that we cannot juftly conceive the mafs or weight of a body ac cumulated in its common centre of gravity, unless when such body is in perfect equilibrio, or when it moves in fuch a manner that the progreffion of all its parts is equally quick during the fame inftant, and in the fame direction. When a body moves about an axis, fuch supposition never takes place; thus it is well known that the motion of a pendulum is very different from what it would be, if its whole mafs was united in its centre of gravity. Hence arifes our attention to that other point which we call the centre of oscillation; and from hence occurs the expediency, fuggefted by Mr. Euler, of feparating our idea of the centre of the inertia of a body from that of its centre of gravity.

Memoir the fecond treats of the motion of folid bodies, revolving about a changeable axis..

The third contains fome general remarks on the diurnal motion of the planets; the difficulty of forming a just conception of which, hath been fufficiently experienced by those who understand the subject: nor, to fay the truth, do we think Mr. Euler hath been very fuccessful in his attempt to elucidate it.

There are four other memoirs belonging to this class; three of them on algebraical and geometrical subjects; the fourth on the motions of a globe on an horizontal plane, by Mr. Jean-Albert Euler, eldeft fon of the geometrician above-mentioned: but want of room obligeth us to proceed to the THIRD CLASS of fubjects, treated of in this academical hiftory. The first of thefe is entitled The difcovery of the laws of a cypher of the late profeffor Herman, which was judged to be undifcoverable. The late profeffor 'S Gravefande, who was himself an able decypherer, at the fame time that he was one of the beft mathematicians and mechanics in Europe, fpeaks much in favour of the utility of this study, even fetting afide the immediate ufes to which the art of decyphering is applied. He thought, indeed, it might be of great and real service, in directing the mind to the juft application of the first principles of metaphyfics. To thofe who are of Mr. 'S Gra vefande's opinion, this article may not prove disagreeable.

The fecond memoir, in the clafs of fpeculative philofophy, relates to the nature and difcovery of the Moral fenfe; on which fome philofophers have of late fo largely expatiated. This piece is written by Mr. Merian, and is compofed confessedly as a folution to the following queftion. "What is that principle, in the mind of man, which induces him to approve certain actions as morally good, and condemn others as morally evil?" The philofophers, who have treated this fubject with the moft fuccefs, may be diftinguished into two claffes; the one confist

To this we may add that, if the mere contemplation of virtue in external objects is fo very delightful, there can be no wonder that it should be found infinitely more fo when we behold it in ourselves. It must be confeffed, indeed, that fome of the ancient philofophers, and particularly the Stoics carried this maxim to a ridiculous length. According to their abfurd system, the inward fatisfaction of the true fage, was fufficient to render him infenfible to all the evils of human life; the most excruciating torments of the body, as they pretended, could not affect the internal felicity of his mind; for a truly wife man might be even happy in the tortures of Phalaris's bull. Such extravagant notions as these deserve not a serious refutation: for might we not as well affure a man, who is racked with the gout or the ftone, that the profpect of the verdant meadows of spring, or the golden fields of autumn, are fufficient to remove his pains? The fenfe of moral beauty, like that of the phyfical, can give no degree of pleasure, which may not be counterballanced, or even effaced by preponderating pains." From thefe confiderations our Author draws a confequence; which, though he thinks it may, at first, appear a little fingular, he takes upon him to fay, is no lefs juft. This is, that a pure love for virtue, which pafies for fomething fo difficult of attainment, as one of the highest degrees of myftical perfection, and with many as a mere chimera, is notwithstanding the most common and moft natural thing in the world. Every moral fenfation, fays he, is an act of pure, difinterefted, affection; in which the mind difplays its love for virtue, in confequence of that pleasure it takes, in admiring virtue for its own fake.

The third memoir in this clafs, is entitled the Analysis of Reafon, and is written by Mr. Sulzer; who, in a preceding volume of this history had given the public an Effay on Genius." Mr. Sulzer obferves that the term, reason, is taken in a twofold acceptation: that is either as the general concatenation of univerfal truths, agreeably to the idea of Leibnitz; or as the fimple faculty of reafoning in the individual, conformably to that of Wolfius. In the firft fenfe, reafon is, in every rational Being, that collection, or fum, of philofophical knowlege it is poffeffed of: in the second fenfe, it is merely the faculty of acquiring fuch knowlege. There are two things, therefore, fays he, to be enquired into, the faculty itself, and the acquifi⚫tions of that faculty. With this duplicate view, is the memoir before us compofed; which, though it may afford little novelty or fatisfaction to thofe who are profoundly verfed in the fubject, cannot fail of impreffing a very advantageous idea of the abilities of the Writer on the mind of the Reader.

The last memoir in this clafs, treats of the doctrine of Infinites, and was written by the late Mr. Premontval; a philofo

pher

pher of much greater ingenuity that illky, but mi ti le

In the fort, and laf class of this work, riz te Beles Lemmes, we have a differtatio on fofucha, the ancient vizi of Saxony and the March of Brandenbourg, by Mr. Kuber: to which fucceed fever academical cabouries and elogies; for which we have no place of ansertion.

The natural Hiftory of Nations. Or Counterations on the clementary Pracipies of the temperament and characters of different People. 12mo. Amterdam. 1705.

HE office of a literary Reviewer is perhaps one of the mult

approbation or blame; or whether he thinks it incumbent on him, in the case of mediocrity, and in judice to the public, to beftow neither; he is himself morally certain of becoming the object of the leveret centre. It were indeed a tale isject of complaint, to mention the vanity of Authors, the piräilty of their friends, or the malice of their enemies: we thall not take up our Reader's time, therefore, with remarks on either of thele topics. There is a very serious and plaanible objection, however, that hath been of late repeatedly made to the conduct of literary journals, and particularly to the English Rosewers. They are faid to be much too fevere, and fartanical in their treatment of those Authors, whofe Writings are fomitted to their confideration: as a proof of which are brought the more candid and favourable examples of thofe ingenious and learned foreigners, who firit engaged in works of this kind. Le Clerc and 'S Gravelande, we are told, pointed out the errors of m taken writers with candour, reprehended even the petulant with tenderness, and poke of all with politeness and urbanity. We fhall not enter into a strict examination of the truth of this afsertion; there were doubtie's among the primitive Reviewers many gentlemen of the most candid and amiable dripofitions : but we cannot help thinking that their tenderness for individuals much too often clashed with that justice and impartiality chev owed to the public. Add to this, that even the more defcrvì of the former must be prejudiced, by that indiscriminate m of treating the moft contemptible Writers with the fame c mony as the most refpectable. But, be all this as it may, ingenious Authors of the above objections should conuder : there hath been a great revolution in the world of letters:

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