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Some difputes having arifen refpecting the age of Mrs Jordan, the regifter was fearched, by which it appears, that he is juft now fix and twenty. Since her fuccefs in London, he has received a confiderable addition to her income by the death of a near relation of her mother, which, together with her theatrical emoluments, amount to upwards of three thousand pounds per annum.

Whether from attachment or other motives, we cannot fay, but it is well known, that he has refufed many fplendid offers; and more than once an honourable alliance, with a title. Inclination with her feems to be fuperior to intereft, as the has formed a connexion with a gentleman, but of

what nature, as it is impoffible for us to afcertain, it would be improper to fpeak here.

In private life fhe is refpected and careffed by many perfons of the firft rank and character, who are pleafed with her conversation, which is, however, rather fenfible than sprightly. She has no improper pride, nor is the like fome of her cotemporaries, fond of appearing a little fomething among the great. The brightest part of her character is, that he is kind to her relations, and generous to the needy. And humanity, fays the Moralift, is not only an indication of a feeling heart, but the ftrongest criterion of

virtue.

Account of Vefuvius: By Bishop Berkeley. In a Letter to Dr Arbuthnot.

WITH

ITH much difficulty I reached the top of Mount Vefuvius, in which I faw a vaft aperture full of fmoke, which hindered the feeing its depth and figure. I heard within that horrid gulf certain odd founds, which feemed to proceed from the belly of the mountain; a fort of murmuring, fighing, throbbing, churning, dafhing (as it were) of waves, and between whiles a noife like that of thunder or cannon, which was conftantly attended with a clattering like that of tiles falling from the tops of houfes on the ftreets Sometimes, as the wind changed, the fmoke grew thinner, difcovering a very ruddy flame, and the jaws of the pan or crater treaked with red and feveral fhades of yellow. After an hour's ftay, the fmoke, being moved by the wind, gave us fhort and partial profpects of the great hollow, in the flat bottom of which I could difcern two furnaces almott contiguous that on the left, feeming about three yards in diameter, glowed with red flame, and threw up red-hot VOL. XII, No. 67.

H

ftones with a hideous noife, which, as they fell back, caufed the forementioned clattering. May 8. in the morning, I afcended to the top of Ve fuvius a fecond time, and found a dif ferent face of things. The fmoke afcending upright, gave a full profpec of the crater, which, as I could judge, is about a mile in circumference, and an hundred yards deep. A conical mound had been formed fince my last vifit, in the middle of the bottom: this mount, I could fee, was made of the ftones thrown up and fallen back again into the crater. In this new hill remained the two mounts or furnaces already mentioned: that on our left was in the vertex of the hill which it had formed round it, and raged more violently than before, throwing up every three or four minutes, with a dreadful bellowing, a vaft number of red-hot-ftones, fometimes in appearance above a thousand, and at leaft three thousand feet higher than my head as I ftood upon the brink; but there being little or no

wind,

wind, they fell back perpendicularly the north fide of the mountain, to fee

into the crater, increafing the conical hill. The other mount to the right was lower in the fide of the famę newformed hill. I could difcern it to be filled with red-hot liquid matter, like that in the furnace of a glafs-houfe, which raged and wrought as the waves of the fea, caufing a fhort abrupt noife like what may be imagined to proceed from a fea of quickfilver dafhing among uneven rocks. This ftuff would fometimes fpew over and run down the convex fide of the conical bill; and appearing at first red-hot, it changed colour, and hardened as it cooled, fhewing the first rudiments of an eruption, or, if I may fay fo, an eruption in miniature. Had the wind driven in our faces, we had been in no small danger of ftifling by the fulphureous fmoke, or being knocked on the head by lumps of molten minerals, which we faw had fometimes fallen on the brink of the crater, upon thofe fhot from the gulf at the bottom. But as the wind was favourable, I had an opportunity to furvey this odd fcene for above an hour and a half together; during which it was very obfervable, that all the volJeys of fmoke, flame, and burning ftones, came only out of the hole to our left, while the liquid ftuff in the other mouth wrought and overflowed, as hath been already defcribed. June 5th, after an horrid noife, the mountain was feen at Naples to fpew a little of the crater. The fame continued the 6th. The 7th, nothing was obferved till within two hours of night, when it began a hideous bellowing, which continued all that night and the next day till noon, caufing the windows, and as fome affirm, the very houfes in Naples to fhake. From that time it fpewed vast quantities of molten ftuff to the fouth, which ftreamed down the mountain like a great pot boiling over. This even ing I returned from a voyage through Apulia, and was furprifed, paffing by

