1753. Indeed he scarcely trusted to theory in any case where he could have an opportunity to investigate it by experiment; and for this purpose he built a steam-engine at Austhorpe, that he might make experiments expressly to ascertain the power of the Old or Newcomen's steam-engine; which he improved and brought to a much greater degree of certainty, both in it's construction and powers, than it was before.

During many years of his life, Mr Smeaton was a constant attendant on Parliament, his opinion being continually called for. And here his natural strength of judgement and perspicuity of expression had their full display. It was his constant practice, when applied to, to plan or support any measure, to make himself fully acquainted with it, and be convinced of it's merits, before he would be concerned in it. By this caution, joined to the clearness of his description, and the integrity of his heart, he seldom failed having the bill he supported, carried into an act of Parliament. No person was heard with more attention, nor had any one ever more confidence placed in his testimony.

In the Courts of Law he had several compliments paid to him from the Bench, by the late Lord Mansfield and others, on account of the new light he threw upon difficult sub. jects.

As a Civil Engineer, he was perhaps unrivalled, certainly not excelled, by any one, either of the present or former times. His building the Edystone Light-house, were there no other monument of his fame, would establish his character. The Edystone Rocks have obtained their name from the great variety of contrary sets of the tide or current in their vicinity. They are situated nearly S. S. W. from the middle of Plymouth Sound. Their distance from the port of Plymouth is about fourteen miles. They are almost in the line which joins the Dec. 1812.

Start and the Lizard Points; and as they lie nearly in the direction of ves sels coasting up and down the Channel, they were unavoidably, before the establishment of a light-house there, very dangerous, and often fatal to ships. Their situation, with regard to the Bay of Biscay and the Atlan tic, is such, that they lie open to the swells of the bay and ocean, from all the south-western points of the compass; so that all the heavy seas, from the south-west quarter, come uncontrouled upon the Edystone Rocks, and break upon them with the utmost fu

ry.

Sometimes, when the sea is to all appearance smooth and even, and it's surface unruffled by the slightest breeze, the ground swell meeting the slope of the rocks, the sea beats upon them in a frightful manner, so as not only to obstruct any work being done on the rock, but even landing upon it, when, figuratively speaking, you might go to sea in a walnut shell. That circumstances fraught with danger surrounding it, should lead mariners to wish for a light-house, is not wonderful; but the danger attending the erection leads us to wonder, that any one could be found hardy enough to undertake it. Such a man was first found in the person of Mr H. Winstanley, who, in the year 1696, was furnished by the Trinity House with the necessary powers. In 1700 it was finished; but in the great storm of November, 1703, it was destroyed, and the projector perished in the ruins. In 1709 another, upon a different construction, was erected by a Mr Rudyerd, which, in 1755, was unfortunately consumed by fire.

The next building was under the direction of Mr Smeaton, who, having considered the errors of the former constructions, has judiciously guarded against them, and erected a building, the demolition of which seems little to be dreaded, unless the rock on which it is erected should perish with it. Of his works, in con

structing

structing bridges, harbours, mills, engines, &c. &c. it were endless to speak.

Of his inventions and improvements of philosophical instruments, as of the air-pump, the pyrometer, hygrometer, &c. &c. some idea may be formed from the list of his writings inserted below.

In his person, Mr Smeaton was of a middle stature, but broad and strong made, and possessed of an excellent constitution. He had great simplicity and plainness in his manners: he had a warmth of expression that might appear, to those who did not know him well, to border on harshness; but, such as were more closely acquainted with him, knew it arose from the intense application of his mind, which was always engaged in the pursuit of truth, or in the investigation of difficult subjects. He would sometimes break out hastily, when any thing was said that was contrary to his ideas of the subject; and he would not give up any thing he argued for, till his mind was convinced, by the deducement of facts, before unknown to him, and by sound reasoning. In all the social duties of life, Mr Smeaton was exemplary; he was a most affectionate husband, a good father, a warm, zealous, and sincere friend, always ready to assist those he respected, and often before it was pointed out to him in what way he could serve them. He was a lover and an encourager of merit wherever he found it; and many persons now living are in a great measure indebted for their present situa tion to his assistance and advice. As a companion, he was always entertaining and instructive, and none could spend their time in his company without improvement.

As to the list of his writings; besides the large work above-mention ed, being the History of the Edystone Light-house, and numbers of Reports and Memorials, many of which were printed, his communications to the

Royal Society, and inserted in their Transactions, are as follow:

1. An Account of Dr Knight's Improvements of the Mariner's Com pass. An. 1750, pa. 513.

2. Some Improvements in the AirPump. An. 1752, pa. 413.

3. An Engine for raising Water by Fire; being an improvement on Savary's Construction, to render it capable of working itself; invented be M. De Moura, of Portugal. Ib. pa. 436.

4. Description of a new Tackle, or Combination of Pulleys. Ib. pa.

494.

5. Experiments on a Machine for measuring the Way of a Ship at Sea. An. 1754, pa. 532.

6. Description of a new Pyrometer. Ib. pa. 598.

7. Effects of Lightning on the Steeple and Church of Lestwithial in Cornwall. An. 1757, pa. 198.

8. Remarks on the different Temperature of the Air at Edystone Light-house and at Plymouth. An. 1758, pa. 488.

9. Experimental Enquiry concerning the natural Powers of Water and Wind to turn Mills, and other Machines depending on a circular Metion. An. 1759, pa. 100.

10. On the Menstrual Parallax arising from the mutual Gravitation of the Earth and Moon, it's Influence on the Observation of the Sun and Planets, with a Method of observing it. An. 1768, pa. 156.

11. Description of a new Method of observing the Heavenly Bodies out of the Meridian. An. 1768, pa. 170.

12. Observations on a solar Eclipse. An. 1769, pa. 286.

13. Description of a new Hygrometer. An. 1771, pa. 198.

14. An Experimental Examination of the Quantity and Proportion of Mechanical Power necessary to be employed in giving different Degrees of Velocity to heavy Bodies from a State of Rest. An. 1776, pa. 450.

Ge

67

Executed

39

View of the Steps taken by the Russian Government to promote the civilization of its Subjects.

(These particulars are drawn from a letter addressed to the American Review by a Russian [we believe Count Pahlen, the Russian ambassador.] It was written with the view of confuting the statements of Dr Clarke.)

AT the epoch of the expulsion of the Tartars (about the middle of the sixteenth century) our nation had made no advances in civilization, beyond the point which it had attained before their invasion. On the contrary, a long continued system of domestic oppression, under the tyranny of foreign tribes, must have impressed on its character, deep traces of inertness not easily to be erased. The few chronicles and legends in the Sclavonic, Latin, and Greek languages, which the piety, or, if Dr Clarke pleases, the superstition, of monks had collected in their obscure convents, were committed to the flames ;-from the general destruction were only saved, some treaties concluded with the Eastern empire by the Grand-Dukes Oleg and Igor in the years 912 and 945, and a compilation of the code of Justinian, introduced into Russia by the Grand-Duke Jaraslaf in 1017, under the title of Russian Justice (Pravda Rouskaja.) To these may be added some fragments of different annalists, from Nestor the monk of Kief, who wrote about A. D. 1100, down to John of Novgorod, who lived about A. D. 1230.

Such were the feeble sparks from which was to be rekindled with us the torch