them have the honour of dying by daylight, is noble and altogether in nature:

If Greece muft perifh, we thy will obey,

But let us perish in the face of day!

Here are feveral more differtations, which contain fome loft conjectures in high and fabulous antiquity. Prefixed to the work is an account of the learned Author, and fome mention of men of letters, his friends and cotemporaries. It concludes with critical obfervations on certain paffages in the Eneids, that are generally too long, in proportion to their merit or importance.

L.

ART. VIII. A Philofophical Inquiry into the Nature and Properties of Water. With elegant Copper-plate Figures of the feveral Salts. By J. Rotheram, M. D. 8vo. 2 s. 6d. Newcastle upon Tyne printed, and fold in London by Murray.

TH

HIS Inquiry was very commendably undertaken by Dr. Rotheram, for the fatisfaction of the inhabitants of the town of Newcastle. It is in fome degree a general inquiry concerning water; but chiefly, however, refpects the waters in that town and neighbourhood.

'As this defign, fays our Author, was originally undertaken for the fatisfaction of the magiftracy and inhabitants of this town, upon fome late proposals for furnishing them with water; it may be expected that I should fhew which water is the best and fitteft for that purpose; but I fhall trouble my reader very little farther with those comparifons: if what is faid above be allowed, the Tyne water is undoubtedly the best and fittest in all respects.'

We shall lay before our Readers therefore Dr. Rotheram's

account

Of Tyne Water.

As the waters in most of our navigable rivers are affected by the tides, and other circumftances, it may not be improper to give a fhort fketch of fome particulars relating to the natural hiftory of this river, which may be supposed to alter the property of its waters at different times, before we proceed to relate our experiments upon it. The river Tyne rifes from different fources; fome of them about fixty miles to the North-weft, and others about fifty to the West and South-west from this town; and from hence to its entrance into the fea at Tynemouth, is about ten miles; but if we measure by the windings of the river it will be more in both cafes: fo that its feveral branches spread over a very large tract of country, the greatest part of which abounds with collieries and lead mines; from the numerous levels and engines of which, immenfe quantities of water are conftantly flowing in: that we shall be much within compass if we affert, that above half of the water which runs by Newcastle comes from the mines; and fometimes the wafte waters above men

tioned,

tioned, will be fuddenly let off in very large quantities, or what the workmen call hufhes, and will apparently difcolour the river, for a confiderable space. Yet fo readily and entirely does the river clear itfelf from any impurities, which it might be fuppofed to contract from hence, that I have never been able to discover the lealt particle of any vitriolic or other fubítances, which are to be found in the coal waters; though I have repeatedly and very carefully examined it at different feafons of the year, and different times of the tide indeed I apprehend that we are much indebted to the tides for rendering the river water fo pure and good, as it unquestionably is in this neighbourhood; and the particular courfe and channel of the river contribute, not a little, to this effect.

The channel, betwixt Newcaille and Tynemouth, is of a very different width and depth; fo that the tide is more rapid in fome places than in others. The entrance into the harbour at the Low Lights is very narrow; but the channel forms into a fine large bafon, for the whole length of Shields, capable of holding above two thoufand fail of large thips; above which the tide spreads over the extenfive flats of Jarrow-Slake; and then, for a great length, forms a remarkably fine, broad and deep pool, called the Long-Reach, all which contain an immenfe quantity of water. After this the tide is obftructed by feveral windings and narrow places in the channel, till it comes within about a mile of Newcastle; where it runs in an open and wider pool, till it flows about two miles above this town, when it is a good deal interrupted in its courfe by a large ifland, confift ing of many acres, called the King's Meadows: after flowing round this island by two narrow channels, and through feveral beautiful windings, it rifes a little above the village of Newburn; in all about feven or eight miles above Newcastle.

The tides commonly flow about four hours and an half, and ebb about feven hours and an half, at Newcastle-bridge: and the perpendicular rife of the river here, in a fpring tide, will fometimes be about eleven or twelve feet, and at Tynemouth bar, about eighteen feet; but bóth thefe circumftances vary greatly from the different winds, and the different quantities of fresh water in the river: in a north-westerly wind they will fometimes rife three feet higher than I have mentioned; and, in a fouth-eafterly one, fometimes fcarcely half fo high and in fome of our great land-floods, the tide has not fufficient force to ftem and turn the current, which will fet downwards during the whole fwell of the tide.

