That this, however, was not the case, is too clearly shewn in va. rious passages of the ancients, to admit of any doubt on the head. General Melville, whose repeat. ed voyages across the Atlantic had enabled him to unite to the theory of navigation much more practical knowledge than usually falis to the lot of a landman, despairing of be. ing enabled to untie this Gordian knot, by his researches amongst the most enlightened and experienced seamen, at last, on his way home from his government, laying authorities and theories of every kind entirely aside, inquired in himself what were the objects of the ancients, in the arrang ment of their rowers. To this question, the natural answer was celerity and impe. tus in their movements. The next question was, how this celerity was to be obtained; and the answer could only be by introducing the greatest possible quantity of motive power into a given space. placing the rowers not vertically, but in diagonal order, up the perpendicular side of a ship, it was true that they could be placed in considerably less space than when arranged one directly over the head of another. This, however, was not enough: and, it occurred to the general, that, by means of a double obliquity in the arrange ment of the rowers, every possible advantage might be obtained. therefore supposed that the side of the ship, instead of rising vertically from the water, was at the distance of a few feet from the surface, laid outwards, diverging from the perpendicular at an angle of perhaps forty-five degrees. Upon this inclined side, the seats for the rowers were placed, slanting dia By He gonally upwards; at the same time that, by the inclination of the side, they slanted diagonally out. wards. The consequences of this double obliquity were, that a rower raised only from fifteen to eighteen inches above the rower below him, instead of four or five time that distance, as in some other schemes, would be able to sit and row without receiving any later. ruption in his labour from the others adjoining to him, and that even the uppermost oars, in a quin quereme, were not of an nome nageable length. This theory not only remored all the objections to the former systems, but it explained a multitude of passages in history, hitherto inexplicable; and it was discover. ed to be perfectly conformable to the representations still remaining on ancient coins, and in the paint. ings discovered in the subterraneous ruins of Herculaneum. But a volume would be requisite to contain a distinct relation of the curious and important discoveries and inventions, made by General M. and of the systematic progress of his mind in such discoveries and inventions. Amongst those are to be reckoned, the discovery he made, from principles previously laid down, of the Roman camps is the vale of Strathmore, in Scot land; of the construction of the catapult, ballista, and other ancient warlike machines; of that species of artillery known by the name of carronades, from the great founde ry in Scotland, where they were first made, of which the largest are now generally called, from the weight of the shot they receive, sixty-eight pounders. The grand improvement, however, which General General M. wished to introduce the expenses are now defrayed out into that species of cannon, and of which the efficacy was established by experiments at Woolwich, before the late Duke of Richmond, when master-general of the ordnance was, by adopting a kind of ball, combining the properties of the solid shot, the shell, and the carcase, being cast with a hollow core, so that the weight of a ball, which, if solid, would be sixty. eight pounds, might be reduced to about forty-two pounds; the shot thereby becoming more manageable, and equally powerful, in sca-engagements, or short distances, and therefore peculiarly calculated for the use of British seamen, who it is confessed stand closer to their guns, and fire with greater expedition, than those of any other nation. The use of these Melvillades has hitherto been very confined. Military and antiquarian researches were, however, far from Occupying the capacious mind of General Melville. It is not per haps generally known, that the Royal Botanic Garden, in the island of St. Vincent, now so richly stored, under the management of Dr. Anderson, with the most useful and ornamental vegetable productions, was originally projected, established, and supported, by General M. during his government, at his own expense and risk. It was at last taken under the special protection of his majesty, and of the public purse. But, though the active life in which General Melville was engaged led him to the investigations just noticed, the turn, the natural bent of his mind, undoubtedly inclined to the study of the human mind, well-defined by Socrates, to be "the knowledge of one's. self." On this subject, as must ba in the recollection of many per. sons capable of judging, the ge neral displayed