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and have abhorred the plan of making it fubfervient to the narrow and temporary purposes of a party or a government. They have not dared to enlift the Almighty in the fervice of a particular nation, or to point his thunders against their fellow-creatures, merely becaufe their worldly interefts interfered. They have not let apart days for the religious commemoration of public events, the final confequences of which no man can fee, and which are regarded with totally different feelings by different parties. Keeping their own hands unftained with blood, they have viewed the fhedding of blood by others as a fubject of humiliation rather than thanksgiving; and if ever they offer prayers for national blefsings, it is for thofe of peace, brotherly love and righteoufnefs, in which they defire that all mankind should equally participate.

Thirdly, though I do not know that they differ from other Chriftians in their fpeculative notions of the efficacy of prayer, and the interpofition of Providence in human concerns, yet I can fee that they are much more wary and referved than others in making petitions for particular favours; and hence, according to my judgment, preferve a greater confiftency in the theory of the divine perfections, and inculcate a more tranquil and reverential fubmiffion to the will of the Deity. In this refpect they are a strong contrast to the puritans of the last century, and the first methodists of this, whofe copious and minute addreffes to heaven often degenerated into indecent familiarity, and querulous importunity.

Fourthly, by boldly discarding, instead of endeavouring to fimplify and rationalize, thofe rites of religion, which, from a kind of emblematic veil thrown about them, will always be abused and misunderstood by the vulgar and the fanciful, they have eradicated among themselves a vaft mafs of fuperftition and error, from which no fect that retains them is entirely free; and which, in fome, has almoft overwhelmed all that is valuable in reve

lation. How far they have been juftified in doing this, from the authority of fcripture, I do not enquire; but the advantage of having got rid of fuch inlets to falfe opinion, must be manifeft to all who are capable of making comparifons.

On the whole, it appears to me, that no fociety of Chriftians ever acquired the effentials of their religion at fo cheap a rate, or in fo pure a form; and thefe privileges are fo intrinfically valuable,

that I should not doubt of the ability of fuch a fect to maintain its ground, even though it were to refign its little peculiarities of speech and drefs. I am, Sir, Your's, &c. SIMPLICIUS.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

SIR,

IF your correfpondent, S. L. is a ma

thematician, and had given himself time to confalt Simpjon, Maclaurin, and Clairaut, he would not have fent you the extracts from Mr. Dunn's pamphlet (page 272, May Mag.) Thofe authors have demonftrated, that the direction of gravitation is perpendicular to the earth's surface. What is to be understood by the direction of gravitation, is the direction of preffure of the particles at the earth's furface? This arifes from the centrifugal force, and the force of gravity combined; which forces neceffarily keep the particles at the furface in equilibrio.

There feems to be nothing new in Mr. Dunn's pamphlet except his notions refpecting the plumb-line: it is not easy to guefs how he could imagine that its direction (independent of the effects of unequal denfity) will not be perpendicular to the earth's furface, without making this ftrange fuppofition, that it must be sufpended from the sky. May 25th.

Z.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

SIR,

OUR benevolent correfpondent E. P.

Y and many other of your readers, will, no doubt, be happy to hear that a fociety is propofed to be established for the purpofe of providing relief in certain cafes of extreme mifery incident to common prostitution *.

It is recommended to gentlemen, who coincide with the author of this Effay in opinion that the frequent occurrence of fuch cafes becomes highly worthy of ferious attention, that they fhould infcribe their names in a lift, prefaced with the following refolution, kept by the bookfellers who fell the Effay.

Refolution :---It appears to us that common proftitutes are expofed to various miferies which claim relief from the good policy as well as from the humanity of the public: we are therefore

* See Thoughts on means of alleviating the Miferies attendant upon Common Proftitution," printed for T. Cadell and W. Davies in the Strand.

willing,

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willing, as foon as the names in the lifts of the feveral bookfellers fhall amount in number to fifty, to meet at the Crown and Anchor Tavern in the Strand, on a day to be fixed by advertifement in the public papers, for the purpose of confulting on the best means of carrying into execution a plan for the relief of diftreffed proftitutes.

