oxigenant, not eafily combining with water, and thus being quite diftinct from the muriatic acid: its principal ufes are alfo pointed

out.

The last two articles of this fection relate to the fluoric and boracic acids: the former in a gafeous ftate and a liquid form, is diftinguishable by its fmell, its weight, its action on hard ftones and glafs, by its weakness when compared with feveral of the preceding kinds, its complete inactivity on combuftible bodies, as well as the refiftance it makes even to the activity of fuch fubftances. The boracic, which is one of the weakeft of all the fpecies, is particu larly diftinguishable on account of its folid and cryftalline form, its weak tafte, its fixity and vitrifiable property, its difficult folubility in water, its abfolute want of action upon fimple eatables. M. Fourcroy informs us in this article that he has made numerous attempts at different times to afcertain the nature of this acid, but his experiments were unfuccessful.

Sect. IV. On the falifiable bafes, earths and alkalis. This is di

vided into fourteen articles.

Art. 1 is occupied with obfervations on falifiable bases in general, on earths in particular, and a definition and claffification of confider able length. After this definition and an explanation of the earthy character, the author afferts that the ancient opinions concerning an elementary earth are entirely chimerical; and that the greater the progrefs in the ftudy of the earths, the more their number has been found to increafe. He diftinguishes fix carthy fubftances, which are very different from each other; the divifion confifts of acid, or proper earths, of which there are four fpecies, denominated filex, alumine, zircone, and glucine, and of alkaline earths, of which two fpecies only are known, viz. magnefia and lime.

Árt. 2 relates to filex, and contains its various names, its hiftory, existence in nature, extraction and purification, uses, &c.

Alumine, which, on account of its greater changeablenefs and attractions, affords a number of chemical phenomena, is treated more at length than filex, and forms the fubject of the third article. Zircone and glucine are examined with fimilar attention in the two following articles:

The new earth very lately difcovered by M. Gadolin, a Swedish chemift, and called by him Ytterby, but more generally known on the Continent by the name of Gadolinite, is mentioned by the author in his preliminary discourse, together with the refult of his experi

ments on this fubftance.

Magnefia, which forms the fubject of Art. 6, is now known to poffefs alkaline properties, and therefore differs from the four earths above-mentioned. Having long been confounded with abforbent earths, on account of its property of eafily forming combination with acids, the author defcribes the manner in which it has been distinguished by Hoffman and Black. Its different flates in nature, the manner of obtaining it pure, its external characters, the action ex

L14

cited

cited on it by caloric, air, fome combuftible bodies, water, and the acids, as well as its combination with the four preceding earths, are alfo examined, and its various purposes and the method of employing it pointed out.

We cannot with juftice to the learned author pafs over the seventh article of this fection, which is one of the most remarkable, as it contains the hiftory of lime. He fucceffively traces the hiftorical facts of the principal difcoveries which relate to this fubftance, including its natural history, its preparation in the kiln, and by chemical procefs in general, the alteration it undergoes by the action of fire and air; its important combinations with phosphorous, fulphur, the phosphorated hidrogen and fulphurated gafes, its action upon water, and the reciprocal action of water upon itself; the properties of its aqueous folution, or lime water, its attractions for acids, compared with thofe of other bafes; its union by heat and water, with filex and alumine.

Art. 8, bearing the title "On Alkalis in general," explains the origin of the word, the alkaline characters, and their enumeration, as well as the claflification of those bases. The author admits of five alkalis, which he arranges according to the order of their attraction for the acids; in articles 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, he fucceffively examines barites, potaíh, foda, ftrontian, and ammonia.

Art. 14 contains fome general ideas on lithology, or the hiftory of ftones, in which the author gives an abftract of the prefent ftate of lithological knowledge: he alfo explains the diftinctive characters of ftones, and the method employed by lithologifts, for making the neceffary diftin&ions. The means employed by chemifts for analyfing and feparating the various component parts of ftones are also laid down with great precision.

It was not to be expected that a work of this nature would long remain unknown to the British public. A tranflation of it has been undertaken, and is now far advanced.

