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is chiefly inhabited by Rajepoots and Kettees, there is another tribe called Bhats, who are supposed to be invested with a kind of sacred character; to support which, they occasionally offer their children in Traga, or sacrifice. Their office in the community is, to become personal securities between other individuals, that their various bargains may be punctually fulfilled. But in case the contracting parties should fail in the ratification of their promises, they have recourse to a most dreadful expedient, of which the following is an illustrative example.—

In the year 1806, a Bhat of Vewingaum, named Kunna, had become security on the part of Dossajee, the chieftain of Mallia, for a sum of money, payable to the Guicawar government. When the time specified for payment arrived, Dossajee refused to fulfil his engagement. On this refusal, government applied to Kunna, the Bhat, as the responsible security; who, after several fruitless attempts to persuade Dossajee to redeem his word, returned to his house to adopt more decisive measures. Having spent some time in prayer, he assembled his family, and, with all the deliberation of an idolatrous fanatic, desired his wife to prepare one of their daughters for Traga. The innocent child was at this time about seven years of age; but she had been taught from her infancy to regard the dignity, the sacred character, and divine honour, of her family, as an object to which all other considerations should be rendered subservient. Under these impressions, being persuaded that there existed a real necessity for the sacrifice, compulsory measures were necessary to induce her to walk in the painful path, by which the honour of her Cast was to be preserved. Having bathed, and dressed herself in her best attire, and taken leave of the family, she knelt before her father, resting her head upon his knee; and, holding aside her long hair, resigned herself without a struggle to the sword of this unnatural barbarian. The child being immolated, some of its blood was sprinkled on the gate of Dossajee, which produced an instantaneous payment of the money. The blood of a Bhat being on his possessions, was considered as portentous of some dreadful disaster; to avert which, he also readily gave presents of land to the father, and

no

caused a mausoleum to be erected to | after thine!-No; Sir Richard will be the memory of the daughter.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE IMPERIAL
MAGAZINE.

SIR,
Bristol, May 2, 1819.
ENCLOSED I send you some observa-
tions, which the perusal of a treatise
by Sir Richard Phillips has suggested.
In this work, Sir Richard attempts to
controvert some branches of the New-
tonian Philosophy; but with what suc-
cess, the following paper will declare
my opinion.

second to none: he cannot brook the idea so contradictory in nature, that a less light should shine in the presence of a greater: hence, his first display is to hide the splendour of Newton, and to make the abettors of his system "ashamed of the philosophy which it adopts." It is somewhat strange, that none of the keen-eyed critics could, till now, discover, that Newton had served us up with a stale philosophy. However, as it respects the fall of bodies, and the return of projectiles to the earth, let not even the vulgar and credulous be led to suppose that The tract to which I allude is enti- the causes," whatever they are, 66 were tled, "Essays on the Proximate Me- determined by Sir Isaac Newton." chanical Causes of the General Phe- No: in preceding ages, the term nomena of the Universe." By Sir Attraction, as an inherent or innate Richard Phillips. London. 3s. 6d. property of matter," had been empp. 96. 12mo.-By inserting the folployed "to designate at once the phelowing remarks in the Imperial Maga-nomena and the cause of bodies rushzine, you will oblige yours, &c.

THOS. EXLEY.

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"the

ing together, or falling to the earth."
Besides, "in a folio volume of Cos-
mography, printed in the reign of
James the First, the mutual attrac-
tions of the Earth and Moon, and the
supposed influence of the latter on
the tides of the sea, are explained, as
received truths." And more:
law, that the force and density of ema-
nations from a centre diminish in the
inverse ratio of the square of the dis-
tance, was also recognized in hun-
dreds of treatises on philosophy,
printed in England and on the Conti-
nent through the sixteenth and seven-
teenth centuries." After such evidence
as this, let the man blush who shall
venture to name these as the discove-
ries of Newton. Yet, some tribute is
due to the illustrious philosopher, since
it is admitted that he invented the pro-
jectile force, and annihilated the me-
dium of space.

"In regard to the mechanical cause of gravitation, (says the author,) there have been many hypotheses; but all have failed, either in probability, or in agreement with the law of force." The immense labours of deep and extensive research, of patient and unwearied investigation, of continued observations and experiments, and of the conjoined efforts of genius, have failed, or had failed, till Sir Richard Phillips arose to illuminate the philosophical world. The "combined" revolutions of remote systems have, doubtless, contributed to bring this luminary above our horizon: we might probably have been obliged to grope without the benefit of his lucid emanations, "if the philosophy of Aristotle had not superseded that of the priests and magicians, which had previously subsisted for a thousand years; and if The truth is, that Newton, whose the physics of Newton, and the meta-glory will never be eclipsed, did not physics of Locke, had not superseded invent the projectile force, nor annihithe dogmas of Aristotle, after they late the medium of space; and he had borne down all opposition for never professed to have discovered the nearly two thousand years." cause of gravitation, though he carefully inquired into that cause. He found certain terms, as Attraction, Weight, Gravity, Repulsion, Projectile Force, &c. in frequent use among philosophers, and did not see it necessary to discard these terms; but freely employed them under certain restrictions, which he cautiously and wisely laid before his readers. The term Attraction is doubtless liable

