gin and leave off without proceeding to those proofs which I cannot but give unwillingly. (r. 8) A FEW REMARKS. The author of this memorial has formed so precise an idea of the object at which he aims, that he wishes sometimes for a naval school, sometimes for a naval and military school, sometimes for a corporation of army and navy surgeons, and sometimes for nothing less than a splendid national institute, and a Directory. He does not assert, that the mode of education in the medical schools, already established, is any wise defective. The defect of education is rather owing, he thinks, to the poverty of the pupils and the want of encouragement in the service, Instead, however, of pointing out a method to remove this poverty or of recommending an increase of pay, he imagines, affirms, asserts, is persuaded and confident, that, independent of any other alteration whatever, the whole of the evils of which he complains would vanish at once, upon erecting a new and lucrative office for which, if we can trust his self-recommendation, he is so very eminently qualified, that he is capable of assisting even the wisest. It is plain, therefore, that the melancholy state of the public service, and all the misfortunes which have befallen our country, have arisen entirely from the neglect of our author's most extraordinary merits, a neglect which will certainly be considered by the latest posterity as an indelible stain, not only on his Majesty's ministry and his Majesty's reign, but even on the eighteenth century itself. It is very evident from the strain of the memorial, that, were the author handsomely provided with a suitable office, the poverty of the pupils, and their future encouragement, might be disregarded. Notwithstanding their poverty they must remain at this school for years, trained to the peculiar studies of their department,. (P. 15) and boarding and lodging it would appear at their own expence, for it cannot be supposed that of them are to possess those astonishing talents which enabled our author to acquire a most perfect and wonderful knowledge of naval and military surgery, by a transient peep into the hospitals of Sheerness and Yarmouth, where he, no douht, displayed his most singu lar modesty, his very small degree of assurance, and all his other excellent qualities so characteristic of a useful man. any What great reason have we, and what great reason has the world in general, to lament his want of success? Had he been appointed the sole or the principal person of the naval and military school, of the corporation of army and navy surgeons, or of the splendid national institute and directory, he might probably have favoured the public with his new and marvellous method of acquiring experience by knowledge, instead of the vulgar and awkward way of acquiring knowledge by experience. At present" they return," says he, "to the various schools of medicine to have knowledge and professional learning grafted on experience, because they were hurried into the world too early to have their experience founded on previous knowledge." (p. 6) At first we supposed that this sen tence tence was, without intention, a blundering bull, or a slip of the pen, but have since been informed, that our author once published a Treatise upon Gunshot Wounds before he had seen either Sheerness or Yarmouth, or had any knowledge whatever of the subject, except what he learned from reading, hearsay, and his own imagination; and that this treatise of previous knowledge, without experience, was (much to the credit of his great abilities) thought so truly wonderful at the time that many, even of the most ignorant. of his admirers, were much surprised that government then did not. issue orders for all the naval and military surgeons to attend his Lectures. It must certainly be owing to this most peculiar and singular discovery of acquiring experience, by previous knowledge, that our author, in order to write upon gunshot wounds, did not think it necessary to see practice in the navy or army; and has never, ainidst his most violent complaints, condescended to mention a single fact, or to point out an instance of neglect, except one, the case of the Ardent, which is mentioned in a note. His humanity, sensibility, sincerity, his great learning, his science, his uncommon edu cation, his disinterestedness, and his want of envy, are repeatedly demonstrated in the clearest manner, by his own assertions, and his regard for truth, which is every where remarkable, is most particularly so, where he asserts, notwithstanding the attention of the medical board, the daily offers of advanced pay, and the institution of Greenwich Hospital, that such a dangerous service as that of our navy, hardly extorts from our government even the appearance of care. This extraordinary attachment to truth, his great talent for co!lecting facts, the happy knack