Befide the expence which the nation incurs by the payment of intereft, there is a very great and dangerous inconvenience that attends thefe anticipations. As our minifters become thereby poffeffed of the money at the nation's expence, they become more dilatory, and negligent in calling for the produce of our taxes, out of the hands of our collectors and receivers, than they would otherwife have been. Every one knows, that thefe collectors and receivers are generally the friends and favourites of our minifters; every one knows bow ready the minifters of all countries are, how neceffary it is for those who fometimes happen to be the minifters of this country, to throw jobs into the hands of their friends and favourites; and every one knows what advantages a man may at all times make, by having public money left in his hands, especially fince the trade of stock-jobbing has been introduced. Thus the produce of our taxes may often be for months, perhaps years, left in the hands of our collectors or receivers, and the public obliged to continue paying intereft for debts, which might long before have been paid off and difcharged, had the money been brought into the exchequer, as foon as received from the people; and as our collectors and receivers expect to have the money left in their hands, they are but too apt to engage it in hazardous projects, by which they often become bankrupt, and the money, or great part of it, is thereby entirely lost to the public; for we know how eafily our parliaments may be, through compaffion, induced to impower the treasury to compound with the bankrupt debtors of the public. Therefore it would always be proper for the parliament, before agreeing to any deficiency-claufe, to inquire, by a committee, how the deficiency was occafioned; for fuch an inquiry would make the proper officers diligent and exact in calling for the public money out of the hands of the collectors and receivers, and compelling its being, brought into the exchequer as foon as received by them. [To be continued.] A charitable eftablishment in Denmark. IT is very evident, that the preventing of poverty is a nobler fpecies of charity than relieving it. The prefent King of Denmark has an eftablishment which answers both ends. In this, the children are received, of such parents as are un able to maintain them; and the care of their education is committed to decayed houfekeepers of both fexes, who teach them what is neceffary for them to know, in order to qualify them for any mechanic employments. When tradefmen of any fort want apprentices, they repair to this houfe, and fix upon any of the children they like; for whom they pay fifty crowns. In confideration of this fum, they are bound apprentice for nine years, and being about twelve when bound out, find themselves in a condition to get their bread by that time they have prudence enough to follow their respective occupa tions. The fums thus paid, go a great way towards the fupport of the establishment; which at the fame time maintains, in a very eafy manner, those who would be otherwife a burden upon the commu nity. The length of fervice makes it very well worth the master's while and the fum he gives is a fecurity for his ufing the children well; for otherwise they are taken from him, and placed elfewhere. And thus one of the most useful and bene. ficent charities that was ever invented is fo well regulated as almoft to maintain itself. A receipt to cure the RHEUMATISM. TAke one ounce of * balfamum poly. chreftum, and mix it very well with a wine-glafs or tea-cup full of the best French brandy; when fo mixed, put that mixture into a quart-bottle partly filled with ftrong Mountain wine; then f the bottle with the fame fort of wine and let the whole ftand twenty-fou hours; at the end of which it will be f for use. The patient is to drink a wine glafs full, or near a gill, each night wher going to bed. The patient fhould b warmly clothed, to avoid catching cold. Composed of gum guiacum, Peruvian ba fam, and Ipirit of wine. Difpenf. part 3. sect. [xxiii. 631.] An abstract of the state of the NATIONAL DEBT. Sum of the national debt Jan. 5. 1761 Decreased in 1761 on annuities for two and three lives fallen in by deaths Borrowed in 1761, by annuities and a lottery [xxii, 666.] L. 98,604,836 8 2 1,000 00 98,603,836 8 2 12,000,000 o o L. 110,683,836 8 21 ug.1762. An account of Confucius. 413 V dccount of CONFUCIUS, the famous chiefly tending that ways and, notwith writings, precepts, and practice, were Chiness philofopher....... His great man, called by the Chinese, Kong-fu tfe, and by us Confucius, was rn in the province of Shan-tong, now med Canton, in the kingdom of Lu, in una, 500 years before Chrift. He was atemporary with Pythagoras and Solon, d fomewhat earlier than Socrates. His her died at the age of feventy-three, hen Confucius was but three years old; 10, though he had enjoyed the greatest ices in the kingdom of Song, yet left fon no other inheritance, than the hour of being defcended from the emperors the race of Shang, and by his mother, m one of the moft illuftrious families in ina. Confucius acquired great esteem in his uth, by the fprightliness of his genius, dfolidity of his judgment. Even from stender years be thewed great tokens of gacity and virtue; and about his fifenth year, gave himself up to the study the ancient books. He married at nineteen, and had a fon med Pe-hu; and by him a grandion calTfu-tles who, by his extraordinary erit and learning, afterwards railed himIf to the highest pofts in the empire. onfucius was foon taken notice of for