phyfician applied to them, that he might be permitted to take out her heart for the purpose of preferving it, and of carrying it with him to France. But they refuted his entreaty with difdain and anger. Her remains were touched by the rude hands of the executioners, who carried them into an adjoining apartment, and tearing a cloth from an old billiard table, covered that form, once fo beautiful. The block, the cushion, the fcaffold, and the garments which were stained with her blood, were confumed with fire. Her body, after being embalmed and committed to a leaden coffin, was buried with a royal splendour and pomp in the cathedral of Peterborough. Elizabeth who had treated her like a criminal while the lived, feemed to be difpofed to acknowledge her for a queen when the was dead. Twenty years after, James commanded her bones to be removed to Westminster, and to be de◄ pofited in their proper place among the kings of England.

Such was the melancholy fate of Mary Stuart, queen of Scots, in the forty-fifth year of her age.'

But let

This picture is finely touched. It fhews the pathetic powers of Dr. Stuart very ftrongly. We acknowledge ourfelves to have been much affected by it. But we proceed to the character of Mary, as drawn by the hand of this eminent mafter in characters. Such kind of hiftorical portraits, indeed, we knew to have been lately reprobated by fome, as the SPLENDIDA PECCATA of modern hiftorians. us not liften to the voice of faftidious prudery. A character that is properly delineated, is as natural as it is useful, and as ufeful as it is ornamental to hiftory. It is the natural effufion of the mind, on the final difmiffion of a great actor from the scene. It is ufeful in giving a proper completeness to the narrative. It is all the rays of the narrative drawn judiciously together into a focus, in order to dispense light and warmth in one ftrong blaze at the clofe.

Her abilities were an honour to her birth, which was moft illuftrious. Her virtues were great; her misfortunes greater. While fhe was capable of profound views, and a bold policy, she was firm and ftrenuous. Her understanding was clear, her judgment penetrating, her spirit lofty, her application vigorous. But he was called to the exercife of royalty, in an unhappy and most critical period. The troubles of the reformation had confirmed the turbulence of her nobles; and fhe had been accustomed to the orderly government, and the refined and feducing manners of France. The zeal of her people for the new opinions was moft paffionate; and the wąs attached to the antient religion with a keennefs that excited their fears. Her prime minifters, though able and popular, were deftitute of integrity and patriotifm: and a confpiracy to disturb her peace, and to accomplish her ruin, was formed early by an imperious rival, who, to exorbitant power and immenfe wealth, added the fingular felicity of being directed by statesmen devoted to her purposes, and poffefied of the greatest talents. With the happieft intentions, with public fpirit and the love of juftice, with moderation, liberality and splendour, the attained not the praife of true glory. Circum

03

vented

vented by the treachery of fmiling and corrupted counfellors, and expofed to the unceafing hatred and fulpicion, of turbulent ecclefiaftics, the perpetually experienced the miferies of difappointment, and the malignity of detractions. With great capacity for bufinefs, flie was unfuccefsful in affairs. Infinitely amiable in her private deportment, the enjoyed not tranquillity and happinefs. She was candid and open; engaging and generous. Her manners were gentle, her temper chearful, her converfation eafy and flowing, her wit polite, her information various, her tafte elegant. But her husbands like her courtiers, were eager to interrupt her profperity and enjoyments; and while her administration was deformed with disasters and faction, her domestic life was embittered with difquietudes and forrow. With every claim to felicity, fhe was expofed to all the croffes of fortune; and her form, which gave a fplendour to her rank, her abilities, her virtues, and her accomplishments, ferved to ennoble her afflictions. The incomparable beauty and expreffion of her countenance, the exquifite propriety of her ftature, and the exact fymmetry of her hape, attracted and fixed the admiration of every beholder. In her air, her walk, her gefture, fhe mingled majefty and grace. Her eyes, which were of a dark grey, spoke the fituations and fenfibility of her mind; the found of her voice was melodius and affecting; and her hair, which was black, improved the brightness of her complexion. To give the greatest luftre to her perfon, fhe took a full advantage of the adventitious aids and garniture of drefs. She difcovered an inexhauftible fancy in the richness and variety of her garments. She delighted in jewels and precious ftones; and fhe was anxioufly curious in the finenes and fafhion of her linen. But while her mind and her person were fo perfect and fo alluring, fhe was not exempted from frailties. Though capable of diffimulation, and acquainted with the arts of management and addrefs, she did not fufficiently accommodate herself to the manners of her people. Her refpect for her religion was too fond and doating to confift with the policy and the dignity of a great fovereign. In her counfellors the uniformly repofed too unbounded a confidence; and from the foftnefs of her nature, fhe could be feduced to give them her truft even after their demeanour was equivocal and fufpicious. Her clemency was not guided by prudence, and was generally repaid with ingratitude and infult. To the proteftant clergy, whofe infolence was inordinate and feditious, the conducted herself fometimes with a paffion that was unbecoming, and fometimes with a remiffness that detracted from her confequence. A determined contempt or a vigorous severity would have fuited better with her royal condition. She received her impreffions with too much vivacity; and from the delicacy of her organization fhe was difpofed to that fpirit of caprice which is in fome measure characteristic of her fex; but which, though often pleasant and even delightful in the still and endearing intercourfe of private life, betrays in public concerns the fufpicionof inconftancy and indiscretion. Her faults, however were the refult of amiable weakneffes; and they excite regret rather than indignation. The moft unpardonable error of her life was the romantic imprudence with which the ventured into England, and entrusted herself to the power of Elizabeth. By courage and perfeverance the might have