Porte-feuille Politique d'un Ex-employè au Ministère de la PoliceGenerale, &c. i. e. The Political Port-folio of a Perfon formerly attached to the Board of General Police; or an Effay on Public Inftruction, published by Le Brun (of Grenoble). 8vo. PP. 344. 7s. Paris printed, imported by De Boeffe, Gerard-street, London. 1800.

NITIZEN Le Brun, who, we apprehend, is the author as well dividing

the nations of Europe into two parts, one confifting of dupes, and the other of rogues. As a French Republican fees but one nation in the world-La grande nation-we cannot be at a lofs for the premises whence our author has deduced this conclufion. Indeed, no ftaunch royalift, no inveterate ariftocrat, no determined enemy to the new

order

order of things, ever drew a more horrid picture of Republican France than that which is here exhibited by this ardent republican. According to him, and we have private reafons for knowing his representations on this fubject to be correct, as far as they go, the fyftem of Marat and his worthy affociates has been attended with the fulleft fuccefs, and the demoralization of the country (to use their own Gipfy-jargon) is complete;-in other words, all moral principle is eradicated from the hearts and minds of the abandoned fubjects of the French Republican Conful. But bad as France confeffedly is, Mr. Le Brun is fo fturdy a reformer, that he does not defpair of working a complete revolution in her moral and political state, and to bring her back to the true ftandard of republican purity, by the operation of one fimple remedy-The Converfion of the Churches into Playhouses!-Before, however, we enter upon an examination of the main fubject of the book, we must cull fome few beauties from the Preface.-And, firft we fhall notice the citizen's lamentations on the abfence of a republican fpirit in France, which we hope will have fome effect on the opinions of the republican fpirits in England, whofe incredulity on this point has hitherto been proof alike against arguments and fact.

"We have had a revolution in places, I mean to fay that one set of men have taken the places of others, and that a multitude of thieves have enriched themfelves fufficiently to become the objects of theft in their turn; but the great mafs of the people have not been revolutionized; they have ftupidly degenerated; they have not only retained all their old vices, but have contracted new vices, and will continue to contra&t them, until a fyftem of public inftruction, founded on their taste, on their habits, shall have neutralized the peftilential miafmata with which they are surrounded, and the evil examples by which they are fubdued."

The taste and habits of a people, funk into debauchery and inured to vice, our readers will probably think, must form but an indifferent bafis for a fyftem of public inftruction; and in fuch a fyftem, there would evidently be what the French term an action and re-action between the foundation and the fuperftructure.-He is a hopeful projector who feeks to purify a depraved tafle, by flattering it; and to correct vicious habits by perpetuating them.

"For this fublime work you must not employ exhaufted quacks, men filled with revolutionary prejudices ;-you must chufe for this boly operation, a virgin genius who has no communication with lepers; to whom all the windings of the human heart, all the conditions of fociety are known; who fees man as he is, a vain and rapacious animal, alternately prodigal and avaricious, difhoneft and indifcreet, docile and proud, impatient of the yoke, and yet eafily fubdued, when a fkilful hand takes care to conceal from his eyes the rein by which he is guided."

The first business of this fublime workman, this holy operator is to be the deftruction of the empire of fashion, and the inftitution of a national drejs.

"No legiflator, worthy to be called fuch, ever forgot to profcribe fashion and to fubftitute in its place conftant and indelible customs. It is they which give a character and a physiognomy to a people; that attach them to manners, by an infinite number of ties, and retain them, without their knowledge, within the bounds of obedience and moderation. The Turks (I am not now fpealing of their government) have fill the fame dress and the fame habits, as prevailed in the time of Mahomet the Second :—It is true, indeed, that Mahomet the First was a legislator."

This attachment of the Turks to their ancient cuftoms is adduced, by this confiftent projector, in fupport of his argument, not for the revival of old fashions, but for the introduction of a new drefs in the Republic. At prefent he infifts that every thing is English, and this mode of apeing foreigners he reprobates very juftly, though he is egregiously deceived in fuppofing that the practice is peculiar to his own country; we heartily with that were the cafe, but when we go into public and witnefs the beaftly cuftom of fcratch wigs and cropped heads, making.not brutufes, but brutes, of the men, and deforming the native beauty of our women, a custom, which notwithstanding the affertion of citizen Le Brun, was imported from France, we are compelled to acknowledge that, in this refpect, the English are as great apes as the French.