From this fhort account we may judge, in fome measure, of the natural effect of the tides upon the water in this river. For, by the conftant and contrary motions which are given to the waters, by the flux and reflux of the tide, the mud is stirred up, the falts and other impurities mixed with part of it, and carried into the fea; whilft that which fubfides in the channel is left unfaturated with falts, cleaner from impurities, and readier to attract and abforb any fresh ones that may come in.

The mud thus ftirred up, is indeed fometimes long in fubfiding; as, upon land-floods efpecially, it chiefly confifts of a fine light clay, divided into fuch minute particles, that a great deal of it will pafs through a common filtering paper, and make the water a little

wheyish;

wheyish; but this will in time feparate and leave the water remarkably bright and pure; and this very inconvenience is, for the reafons affigned above, attended with a fuperior advantage.

Another effect of the tides is, that they may fometimes bring up a little falt water. In fummer time, when the river is low, and the influx of the tide meets with lefs refiftance, the water will be a little brackish at Newcastle; but that is only about the time of high water; for at half ebb, or half flood, it has fcarce any fenfible portion of falt in its refiduum; and in winter time, or indeed in the proneap tides in fummer, we can feldom find the least brackishness by the tafte. When we confider, from the above account, the immense quantity of fresh water that must be driven back, before the tide can rife to Newcastle, it will appear ftrange that any falt water fhould ever reach above our bridge. I have often found a fenfible difference in the taste of the water which was taken up below the bridge, from what was taken up above; the force of the tide being a good deal broken by the pillars. I have not indeed analyfed it in the drieft feafons; but the day in which I am writing this, I tried the fpecific gravity of fome of it which I took up at high water, in the laft fpring tide, after a long droughty feafon, and found it confiderably heavier than any which I had tried before; for it differed from rain water by part of the whole: whereas in winter it rarely differs by I likewife, at the fame time, tried fome which I had taken up at Shields, and found it to differ from rain water by above the 28th part, which is heavier than moft of our tables make fea water to be. Indeed, from the fresh water which is driven back, the faltnefs muft decrease all the way, as the tide comes up the channel; till, a little above this town, it becomes quite evanefcent; and, for seven hours out of every twelve, we have fcarce any falt at all, as will appear more fully presently.

Another effect of the tide upon this, and indeed upon moft navigable rivers, is, the immenfe fhoals of very fmall fishes which are driven up in the later fummer months. It has been frequently obferved here, that a pint of water cannot be taken up near the fhore, any where within the compafs of the tide, but it will contain feveral hundreds of them; nay they will frequently lie fo thick, that we cannot, even in very fhallow places, fee the bottom of the river for them. The water which is taken up fo filled with thefe little animals, is indeed unfit for drefling of victuals, brewing, or almoft any other purpofe; for it has from the first a fifhy difagreeable tafte, and very foon putrefies: but all thefe little animals are within two or three yards of the fhore, and moftly in ftill water; for a fmall current fweeps them all away; and, upon a fresh flood coming down the river, not one of them is to be feen: confequently they can be no objection to the fupplying this town with water from the river, as the water might eafily be brought to the pumps of an engine without conveying any of them along with it.

I fhall not trouble my reader with a tedious relation of all the different experiments which I have made upon this water; but shall felect two trials, one of which was made of the water taken up at half ebb, and the other at high water, when the river was in ita moft ufual ftate in the firft of them, indeed, which was taken up

on

on the 24th of January, 1770, the river was rather more muddy than ufual, and I allowed the water to ftand two days before I weighed it.

Its fpecific gravity was to that of rain water as 1,348,481 to 1,348,145; the difference being 336, or nearly 3 of the whole. Its tafte was mild, cool and agreeable.

It made no change with the lixivium of tartar, or folution of fugar of lead, nor yet with galls, fyrup of violets, or acids.

56

A gallon of it left upon evaporation only gr. 4 of a light brown fediment; which tafted evidently, though flightly, falt; and felt gritty betwixt the teeth.

The quantity of this refiduum was fo very small, that it scarcely afforded an opportunity of feparating the falt from the earth, or of trying any other experiments; and upon fome other evaporations of the water, taken up at half flood and half ebb, the refiduum was ftill lefs; fo that I looked upon any minute examination of them as trifling and infignificant.

