confumption, which makes fuch dreadful ravages, would be confiderably checked in its progrefs, if the fymptoms indicating its approach were generally known.

In the courfe of the prefent century, numerous changes have taken place in the habits and manners of the people, which have materially contributed to their health and comfort. Thefe have been effected by the more general diffufion of knowledge which has taken place within that time. But the fcience of phyfic itfelf would be more readily, and fooner improved, if the study of it, instead of being confined to perfons who are fet apart to the practice, was to become general.

"Deeming it important," the author fays, p. 56, "that you fhould fully comprehend how this diffemination of medical knowledge is to enrich medicine, I fhall a little unfold what has been already intimated. Since the immortal Sydenham, the region of human maladies has been more accurately explored. Many landmarks have been fixed;

Exed; and what is termed the hiftory of difeafes, has been compofed with infinitely fuperior fidelity. But much is yet wanting in cafes of very gradual deviation, to fill up the space between the ftate of perfect health and the ftate regarded as full-formed disease. If you confider how rarely medical men are called upon to examine the various intervening conditions, and how unfavourable their fugitive vifits must be to examination, you will not deem it abfurd to fuppofe, that the interval will long remain a blank, unless domeftic come in aid to profeffional obfervers. Important circumstances or fymptoms arife without notice, and pafs away without leaving any certain traces. They are often loft to the science; they are loft with their poffible beneficial indications to the patients. And wherefore, but because the eye of the fpectator has not been taught to fee. Hence the phyfician, who is to determine on the evidence, cannot confide on the report of the witness, nor can the witnefs confide in himself. By the joint efforts of the intelligent in the profeffion, and out of it, the genuine preventive, or prophylactic medicine, would be at length established. I am aware, that medicine is ufually defined the art of preventing and curing difeafes. Both thefe pretenfions it often realizes. But preventive medicine, the deftined guardian of infancy, youth, manhood, and old age, adapted to the interior of families, has yet no existence."

The author has treated the subject with confiderable ingenuity; and, we are happy to add, apparently with effect; as he informs us that Meffrs. Bowles and Smith*, for whofe Lectures this Introduction was written, found their first course more numerously attended than they expected. Indeed, the author adds, he believes “ the friends of the defign did not reckon upon an audience half fo large.'

"

ART. 32. Cafes of the fuccessful Practice of Vefice Lotura, in the Cure of difeafed Bladders. By Je Foot, Surgeon. 8vo. 42 pp. 25. T. Becker, Pall Mall. 1798.

As complaints of the urinary bladder are frequent, painful, and difficult of cure, the fagacity of the writer of thefe few pages, in adopting a practice cafually recommended by Le Dran, in one of the moft troublesome of them, deferves`commendation. In incontinence of urine, whether proceeding from morbid irritability of the bladder, or from the prefence of fome extraneous body, the patient is obliged to evacuate his urine twenty, thirty, or more times in the day, and commonly with pain. In this cafe, whatever might be the original caufe, the bladder, from defuetude, becomes contracted; and, in a course of time, incapable of holding more than an ounce or two of urine. The prefent author had frequently met with cafes of this kind, which not yielding to bleeding, purging, opiates, bougies, &c. the remedies ordinary ufed, he had, though reluctantly, been obliged to leave the patients to their fate, concluding, with his brethren, that they were incurable.

Surgeons at Bristol,

In the year 1796 a cafe of this kind offered, when, being foiled in his first attempts to effect a cure by the ordinary methods, he recollected that M. Le Dran had left a fingle cafe among his obfervations, in which he had fucceeded by injecting the decoction of marth-mallows into the bladder. At first, we are told, the bladder would only admit an ounce of the decoction, which was with difficulty retained a few minutes; but by repeating the procefs every day, eight or ten ounces were retained without difficulty, and the patient at length recovered. A fimilar procefs was tried by Mr. F. on his patient, with equal fuccefs; and he has fince tried it with advantage on three other patients.

Although we may not be fo fanguine in our opinion of the advantage likely to accrue from adopting this practice, as the author himself feems to be, fince many cafes will occur, where, from the coats of the bladder being diseased and thickened, it will be impoffible to diftend them by any mechanical power; yet as even in these case the trial cannot be attended with any danger, and as in fuch as are recent, and where no incurable difeafe of the organ exifts, it may prove fuccessful, we think there is great merit in reviving it; and accordingly recom mend this pamphlet to the notice of practitioners in furgery.