defeated

defeated the turbulence and ambition of her nobles; and experienc, and time would have opened up to her all the arts of governmene But by this fatal step fhe involved herfelf in difficulties which fhe was never able to furmount. Elizabeth, to whom her abilities and beauty were a fource of the most unrelenting jealoufy and anger, embraced, with a ferocious ardour, the opportunity of humbling her completely as a queen, and as a woman. She was expofed to all the practices of a cunning and and a wicked vengeance. The vileft calumnies, the most infulting mortifications, the moft ftudied barbarities, were employed againit her. She was made to exchange a kings dom for a prifon; and while the felt in her own perfon the cruelest injuries, fhe was afflicted with the dangers that threatened her country and her fon. An inclement and fuspicious adverfary, who dreaded to encounter her when at liberty, tarnifhed the glory of an illuf trious reign by trampling upon her fceptre while fhe was a captive. The rivalfhip of beauty ftill more perhaps than of talents, foftered the refentments of Elizabeth; and while the made Mary to fuffer under her power, he found the moft exquifite delight in overturning the dominion of her charms. It pleafed her in the greatest degree, that the beauty of the Scottish princefs fhould waste itself in folitude, that he should be kept at a diftance from admiration and homage, and that the fhould never experience, in any fortunate alliance, the melting tendernefs, and the delicate fenfibilities of connubial love. During the long period which paffed from the flight of Mary into England till her death, her miferies were intenfe, piercing, and uninterrupted. The bitter cup of her fortune, which often overflowed, never ceased to be full. But, though agonizing with conftant afflictions, and though crowned with thorns, the ftill remembered that fhe was a queen, and maintained the elevation and the dignity which became her. To overwhelm her with diftrefs and anguish, Elizabeth fcrupled not to infult and to violate the most established principles of law and juftice, the honour of hofpitality, the reverence of her fex, the holiness of religion, the folemnity of engagements, the ties of relation, the feelings of humanity, the fanctity of innocence, and the majefty of kings. But no infolence of tyranny, no refinement of anger, and no pang of woe, could conquer or deftroy her greatnefs and her fortitude. Her mind, which grew in its powers under ftruggles and calamity, feemed even to take a ftrain of vigour from the atrocious paffions of her rival; and during her lamentable captivity, and in her dying fcene, the difplayed a magnanimity and a heroidin that perhaps may have been equalled, but which has never been furpaffed in any age, or in any nation."

We have taken fo much notice of the history, that we can barely mention the large and important appendix to it, as Thewing our author's deep infight into the feudal polity of Scotland, and correcting fome grofs mistakes in Dr. Robertfon upon this fubject.

And we fhall conclude our whole account with remarking, that the language of Dr. Stuart, though disfigured at times with Scoticifms, is in general pure, elegant, and various, that on many occafions it is pointed and ftrong, and that on fome

1t mounts into great energy and vigour; and we recommend his work to our readers in the warmeft terms, as a moft valuable addition to the once flender, but now increafing, stock of dignified and philofophical history among us.

