Occultations of the fun, and occultations of the fixed ftars by the moon, obferved in places whofe latitude and longitude are known, are of ufe in correcting the lunar tables; and if the latitude of the place of obfervation only be known, the longitude may be determined from them. Eclipfes of the moon, however, are more readily applied to this purpose: the longitude, in this cafe, being the difference of time of the observation and that fet down in the Ephemeris converted into degrees, for which tables are provided. The other phænomena are of importance in the fame respect. The two firft columns of the fecond page of the month contain the days of the month and week as before; next follow the fun's longitude, right afcenfion in time, declination, and the equation of time, with the difference from day to day. Page 3d contains, in five columns, the femidiameter of the fun, the time of his paffing the meridian, his hourly motion, the logarithm of his distance, and place of the moon's node, for every fixth day and at the bottom of this page are the ecliples of Jupiter's fatellites, whenever they are vifible. In the fourth page of the month, we have the longitudes and latitudes of the planets, both heliocentric and geocentric, their declination and apparent time of paffing the meridian, calculated for every fixth day. The fifth and fixth following pages (and not the 7th and fifth, as by a mistake of the Editor, the references are made), contain the moon's place, and all the circumftances relative to her motion, and her diftances from the fun and proper ftars, from which her distance fhould be obferved for finding the longitude at fea. The longitudes, latitudes, and declinations of the moon, and time of her paffing the meridian, afford the like ufes with the fame circumftances of the planetary motions, and many more befides. For the fake of greater precision, the moon's longitude, latitude, right afcenfion, declination, femidiameter, horizontal parallax, with its logistic or proportional logarithms, are computed twice a day to noon and midnight, and may be readily inferred for any intermediate time with the greateft exactness. The diftances of the moon from the fun and fixed ftars, are fet down to every three hours of apparent time by the meridian of Greenwich, and are defigned to relieve the mariner from the neceffity of a calculation, which he might think prolix and troublefome, and to enable him, by comparing the fame distances observed carefully at fea, to infer his longitude readily, and with little danger of mistake, to a degree of exactness, that may be thought fufficient for moft nautical purposes. The Editor obferves, that though the diftance of the moon from the fun or tars, well obferved with a good inftrument, is fufficient to de terming termine the longitude, with the help of the Ephemeris, always within a degree, and generally much nearer, yet it will conduce to ftill greater accuracy, if the observer takes the distance of the moon from two ftars, or the fun and a ftar, or, when the moon is between 90° and 120° distance from the fun, from the fun and two stars, if he can be fo lucky as to obtain these several obfervations. The longitude being computed from the obfervations made with each ftar refpectively, the mean of the refults is to be taken as probably approaching nearest to the true longitude. The laft page of the month (and not the fifth) fhews the configurations of Jupiter's fatellites, or the apparent pofitions of the fatellites with refpect to each other and to Jupiter at such an hour of the evening or night, as they are moft likely to be obferved, and ferve to diftinguifh the fatellites from one another. For the diftinct use and application of each column of the above tables we must refer to the work itself; and shall conclude with obferving, that to this Ephemeris are annexed, the eclipfes of the third fatellite of Jupiter in the years 1771 and 1772, computed from the new tables published with the Nautical Almanac for laft year and two tables are likewife added, for more readily finding what eclipfes of Jupiter's fatellites will happen, when Jupiter is at least 8° above, and the fun as much below the horizon; viz. one containing Jupiter's hour-angles to different declinations, when his altitude is exactly 8°, and the other the fun's hour-angle or time from noon, when he is depreffed 8. below the horizon. This number, moreover, contains Mr. Lyons's folution of a problem in Mercator's Navigation, propofed formerly by Dr. Halley, as wanting to complete that doctrine, and defigned to determine the course steered, when a ship has failed from a given latitude a certain number of miles, and has altered her longitude by a given quantity; which folution, fays the Editor, cannot but be acceptable to the curious. At the clofe of this article, it may not be improper to fubjoin a brief account of the tables requifite to be used with the aftronomical and nautical Almanac, which, though a feparate publication, are intended to accompany the other, and thereby to render the operations more eafy and more accurate. They chiefly relate to the correction of the errors of the moon's diftance from the fun or ftars, arifing from refraction and parallax; and they contain feveral tables and rules for this purpose: befide tables for converting degrees and minutes of the equator into time and the contrary tables of the longitudes and latitudes of nineteen of the brightest stars and neareft the ecliptic, fuch as are moft proper to take the moon's distance from, for finding the longitude at fea, together with a table for finding the aberration of a zodiacal tar in longitude-two tables, one for chu i 1 White's Cafes in Surgery. 218 This volume contains, likewife, inftructions for finding the longitude at fea by the help of the Ephemeris, comprized in feveral articles; together with particular cafes exemplifying the rules laid down. ART. VI. Cafes in Surgery, with Remarks. R.