his Imirable qualities, learning, and virtues; pecially those of humility, fincerity, mperance, difinterestedness, and conempt of riches: and though every ftate the empire was over-run with the opofite vices, yet he was foon raised to the nk of a mandarin and minitter of ftate; laces which he accepted as the means f promoting his intended reformation, oth in religion and in the state, in fpite f all the oppofition he expected, and did Atually find, from the grandees of his own nd other provinces. He feemed defigned by Heaven to rearm, both by his doctrines and practices, he corruptions which had been a long hile predominant; and was endowed ith all the proper qualities for fuch a nole work. He condemned idolatry, which vas then become very rife in China: and his makes it a wonder that his difciples hould afterwards rear ftatues, altars, and emples to him. However, it plainly ap bears, that his main defign was, not fo much to intermeddle with the outward, as the inward and eflential parts of religou, the reformation of the hearts and lives of his countrymen. All his ftudies, lectures, - VOL. XXIV. ftanding the great oppofition of the vicious mandarins and grandees, he had the pleasure to fee his excellent morality, at leaft univerfally admired; and defervedly fo, not only for the beauty and nobleness of his precepts and maxims, but for the judicious way he took to inculcate them," and make virtue appear lovely and defireable to all his difciples and readers. His philofophy, though fublime, was quite free from thofe fubtile and intricate questions with which that of the best Greek philofophers was clogged; and Confucius, instead of diving into thofe physical and abftrufe notions about the nature and attributes of the fupreme being, the origin of the world, of evil, and other fuch fpeculative points, too high for una lifted reafon; or of dogmatifing about the nature of rewards and punishments, of virtue and vice; confined himself to prak with the deepest regard of the great author of all beings, whom he reprefented as the most pure and perfect effence, principle, and fountain of all things; to infpire men with greater fear, veneration, and love of him; to affert his divine providence over all his creatures; and to reprefent him as a being of fuch infinite knowledge, that even our most fecret thoughts were not to be hidden from him; and of fuch boundless goodness and justice, that he could let no virtue go unrewarded, or vice unpunished. He had likewise a most masterly hand at painting the one in its most lovely, and the other in its most deterring colours; and to inforce the practice of the one, and abhorrence of the other, by the most powerful arguments, worthieft motives, and in the beft of methods, his own extraordinary example, which might be justly styled a pattern of moral virtues. Nor were his maxims of government lefs to be admired; his policy and regu lations in respect of the laws. He fhewei in his own perfon how neceffary it was for kings to be philofophers, or that the'r minifters fhould be to; and for religion to be establifhed on virtue, to the well-being of a state. But his endeavours did not meet with their deferved fuccefs. He therefore to rew up his employments, though very confider able, to go in fearch of fome more tractable people, who would reap greater benefit from his excellent doctrine. In the fifty-fifth year of his age, he was a 3 I The king of Tfi, or Xi, in particular, after many confultations with his grandees, thought of an expedient the most likely to defeat all Confucius's meafures: and, accordingly, under the fair pretence of an embafly, fent-him and his nobles a prefent of a great number of fine girls, who had from their infancy been brought up to dancing, finging, and all other captivating arts. Thefe were not only received with open arms, both by the king and court, but entertained with fuch frequent feaftings and diverfions, that they prefently abandoned the bufiness of the ftate, to give themelves up to pleasure. The king himfelf became inacceffible to his moft zealous minifters. Among the reft, Confucius, having tried, in vain, all poffible means to recall him, divefted himself of all his offices, and left the court and kingdom, to go in quest of more docile minds to follow his maxims: but, to his great mortification, found his doctrine and morals dreaded, in every kingdom through which he pafled, and himlelf reduced to the greatest indigence. His greatness of foul, and ufual conftancy, remained firm and unflaken. This obliged him to refume his former functions of a private fage; in which he met with better fuccefs. He travelled to the kingdom of Siam, where his learning and merit, and above all his great modefty and condefcenfion, gained him a vaft number of difciples, 3000 according to fome accounts; 500 of whom did, in time, raise themselves to the highest posts in several kingdoms; and all of them continued firmly attached to his perfon and doctrine. Thefe he divided into four claffes: the first of which was to make virtue their chief study and practice, and to that purpofe learned moral philofophy; the fecond. clafs learned to reafon and write clofely, justly, and elegantly, that is, the art of logic; the third ftudied policy, and the duty of magiftrates, and were to inftrust the mandarins and great minifters in their refpective duties, and in the art of govern ment; while the laft learned to write, a concife and elegant style, the prine ples of morality, and were taught to di courfe well, and with eloquence, on eve ry thing that related to manners, and the