out

a great quantity of ruddy smoke lie along a huge tract of sky over the river of molten ftuff, which was itself out of fight. The 9th, Vefuvius raged lefs violently: that night we faw from Naples a column of fire fhoot between whiles out of its fummit, The 10th, when we thought all would have been over, the mountain grew very outrageous again, roaring and groaning moft dreadfully. You cannot form a jufter idea of this noife in the moft violent fits of it, than by imagining a mixed found made up of the raging of a tempeft, the murmur of a troubled fea, and the roaring of thunder and artillery, confused all together. It was very terrible as we heard it in the further end of Naples, at the distance of above twelve miles; this moved my curiofity to approach the mountain. Three or four of us got into a boat, and were fet afhore at Torre del Greco, a town fituate at the foot of Vefuvius to the fouth-weft, whence we rode four or five miles before we came to the burning river, which was about midnight. The roar ing of the volcano grew exceeding loud and horrible as we approached, I obferved a mixture of colours in the cloud over the crater, green, yel low, red, and blue; there was likewife a ruddy difmal light in the air over that tract of land where the burning river flowed; afhes continually fhowered on us all the way from the fea coaft: all which circumftances, fet off and augmented by the hor ror and filence of the night, made a fcene the most uncommon and aftonifhing I ever faw, which grew ftill more extraordinary as we came nearer the ftream. Imagine a valt torrent of liquid fire rolling from the top down the fide of the mountain, and with irrefiftible fury bearing down and confuming vines, olives, fig-trees, houfes; in a word, every thing that ftood in its way. This mighty flood divided into different channels, ac

cording

cording to the inequalities of the mountain the largest stream seemed half a mile broad at least, and five miles long. The nature and confiftence of these burning torrents hath been defcribed with fo much exactnefs and truth by Borellus in his Latin treatise of Mount Etna, that I need fay nothing of it. I walked fo far before my companions up the mountain, along the fide of the river of fire, that I was obliged to retire in great hafte, the fulphureous ftream having furprised me, and almoft taken away my breath. During our return, which was about three o'clock in the morning, we conftantly heard the murmur and groaning of the mountain, which between whiles would burft out into louder peals, throwing up huge spouts of fire and burning flones, which falling down again, refembled the stars in our rockets. Sometimes I obferved two, at others three, diftinct columns of flames; and fometimes one vaft one that seemed to fill the whole crater. Thefe burning columns and the fiery ftones feemed to be shot 1000 feet perpendi cular above the fummit of the volcano. The 11th, at night, I obferved it, from a terrace in Naples, to throw up inceffantly a vaft body of fire, and great ftones, to a furprising height. The 12th, in the morning, it darkened the fun with afhes and fmoke, caufing a fort of eclipfe. Horrid bellowings, this and the foregoing day, were heard at Naples, whither part of the afhes also reached. At night I obferved it throwing up flame, as on the 11th. On the 13th, the wind changing, we faw a pillar of black Emoke hot upright to a prodigious

height. At night I obferved the mount caft up fire as before, though not fo diftin&tly because of the fmoke. The 14th, a thick black cloud hid the mountain from Naples. The 15th, in the morning, the court and walls of our houfe in Naples were covered with afhes. The 16th, the smoke was driven by a wefterly wind from the town to the oppofite fide of the mountain. The 17th, the fmoke appeared much diminished, fat and greafy. The 18th, the whole appearance ended; the mountain remaining perfectly quiet without any visible fmoke or flame. A gentleman of my acquaintance, whofe window looked towards Vefuvius, affured me that he obferved several flashes, as it were of lightning, iffue out of the mouth of the volcano. It is not worth while to trouble you with the conjectures I have formed concerning the cause of these phænomena, from what I obferved in the Lacus Amfancti, the Solfatara, &c. as well as in Mount Vefuvius. One thing I may venture to say, that I faw the fluid matter rife out of the centre of the bottom of the crater, out of the very middle of the mountain, contrary to what Borellus imagines; whofe method of explain ing the eruption of a volcano by an inflexed fyphon and the rules of hydroftatics, is likewise inconfiftent with the torrents flowing down from the very vertex of the mountain. I have not feen the crater fince the eruption, but defign to vifit it again before I leave Naples. I doubt there is nothing in this worth fhewing the fociety; as to that you will use your difcretion.