"What must we think of our legiflative puppets, who have none but English carriages, English furniture, English beauffets, English clothes, English breakfafts, English fuppers, English horfes, with cropped tails, and gloomy children faits à l'Anglaife?

a

"If thefe gentlemen and ladies were not Republicans, but Frenchmen only, would they fuffer the ignominious liveries of our mortal enemies to be worn in their prefence? No, they would ere this have created a French etiquette, which would be rigidly obferved at the Confular palace, at all the Minifters' houses, by all the Conftituted Authorities, at all places of public amufement, and even in the public walks, where no one would be admitted but in a civico-national drefs. Every kind of fashion would be expelled from their houses.

"The English have carriages into which they cannot enter without the aid of a ladder; they would, therefore, order a carriage to be made of a form totally different and of a moderate height. The Anglo-Chouans wear a large hat, on which the national cockade is fcarcely vifible; they would therefore, wear the majestic polifh cap. Laftly, they would make their fafhionable wives cover their nakednels. Far from this, they favour by their indifference, or by a fmile of approbation, that contempt which is daily difplayed for the new fyftem, at what are called fabionable focieties.

The author then proceeds to lavifh his impudent and malevolent abufe on the Abbé de Lille, whom any rational Frenchman would be proud to claim as his countryman, for he is indifputably the best of the French poets, and is not lefs diftinguifhed for the brilliancy of his genius than for the fuavity of his manners; not lefs refpectable for his talents, than eftimable for his virtues. But, in the eyes of citizen Le Brun, the good Abbé is guilty of a mortal fin; first, by

being a Christian and a Priest; and, fecondly, by having written a poem in which he defcribes the leifure hours of a Lord of the Manor!

To calumniate an enemy, that is, to tell the most wilful and atrocious falfhoods of him, to impute to him crimes which he never committed, and plans which he never conceived, is, we fhould fuppofe, a fure teft of Republican virtue; it certainly has been practifed by all the moft diftinguifhed Republicans from Briffot to Marat and from Marat to Buonaparte; the infamy of the attempt is worthy of the French Republican character; it is, at the fame time, in them, an inftance of grofs cowardice, for there is no poffibility of retaliating; as the very worst that can be faid of them falls very far fhort of the truth. That our author poffeffes this virtue, in an eminent degree, may be feen by the following paffage :

"Kleber was affaffinated in Egypt by order of the English. At this time the Cabinet of London keep in their pay the leaders of the Royal herd and the chief of the anarchial band, to affaffinate Buonaparte. They have no with to restore to the throne the idol of gentlemen. Children of a ftupid pride, ridiculous dolls of vanity, they have no intention to give you back a talifman dragged in the mud; their object is to reduce the inhabitants of France to the extreme of mifery; they feek to defpoil you; it is France herself that they with to difmember-that they with to annihilate !"

The citizen is more correct in his delineation of the manners and ftate of his darling republic. He thus defcribes "the perfonages who are at the head of affairs."

"We fhall firft find Carnot and Talleyrand able to prove their profound knowledge of their profeffion. Some few of the prefects are not without merit; the majority of the Council of State is not bad; but, with the exception of four or five, if the reft, both fenators and tribunes, legiflators and judges, were publicly asked, before a national jury, what they have done, what they do, and what they are able to do, who raised them to their present fituation, who taught them politics, who inftructed them in the science of legislation and government?—I am certain, that the bookfeller who would print their anfwers, would publifh a book, that would be extremely diverting, extremely curious, and would have a very great fale.

"See the difference, benevolent readers!

Put the fame questions

to our generals, to our colonels; and you will probably not find one that will not give a pertinent anfwer, and prove himself, in all refpects, on a level with, or above, his profeffion. The reafon of this is; that the force of things, and the danger of circumftances have republicanized the army; and that their Supreme Chief is a great master of the art."

This acknowledgment is followed by fome infamous abuse of the officers under the monarchy whom the author has the audacity to accufe of cowardice; when the whole world knows that a braver fet of men never exifted than the officers of the French army, as the military hiftory of Europe for centuries paft will fufficiently demon

strate.