conduct of life. In all these claffes Con fucius had fome very eminent perfons, ani particularly feventy-two who excelled the reft: but, above all, there was one in the firft, whofe premature death caused mafter to fhed abundance of tears. As his practice ftill kept conftant par with his excellent philofophy, prince fometimes invited him to their courts, tha they might reap the benefit of his inftruc tions; and thewed the greatest regard his learning and merit. At other times upon the death of one of them, by whom he had been highly honoured, he has fea himself become the contempt of the court and ridicule of an infulting populace: yet under thefe extremes, he never fhewed the leaft change of look or behaviour, bu preferved still the fame fleadingfs and tranquillity. Confucius lived to finish his philofophical and historical works; and returning with his fcholars into the kingdom of La his native country, died there in the fe venty-third year of his age, greatly mented both by the king and court, and much more by his difciples, who had the greatest veneration for him. A little before his last sickness, he told them, with many tears, that the difor. ders which reigned in the empire had weil nigh broken his heart; and began from that time to languilh till the feventh day before his death; when he told them again, in the fame melancholy tone, Since king refufe to follow my maxims, I am now longer useful upon earth, and it is nece fary that I fhould leave it. He fell, imme diately after those words, into a lethargy, that lasted seven days; at the end of which he expired, in the arms of fome of his di ciples. He was buried near the city of Kiofew on the river Su. They built him there handfome fepulchre, on the fame fpo: where he uled to hold his lectures. E hath been fince inclosed with a wall, and now looks like a fmall city; and the ve neration which all good men had for him, increasing with time, he came, at length, to be refpected as the chief doctor of the Chinese empire. He was tall and well-proportioned; his breaft and thoulders were broad; his eyes large, Aug.1762. Mr Doffie's proceffes for edulcorating oil. large, complexion olive, nofe flat, and beard long, his voice ftrong and piercing. Every city hath now a public building confecrated to his memory; on the frontifpiece of which are thefe or fuch like infcriptions; To the Great Mafter, To the Illuftrious, To the wife King of Learning. When a magistrate paffes by any of these buildings, he defcends from his palanquin; and, out of refpect to his memory, no perfon is preferred to be a mandarin, nor to the employments of law, till he has been received as a doctor, according to the doctrine of Confucius. His defcendents are to this day held in great esteem: they are mandarins born; and have a privilege, which is not enjoyed by princes of the blood, of being exempt from any tribute to the emperor: and all those who are admitted to the title of doctor, pay a prefent to the mandarins of the line of Confucius. Confucius was a very modeft man. He frankly declared he was not the original inventor of his doctrine; but that he had taken fome part of it from ancient writings, principally of the kings Yao and Xum, who lived 1500 years before him. His works contain a perfect rule of government, and are full of the moft fublime doctrines of morality: and it is univerfally allowed, that he communicated the most rational ideas of the divinity, which human nature could conceive with out the help of revelation. Br. Mag. Society for the encouragement of arts, manufactures, and commerce, Strand, July 15. 1761. ORdered, that the proceffes communicated by Mr R. Doffie, for edulcorating train-oil, as now in the poffeffion of the fociety, be published verbatim, with Mr Dollie's explanatory notes at the bottom of the page, under his name. PROCESS the FIRST. For purifying oil in a moderate degree, without almost any expence. Take an ounce of chalk, powdered pretty finely, and half an ounce of lime flaked by lying expofed to the air; put them into a gallon of ftinking oil: and having mixed them well together, by stirring, add half a pint of water; and mix that with them, alfo, by the fame means. When they have ftood an hour or two, repeat the stirring; and continue the fame treatment, at convenient intervals, for two r three days. After which fuperadd a 415 pint and a half of water, in which an ounce of falt is diffolved; and mix them as the other ingredients, repeating the ftirring as before for a day or two. Let the whole then ftand at reft: and the water will fink below the oil; and the chalk fubfide in it to the bottom of the veffel; the oil will become clear, be of a lighter colour, and have confiderable less smell: but will not be purified in a manner equally to the effect of the other proceffes, below given though as this is done with the expence of only one ounce of falt, it may be practifed advantageously for many purposes: efpecially preparatorily to the next method, the operation of which will be facilitated by it. PROCESS the SECOND. To purify oil without heat to a great degree. Take a gallon of crude ftinking oil, or of fuch as is previously prepared by the foregoing method, and add to it an ounce of powdered chalk. Stir them well together, feveral times, as in the preceding procefs; and, after they have been mixed fome hours, or a whole day, add an ounce of pearl-afhes, diffolved in four ounces of water; and repeat the stirring as before. After they have been so treated for fome hours, put in a pint of wa ter, in which two ounces of salt are diffolved, and