tronomy, quarto, with corrections and additions; which, with the third volume of Tables, now in print, will complete the work. Miss MITFORD, author of Christina, Miscellaneous Poems, &c. has under taken a Series of Narrative Poems on the Female Character, in the various rela tions of Life. The first volume, containing Blanch and The Sisters of the Cottage, is in the press. will merit the patronage of the literary world. The following annual Prelections will commence in the first week of November next, and continue till May, in the Glasgow Medical School :—Anatomy and Surgery. Dr. Jeffrey, University; Mr. Allan Burns, College-street.-Practice of Medicine. Dr. Freer, University; Dr. Robert Watt, College-street.-Theory of Medicine. Dr. Freer, University; Dr. Robert Watt, College-street.-Ma teria Medica. Mr. Millar, University; Dr. Ure, Anderson's Institution.-Che mical and Medical Pharmacy. Cleghorn, University; Dr. Ure, Anderson's Institution.-Midwifery, and Dis eases of Women, &c. Mr. Towers, University; Mr. John Burns, College-street. -Clinical Lectures. Dr. Robert Cleghorn, and Dr. Richard Millar.-Clinical Surgery. Mr. John Scrutore.—Veteri Dr. Mr. JOHN MILFORD, A.B. is preparing for the press, the Achilleis of Statius: with the collations of several MSS. and some editions whose readings have not been given before, particularly two very scarce ones belonging to Lord Spencer. Mr. JOHN BELLAMY proposes to print by subscription, the Fall of Deism; wherein the objections of the ancient and modern Deists against the Old and New Testaments, during the last sixteen hundred years, from Porphyry and Cel-nary Medicine and Surgery. Mr. Courer. sus, down to Spinoza, Hobbes, Boling broke, Morgan, Voltaire, Tindal, and Paine, are answered. Mr. ANDREW HORN will immediately put to the press, a short Essay, in which the Seat of Vision is determined; and, by the discovery of a new function in the organ, a foundation laid for explaining its mechanism, and the various phenomena, on principles hitherto unat tempted. A New Review, or, Monthly Analysis of General Literature, is announced from the classical press of Mr. VALPY. The plan is, to analyse every publication, by giving a view of the Contents; the Pre face, when it explains the subject; and extracts of prominent and striking parts of the book; thus enabling the reader to exercise a judgment unprejudiced by the sentiments of the Reviewer: also to print a Supplementary Number at the end of the year, containing an Index of Subjects with reference to the authors, who have treated on them; thus perpetuating a full and correct list of ail writers, and of the subjects of their publications. We wish it success, and hope it may set an honest example to the other Reviews, most of which are pros tituted to the basest purposes of personal malignity. Another Periodical Publication, under the title of the Author's Review and Literary Protector, the object of which is to rescue works of importance from the attacks of uncandid and partial critics, will make its appearance in January mcat. Such a work, well conducted, The Eighth Volume of the General Biography, in quarto, by Dr. AIKIN, the Rev. T. Morgan, and others, is going to press, and the remainder, to complete the work, will follow with all convenient speed. Mr. PARRY is preparing for the press, the whole of his Ballads, Epigrams, and other fugitive pieces of Poetry; to be published in one volume, 8vo. A new edition is in the press, of Painter's Palace of Pleasure; the earliest as well as the most popular collection of romances of the Elizabethan era, selected from the writings of Bandello, Boccacio, the Queen of Navarre, Belleforest, and other authors; edited by JOSEPH HASLEWOOD, and to form two quarto volumes. A new edition of Dr. THORNTON'S Medical Extracts is in a state of for wardness, A Translation of Michaelis on the Mosaic Law, is preparing by the Rev. A. SMITH. Mr. C. POPE, of the Custom-House, Bristol, is preparing a Supplement to his practical Abridgment of the Laws of the Customs relative to the Import, Export, and Coasting Trade, of Great Britain and her Dependencies (except the East Indies), brought down to September 1, 1812. Nine Original Sermons by the late Dr. Watts, are printing by Dr. P. SMITH, of Homerton. Miss PLUMPTRE will, in a few days, publish a new novel, entitled, The His. tory of Myself and my Friend. The The fourth edition of the Remains of the late Rev. Richard Cecil, is in the press. It will be well printed, as a pocket volume, in foolscap octavo, with a beautiful portrait after Russell. The View of Mr. Cecil's Character, by the Editor, will be prefixed. Mr. LAMBERI, author of Travels in America, &c. has in the press, a work entitled, the Perpetual Balance, or Book keeping by Double Entry, upon an improved principle, exhibiting the general balance progressively and constantly