-S. Part the First. By Charles White, F. R. S. one of the Corporation of Sur- TH HIS is a valuable collection of chirurgical cafes and remarks, feveral of which have already been made public; fome of them in the Philofophical Tranfactions, and others in the Medical Obfervations and Inquiries: but the ingenious Author imagined it would be full as agreeable to the readers to fee them all together in one volume, efpecially as some of them are connected with thefe now first published, and they help to confirm each other. I have likewife, fays he, felected fuch cafes from a number which my father took minutes of when he was in full practice, as are fimilar to thofe of my own, which I have now tranfcribed for publication.' He proceeds: The few cafes I have here given of the ftopping of bleeding arteries by sponge, are not intended to fhew its utility in all hæmorrhages whatfoever, but in thofe where the ligature could not poffibly be made ufe of, or in fuch as had refifted the most approved methods of practice, and of confequence brought the life or limb of the patient into danger. I propofe to give the public a fecond part of this work, as foon as my avocations in business will permit me, and am fufficiently furnished with materials for that purpose.' Without making an abstract of the feveral articles which compofe this volume, we fhall briefly obferve, that it contains some new and useful obfervations concerning diflocations and their reduction; and likewife concerning the re-union of fractured bones, the extremities of which have remained long difunited. Among other curious cafes, we have the fingular one in which the upper head of the Os Humeri was fawn off, and yet the en tire motion of the limb was preferved. This was first printed in the Philofophical Tranfactions, and we have noticed it, p. 211 of this month's Review.; Mr. Aikin's Effay on the Ligature of Arteries, is written with a view to recommend, and make more generally known, the method practifed by Mr. Bromfield, which is this,-Mr. Bromfield firft draws out the artery with the tenaculum, and then makes the ligature. This method of tying the artery alone, has long been known, and long, but not generally, practifed. Mr. Aikin's knowledge of the fuccefs of this practice, is a strong argument in favour of its particular utility. This is the method,' fays he, of tying arteries, which, for feveral years paft, has been practifed by the ingenious furgeons of the Manchefter Infirmary; in which, from the frequency of amputations, on account of difeafed joints, the fairest trial has been given of its efficacy. During this whole time a needle has never been ufed in fecuring an artery after an operation, except in a very few cafes, where, from the bad fituation of the artery, or fome other uncommon circumstance, it could not be drawn out fo as to be tied; and I can, with the ftrictest truth, affure the public, both from what I have been three years an eye-witnefs of, and from the moft refpectable teftimony of others, that there has not been a fingle inftance of returning hæmorrhage, after an artery had been once fairly tied in this method.' D. ART. VII. Differtations and critical Remarks upon the Eneids of Virgil, containing, among other interefling Particulars, a full Vindication of the Peet from the Charge of Anachronism with regard to the Foundation of Carthage. By the late John Martyn, F. R. S. Editor of Virgil's Georgics and Bucolics. To the Whole is prefixed, fome Account of the Author and his Writings. 12mo. 3 s. 6 d. bound. Davis. 1771. IT T is pleafant enough to find this learned critic, in his firft differtation, attempting to vindicate Virgil from a fault which ought never to have been laid to his charge; unless it be a fault to be ignorant of what it is impoffible to know. Virgil could not poffibly know whether Troy was taken and Carthage built near the fame period of time or not. For though the ancient Greeks made the destruction of Troy a general epocha from which they computed time, yet they had no certain knowledge when it happened; fo unfettled was the state of chronology before history took place of fable! As to the ⚫ method of Herodotus, which allowed three generations to a century, it was certainly very vague and very Nttle to be depended upon; fo little, indeed, that in the calculation of many centuries, centuries, from any particular family of Kings, &c. many might be loft or gained. The fecond differtation is on the four introductory lines to the Æneis: Ille ego, qui quondam, &c. We will prefume to fay, that no Reader of true tafte would ever have doubted concerning the illegitimacy of these lines, though there had been no manufcripts found without them. The third differtation is of Eneas's character. Virgil has undergone fome cenfure for reprefenting his hero as fhuddering at the profpect of death, in a ftorm at fea. But the cenfure is idle. It was not death, but the mode of death (which did him no honour) that was affecting to the hero; and our Author has made a bad defence for it in faying, that it was his pious fear of the gods. We find this generous horror of Eneas exemplified in many characters both ancient and modern; it was confidered as belonging to the nobleft natures, and never represented in a depreciating view by any good poet or hiftorian. Thus when Achilles was in danger of being drowned in the Xanthus, he laments his fate no less pathetically than Æneas. He complains that he should perish ως παιδα συφορβον, Ουρα τ' εναυλος αποερσει χειμώνι περώντα like a boy that feeds hogs, whom the flooded stream sweeps. away as he is attempting to ford it. It is not death, but fome unworthy circumftance attending it that fhocks a brave man. There is a fine fentiment in Waller where he represents the Duke of Buckingham in danger at fea. His vexation was not for the lofs of life, but the lofs of the idea and remembrance of a woman whom he loved. He only grieved that, The shrine should perish where her image dwelt. Shakespeare's Othello expreffes the fame horror at an obscure death; but, confidering his circumftances, in our opinion, with less nature. One cannot but remember, too, those fine verfes on Charles the Twelfth : But did not Fate at length her error mend? Did no fubverted empire mark his end? A petty fortrefs, and a dubious hand! The fentiment of Ajax, who, when involved in a dark mist on the field of battle, petitions Jupiter to remove it, and let them |