Before this eventful period, we all thought that Sir Isaac Newton's theory of gravitation was established beyond controversy; not adverting to the most common phenomenon, that the Sun itself rises to set again. But surely, Newton, thy glory cannot be hid! He who shall discover the cause of gravitation, shall have the honour to see his name enrolled next

abuse; but against this we are sufficiently guarded. It had long been the custom to call that force, whatever it is, which gives motion to a body, or alters its motion, either by a change of velocity or direction; and this term also he very properly retained.

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mena, which before were totally inexplicable. 12, He bequeathed to us a variety of exquisitely fine and important theorems relating to physics, which have been exceedingly useful to philosophers, and will be so as long as the world stands.-These are the legitimate claims of Sir Isaac Newton, as it respects the theory of universal gravitation. These are truths in philosophy, which the exalted mind of that great man first disclosed, and which were not to be developed but by powers of more than common excellence. By these discoveries philosophy is abundantly enriched, and her empire vastly extended. The continued investigations of illustrious observers and inquirers into the phenomena of nature, have completely

sions: every new discovery relating to the subject furnishes additional evidence, if that were required, and not a single discordant phenomenon has yet been detected in all the variety of material existence.—Thus has Newton found an universal cement, and built a grand series of steps, by which we ascend to regions till then unknown, and explore the beauties of the universe with delight otherwise forbidden.

We may now ask, of what has Newton to boast, since "the PROXIMATE CAUSE of attraction and gravitation continues as little known in our days, as in any period of antiquity?" It was not necessary for Sir Richard to resolve this question: the learned, who require no answer, will excuse a word or two in reply, for the sake of the less informed. Let such examine the subject, and they will find, that, 1, Sir Isaac Newton proved, what had been before surmised, viz. that all the Planets are acted on, or continually de-established these celebrated concluflected from the line of their direction, by a force tending toward the Sun. 2, He proved, what had hitherto been hidden in the arcana of nature, viz. that the intensity of that force varies inversely, as the square of the distance. 3, He demonstrated, that the same kind of force, whatever it is, actuates all the primary Planets. 4, He shewed us, that the secondary Planets are subject to the same kind of force directed both to the primary and to the Sun. 5, From him we But though he discovered the celearn, also, that the Sun is itself un-ment, and many of its wonderful proder the influence of a like force, in aperties and effects, yet he could not direction toward each of the Planets, primary and secondary. 6, That each primary Planet, having secondaries, is affected also by a similar force, directed to its secondaries. 7, That all the Planets are acted on by this all-pervading force, each one towards all the others. 8, He clearly proved, that the force, whatever it is, which causes bodies to descend toward the Earth, ór, as we properly say, which causes the gravitation of terrestrial bodies, is the very same kind of force which operates throughout the whole system. 9, That the action of this force is proportional to the quantity of matter; and therefore affects every material portion of bodies. 10, He invented, and applied in these researches, a sublime calculus; which invention alone would have raised any man to immortal honour in the circle of science. 11, From these established facts, by him ascertained to be such, assisted by the new calculus, he clearly explained numerous pheno

ascertain its essence. This is doubtless a subject worthy of inquiry; but shall we abstain from fruit which is pleasant and wholesome, and presented to us, because we are not informed what is its intimate essence? Of the essential nature of this universal force, or the cause of universal gravitation, Newton professes to know nothing. Whether the tendency of bodies to bodies be occasioned by some unknown action of a rare ethereal medium; or by a stream of fluid, some way moving towards all bodies; or by an inherent or innate power, contained in the nature of some or all portions of matter; or by the agency of some peculiar unknown substance; or by the continued efforts of ministering spirits; or by the immediate hand of Deity,-let those discover who can; the illustrious Newton never pretended to, or claimed the honour of having determined this point.

But "he spoke and treated of AtTRACTION and GRAVITATION as inherent

or innate principles of all matter;" p. 3.
So others have repeatedly affirmed,
and as falsely. Read a single quota-
tion from the Principia, under Def. 8.
p. 7 and 8. Motte's translation: After
stating that he refers Accelerative,
Motive, and Absolute central forces,
to the centre of force, to the place of a
body, or to the centre of the body, as
if it were" indued with some cause;"
he adds, "whether that cause is some
central body, or any thing else that
does not yet appear. For I here de- |
sign only to give a mathematical no-
tion of those forces, without consider-
ing their physical causes or seats.” And,
a little lower, he says, "I likewise
call Attractions and Impulses, in the
same sense, Accelerative, and Motive ; |
and use the words Attraction, Impulse,
or Propensity of any sort towards a
centre, promiscuously and indiffer-
ently, one for another; considering
those forces not physically, but mathe-
matically: Wherefore, the reader is
not to imagine, that, by those words, |
I any where take upon me to define the
kind, or the manner of any action, the
causes or the physical reason thereof;
or that I attribute forces, in a true and
physical sense, to certain centres,
when at any time I happen to speak of
centres as attracting, or as endued
with attractive powers.” The words |
put in italics, are recommended to the
reader's particular attention.