in the Journal, without the aid of the Ledger; the difficulties which at present attend the formation of the annual ba. lance being completely removed by the plan laid down in this work. Fauna Orcadensis, or the Natural History of the Quadrupeds, Birds, Reptiles, and Fishes, of Orkney and Shetland, by the Rev. G. Low, minister of Birsa and Haray, is printing from the original MS, in the possession of Dr. W. E. Leach. The Circumstances alluded to in the following Letter, having excited much temporary interest in the literary public, we give it place out of the regular dispo sition of our articles, and conceive our readers will be gratified by its early appearance: To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. SIR, My recent appeal to the audience at Drurylane Theatre having been falsely ascribed to improper feelings of egotism by the ephemeral wits of our newspapers; and myself having been assailed by a copious volly of small-shot, fired from the ambuscades of the poetasters of the day; I am called upon by ny respect for the opinion of the graver part of the public, to state, through your Miscellany, the circumstances which demanded that appeal. It is not to be supposed but that I anticipated the effects of a measure which, in the estimation of many persons, could scarcely fail to appear to savour of eccentricity; nor that I did not consider that I should draw upon myself the suspicion of failings imputable to the genus irritabile, whose quick sense of wrongs has often led them into situations inviting the sallies of wit and humour. calculated on these results; but I also relied I certainly upon the sense of equity which always predominates in the British Public! I did what many would not have done; but I did that which, in similar circumstances, I would do again, and again; and I claim credit for this feeling from every man who would not be induced from personal considerations to compromise his principles, forego his liberty of action, and blunt his sense of public duty. It will be recollected that, several weeks before the present Theatre Royal Drury MONTHLY MAG, No. 233, Lane was open to the public, an advertisement was issued by the committee formed for managing the affairs of the Theatre, inviting the Literati to furnish them with addresses, out of which one should be selected to celebrate the opening of the new edifice; and that, from some motive never explained hundred and thirty compositions had been to the public, the committee, after nearly one submitted to their judgment, adopted the production of a Nobleman, to whom they exclusively applied, and who, not being a candidate, was not, by the terms of their public proposal, properly and fairly within the sphere of their decision. In consequence of this indignity offered to the whole literary body of the country, I felt that, as every transmitted composition was thus unjustly neglected, every candidate was thrown upon the public judg therefore resorted; not to determine upon the ment for redress. To the public judgment I respective merits of the presented pieces, se veral of which I understood were very fine ones, but to pronounce upon the conduct of the committee. My second son, George Frederic Busby, one of the candidates, repaired accordingly to the Theatre, to publish these sentiments on the subject, and, on announcing his wish to address the house, was solicited by the company in the pit to ascend the stage; which, by their aid, he immediately affected; but before the applauses ceased, two police officers dragged him to the Public Office in Bow-street, whence, however, he was instantly released. On the next evenaudience, when two other officers assailed me, ing, I renewed the effort, by addressing the top of the lobby stairs, down which, howforced me from my box, and bore me to the ever, they were precipitated by the company, who rushed from the boxes in crowds to pro tect me. my reasons for the step I took on this occaEvery one who becomes acquainted with appreciate their validity. The committee sion will, on duly weighing them, I trust, faith. The obligation between them and the had certainly lapsed into a breach of good numerous candidates was reciprocal. It was peal; of the other to have a choice made the right of one party to decide without apfrom those pieces prepared by them, in compliance with a public invitation. How the committee acted is well known; but their theatre was opened, the name of the author policy concealed, till the day after the to whose talents they, so unjustifiably, has had this improper, and not very honourable, conrecourse. The sentiment of resentment for duct on the part of the Drury-lane committee, urged me to a measure which will, i breach of faith. trust, prevent the recurrence of a similar The honest assertion of my feelings lias, however, for the present, lost its just