A Dialogue between Dr. Johnson and Dr. Goldfmith in the Shades, 30 Lord Mountmorres's Impartial Reflections on equalizing the Duties between Great Britain and Ireland, Manufactures improper Subjects of Taxation, The Crifis; or, immediate Concerns of the British Empire, 3га ibid. Captain Oakes's Narrative of the Treatment of the English by Tip 319,400 Abercrombie's Propagation and Botanical Arrangements of Plants Poems upon feveral Occafions, with Translations, by John Milton. With Notes and other Illuftrations, by Thomas Warton, Fellow ibid. Earl of Dundonald's Prefent State of the Manufacture of Salt ex- Account of the Qualities and Ufes of Tar and Coal Varnish, Earl of Stair's Claims of the Public on the Minifter, stated, Anfwer to the Reply to the fuppofed Treafury Pamphlet, White's (Jofeph) Sermons at Bampton's Lecture, fecond Edition, Defence of the Oppofition with refpect to their Conduct on Inth' ibid. Sonnets and Poems; with a Verfification of the Six Bards of Offian, Holcroft's Follies of a Day; or the Marriage of Figaro, Bofwell's Letter to the People of Scotland, Craufurd's Effay on the actual Resources for re-establishing Taylor's propofed Reformation in Parliament confidered, A Short View of the Proposals for a final Adju&ment of the Com- mercial System between Great Britain and Ireland, The Arrangements with Ireland considered, Report of the Lords of the Committee of Council appointed for the Confideration of all Matters relating to Trade and Foreign Plan- Box's Plans for reducing the extraordinary Expences of the Nation, and gradually paying off the National Debt, Confiderations on the Advantages of an improved Syftem of Fi mons, The Reporter; or the Subftance of the Debate in Houfe of Com- ibid. Dawes's Deformity of the Doctrine of Libels, &c. ibid. Humphries's Poem addressed to the Armies of the United States of Obfervations on the Animal Oeconomy, and on the Caufes and Cure of Difeafes. By John Gardiner, M. D. Prefident of the Royal College of Phyficians, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 8vo. 6s. Longman." A Uthors have different objects in view, when they publish either their fentiments or obfervations. The young are im⚫pelled by a defire of fame; the elder are pleased with affuming the oracular dignity, and claiming the attention due to age, rank, or character. The diffident, in a modeft form, propofe their doubts and difficulties, in hopes of inftruction; the vain and the confident to filence impertinent pretenders, by a display of their own amazing acquifitions. But thefe, and the va rious other caufes which are either flightly hinted at, or oftentatiously explained, by different writers, feem to have had little effect on our author, whofe rank, as prefident of a refpectable college, leads us to form confiderable expectations. The little novelty in fome parts of his work, the obfcure and imperfect explanations in others, are neither confiftent with the ufual ambition of an author, nor worthy of Dr. Gardiner's character and fituation. If he thinks his obfervations generally new, we lament the limited extent of his knowlege; if he has aimed at rendering them highly ufeful, we regret his disappointment. In his preface, the president seems to think, that one caufe of the flow progrefs of knowlege arifes from a luxuriancy of fancy, and a liveliness of imagination, which induces authors to build fyftems on fuperficial and unftable foundations.' Indeed, from various expreffions, misleading the inexperienced ftudent,' acute, but falfe manner of reafoning," theoretical difquifitions of novelty and ingenuity,' he feems to aim his fhafts at the prefent profeffor of the practice of phyfic. Is it not otherwife ftrange that, in difcuffions on the living principle, and in condemning the conduct of former nofologifts, he thould not have once mentioned Dr. Cullen, except as the author of Vot. LIX. Jan. 1785. Tome B some experiments on the cold produced by evaporation? It is much more fo, if it be found that he had scarcely considered the profeffor's works on thefe fubjects. His theory of fevers, and his remarks on the arrangement of the bilious remittents, are striking proofs of Dr. Gardiner's inattention, either to the First Lines, or the Synopfis Nofologiæ. But it is not our business to afcertain the refpective property of each author: we must give an account of the contents, and our opinion of the execution of the work before us; but, as we fhall have occasion to mention our author's mistakes, we could not avoid this inftance of his want of candour. Dr. Gardiner introduces this volume with fome remarks on the vital principle, and the organs by which it is conveyed. In the relation of facts, he is generally exact; but his reasoning is generally defective; and through the whole, the liv ing principle, the principle of life, and life itself, are fo frequently confounded, that the plaineft fubject is obfcured. From the living principle,' he tells us, in one paffage, diffufed through the folids and fluids, that principle of life, which is coeval with the animalcula in femine, arifes. But, though as many exceptions may be made to this fentence as it contains words, yet, in another place our author tells us, that the action of the heart is the firft vital motion; and that heat, which is infeparable from animal life, is not found in an egg, previous to incubation, or foon loft. In this part, we have not observed a fingle new fact, or any remark, which we can tranfcribe, with a view either to the entertainment or advantage of the reader. The obfervations on Dr. Crawford's Theory of Animal Heat have been again and again printed; and our author's own fyftem is fo imperfect, as fcarcely to deferve the name. In fact, it confifts chiefly of fome of the circumftances which influence the heat of animals, and refers the whole to the living principle. The intelligent reader will recollect various authors, who have already made equal advances; and, in most of them, he will find the feveral facts more perfectly and advantageously detailed. Dr. Gardiner's language is rendered very obfcure by the frequent ufe of the term ftimulus. We understand the word when applied to food, heat, aromatics, and fome kind of medicine; but, when applied to opium, and to cold, we expected a nice diftinction, and began to apprehend a poison concealed under the apparently wholefome aliment; to fear, from this enemy to theoretical difquifions, of novelty and ingenuity, fomething which refembled a direct and an indirect ftimulus. But, after wandering in uncertainty, without the fmallet glimmering of a meaning, through two-thirds of his nervous physiology, we find that ftimulus is only a change effected |