He ven

N. B. The author of the Effay is defrous not to appear as a principal mover of this charity, though determined that no private exertion on his part fhall be wanting to carry it into effect. tures, therefore, to fubmit the following regulations and refolutions to the confideration of those who may be willing to attend at fuch meeting.

First, A chairman of the meeting must immediately be chofen.

Secondly, Refolutions to the following effect should be propofed by the chairman to the gentlemen prefent:

I. Various cafes of mifery incident to common prostitutes appear to be without the fcope, or beyond the reach of any exifting

charitable institution.

II. To provide relief in cafes hereafter fpecified, let books be opened, and the following bankers requested to receive fubfcriptions of any amount. (Bankers names.)

III. Let committees of account and management and of inquiry be appointed; as fuggefted in pages 46 and 47 of the Effay.

IV. Other regulations; as in page 47. V. When the fubfcription fhall amount to the fum of one hundred pounds, hand-bills fhall be printed, and circulated among those who are likely to require the affistance of the charity.

A very moderate contribution may foon enable the fociety to hold out donations of prefent relief to those whom, upon inquiry, they hall find to have the beft founded claims to charitable affiftance; fuch as, proper medical aid upon various occafions; the affiftance of nurses; conveniencies of habitation, food, and clothing; pecuniary help, towards the enabling fome to return to their friends; with premiums, by way of general inducement, to indigent relations who fhall molt readily receive them, and encourage their reclamation.

Let not modefty and chastity fear to ftep forward in the caufe of humanity to the relief of thofe who have tranfgreffed their laws. Did they but know the tale of mifery which thefe unfortunate outcafts have to unfold, even modefty and chastity would figh, and would acquit them. Befides, this fociety may not only hold out aid to the fallen, but may like

wife interpofe a guardian arm between the falling and the bottom of the precipice; and not unfrequently, by welltimed exertion, ftay and draw back fome, ere they have yet been driven by mifery and madnefs to the brink. I am, Sir, Your humble Servant,

W. R.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.
SIR,

Do not know whether it be befide the purpose of your work, to fuggeft hints in the regulation of household œconomy. There are few articles in more general ufe, or dearer than fugar; and fugar, in its refined ftaté, being now beyond the purchase of poor families, they refort to a fpecies of ground fugar, for which they give a middle price, betwixt that of refined, and of raw fugar in its soft state, as it comes from the Weft Indies. This fpecies of fugar is pleafing to the eye, but not more valuable, being neither a more delicate nor a more powerful fweet, than foft fugar in its raw ftate; yet it is frequently fold higher, after undergoing the procefs through what it paffes, by two or three pence in the pound, than the fugar in the raw ftate of which it is made. The process by which the appearance of this fugar is improved is merely this : When brought from the fhip, it is put into a warm stove, and dried, by which the water it contains is evaporated, and it is made to affume a brighter appearance. The water evaporated is very fmall in quantity, fo as little to affect the weight, and yet this is the only impurity of which it is stripped. When dry, it is put into a mill and ground by a very heavy stone, which completely pulverifes it, and still improves the colour. Thus, with all its dirt, and all its molaffes, it is fold to the confumer.

Sugar, as it is brought in its soft state from the Weft Indies, confifts of four sub. ftances, water, with which it is charged in no great degree; dirt, which is either foil or pulverifed cane, which it contains in very large quantities, and an oil, which, when feparated, is called molaffes or trea cle. This oil is a very powerful, but not a delicate, fweet; but it does not, in respect of price, fuftain its due rank among sweets: it is the cheapest fweet we have applica ble to general purposes of fweets, and though greatly flighted by the poor in this part of England, it is m chufed in Scotland in various ways as a substitute for fugar. The ground fugars of which

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we have spoken above, have all the dirt and all the molaffes, to them; they are more delicate to the eye, but neither more powerful nor delicate to the taste than the raw fugar as it comes from the Weft Indies. Nay, it is even fufpected that the grinders fometimes mix it with other ingredients, not fweets, but when pulverized not to be detected by the eye.