chamour, and in the traits of sar.am, irony, racter in the scintillations of wit and hu Y y and and jocularity, with which the daily prints THOMAS BUSRY. Mr. FLINDALL will speedily publish his Amateur's Pocket Companion to the scarce and valuable engraved British Portraits, chiefly selected from the works of Granger, Bromley, Noble, &c. lume was published in 1750, and was the last that was published in numbers. In 1750, a committee was appointed to su perintend the publication; and the Transactions since that period have been published in half volumes. For the first twelve years, only one half volume was published annually; but, from 1762, two half volumes, or a complete volume, have appeared every year. In this immense body of arts and sciences, down to the year 1800, is contained 4166 papers. Of these 107 are on Botany, 82 on Vegetable Physiology, 44 on Agriculture, 290 on Zoology, 131 on Anatomy, 90 on Comparative Anatomy, 220 on Physiology, 478 on Medicine and Surgery, 38 on Mineralogy, 251 on The Greek Testament, with Gries- Geognosy, 29 on Mining, 67 on Geobach's Text, is in the press, and will graphy and Topography, 208 on Ma contain copious Notes from Hardy, Rathematics, 416 on Astronomy, 137 on phel, Kypke, Schleusner, Rosenmüller, &c. in familiar Latin; together with rallel passages from the Classics, and with references to Vigerus for Idioms, and Bos for Ellipses. A Historical View of the Domestic Economy of Great Britain and Ireland, with a Comparative Estimate of their Efficient Strength, corrected and continued to 1812, is printing by GEORGE CHALMERS, esq. pa. Sir Philip Warwick's Memoirs of the Reign of Charics I. with a Continuation to the Restoration of Charles II. in an octavo volume, from the original edition, with annotations, by an eminent literary character, are in the press. Particulars of the Life of a Dissenting Minister, with occasional Reflections, il Justrative of the Education and Profes sional State of the Dissenting Clergy, and of the Character and Manners of the Dissenters in general; will speedily be published. The Second Part of a Collection of Picturesque Views and Scenery in Nor. way, contaming 10 plates, coloured from Drawings made on the Spot, &c. by JOHN WILLIAM EDY, esq. is nearly ready for publication. A new French school book for the senior classes, under the title of Conseils à ma Fille, will shortly be published by M. I. N. BOUILLY, author of the Contes à ma Fille. A new edition of the Life of Merlin, (surnamed Ambrosius), including all his curious Prophecies and Historical Productions, from the reign of Brute to King Charles, is in the press. The first volume of Theological Disquisitions, treating of the Characteristic Excellencies of the Jewish Dispensation, by Dr. COGAN, is in the press. The Transactions of the Royal Society now make 102 volumes. The 46th vo Optics, 40 on Dynamics, 120 on Hy. dronamics, 26 on Acoustics, 48 on Navigation, 211 on Electricity, 71 on Magnetism, 406 on Chemistry, 281 on Meteorology, 87 on Chemical Arts, 12 on Weights and Measures, 39 on Political Arithmetic, 120 on Antiquities, and 66 Miscellaneous. Medicine, Astronomy, and Chemistry, are the sciences which furnish the greatest number of papers; but Electricity is that which is most completely developed. The tessellated pavement discovered in 1811, at Bignor in Sussex, was coyered with earth to preserve it during last winter. It has been lately opened again, and the surrounding land dug up, for the purpose of further discovery. A series of apartments are now exposed, all paved with beautiful mosaic, the most of it in the highest state of preservation, and exhibiting perhaps the best specimen of the kind in this country. The various figures are well defined and delineated, some of them very beautiful, particularly an eagle with Ganymede, a pheasant, a dolphin, and some others. Walls are erecting on the ancient foundations, the ruins furnishing materials, so that the plan of the building may be tolerably traced. It no doubt has been the villa of some of the Roman generals, the chief city of the Regni, Chichester, where Vespasian fixed his head-quarters, being within a few miles, and the ancient Roman road thence to London crossing the South Downs directly in front of the edifice. The surrounding scenery is very romantic, and must have been always interesting. The destruc tion may be dated from that of many other ر other monuments of the power and splendour of the Romans at one time in this county, from the barbarous invasion of the Saxons under the ferocious Ella, who, irritated with the formidable opposition he met at Chichester, ravaged it and the surrounding country with fire and sword with the most unrelenting fury. So completely had time effaced all appearance of former habitation, that the same family have ploughed the field every year for thirty years