from this paffage, a tranflation of which he had probably feen in fome book of eastern travels, or work upon eastern li

terature.

This Number clofes with the original, and a translation of part of the preface to the Boftan of Sadi, a religious work of great merit. The Gulistan of Sadi is tranflated into Latin by Gentius; and a tranflation of his other works is much to be defired, for of all the eastern writers he is the moft ingenious and fenfible.

A Pradical Differtation on the Medicinal Effects of the Bath Waters. By William Falconer, M. D. F. R. S. and Phyfician to the Bath Hospital. 8vo. 45. Boards. Robinsons, London; and Meyler, Bath.

THOUGH we find nothing abfolutely new in this work, and

most of the observations are familiar to the physician and the chemift, yet we hesitate not to pronounce it a very judicious and well-arranged fyllabus of the most important discoveries relative to the Bath waters, enriched by the author's personal experience during the laft twenty years. It may, therefore, be perufed to advantage by the practitioner, and with great edification by the unlearned reader or patient, who may wish to acquire an accurate knowledge of thefe waters, founded on actual practice, or to difcover whether they are adapted to his particular malady. Eight additional experiments, and three tables, are prefixed; but these convey nothing particularly interefting: felenite is discovered by the falited terra ponderofa and the faccharine acid; and a fublimate, evidently fulphureous, is shown to have been collected from the bath: in this fpecimen, it is combined with iron. The fecond table is defigned to point out the fpecific gravity and the grofs contents of these waters, compared with those used in the common diet at Bath. These tables would be equally valuable as they are curious, if the author could vouch for their correctnefs: but we have reason to fear, - that an equal degree of heat-a circumftance of moft material import-was not regularly preferved throughout the proceffes. The medical virtues of the Bath waters feem to arife from the inflammable air which they contain.

Dr. Falconer begins with representing the internal effects of the Bath waters, their ftimulant, aftringent, diuretic, diaphoretic, and antifpafmodic qualities; and afterwards, the effects of their external application, which he pronounces to be equally stimulant and antifpafmodic; the guides, who for several hours, almost every morning, are immersed in it up to their necks, instead of experiencing the effects produced by common warm wa

ter

ter, are in general robuft, vigorous, corpulent, and long-lived. The circumstances and diforders in which the use of the Bath waters is indicated, are next treated of with a degree of skill very honourable to the doctor's experience; who has also collected the moft general symptoms of their probable fuccefs and failure, the means by which they may be rendered grateful to the ftomach, the time proper for trying them, the choice of the feveral fprings, with a diverfity of judicious hints and cautions. The proper degrees of heat feem, for the first time, in this work, to be ascertained with care and accuracy. He likewife enumerates several diseases in which the waters have been found fingularly efficacious; as in chlorofis; in vifceral obftructions, proceeding either from intemperance or a hot climate; in pally, common and idiopathic, produced either by cold, heat, fever, rheumatifm, lying-in, or the morbid diftortion of the vertebra, either in confequence of external accident or weakness; by lightning, or the inhalation of noxious minerals; in gout, rheumatifm, hip cafes, white fwellings of the knee; in weakness of the digestive organs; in the hysteric and Poitiers colic; in jaundice, arifing from biliary calculi; in hypochondriac and hyfterical complaints; in St. Vitus' dance; in painful menftruation, a frequent caufe of fterility; and in lepra. On all thefe diforders he defcants briefly, and fometimes defcriptively; a method which, though not requifite for the medical practitioner, is to the generality of readers very useful. Every thing which relates to palfy is particularly valuable; and indeed the whole work difplays indubitable marks of a scientific and intelligent mind.

The preface abounds with fpirited remarks on the empirical practice of exalting particular remedies, and on the injudicious conduct too frequently pursued by patients, under a course of ufing the waters. It contains likewife an animated defence of the springs against those who have imputed the benefits arifing from their use, not to any inherent qualities in the waters, but to the regimen attendant on it.

To what part of the impregnation, or to what combination of medicinal influence arifing from the combined properties of the impregnating parts, fuch wonderful effects as we fee here every day produced are owing, knowledge has, I apprehend, fupplied, as yet, fubject for conjecture only.

Chemistry informs us, that the Bath waters contain a small portion of common fait, a larger proportion of felenites, perhaps Tome unneutralized earth, a portion of fixible air, and fome fulphureous gas, or inflammable air, together with a flight chalybeate impregnation; all which fubftances, either combined or feparately t ken, we have no reafon to believe poffefs, in the quantity they can here be adminiftered, medicinal powers at all adequate to the effects we fo frequently fee produced by

the

the Bath waters, and are moreover contained in feveral mineral waters of flight efficacy or activity in much larger quantity than in thofe of this place.

Chemical analy is therefore, as far as it has been hitherto profecuted, feems to give us a very imperfect view of the me thods by which thefe effects have been produced; and this circumftance has induced feveral perfons to deny the truth of the facts altogether, or to reprefent them as highly exaggerated, and that fuch advantages (if any) as might be in truth received, were owing to collateral circumftances of uncertain and indeterminate efficacy, as change of air, diet, manner of life, and the like.

That the regularity of regimen ufually practifed here, compared with that generally followed in the polite circles of London, may on many occafions contribute to health, is highly probable; but to attribute all the good effects we fee produced here, to obfervances that refer in a great measure to the general health, I cannot but regard as a proceeding no lefs irrational than prefumptuous. Scarcely any facts in natural philofophy are better afcertained than the effects of the Bath waters, in many cafes of a local and fpecific nature, far beyond the reach of any of the attentions above referred to; and we might on fimilar gr unds deny any of the best known proceffes in nature (vegetation for inftance), because we cannot comprehend the means and fteps by which it is conducted.