the utmost metaphysical acumen, as well as greatsolidity of understanding. A ten.. dency to blindness had for the last twelve or fourteen years of the general's life, terminated gradually in almost total darkness. Under these circumstances his metaphysi cal genius was a great relief to him. It was indeed a complete resource against eunui. It furnished neverfailing scope to the activity of his mind. It was the kind of study best adapted to the natural activity of his mind. As he said, he car. ried his whole laboratory, his whole apparatus for experiment, always about with him, for, as has been ably, and in the most satisfactory manner, maintained by Mr. D. Stewart, in his Philosophical Essays, observation differs from a course of experiments only in the rapidity with which the latter is pur. sued-the result of his observations onwhat passed within himself, for he did not allow that there were, properly speaking, any such thing as operations Pywoi" Erwotny. Know thyself. It is not every one who readily comprehends the profound sense couched in these words: When a certain person was speaking of the profound sense and wisdom of Socrates, one of those self-taught philosophers, who make philosophy to consist merely in a contempt for learning, and all authority buman and divine, said, "He must be a great fool who does not know himself." operations of the mind, he communicated to the friends with whom he was wont to converse, on those subjects, in a printed card, of which the following is a copy: Multum in Parvo. A CREED, Natural, invariable, and fundamental; ending where most creeds begin, yet in so far introductory to them as their contents may be found to be conformable to it. 1st. That, by my nature, I now am, and ever have been, while awake, and in a state of sensibility, passively existing, under an incessant succession of conscious sensations or re-sensations, pro duced by causes internal or exter. nal; both these sensations and resensations naturally and necessarily implying my existence; but the latter only so implies my iden. tity. 2d. That also, by my conscious sensations and re-sensations, pro, duced by causes external, is as naturally and necessarily implied the existence of these externals of nature around me; and these two sorts of sensation, internally and externally caused, are the sole and invariable sources of my know. Jedge of my own existence, and that of external nature. 3d. That there ever has been, is, and must be, an existence. 4th. That the existence eternal or infinite in duration or time, must be also infinite in extension or space; for any utmost limits to either are not conceivable. 5th. That the eternal and infi. nite existence must be either nature universal, or an eternal and infinite cause of nature, which did create, does sustain, and might annihilate nature. 6th. That which ever of the two be the eternal and infinite exist. ence, whether nature or nature's cause, is as unnecessary as impos. sible for man by his nature only to know. 7th. That the best state of na ture, with the best use of it by man, in as far as naturally pro. ductive of his greatest sum of happiness in all stages of his exist. ence, whether in individuality or society, is ever the most essential object of his nature. 8th. That this most essentia! object is naturally self-evident to, and so enjoyed by, man, while a individual in solitude, or is com petently attainable by him in thai state, from the best use of naturt and experience. 9th. That this fundamental and important truth, although by na ture in man, it was not only prior to, and independent of, any human laws of revealed religion, but must still be equally so in a supposed state of totally uneducated and perfectly solitary individuality; yet in that of society it will admit or require the concurring aids of both law and religion, in as far as they may be useful or necessary for the said most essential object. 10th. That, lastly, the expedi. ency or necessity in society for these aids from law and religion, will be precisely in proportion to the deficiency or inefficacy of the best use of right reason or natural religion; and the degree of perfec tion in both laws and religions for mankind, must necessarily and exactly be in the ratio of their con. formity and conduciveness to the most essential object of human na ture, ture, as stated in the seventh article of this creed.