past, without the remotest suspicion of the treasure it contained, till last autumn the ploughshare came in contact with one of the large stones of the building. The last Medical and Physical Journal, among other articles of the deepest in. terest to every medical practitioner, contains a communication from Mr. STEVENSON, explaining the late Mr. Saunders's unrecorded improvements in the mode of curing Cataracts; a valuable paper of Dr. KINGLAKE on the cure of Hydrophobia; and some important observations on the Treatment of Typhus, by Drs. PIGOT and CHERNOCK. Every number of this work is a treasure to anxious and scientific practitioners. A Mr. TOUPIN, of Exmouth, lately published the following account of his having seen a Mermaid, in the local and London Newspapers:-"The day of yesterday, (August 11) being very fine, I joined a party of ladies and gentlemen in a sailing excursion. When we had got about a mile to the south-east of Exmouth bar, our attention was suddenly arrested by a very singular noise, by no means unpleasant to the ear, but of which it is impossible to give a correct idea by mere description. It was not, however, unaptly compared by one of our ladies to the wild melodies of the Eolian harp, combined with a noise similar to that made by a stream of water falling gently on the leaves of a tree. The sound, however, had not all the variety, nor the soft cadence, of the Eolian notes, but appeared like four or five different notes, each tone repeated several times on the same key. In the mean time we observed something about one hundred yards from us, to windward. We all imagined it to be some human being, though at the same time we were at a loss to account for this, at such a distance from the shore, and no other boat near. We hailed, but received no reply, and we made toward this creature as soon as possible; when, to the great astonishment of us all, it eluded our pur suit by plunging under water. In a few minutes it rose again, nearly in the same place, and by that time we had got sufh. ciently near for one of the boatmen to throw into the water a piece of boiled fish which he had in his locker. This seemed to alarm the animal, though it soon recovered from its fears, for we presently observed it to lay hold of the fish, which it ate with apparent relish. Several other pieces were thrown out, by which the creature was induced to keep at a short distance from our boat, and afforded us the opportunity of observing it with attention, and found, to our astonishment, that it was no other than a mermaid. As the sea was calmn, and in a great degree transparent, every part of the animal's body became in turn visible. The head, from the crown to the chin, forms rather a long oval, and the face seems to resemble that of the seal, though, at the same time, it is far more agreeable, possessing a peculiar softness, which renders the whole set of features very interesting. The upper and back part of the head appeared to be furnished with something like hair, and the fore-part of the body with something like down, between a very light fawn and very pale pink colour, which at a distance had the appearance of flesh, and may have given rise to the idea that the body of the mermaid is, externally, like that of the human being. This creature has two arms, each of which terminates into a hand with four fingers, connected to each other by means of a very thin elastic membrane. The animal used its arms with great agility, and its motions in general were very graceful. From the waist it gradually tapered so as to form a tail, which had the appearance of being covered with strong broad polished scales, which occasionally reflected the rays of the sun in a very beautiful man. mer; and, from the back and upper part of the neck, down to the loins, the body also appeared covered with short round broad feathers, of the colour of the down on the fore-part of the body. The whole length of the animal, from the crown of the head, to the extremity of the tail, was supposed to be about five feet, or five feet and a half. In about ten ini. nutes, from the time we approached, the animal gave two or three plunges, in quick succession, as if it were at play. After this, it gave a sudden spring, appearing to swim away from us very rapidly, and in a few seconds we lost sight of it." Y y 2 The The following facts relative to New South Wales, are extracted from the late Report of the Committee of Parliament. "The principal settlement on the eastern coast of New South Wales, was formed in 1788. The most considerable district is that of Sydney, containing 6,158 inhabitants, in Paramatta contains 1,807; the year 1810. Hawkesbury 2,389, and Newcastle 100. Of the total number, (viz. 10,454) 6,513 are men, 2,220 women, and 1,721 children. Of these, from one-forth to one-fifth are convicts; but the returns of their