Setting afide the mifconftructions put on our former animadverfions, and the fevere petulance with which Mr. Lovett chaflifes his Reviewers; fetting these afide as deferving only the fmile they excited on our firft curiory perufal of his pamphlet; the matter of debate between us is, Whether the existence of an ætherial fluid, fuch as was imagined by Sir Ifaac Newton, and rendered very pro⚫pable by the experiments and reafoning of Meffieurs Hoadley and Wilfon, be proved to ocular demonfiration in electrical experiments." Mr. Love.t and many others affirm it is; and we have taken upon ourfelves to deny it, for reasons which the Reader may have feen in a former Review. Thefe our electricity-monger controverts in his prefent pamphlet; and has contrived a new experiment to give us, as he fays, for once at least, ocular demonftration, that thofe identical particles of fire, which appear to rush out of a fword, a piece of wire, or other pointed body, when electrified, do really pafs through the pores of fuch fword or wire; and that these very particles are those of fuch an ætherial fluid.

His experiment, however, proves nothing more than that water is a conductor of the electric force; which we never difputed. And, as to the particles which appear to rush out of the conducting body, being thote of the etherial fluid, and actually paffing thro' the pores of fuch body; a very little attention to the fuppofed properties of fuch a fluid will be fufficient to convince to the contrary any man of common understanding, that has the least well-founded pretension to phyfical knowledge.

In the first place, this fluid is fuppofed to be fo extremely fubtile as to pervade the pores of all bodies whatever that we are converfant with, and to be difperfed through whatever vacuum it is in our power to produce by art.' In the next place, it is held to be extremely elaftic. Now the known property of an elaftic fluid is a propensity to maintain an equilibrium, or an equality of resistance among all its parts: fo that, were it more denfe in one part than in another, it would endeavour to recede from the denfer to the rarer part, till fuch equilibrium fhould be reftored. And hence, indeed, might arife a current in fuch a fluid. But if it be fo fubtile, or its component particles fo fmall, as to pervade all bodies that we are converfant with, how is it poffible for us to keep it condenfed, as we do the electric fire, in a glafs receiver? How comes it that, when the phial is charged with the electric fire, if it be fuch a fluid, it doth not difcharge itfelf as foon as any other electrified body? Or, indeed, how comes it that the phial is capable of being charged at all? Why does not this fubtile elaftic fluid efcape as well thro' the pores of the glafs as thro' thofe of the wire? Glafs, it may be faid, is not a conductor of the electric fire. Very true: but if this fire be the above-mentioned fluid itfelf, whofe particles are fo extremely fubtile, .why is it not? How comes it that one electric per fe is found in nature? Or why is not its nature changed by being any time in contact with non-electric bodies?

Electricians may fuppofe, indeed, that fuch a fluid is contained in a greater quantity in fome bodies than in others; and that in the

• See Review for April 1759.

pores

pores of the moft ready conductor of electricity, it hardly exifts at all, while glafs, refin, and other bodies of the like kind, abound with it. But the abfurdity is apparent while they admit fuch a fluid to be so extremely fubtile and elaftic. Admitting, therefore, the existence of fuch a fubtile elaftic fluid, it ought not to be mistaken for what is called the electric fire; which appears capable of rarefaction and condenfation, or of being increafed or decreated in a given space; while the fluid itself, from its elafticity and extreme fubtilty, can never be retained in a state of condenfation by any body whatever.

It is hence evident, that the appearance of the electric fire, to whatever fimilar conclufion it may tend, does by no means prove to ocular demonfiration the exiftence of fuch an atherial fluid as we have above-mentioned.

But, perhaps, a man fo ignorant, as to talk of a phenomenon having the fame effential properties as a body,' will not comprehend us; or, if he does, will afk us, what thofe fiery particles are, if they are not thofe of the fubtile fluid, actually paffing through the pores of bodies?

As an answer to this queftion, we fhall only give our opinion, that the appearance of fire or flame, in the above-mentioned experiment, is occafioned by the violent agitation of the heterogeneous particles of the common air; which are thus affected by a motion propagated, not only through a fluid exifting in the pores of the conducting body, but by the folid particles themselves, from one to another, throughout the whole of fuch body.