ART. XI. A Method of preventing or diminishing Pain in feveral Operations of Surgery. By James Moore, Member of the Surgeons Company of London, 8vo. 2s. 1784.

WE

E fhall confider only for the information of our readers that part of this ingenious young gentleman's pamphlet, which relates to the circumftance mentioned in the title, and which is the fole intent of the publition, taking no notice of the introductory and ornamental parts; for in a matter of this fort, we would carefully avoid every kind of criticifm, if even there were occafion for it.

Mr. Moore's idea is briefly this Revolving in his mind, whether it might not be poffible to alleviate or prevent the pain attendant upon chirurgical operations; it occurred to him, that this end might poffibly be accomplished by compreffion. He was led to the idea from confidering that kind of fenfation, which we often feel when we fay the leg is afleep; and which proceeds from compreffing the fciatic nerve, by fitting in a certain position.

To make the experiment on himself, Mr. Moore placed a comprefs on the fciatic nerve backwards, and applied a tourniquet over it, which he tightened as much as he could bear.The experiment was unfuccefsful.

It was repeated a fecond time, with the addition of a thicker and larger comprefs over the fciatic nerve, in order to increase the preffure; and with no better fuccefs.

But as the fenfation before mentioned in the leg, is not ufually brought on till the nerve has been preffed upon for a length of time, the author was led to fufpect, that the fame continuation of the compreffion would be neceffary to produce the defired effect in this inftance. He therefore refolved to renew the experiment, continuing the compreffion as long as he imagined it might be done with fafety.

The refult was, that in about fourteen minutes a tingling 'was felt in the toes; which, foon after, were quite benumbed. The numbnefs gradually fpread itfelf up the leg and thigh, and in half an hour the foot, leg, and outfide of the thigh, became fo perfectly infenfible, that they could be pricked or fcratched with pins, without exciting any fenfation; and the foot had loft its power of motion. The infide of the leg and thigh, however, ftill retained a degree of feeling, notwithstanding the compreffion was continued for fome

timé

time longer. This circumftance Mr. Moore judiciously afcribed to his not having included the crural and the obturater nerves in the compreffion.

The experiment was, therefore, repeated a fourth time with two thick compreffes, one of which was placed forwards on the crural and obturater nerves, (called also the anterior and pofterior crural,) and the other backwards on the fciatic nerve. In half an hour the infenfibility was com plete, fo that Mr. Moore did not experience the leaft fenfation from fcratching or pricking any part of the limb.

1

The experiment was again made, with the fame fuccefs, in the prefence of Mr. Mocre's father, a gentleman well known in the literary world.

The author being now convinced of the fuccefs of the experiment, wifhed to obviate the objection that might be made to it, from the circulation of the blood in the limb being ftopped for fo long a time in this common mode of making the compreffion. He therefore gave directions to Mr. Savigny to make a compreffor, (a plate of which is annexed to the pamphlet,) confifting of a curved piece of iron covered with leather, and of fufficient capacity to contain the thigh within its curve. At the pofterior extremity of the inftrument is a firm comprefs of leather, which is to be placed on the fciatic nerve, and at the other extremity of the inftrument is a fcrew, paffing through a hole, and terminating in an oval comprefs to be placed on the crural nerve. compreffion of the inftrument is thus confined to two points in the limb, which are nearly oppofite to each other; while all the rest of the limb is kept free from preffure; fo that the application of this inftrument does not fuperfede the neceffity of applying the tourniquet in amputations.

The

A fimilar inftrument is defcribed as adapted to the arm, but here there is no neceflity for a double compreffion. A fingle comprefs upon the axillary plexus of nerves is found quite fufficient.

It now remained only to try the effect of the inftrument upon the living body, in the inftance of a fevere chirurgical operation; an opportunity of doing which was foon given to the author, by Mr. Hunter of St. George's Hospital, in an amputation below the knee. We fhall give an account of this experiment, and the refult of it, in the writer's own words.

I went to the hofpital the day before the operation, to try the inftrument. The patient had loft all his toes, and had a large ulcer on his foot. This was fo much inflamed and fo irritable, that dreffing it in the gentleft manner gave him acute pain.

I applied the inftrument; after the compreffion had been confinued for about half an hour, his limb became fo infenfible, that

rubbing