G. BERKELEY.

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Review of New Publications.

Analyfis of a propofed Publication. S the researches of the philofopher and politician, tend to diffuse and promote knowledge and civility, and to strengthen the ties of civil life, his labours will even claim the attention of mankind. The general utility of a work of the following nature is fo obvious, that to dwell

on it here would be to offer an infult to the understanding of the reader. In an age, when letters are cultivated with fuch avidity; and in a nation, whofe characteristic is liberality of fentiment, every work of taste, every production of fcience will meet with a welcome receprion. The author, whofe fole ambition is to be ferviceable to his country, fubmits the following outline of his work to the judgment of an impartial public. The title he has adopted for his formance is,

per

THE ELEMENTS OF JURIS-
PRUDENCE.

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7. Crimes.

The fubjects of his difquifitions II. Particular maxims of legisla

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tion.

1. Forces-Army and navy.
2. Taxation.

3. Sumptuary laws.

4. Trade and manufactures.

In the prefatory difcourfe wiff be given a differtation on the origis of arts and fciences, progress of manners and refinement, and a comparative view of rude and polished nations. During the courfe of the work, every position will be illuftrated and enforced by examples culled from the

annals of various countries. The author fubmits this part of it with the following obfervation. The manners

and cuftoms of a nation do not continue fedentary for any length of time; but fluctuate between caprice and incidental circumftances. He is aware that Egypt, China, and fome other regions

regions may be pleaded as exceptions from this general rule. He waves here any enquiry into the truth of this point, or into the phyfical and moral causes, which might occafion this uniformity. An intelligent mind, accustomed to fpeculate upon human events, to regard their caufes, their progreifion and effects, and to form its general opinions from an expanded furvey of the whole, fuch a mind will naturally ftop at particular æras in the hiftory of nations, and affemble the fcattered rays into one concentered point of view. It has been the particular object of the author to digeft and arrange this vaft affemblage of reasoning and facts in fuch a manner, as, he trufts will gratify the wishes of a man of claffical tafte. The whole work will compofe 3 vols. quarto.

A Sketch of the Life of Dr Duncan Liddel of Aberdeen, Profeffor of Mathematics and of Medicine in the University of Helmftadt. Aberdeen, printed by J. Chalmers and Co. Sold by Laurie, Syming ton and Co. Edinburgh, and J. Evans London. 4to. IS.

in procefs of time appointed Profef for of Mathematics, and afterwards of Medicine. Having been feveral times elected Dean of the Faculties both of Philofophy and Phyfic, he was at last chofea pro-rector of the University. But neither academical honours, nor the profits of an extenfive medical practice abroad, could make him forget his native country. He returned, after an abfence of about eight and twenty years, and settled in Scotland. He bestowed certain lands near Aberdeen upon the Univerfity there, in all time coming, for the education and support of fix poor fcholars: he founded and endowed the profefforfhip of mathematics in the Marifchall College there, and applied a confiderable part of his fortune to other benevolent purposes.

From the view of the life and wriT. RITCHIE. tings of Dr Liddell, contained in the Sketch before us, the learned author modeftly obferves, that "fome judge ment may be formed of his general character and merits. It has been fhewn that he was well received and patronized by the moft eminent fcholars in every univerfity where he ftudied; and that in a foreign country, without fortune or the connections of family, he arrived at the higheft honours of his profefhon, and was dif tinguished as one of the first phyficians and philofophers of his time. He appears to have always entertained a moft grateful fenfe of the favours conferred on him in his youth, and to have been warmly attached to his native country and his friends. That he was alfo highly efteemed and be loved by them, is evident from the Carmina Encomiaftica addressed to him in Latin and in Greek, by many of his colleagues in the Academia Fu-. lia and others--though it must be acknowledged that there is none to be found from the learned Profeffor Horftius."

THIS pamphlet, which is written with claffic brevity, in the form of annals, contains a biographical account of a man of confiderable reputation, and one of the firft fcholars of his age, now involved with many others in undeferved obfcurity.

It appears from this publication, that Dr Duncan Liddell was born at Aberdeen in 161; that after having received the rudiments of his education in that place, he left Scotland and ftudied at Francfort on the Oder, at Breslau, at Roflock, and finally at the Academia Julia, eftablished at Helmftadt by Henry Julius Duke of Brunswick. In this univerfity he was

To understand the reafon of the particular exception contained in the concluding

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