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merce ever has funk, and must ever fink, for commerce and defpotifm never inhabit the fame region. The unfortunate, because weak and ill judging House of Stuart, by various encroachments on the liberties of the people, provoked them to violence and fury, and drove them, in madness and rage, to acts on their fide as fubverfive of public prosperity and private happiness as any of which they complained: and liberty, carried beyond its due bounds, and prerogative here depreffed too low, the conftitution was overturned for a time and when it appeared to be reftored under Charles II. and James II. that appearance was but of fhort duration, and the balance only inclined the other way. The fulfome and numerous addreffes which had poured in, from every quarter to the last of these mistaken and deluded princes, having led him to a belief that the voice of the people was really in his favour, he rafhly rushed on his own destruction. The eyes of the nation being opened, the most eager and warm of these addreffers faw their error, and stopped fhort on the edge of the gulph into which they had nearly plunged themselves and their country, and joined their hearts and hands with the reft of the nation to bring about the revolution. The attempts to fhake the conftitution fixed on the bafis of the revolution were fruftrated. The bleffings which flowed from that event met a fevere check, our author obferves, in 1762. Attempts have been made, he affirms, for twenty two years paft, to incline the balance of the conftitution ftrongly to one fide; this has been productive of the long lift of evils by which we are all both in our aggregate capacity and as individuals, at this time moft heavily and grievously oppreffed.-In proving that national profperity has rifen or fallen in the ratio of the preservation of the balance of prerogative and liberty, Alfred feverely arraigns that fecret influence which has guided the prefent reign, the late peace, and the conduct, particularly with regard to finance, of the prefent Ministry. -This pamplet is written with great liveliness, and bears evident marks of the genius of the author, (Mr. Burke) to whom it is generally afcribed.

ART.

FOREIGN LITERATURE.

ART. XVI. Hiftoire Naturelle des Mineraux. Par M. le Comte de
Buffon. 2 tom. .4tb. Paris, 17851

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Buffon's Natural History of Minerals.

[Concluded from our Review for January.]

S we have already endeavoured to gratify the public curiofity by a diftinct view of the Author's principles and arrangements, as they appear in the first volume; we fhall pass more haftily over the prefent volume as well as thofe which may be published in future, noticing only the more remarkable opinions and deviations from the doctrines, which feem to be generally received. The titles of the articles which we are now to confider, occur in the following order, bitumen, martial pyrites, volcanic fubftances, fulphur, falts, vitriolic acid and vitriols, liquor filicum, alum, other combinations of the vitriolic acid, acid of vegetables and animals, alkalis and their combinations, fea falt, nitre, fal amoniac, borax, iron, gold.

All bitumens have one common origin; and that has been already affigned under the article coal. The liquid forts are diftilled from the folid by fubterraneous fire. In ambergreafe there is a mixture of fome animal substance, with bitumen.

Martial pyrites is a fubftance of secondary formation. It does not contain fulphur completely formed, but only its elements. It was produced by the combination of acid first with the fixed fire of vegetables and animals, and then with earth containing a large portion of iron.

The fire of volcanos arofe from the afcenfion of martial pyrites, and is maintained by the burning of coal, foffilwood, &c. In his enumeration of the products of volcanos, we do not find that the Author's fancy has rambled very widely from the ordinary track of writers.

Sulphur is faid to derive its origin from the combuftion of pyrites and bitumens. It is alfo produced viâ humidâ whereever the vitriolic acid meets with the fpoils of organized bodies. In the account of its nature and properties, M. Buffon follows the chymifts, excepting where he reprobates the term phlogifton.

In the hiftory of falts, M. Buffon confiders fixed air as the primitive and univerfal acid. By uniting with the pri ENG. REV. Vol. V. 1785. mordial

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mordial glaffes, it acquired both mass and ftrength, and became vitriolic acid: by uniting with metallic fubftances, it acquired ftill more mafs and ftrength, and became the arfenical acid. Many ages afterwards it combined with calcareous earth, and formed marine acid. Next, the fame univerfal acid united with the principles of organized bodies and was changed, by fermentation, into the animal and vegetable acids, and in confequence of the putrefaction of their remains, into nitrous acid. The alkalis alfo are the progeny of fixed air, because it may be extracted from them. Why did not he, when he was in fo fair a train, attribute the origin of calcareous and argillaceous earths as well as magnesia, to the fame fource? It is ftrange that the Author when he blames Stahl in this very fection, for bringing forward a fuppofition deftitute of proof and contrary to all the phænomena, could not perceive how juftly and how often it might be applied to himself. The aerial acid, we are further told, is the principle of rapidity and odour: it is to the taste and smell what light and colours are to the eye it is, excepting fire, the only agent in nature.

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..Solubility in water is faid not to be an effential property of falts, because if the mother-ley be loaded with unctuous matter (matiere graffe) the water cannot diffolve the falt.

In the two fucceeding fections, the Author repeats his notions concerning the compofition of vitriolic acid, and the converfion of flint into clay.

He contends at fome length that the bafis of alumn is not pure clay, but clay with an admixture of chalk and mud.