On the 29th of January, 1770, I took a quantity of water from the river, at the west end of the town, juft at the time of high water in a spring tide. The weather was then dry and remarkably warm for the feafon, and the water much brighter than that which I used in the last experiment; and I think had no brackishness difcoverable by the tafte: but it turned quite milky and precipitated, upon dropping in a little folution of fugar of lead.

A gallon of it left, upon evaporation, gr. 1976 of a light brown refiduum, which tafted very falt, crackled upon the hot iron; made an ebullition and white fumes with spirit of vitriol, but no apparent change in fyrup of violets, and attracted moisture very fast.

Five grains of it were, by the hot iron, reduced to 4%, but increased again in weight fo faft, that I could not be so exact as I could have wished.

After it was well washed in diftilled water, it left a dark grey infipid powder of calcareous and absorbent earth, which weighed gr. 17003

361

The falt was entirely muriatic; and the cryftals, when viewed through the microfcope, appeared as in the copper-plate.

The falt was in proportion to the earth as 3638 to 1362; fo that each gallon of this water contained 143 grains of falt, and 382 of earth. S

Obf. Though this water was manifeftly brighter than that which was used in the preceding analyfis, yet the earthy parts of it were more than the whole refiduum of the other; and I am fure that they were both collected and weighed with equal care which shews that the tides impregnate the water in this river with fomething more than falt; or the falt may probably be a means of uniting more earth with the water; but thefe fubftances are, in a very little time, either moftly carried away or fpontaneously precipitated.

968

Upon analyfing fome water, taken up in another spring tide, I only obtained gr. 12, from a gallon; but in very dry weather, when, perhaps, not one-third part of the fresh water comes down the river, an high tide may bring up a larger proportion of falt; as indeed is evident from the specific gravity of the Tyne water taken

this day. But in general, or at least for above eight months in the year, it contains no falt, even at high water, that can be any way prejudicial: and when we confider, that from half ebb until half flood, or for upwards of feven hours out of twelve, there is scarcely any perceptible falt in it, no reasonable objection can be made, upon this account, against fupplying the town with it; as an engine might work, very well, above fifteen hours in the day; and in that time, with the greateft eafe, it might raife four or five thousand hogfheads to the highest part of the town.

The contents of this water are fo fmall in quantity, and in their nature so very inoffenfive, that they are by no means worthy of confideration and the other objections, which have been made to it, are equally trifling and infignificant. It has been faid that it gives both meat and linen a bad colour; fo will the Thames water, or that of almost any river in England, if it be used before it has fubfided; but feveral families in this town who keep it in proper cifterns make no fuch complaint, and fome of it which I have now by me, and which was taken up quite muddy, is as clear and bright as any water which I know. The force of the pumps, the conveyance through pipes, and the refting in large refervoirs, will all undoubtedly contribute to render it bright and pure. It is known to keep exceedingly good and fweet through long voyages, as it has been frequently carried to North America: and what is ftill a farther argument for the fupplying of this town with it, it is a fource which can never fail, and indeed the only one which can fafely be depended on for the opening of new collieries, and the extending of old ones, often make ftrange alterations, in the courfes of feveral fprings in this neighbourhood.'

D.

ART. IX. The Fables of Flora. By Dr. Langhorne. 4to. 3s. fewed. Murray. 1771.

F

NABLE is a fpecies of literature from which great benefit, and no inconfiderable degree of pleafure, may accrue to mankind. It is, as hath been justly remarked *, the moft easy, winning, and engaging way of teaching; it furnishes the most proper and effectual means of infpiring men with a love of virtue, and hatred of vice; and it has frequently happened that the old and wife, as well as the young and inconfiderate, have reaped the advantages flowing from this mode of inftruction. The former will admire the important truths fo artfully yet fimply conveyed in thefe agreeable fictions, while the latter, who ufually look no farther than the furface and form of the vehicle, may not only find the pleasure they feek for, but, as they increafe in years and judgment, will receive thofe folid and useful inftructions which they never before thought of. Thus far with respect to the idea of Fable, and its ufeful ten

* Obf. on this fubject, by Dr. Lamotte, 1742. REV. Mar. 1771.

e

dency,