with which he overturns them, by confident assertions, his inimitable art in composing VERBAGÉ proceeding with the sound, and leaving the meaning to follow at its leisure and shift for itself, his substituting bombast for the sublime, and without ideas, genius, or argument, producing eloquence by puffs of enthusiasm and a flash of words, with his many other excellent qualities, too tedious to mention, must undoubtedly procure to this memorial a most distinguished rank among political pamphlets. It has shewn more clearly than any other work we have hitherto seen the real sources of the amor patrie among the needy, the adventurous, and disappointed. But what awful feelings must it create in the public mind to see the melancholy state of the public service demonstrated so clearly by the mere power of imagination. And how much must the nation in general be provoked to observe that the first Lord of the Admiralty still preserves the natural ruby of his cheeks after lending a deaf ear to this most disinterested memorial, and refusing the salutary advice of our author, which would have dispelled in less than a moment, all the black, imaginary clouds that overhang the island. We affirm, that had our author shown this memorial to a crown lawyer before it was published, and offered to suppress it upon certain conditions, no conditions which he could have asked would have been refused. We We assert too, that had he wished to figure in the army, and but offered his own services, and those of his pupils, to his Royal Highness the Duke of York, they would have been gladly accepted. But we are confident that his great zeal for the public good, would never allow him to shew this memorial to a crown lawyer, nor demand any conditions whatever for its suppression; and we are also persuaded that he never offered either his own services or those of his pupils to the Duke of York, having declared himself neither fit nor willing to leave the soil where chance has rooted him. From being conscious, therefore, of no selfish views, no mean nor worldly craving, no desire that we would not be proud to avow; in short, thinking more of others than ourselves, we request, for the sake of our author, that all such reports may be contradicted, however authenticated, and conclude with hoping that our author will consider this review,like his own memorial, as in every sense, a private communication, and printed merely in token of respect. ART. XII. Obfervations on the Nature, Caufes, Prevention and Cure of Gout, and Rheumatifm: To which is annexed Phenomena Phyfiologia, iffuing in the Cure of thefe Difeafes. By William Peter White. 12mo. Pr. 122. Rivingtons. London. 1800. DIS ISPOSED, as we are, to encourage every defign that may tend to promote the benefit of mankind, we cannot but be equally inclined to fupprefs the intrufions of empiricism, in whatever drefs they may appear, or however artfully they may be difguifed. From the title of the little work before us, we expected to find an able defcription of the symptoms, ufeful obfervations upon, and a rational or fuccefsful method of cure proposed for, the diseases named; and especially as these things are now not fo difficult as they were. How much then were we difappointed and furprised to find a pompous and unneceffary introduction ("Rationale of Medicine") fucceeded by a very indifferent and imperfect defcription of the difeafes profeffedly treated; interspersed with criticisms on derivation, which can anfwer no purpose but to display the author's fagacity, and pity for his readers. His theory is alfo founded upon the doctrine of chemical affinity, or in other words, that the mutual attraction of different bodies, conftitute the difeafe Gout, by forming concretions, which nuft be expelled by perfpiration. The means of cure is not communicated, because it would be difficult to perfuade a gouty patient that a remedy was within his own power," he is therefore to apply to the author! We perfectly agree with the affertion (P. 58.) "that when a remedy is dilcovered, whether internal, or external," (which laft the author feems to prefer,) "it is indifferent whether it be recommended by a BOYLE or a LETTSOM, or decreed by them both." We cannot, however, conceive why thofe names fhould be affociated!! It is neceffary to ob ferve, The a. ferve, that Gout may arise from living too poor, as well as too rich; and is therefore more common than is fuppofed. In either cafe, debility is the caufe, and every ftrengthening means the remedy. At P. 65, the baftard pleurify, is called rheumatifm on the muscles of the thorax: although we know the most mufcular parts escape rheumatifm, which falls chiefly on tendons. From p. 67, we hall extract a specimen of the author's ftile- "Soon as the infant quits its warm primæval bower, and ventures into colder climes, beneficent nature presents her vital oxygen, and fans