It would take up too much room to enter here into an illuftration of fo intricate a fubject; which we leave to fuch as may make it the particular object of their ftudy; taking the liberty to obferve, that the defign of our work is mistaken by fuch, as fuppofe it the business of the Reviewers, to fet every wrong headed Author right; or that they have arrogantly undertaken to fupply every thing they may fee wanting in the works of others. They think it, in general, fufficient, that they point out the principal defects in the performances of fuch mistaken Writers; who would alfo do well, instead of obftinately perfifting in their errors, and growing impatient at well-meant reproof, to fubmit with temper, and learn to profit, by just correction.

K-n-k

Art. 14. The Mayor of Wigan. A Tale, &c. By Hillary Butler, Efq; 8vo. Is. Owen, &c.

A dirty ftory, poorly told.

Art. 15. Poems on various Subjects.

8vo. 2s. 6d, fewed.

By Edward Stephens.
Dodley.

As the Author of these poems modeftly confeffes his want of a liberal education, and that he is not fo vain as to hope, for the fmiles of general approbation, we fhall hold them exempted from the feverity of criticiim. Excited,' fays he, by the various and enchanting

⚫ fcenes

fcenes of Nature, I have introduced fome poems of a defcriptive kind; others, on the univerfal paffion of Love; nor is the collec⚫tion deftitute of fubjects of a more interefting nature; hoping that tho' few among them fhould be found capable of entertaining the mind at a vacant hour, there will be fewer to immoralize and de⚫ base it.'

The following extracts may ferve as a fpecimen of Mr. Stephens's poetical talents.

Precepts from the Book of WISDOM.
Hearken unto thy Father that begat thee,
Mother when she is old.

TIS Wifdom fpeaks, her voice divine

Attend, my fon, and life is thine.
Thine, taught to fhun the devious way,
Where Folly leads the blind aftray:
Let Virtue's lamp thy footsteps guide,
And fhun the dang'rous heights of Pride;
The peaceful vale, the golden mean,
The path of life purfue, ferene.

and defpife not thy Prov. xxiii. 22.

The Wanton fhun, whofe Syren voice
Would tempt thee to forbidden joys;
Death lurks beneath the foothing founds,
And while fhe charms thy heart, she wounds:
'Tis twilight now—and lo! fhe comes,
In gay attire, and rich perfumes;
Her foul fits watchful in her eyes,
And meditates the future prize
Now here, now there, her fhifting feet,
Try ev'ry filent, dark retreat;
Nor try in vain; for lo! a youth
Far wand'ring from the path of Truth,
The wanton eyes, with fatal gaze;
She claips him with a fond embrace:
Long have i trod this fecret ground,
She cries, to feek thee-art thou found?
My vows are paid. my faults forgiv'n,
Peace off 'rings bribe offended Heav'n.
With tap ftry have I deck'd my bed,
O'er Egypt's fineft linen spread,
Perfum'd it with a lover's care,
With aloes, cinnamon, and myrrh.

Come, let us fill with love the night,

And revel till the morning light:

Come, gentle youth! oh! come; nor fear

An interrupting hufband near.

To this paraphrafe we fhall add another little piece, wherein the fentiments are more properly the Writer's own.

Од

On YOUTH.

Say, prying boy, haft thou not feen,
When Flora clothes the fields in green,
The cowflip and the vi'let rife*

Their beauteous heads to charm thy eyes?
Haft thou not gaz'd with fond delight
On the pure lilly's virgin white?
(Lillies, more fpotlefs-fair confefs'd,
Than Chloe's charms, or Chloe's breast ;)
Rofes in rich vermillion glow,
In vary'd colours tulips blow;
Haft thou not seen that very hour
The heav'ns diffolve into a show'r?
When lo! the languid flow'rs decay,
And foon their beauties fade away.
Thus Youth, to-day in all its bloom,
Joyous, exults in years to come;
To-morrow, fome unkind disease
Does on the boaftful stripling feize;
His beauties fade, fore-pain'd, he pines,
And life, and all its joys refigns.