There is a pecies of ground fugar, vulgarly called battard fugar, much to be prefered to the other ground fugar; it goes through a refining procefs, and although it has much molaffes in it, has no dirt, so that, though a lefs delicate fweet than loaf-fugar, it is as powerful a one. Of fweets derived from the fugar-cane, and to be purchafed in this country, molaffes or treacle is the cheapeft. The raw fugar, as it comes from the Weft Indies, is cheaper and as good as the common dried ground fugar, retaining all its dirt and oil. Bastard ground fugar is cheaper and a more powerful leis adulterated fweet than either: loaf fugar, completely refined, is certainly both a delicate and a powerful fweet, and if used with proper calculation cheaper, notwithstanding its exceffive price at prefent, than common ground fugar. I am, &c.

Maidstone, June 14, 1795.

MARY JACKSON.

ACCOUNT OF THE ATHENEUM AT LIVERPOOL.

[With a copper-plate.]

HE eftablishment of a new Library

deratum with many gentlemen, who had experienced the disadvantages and defects of the old one; and theie disadvantages having been very generally felt and acknowledged, an attempt was made, in the latter end of the year 1797, to lay the foundation of fuch a library; as might not only be valuable to the fubfcribers, but creditable to the town.

The plan was no fooner known, than it received the warmest fupport of many of the most respectable gentlemen of the town, who determined to use all their influence to carry it into effect. They held their first meeting on the 27th of November 1797, to take the plan into confideration; and at once refolved to enlarge it, by abandoning altogether the original idea of having fhops on the ground floor, and by converting that floor into a commodious and elegant news-room. A committee of 21 gentlemen was appointed to carry the fcheme into execution;

and from that time it has been conducted to its completion, with fuch cordiality and fpirit, as have feldom been witnessed in this town on any fimilar occafion. On the following day the committee entered' upon their functions; and gave directions to the architect to prepare a plan of the building according to the refolutions of the general meeting. As the enlarged plan was much more eligible in every respect than that originally propofed, the committee recommended it to the adoption of the fubfcribers; and in order to defray the additional expence incurred by the extenfion of the plan, they alfo recommended that the number of the fubfcribers fhould be increased to 300. The committee drew up a report, containing not only there recommendations, but a variety of regulations for the future management of the inftitution. This report was prefented on the 18th of December 197, to a general meeting of the fubfcribers, who framed a feries of regulations in conformity with the recom mendations of the committee; and amongst other resolutions, they determined, that as foon as 300 names were fubfcribed, each fubfcriber fhould pay his fubfcription into one of the public banks, and that no contract or engagement fhould be entered into on behalf of the fubfcribers, until the whole of the money was paid. To this measure may be afcribed the rapidity with which the bufinefs proceeded. On the 5th of January 1798, the fubfcription-lift of names was filled, the fubfcribers began to pay their fubfcriptions

month, not less than 2,9711. 10s. were paid. The ground for the intended building had already been purchased, and preparations made for inking the foundation. Various alterations and improvements were made in the plan, and as thefe alterations added to the expence of the erection, the fubfcribers, at a general meeting on the 19th of January, refolved that the number of fubfcribers should be further increafed to 350, and that as foon as 325 had paid their fubfcriptions, the committee fhould be empowered to carry the plan into execution. On the 8th of February, the plan of the building was finally adjusted: the architect was requefted to draw up a fpecification of it; propofals were advertised for and the propofals received, were laid before the committee on the 23d of February; when thofe of Mr. JOHN FOSTER junr, were approved of and accepted; and a contract was entered into with him for completing

the

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