its little fires. fubtle fluid finds, even here, the potent element, whofe refistless force old chaos warmed and made creation fhine. In infant lungs the caloric acquires the form of heat, whose restless love of liberty expands the breast, and on the wondrous apparatus moves." How beautifully poetical! The author (at p. 89,) is willing to avoid a "pertinacious loquacity," in teaching how to prevent rheumatisms, although he forgot this rule before. And as to the cure, “every man" having "a conftitution" properly "his own," requires a practitioner. He is therefore "compelled to filence," and takes " respectful leave of the reader" with recommending him to perufe his book again. Fourteen cafes are given to fhew the author's fkill in one of which (cafe ix. P. 101.) he remarks, it cannot be improper to obferve, that this cure was performed in the presence of a diplomatic gentleman of fome degree of eminence." A puffing "advertisement on Pneumatic Medicine" is added; and a pompous addenda on "Improved Inoculation without the fmalleft chance of disfiguration." The whole concludes with this confolatory advice. Patients attended at the author's refidence, (Stourbridge), or families at their own houses." We may here obferve, that as the author's doctrine is founded on the ever varying theories of chemiltry, so the particular one he has chofen is, even now fhaking. We advise ftrict TEMPERANCE as the best prefervative from GoUT, and generous living, as wine, foups, animal food, tonic medicines, opium, &c. guided with difcretion, as the best and most certain REMEDY. For rheumatiim, if acute, as in young people, every STRENGTHENING means; or if chronic, as in aged perfons, WARMTH externally from flannels, and internally from fuch medicines, as guaicum, ginger, volatile fpirits, turpentine, &c. DIVINITY. ART. XIII. A Letter addressed to the Rev. R. Polwhele, Vicar of though though it is too contemptible in itself to claim the attention of the critic. It tends, indeed, to prove the justness of Mr. Polwhele's portraits of Calvinism: it clearly shews, that his opinion of methodism was not hastily formed: for never, perhaps, issued from the press a pamphlet marked with such unchristian features; such an affectation of zeal for religion; such jesuitical hypocrisy, ignorance and malevolence, as the letter and the appendix now under review. "I am afraid (says this anonymous writer, addressing Mr. P.) that you deceive yourself in your estimation of the effect of your altempts at humour. You are not aware, that, what you intend for a smile, gives you the aspect of the laughing Hyena; and that the gambols, which you design, should exhibit your sportiveness and agility, bear a striking resemblance to the motions of a certain animal whom I have seen led through our streets; whose dancing, in spite of all his own exertions and the well enforced tuition of his leader, remained unnatural, ungraceful, and disgusting." P. 10. "Among all the circumstances that have ever excited my astonishment, I can recollect no one so whimsically absurd, as your endeavour to convict Dr. Hawker of being a transubstantialist : an attempt more childishly trifling, or more offensivėly ridiculous, I believe never was projected." P. 16. Mr. P. has no where, attempted to convict Dr. Hawker of being a transubstantialist. What degree of credit may be due to a person who utters wilful falshoods, without hesitation, our readers may determine. On the scurrilous appendix, which relates to the Anti-Jacobin Review, we disdain to waste our time; though we cannot but observe, that the person before us, knows not of whom he writes, when he says, that "the Anti-Jacobin Reviewers," by declining the examination of all works which it required any depth of learning to criticise, and by the blundering report which they gave of many of the works which they have ventured to criticise, have long made it impossible for any man in his senses to suspect, that any writer, possessed of cultivated talents, was concerned in the supply of this journal." This is, truly, to shoot an arrow over the wall: the Anti-Jacobin Review, has been regularly supported by the first literary characters in this country. ART. XIV. Methodism tried and acquitted at the Bar of Common two right honourable Pr. 92. Flindell, The latter is far the THIS is a tissue of sense and nonsense. most prevalent, but, here and there, we meet with passages welk conceived and well expressed. "We have heard you represented (says the writer to Mr. Polwhele) and, of consequence, were led to consider you, as a gentleman of some distinction in the literary world; and, if a proper attention had been paid by yourself to that merit, for which we give you the fullest credit, you certainly would have received from us all that respect which your station in life entitled you to claim. But when, instead of respect for your character |