-London, 1792. The general, after printing and distributing this card, bethought himself that a neater and more satisfactory, though not in reality a more comprehensive and complete analysis and arrangement of the hu. man mind, would be "sensations, re-sensations, and co-sensations:" the last called up, whether by sensation or re-sensation, by the wellknown principle of the association of ideas. And he was wont to ask his literary friends if they could mention any idea or process of thinking, that might not be reduced to one or other of these heads. One of these, noted for self-sufficiency and briskness of manner, said, without hesitation, and with an air of triumph "Most certainly I do." "What is it?" 2 Why, comparison." "I grant you," replied the general, have in comparison, not one idea of sensation or re-sensation only, but we have two." 66 we Another friend, to whom the general put the same question, said that neither consciousness of identity, nor even of existence, could be traced to sensation merely, or quatenus sensation: i. e. to the first sensation, or a few of the first sensations. For both identity and existence were abstrac. tions not obtained by mere sensation, quatenus sensation, but by some posterior process. The general listened to this patiently. But he still maintained the justness of his own analysis. Some weeks afterwards, however, he said to the same person, I have been thinking of adding a fourth limb to my structure," so that the ana. lysis will run thus, "sensation, resensation, co-sensation, and PROSENSATION:" by which last he seemed to understand what is cal led in the schools, simple appre hension, without any consideration either of actual existence, er of any relation to other objects. It was not the conversation just noticed, about existence and iden tity, or at least this alone, that drove the general to PRO-SENSATIONS, but Professor Stewart's Elements of the Philosophy of the Human Mind, illustrating and confirming Dr. Reid's theory.-What the doctor calls suggestion, General Melville called pro-sensu tion; and this he contended was the just appellative-" For," said he, "what does any 'thing sug gest? certainly something known before; otherwise it could not be suggested. But, if known before, what other could it possibly be than an idea, or notion, if you will? (Some conversation had taken place about a difference between notion and idea). Answer me that question?" It ought not to be omitted that General Melville was a completely well-bred gentleman; uniting, with good sense, and a natural benevolence and frankness of disposition, (which are the grand basis of good manners,) a long and great acquaintance with the polite world, and with all ranks of society. He retained as much of the ceremony, or outward demonstrations of respect of the old school, as must appear quite proper in the eye of sound criticism, and no more. In the present age, some fashionable people are so far from overwhelming you with attentions in their ovn houses, that they take little if any notice of you. They seem to study nothing so much as their own ease. This indifference is really a step backward into bar. barism. Expressions of kindness and endearment nourish kind and endearing sentiments. Without such overt expressions or recogni. zances, social sentiments are apt to languish. General Melville, while in private life, was the friend of "the widow, of the orphan, and of those who have no helper:" in public he was a ready and a liberal con. tributor to the support of the most valuable charitable establishments. The Scotch Corporation, or hospital, in London, by its management, as well as by its constitution, perhaps the least susceptible of abuse, of the multitude of simi. lar benevolent institutions, will long remember the services, and long regret the loss of its venerable recruiting general. The patron of unassuming merit, the encourager of ingenuous youth, his stores of knowledge were ever open to the candid inquirer. A genuine and ardent lover of truth, in every pursuit in which mankind can be interested, and from whatever quarter it proceeded, truth was ever by him most cordially received. By the uniform tenor of his conduct, General Melville evinced himself to be, in the strictest sense of the terms, the true friend and lover of his country. General Melville was a Fellow of the Royal and Antiquarian Societies of London and Edinburgh, by the university of which last city, his alma mater, he was honoured with the degree of Doctor of Laws. He was also an honorary member of the Board of Agriculture, and an active member of the Society in London for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Com. merce. Although he never had a regiment, a home-government, or any other military emolument whatever, since he quitted the West Indies, he was appointed a full general on the 12th of October, 1798; and at his decease way, with one exception, the oldest ge neral in the British army. Dying a bachelor, General M. is succeeded in name and estate by his cousin, John Whyte Melville, of Bennochy, in the county of Fife, esq. General Melville bad nearly completed his eighty-sixth year, having been born at Monimail, in that county, of which parish his father was minister, on the 12th of October, 1723: his mother was a daughter of Robert Whyte, of Bennochy, esq. advocate, and a sister of the late celebrated Dr. Robert Whyte (Whytt) his majesty's physician in Scotland, and professor of medicine in the Uni versity of Edinburgh, |