Need we give any further example of the mediocrity of this ru

ral Mufe?

K-n-k

*Here the Bard has facrificed fenfe to found. For rife, read raife; and it will then be good English, tho' not good rhime."

POLITICA L.

Art. 16. Perpetual Supplies for the State; by Annuities and Reverfians: In two Numbers of Subfcribers. I. The full Number effecting ample Supplies, and a ceafing of the Land Tax, Window Money, and other unnecessary Duties; and raifing many Spare Millions for public Utility. II. The half of that full Number, effecting as above, except the spare Millions, refulting from that double Subfcription. Either of the two Numbers are very easily carried into Execution by the Legislature and Subjects, and both extremely benefitted by it; and alfo, unhurtful to any Part of the Community. With an Appropriation of five Millions Yearly, from either Number of Subfcribers, for the Discharge of the National Debt. 8vo. I S. Wilkie.

This Scheme is by far too extenfive and complicated for us to abridge, fo as to give our readers a fatisfactory idea of it. We muft, therefore, refer them to the pamphlet itfelf, only premifing that the plan confifts of fo many parts, as not only render it difficult to common apprehenfions, but will likewife, probably, make the Execution of it perplexed, if not impracticable.

R--d
Art.

Art. 17. Thoughts on the prefent War, and future Peace; wherein our prefent Measures and Alliances, are candidly confidered. By a Country Gentleman. 8vo. I s. Cooper.

This is the performance of fome violent Anti-Prufian, who affirms that our alliance with Pruffia was owing to accidental circumstances, and is only temporary. To accomodate all differences, he propofes that the King of Pruffia fhould cede Silefia to the Queen of Hungary, together with fome reasonable indemnification to Saxony, in confideration of which the Emprefs Queen fhould make over to him all her poffeffions in the Netherlands. If it should be objected, he fays, that by introducing fuch a Prince as the King of Pruffia, ambitious, enterprizing, and active, into Flanders, a country fo well ⚫ calculated for trade, we shall fet up a new rival in commerce, more ⚫ particularly if he should revive the project of an Eat-India Company at Oftend, as his endeavouring it even at Embden, fufficiently fhews he wanted.'-He anfwers, that by the fame treaty which put him in poffeffion of the Netherlands, we may flipulate in exprefs terms, that no fhip from any of its ports fhall ever be permitted to trade in that part of the world.' This divifion is easily carved out upon paper, but it is much to be doubted, whether the parties interefted would confent to the partition. Befides, admitting one nation to have a right to refrain another from making ufe of the advantages which nature and a convenient fituation afford it, yet, is it to be fuppofed that a wife and spirited Prince like the King of Pruffia, would make an exchange under fuch strange reftrictions? Or should he accede to fuch a treaty, is it not to be expected, that his fubjects would, nevertheless, be permitted to make the most of their happy fituation for trade? By which means, inftead of accomodating differences, fresh subjects of diffention would arife. But projectors are too apt to look eagerly on all the imaginary benefits attending their plan, without perceiving any of the inconveniencies.

R-d Art. 18. The Anti-Jefuit; or Political and Anonymous Dif courfes, upon the Recourfe which the Court of Lisbon has had to that of Rome, for the Chaftifement of the Jefuits. Tranflated from the Portegueze. 8vo. Is. Seymour.

This Gentleman is fuch a thorough Anti-Jefuit, that he cannot even endure the name of Jefuit; and he agrees with Pope Sixtus the Vth, in fincerely hating this order. This Pope, in the year 1590, declared, in open Confiftory, his indignation at the name of Jefuit, which they affumed, a if Jefus Chrift himself had been their founder. He added, that his intention was to correct this abufe, by publishing a Bull, and forcing them to fubftitute the name of Ignatians, to that of Jefuits, in imitation of other Monks who bear the name of their founders; being unwilling, that a title which belongs to all Chriftians in general, fhould be appropriated to a few particulars; 'for in the fame manner, faid he, that we are denominated Chriftians from the name of Chrift, we might be ftiled Jefuits from the Name of Jefus.

Rev. April 1760.

A a