Whether farther light may not be thrown on this fubject by fome of the chemical difcoveries that are daily advancing, or whether it may remain among the fecrets of nature, too deep for our fuccessful investigation, I do not prefume even to offer an opinion. Many difcoveries have no doubt been made, that were beyond our expectations, and even hopes; and, perhaps, repeated diligence may difcover fome hidden agent in these wonderful compofitions of nature, to which a large share of their powers may be with more plaufibility afcribed, than to any at prefent known.'

Again,

No man who fets a proper value on his profeffional, or even his moral character, will give thofe affurances of fuccess which the vehemence of impatience, ftimulated by difeafe and doubt, is apt to demand as a condition to even a reasonable trial of the efficacy of the waters. The rational and moderate hopes of amendment, which alone are juftified and dictated by prudence, reflection, and experience, appear to fuch perfons too uncertain or 100 remote to compenfate the tedioufnefs of expectation, and the imperfect nature of the relief they are taught to expect.

Quacks and their connections are feldom wanting in vigilance to feize the favourable opportunities which this ftate of mind offers, and fome officious pretended friend of the fick, but in reality of the quack, is ever ready to intrude, and to vouch

for

for the efficacy of fome noftrum in cafes exactly fimilar to that of the patient, be that what it may. Thofe who apply for fuch aflistance would do well to obferve, that amendment and mitigation are words not found in an empyrical vocabulary. Their promifes never fall short of a complete cure, and every amendment beneath that point is deemed unworthy their regard. Experience has confirmed the lucrative policy of fuch conduct, however unworthy it may appear, and it is now I believe univerfally practifed."

We could with Dr. Falconer to bestow a little more attention on his phrafeology and ftyle; which in numerous places are too careless. A work dedicated to the king by permiffion fhould not have been thus flightly revised.

An Hiftorical Developement of the prefent Political Conftitution of the Germanic Empire. By John Stephen Pütter. Tranf lated from the German, by Jofiah Dornford, of Lincoln's-Ina, LL.D. 3 Vols. Vol. II. 78. Boards. Payne and Son.

THE

HE prefent volume of this interefting work commences with the acceffion of Ferdinand I. to the imperial throne; an event which happened not, as ufual, in confequence of death, but of the refignation of Charles V. the emperor immediately preceding. It is the first inflance of the kind in the hiftory of Germany, and might ferve, as our author remarks, to establish a precedent for an emperor's refignation of his crown, without either the confent of the diet, or even that of the electors. The only alteration, of any confequence, made in the conftitution of Germany, during this reign, was, that Ferdinand, on account of a previous mifunderstanding with the pope, did not receive the imperial coro nation at Rome, according to ancient custom; and ever fince that period the practice has been neglected.

In the reign of Ferdinand likewife was diffolved the famous council of Trent, which, inftead of reconciling the Catholic and Proteftant churches, as had been expected, only rendered the breach wider between them. Many pofitions, which many even among the Catholics themselves confidered as problematical, were determined by the prelates of Trent to be articles of faith; and the ufual curfe (anathema efto) was denounced against all who dared to differ in opinion. Notwithstanding thefe divifions, however, the religious peace, on the whole, was punctually obferved.

After the death of Maximilian II. a revolution took place in the house of Auftria, which our author thinks owed its origin to a family-compact made among themfelves. Hitherto, whenever a reigning prince of that houfe left feveral fons, a division had been made in their favour; fo that, though

the

the proper duchy of Auftria, according to the charter grant ed by Frederic I. was always to descend entire by the right of primogeniture, yet the other countries belonging to the houfe, fuch as Stiria, Tyrol, &c. were divided, and ferved as a provifion for the younger fons, and their fucceffors, to enable them to live as reigning princes. Mr. Pütter is of opinion, from certain circumftances, that Maximilian II. must have introduced the right of primogeniture by a new and general order, though this order, to the best of his knowledge, has never yet been discovered.

The establishment of the order of primogeniture was gradually introduced in the houfes of feveral princes and counts; but our author obferves, that there were ftill many houfes which oppofed this innovation, because they confidered it to be inconfiftent with an expreffion in the Bible, If we are children, we are alfo heirs; and pronounced a curfe upon any of their offspring who fhould ever afterwards think of introducing this mode of inheritance.

One of the confequences of the frequent introduction of the right of primogeniture was, that feveral princely houfes became extinct, owing to the brothers being no longer able to marry fuitably to their rank, and continue their family, as they formerly did when the territories were divided.

It appears that the whole conftitution of the diet, with refpect to the number of the votes of the princes, was, during this reign, totally altered. The diet, our author obferves, though neither the reafon nor the exact circumstances which occafioned it, be known, feems, in 1582, to have laid down an entire new rule for the future. Inftead of the number of fecular votes being, as formerly, uncertain, and fometimes more or less, according to the number of reigning princes in a family, as only the perfons prefent were reckoned, more regard was afterwards paid to the territories than to the perfons themfelves; and the number of votes afterwards always continued, as it happened accidentally to be at the diet in 1582. If at that time there were feveral lines, the fame number of votes was to be given in future, though they became entirely extinct. An inftance of this kind occurs in the houfe of Brunfwick-Luneburg, which was then divided into the lines of Calenberg, Zelle, Wolfenbuttel, and Grubenhagen. Two of thefe lines were foon afterwards extinct; yet the votes have been still continued in the college of the princes. If, on the other hand, a territory, in 1582, had only one fovereign, and he left feveral fons, who again divided, ftill there remained but a single vote; as was the cafe with the house of Austria.

Our