number have been so irregular, that the Committee have not been able precisely to ascertain it; but they hope that this neglect will be corrected by the orders lately sent. The troops are about 1,100, and the remainder are free per sons. In addition to these, are the settlements of Port Dalrymple and Hobart's Town, in Van Diemen's Land, about five degrees to the south of Sydney, containing 1,321 inhabitants; and, at the date of the last returns, 177 persons were living in Norfolk Island, but orders have been since sent out for its total abandonment. The settlement in New South Wales is bounded on the north-west and south by a ridge of hills, called the Blue Mountains, beyond which no one has yet been able to penetrate the country; some have with diffculty been as far as one hundred miles in the interior, but beyond sixty miles it appears to be no where practicable for agricultural purposes; and in many places, the diameter of the habitable country is much less; in length, it extends from Port Stephens to Port Jervis, north to south about four degrees; beyond these, the colony will not be capable of extension; and of the land within these boundaries, about one half is absolutely barren. The ground actually in cultivation amounts to rather more than 21,000 acres, and 72,000 acres are held in pasture. The stock appears to be considerable: by the returns in 1810, the amount was, horses 521; mares 598; bulls 193; cows 6,351; oxen 1,732; sheep 33,818; goats 1732; hogs 8,992. Of these, a small proportion is kept by government, of which, part is killed for the supply of the public store, and the remainder is made use of to stock the farms of new settlers. The colony has for some years, except when the crops have failed, from inundations, or other accidental causes, been able wholly to supply itself with care; but it is still necessary to continue, to a certain extent, the importation of salted provisions. The soil and climate are described to be extremely fine, healthy, and productive; diseases, with the exception of such as arise from intemperance or accioent, are little known; and fresh ruits and vegetables are produced from the beginning to the end of the year. The river Hawkesbury is, however, occasionally subject to violent and sudden floods, which have in some instances totally destroyed the produce of the farms in its vicinity. The out settlements of Port Dalrymple and Hobart's Town, in Van Diemen's Land, are represented as enjoying a purer climate, and more generally productive soil, than New South Wales; yet the Committee concur in the opinion, that more benefit will be derived from the cultivation and improvement of the settlements already formed, than from the formation of new and distant establishments." The attention of the readers of the Monthly Magazine having lately been drawn in an especial manner to the consideration of the changes which have taken place in the Earth's Surface, we have combined beneath the general Deductions of Mr. Parkinson, in his second or third Volumes of his work on Organic Remains. 1st. The water has rested for a considerable period on the general surface of the earth. 2d. The mineralized zoophytes found imbedded in different parts of the earth, and even in mountains of considerable height, have lived and died on those identical spots which, in the former world, constituted parts of the bottom of the ocean. 3d. In a previous state of this planet, many species of organized beings existed which are not known to us in a recent state; their having existed being proved only by the discovery of their fossil remains. 4th. The traces of very few of those species which now exist can be discovered in the wreck of a former world. 5th. Even in rocks of the newest formation, and in alluvial strata, which are comparatively of but modern deposition, the remains of extinct animals are as frequently to be found as in what are termed transition rocks; (those which are supposed to contain the first traces of organic remains.) 6th. There appears to have been no line of separation between the creation of species now extinct, and of those now existing; since not only the remains of extinct species, but perhaps of extinct genera, are found, with the remains of species very similar to, if not exactly agreeing with, species known in a recent state. 7th. Many of the pebbles found in gravelpits, on the shores of rivers, and on the sea-beach, do not appear to have been bowldered down to the form in which they are now found; but that, on the contrary, their present forms are precisely those which they, at first, derived from the silicious impregnation of different animals which existed in the former ocean. 8th. The outer part of this globe, examined to as great a depth as circumstances have permitted, appears to be formed of numerous strata differing from each other in their |