DIVINITY.

ART. 33. A Sermon, preached before the Honourable House of Com mons, at the Church of St. Margaret, Westminster, on Wednesday, March 7, 1798; being the Day appointed by his Majefty's Royal Proclamation, to be obferved as a Day of Solemn Fafting and Humilia tian. By the Rev. Charles Mofs, D. D. Canon Refidentiary of St. -Paul's. 4to. 24 pp. 15. Rivingtons, &c. 1798.

To affert the doctrine of an over-ruling Providence, and explain the extraordinary events of the prefent period, by the analogies which experience affords, and the principles which religion fupplies, is a talk well fuited to a day of humiliation, and this is undertaken by Dr. Mofs in the prefent difcourfe. His language is perfpicuous, and his fentiments pious; nor can his difcourfe be heard or read, without that edification which it was his object to convey. The text is 1 Chron. xxix, 11.

ART. 34. A Sermon, preached on the General Faft, March 7, 1798. By W. Cole, D. D. Chaplain to his Grace the Duke of Marlborough, Prebend of Westminfier, and Rector of Mersham, Kent. 4to. 24 PP. 15. Rivingtons, &c. 1798.

"Our fathers hoped in thee; they trufted in thee, and thou didft deliver them," Pfalm xxii, 4. This is the text on which this preacher expatiates, by contrafting the faults of the prefent age, with the religious feelings of better times. The latter topic is but flightly touched, on the other he treats at large, but not always with fuch a felection of expreffions, as we fhould have recommended. "Jacobinical"

" frater

"fraternization"-" Tree of Liberty"" affiliated"-" tocfin," &c. are words which, however neceffary in political difcuffion, do not, in our opinion, quite become the pulpit. Nor does the fimile, in p. 10, appear to us either well chofen, or happily executed. Zeal for good principles is, at this moment, not only laudable, but neceffary? nevertheless, there is a conduct requifite to the pureft zeal, without which its beft effects can hardly be produced.

ART. 35. A Sermon, preached in the Church of St. John Baptift, Wakefield, December 19, 1797, on Occafion of a General Thanksgiving to Almighty God, for the many fignal and important Victories which his Divine Providence bath vouchfafed to his Majefty's Fleets in the Courfe of the prefent War. By the Rev. Richard Munkhouse, D. D. of Queen's College, Oxford. 8vo. 53 PP. 1s. 6d. Rivingtons, &c. 1798.

There is a zeal of loyalty and patriotifm in this difcourfe, which occafionally overflows in copious notes. Struck by the truly patriotic fpirit that animates many of the notes to the Purfuits of Literature, the Reverend Author has not fcrupled to tranfcribe, into his margin, fuch paffages from them as more particularly accord with his own opinion, and tend to diffufe a fimilar ardour throughout the country, We commend this energy and induftry; the occafion demands no lefs. The text copfifts only of the words "ftand faft," which, however, are fufficiently pertinent to afford the moft appropriate topics for exhortation. As nothing can be more applicable to our prefent dangers, (thofe at leaft which arife from the frantic love of innovation) than the experience of our former miferies, Dr. Munkhouse very judi ciously gives, in one of his notes, the exhortation of an old Cavalier on that fubject, which is full of ftriking paffages. The followe ing fentence from it, is little lefs than oracular; and what experience then taught, common prudence will expect in every fimilar fituation. "To alter an establishment, believe me, has nothing certain but Mifery; and whoever attempts to introduce novelties among us, and to tear up foundations, I am confident will perish under the ruins of the build ing."

ART. 36. An occafional Affiftant to the moft ferious of Parochial Duties or a Supplement to the established Order for the Vifitation of the Sick: to which is added, a Collection of Prayers on feveral Occafions. By Sir Adam Gordon, M. A. formerly of Chrift Church, Oxford; and Rector of Weft Tilbury, Effex. 12.mo. 344 PP. 35. Stockdale.

1797.

This worthy and indefatigable divine, has here prefented to us a very great variety of devotional exercifes and devotions. He fpeaks of his book, as a work prepared from actual exercife of pious obligations, under the feveral cafes herein fpecified" (p. 30); and as containing humble hints, and helps, to the young, and unexperienced labourer in the Lord's vineyard; not by any means as perfe& forms, and in no points exceptionable; as a confcientious outline of general, and pofitive obligation to pay continual regard to this effential

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