Thus it is clear, from this, as well as from several other parts of the Principia, that when the dignified author says, one body attracts another, he does not mean to affirm, that a power actually and essentially resides in that body, drawing the other towards itself, but that some power or powers some way operate on the bodies, so that the whole effect is the same as if the bodies in reality pulled, attracted, or drew each the other, with a force proportional to the quantity of matter, and inversely as the square of

the distance.

It is also without foundation to say, that Newton invented the projectile force of bodies. Before this it had been a common opinion, "that all bodies, having a simple motion, will continue to move in a straight line, unless continually deflected from it by some extraneous force." The innate force of bodies to continue in their appointed or acquired state, at any time, had been long admitted; and it is obvious in all the phenomena of bodies: and the author of the Principia considered projectile force as nothing else but the force of bodies to continue in the same state of rest or motion at first given them by the all-wise Creator and Disposer of universal nature, or which they may have acquired by the operations of any subsequent force or forces.

It is equally false to assert, that he annihilated the medium of space. On the contrary, he seems disposed to think, that an ethereal substance is universally diffused through space; and proves, if there be such medium, it must be exceedingly rare; and, of course, that there are many vacuities, or interstitial spaces, void of matter.

Hence, Sir Richard Phillips cannot build on the ruins of the received system. This cannot be shaken; it will remain, whether the new one be true or false: and he must submit to have his name placed after that of Sir Isaac Newton, even if he have explained the cause of gravitation.

(To be concluded in our next.)

TO THE EDITOR OF THE IMPERIAL
MAGAZINE.

THE following ingenious solution of
an Algebraic Problem, written by the
late Professor Porson, a short time
before his death, I have lately received
from my learned friend and preceptor
the Rev. John Duncalf, of Wormhill
Hall, near Buxton, Derbyshire, author
of a metaphysical work entitled, " Fa-
If it should be
talism Exposed."
deemed worthy a place in your valu-
able Miscellany, it is at your service.

It is also a false insinuation, to represent Newton as attributing attraction to emanations. However the law of emanations may correspond with the law of gravitation in any particular part, this distinguished philosopher considered the latter, as in truth it is, altogether different from the former: emanations proceed in lines, ever sepa- Given rating; gravitation is considered as a continuous force.

xy+zu=444°
xz+yu= 180
xu+yz= 156
x y z u =5184

J. G.

to find u, x, y and z.

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FICTITIOUS HISTORY OF THE VAMPYRE. THE name of Lord Byron being connected with any article, is almost sure to give it an interest, and to ensure its publicity. A singular tale, entitled "The Vampyre," has lately appeared before the public, to which this celebrated name has been prefixed. From one periodical work, this story has been copied into another; either in its entire form, or under such modifications as have preserved its essence, without entering into detail.

One leading idea, however, is observable in all these accounts. The

Vampyre is represented as a mere creature of the imagination; to which have been ascribed fictitious powers, corresponding, in their application,

with those which we attribute to

sylphs, fairies, elves, and genii. The superstructure, built upon this imaginary basis, coincides, in its visionary materials, with the foundation on which it rests. The dark and gloomy thoughts thus embodied, seem admi

rably adapted to keep alive the fiction; and the tale is properly constructed to exhibit a masculine genius in its boldest attire. Under its imposing aspect, the mind of the reader is insensibly transported into a region of enchantment; where, rapidly moving in untrodden paths, it becomes entangled in those intricate mazes, in which the inversion of natural order assumes the form of half possible reality. Awakened from this poetic delirium, when we reach the conclusion of the tale, reason once more regains its dominion over fancy; but, unfortunately, instead of following that steady light, which is necessary to all just discrimination, we suddenly fall into an opposite snare, and hastily conclude that the Vampyre has no kind of existence, except in the dreams of poets, and the fables of romance.

It appears, from several recent accounts laid before the public, that but a small portion only of this tale, which bears the name of Lord Byron, can claim him as its legitimate parent. Its genuine history, as published in the New Monthly Magazine for May, 1819, is given in the following docu

9. And 9= = 3×1=3=x; and 3 X 4 = 12= = to z, and x y = 12; or 3 y = 12; or y = 4, and xu = 108; or ment. 3 u= 108; or u= 36. So that x= = 3; y = 4; z = 12, and u=36, the four numbers required.

London, April 24.

"Mr. Editor,

"As the person referred to in the letter from Geneva, prefixed to the tale of the Vampyre in your last Num

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