proceed as before. The oil, and brine, will feparate on standing fome days; and the oil will be greatly improved, both in fmell and colour. Where a greater purity is required, the quantity of pearl-afhes must be increased, and the time before the addition of the falt and water prolonged. If the fame operation be repeated feveral times, diminishing at each time the quantity of the ingredients one half, the oil may be brought to a very light colour; and rendered equally fweet in fmell, with the common fpermacocti oil. By this process, the cod-oil may be made to burn; and when it is fo putrid as not to be fit for any ufe, either alone or mixt, it may be fo corrected by the first part of the process, as to be equal to that commonly fold; but where this procefs is practifed in the cafe of fuch putrid oil, ufe half an ounce of chalk, and half an ounce of lime. PROCESS the THIRD. To purify oil with the affiftance of heat, where the greatest purity is required: 31a and and particularly for the wcollen manufac ture. Take a gallon of crude of ftinking oil; and mix with it a quarter of an ounce of powdered chalk, and a quarter of an ounce of lime flaked in the air, and ftir them together; and when they have food fome hours, add a pint and a half of water, and two ounces of pearl-afhes; and place them over a fire that will just keep them fimmering, till the oil appear of a light amber colour; and has loft all fmell, except a foapy, greafy, hot fcent. Then fuperadd half a pint of water, in which an ounce of common falt has been diffolved; and having boiled them half an hour, pour them into a proper veffel, and let them ftand till the feparation of the oil, water, and lime, be made, as in the preceding. Where this operation is performed, to prepare oil for the woollen manufacture, the falt may be omitted; but the fepara tion of the lime from the oil will be flow er, and a longer boiling is neceffary. If this oil be required ftill more pure, treat it, after it is feparated from the water, &c. according to the fecond procels, with an ounce of chalk, a quarter of an ounce of pearl-afhes, and half an ounce of falt. PETER TEMPLEMAN, Secretary. Obfervations on the above proceffes, by Mr R. Doffie. OBSERVATIONS on Procefs the First. 1. This process may be performed on any kind of fith or feal oil, that is putrid and stinking; and will improve it in fmell, and moft generally render it of a lighter colour, if before dark and brown. It will allo conduce to the rendering thofe oils fitter for burning profitably, that are in their original ftate faulty in that point; but it will not meliorate them to the full degree they admit of, even with heat; and fhould therefore be practifed only where moderate improvement is required. 2. After the oil is taken off from the dregs and brine, the dregs which swim on the brine fhould be taken off it alfo, and put into another veffel, of a deep form; and, on standing, particularly if fresh water be added, and stirred with them, nearly the whole remaining part of the oil will feparate from the foulness; or, to fave this trouble, the dregs, when taken off, may be put to any future quantity of oil, that is to be edulcorated by this method; which will answer the fame end. OBSERVATIONS on Procefs the Third 1. This is most advantageously perfor ed on the train-oil called vitious oil; a the more putrid and foul it may be, ta greater will be the proportionable in provement; efpecially if there be no m ture of the other kind of fifh-oils, part cularly the feal; which do not admit d being edulcorated perfectly, by means heat; but require other methods: be when the vitious oil is pure, howeve ftinking it may be, the bad finell will removed by this procefs, duly executed, and the brown colour changed to a lig amber; and thefe qualities will be muc more permanent in this, than in any crud fish oil; as it will not, on account of the degree of purity to which it is brought be fubject to putrify again under a grea length of time, whether it be kept open, or in clofe veffels. The oil, in this ftate, will burn away without leaving the leaf remains of foulness in the lamp; and be ing rendered more fluid than before, will go further when used in the woollen ma nufacture, than any other kind, and b much more easily fcoured from the wool. If, nevertheless, there be any branches of the woollen manufacture which require the ufe of a more thick and unctuous of, this may be rendered fo, by the adding 1 proper quantity of tallow, or fat; of which a certain proportion will perfectly incor porate with the oil; the fluidity and tranf parency being ftill preserved, as well a all the other qualities that render it fuit. able to the intended purpose. This may be the most beneficially done, by adding a proper quantity of the refufe-greafe of families, commonly called kitchen-fluf which being put to the oil when mode rately heated, will immediately diffolva in it, and let fall alfo its impurities, or foulnefs, to the bottom of the veffel: and it will be fo far from being any way dil advantageous, that it will, on the contrary, be profitable to the manufacturer; as there will be a saving of more than one half in the proportion of the kitchen-fu employed; as its common price is not half fo great as that of the vitious oil, nor one third of that of the Gallipoly olive oil now used. 2. The different qualities and difpofition of different parcels of vitious oil, with refpect to edulcoration, render various proportions of the ingredients to be used neceffary. The quantities ftated in the above process, are the least which will ef |