Speaking of magnefia, he fays, "That from its refemblance to calcareous earth, it is impoffible to doubt of its being a true calcareous earth, firft penetrated with vitriolic acid and then modified by the aerial acid, and perhaps alfo by vegetable alkali, of which it feems to poffefs fome properties."

The famous queftion concerning the impregnation of the water of the fea, is thus decided by the Author in his history of fea falt. The fea was at firft fimply acid, or merely acidulous; by the union of the primitive acid with the alkalis and the other acids, it became more acid and falt: it afterwards acquired brackifhnefs by the admixture of bitumen, and it was, laftly, loaded with fat and oil by the decompofition of the bodies of its inhabitants, which have, as is well known, more oil in their compofition than land animals.

"Time neceffary heightened the faltnefs and brackishness as well as the oilinefs of the fea-water, fince all the rivers flowing

flowing into this great receptacle, are themselves impregnated with faline, bituminous, and oily particles, fupplied by the earth and too fixed to rife in vapour. The quantity therefore, of the impregnating fubftances cannot but increase, while the quantity of water remains always the fame, for the running waters reftore as much as evaporation carries away.

"To thefe caufes of the increafe of the faltnefs of the fea, may be added the confiderable quantity of falt which the waters filtering in the bofom of the earth detach from the faline maffes, that are found in various parts, and at confiderable depths."

Thefe mines he fuppofes to have been once falt-pits, in which fucceffive portions of fea-water were fpeedily evaporated by the original heat of the globe.

He conjectures that the acid of borax, is a compound of arfenic and copper.

For the pofition of the metals, he accounts in the following manner. "All the metals may be fublimed by the force of fire.-Hence when the fixed fubftances of the terrestial mass were vitrified by the primordial fire, the metals were exempt from the general vitrification, the violence of heat fupporting them above the furface of the globe. They did not defcend till by its diminution they were capable of remaining in a state of fufion without being fublimed anew. Copper and iron, the moft infufible, firft refted upon the rock of the globe, ftill glowing. Gold and filver, less difficult of fufion, next defcended and ran into the perpendicular fiffures and the interftices, which the decrepitation of the quartz had every where opened: hence native gold and filver are found in small filaments in the quartzeous rock. Lead and tin, fufible in a much fmaller heat, continued liquid long afterwards, or elfe were calcined, and occupied likewife the perpendicular fiffures: laftly, all the metals confounded together formed the veins of the primordial ores. Mercury, which rifes in a moderate heat, could only fettle upon the furface of the earth a little before the defcent of water and other volatile fubftances."

Iron being the first metal that fettled upon the globe, is placed by the Author in the front of metallic fubftances. His defcription of its different ftates may be comprized in the following propofitions. The primitive rocks of iron were produced by the primitive fire, are magnetic and intimately combined with vitreous fubftances. The particles which the action of the elements detached from them have given rife to ochre, &c. The origin of pyrites and the fwampey ores, has been already mentioned. The fparry

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ores were produced by the decompofition of pyrites, and the admixture of the fpoils of organized bodies.

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The hiftory of gold concludes the fecond volume. the almaft univerfal diffemination of this metal, he finds a confirmation of his ideas concerning the orginal state of the earth. He accounts for the forms in which gold is found, from the vapours that were raised by the ancient heat of the globe, and from the mechanical action of the elements, chiefly of water. He relates the chymical properties, and the ufe of gold in the arts. At the close of the article we have an enumeration of the principal mines, &c. in the courfe of which the author has introduced feveral eloquent and ftriking paffages, of which the following may ferve as an example. Having mentioned that eternal fource of regret, the deftruction of the inhabitants of the new world, by the working of the gold mines. "And yet, he obferves, the infliction of this deep wound on humanity, far from procuring. real wealth, has ferved no other purpofe than that of loading mankind with a burden at once oppreffive and useless. As the value of things is in proportion to the quantity of that by which they are reprefented, to add to the mafs of the precious metals is rather hurtful than beneficial. To reduce gold and filver to a twentieth part, would be to remove from commerce nineteen parts of its incumbrances, fince these signs, when in great abundance, are more difficult in tranfporting, more expenfive in working, and more tardy in circulation than in fmall quantities, which yet would juft as well reprefent the value of every thing. Before the difcovery of the new world, Europe poffeffed twenty times lefs gold and filver, but provifions coft twenty times lefs. What then has been gained by the accumulation of fresh millions? What, but the incumbrance of their weight?

"This exceffive load would perhaps increafe without end, did not avarice check its own progrefs by raifing up impassable boundaries. However ardent the thirft of gold may have been in all ages, the fame means of allaying it did not always exift, and they have diminished the more they have been ufed. Suppofe, for inftance, the quantity of precious metals, before the conqueft of Mexico and Peru to have been as much less as I have juft ftated, the profit arifing from their mines during the time requifite to increase it twofold, muft have been much greater than during an equal number of years in which a fecond equal addition was made to it, and much greater ftill than the profit of fubfequent times. The real benefit accruing muft then have diminished in uniform progreffion, allowing to each year an equal product. Should a mine capable of fupplying to Europe as much gold

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