is fuffered to go abroad into the world without the flightest

cenfure :

"Divers abfurdities alfo arofe from the wrong converting of names into propofitions; as firft, when the names of bodies are applied to accidents; or the names of accidents to bodies: as in that propofition, faith is infufed or infpired: fince nothing is either fufible or infpirable, but body."

Surely Dr. Rees admits, though Hobbes did not, that "to one is given, by the Spirit, the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the fame Spirit; to another FAITH BY THE SAME SPIRIT;" but what is given by the Spirit may be faid, without abfurdity, to be inspired; though nothing can be literally infpired but air. No man is mifled by fuch phrafeology; because it is univerfally known, that the language is metaphorical, and that it is impoffible to fpeak or write, otherwife than by metaphor, of mind and its accidents,

The articles ABYSSINIA, and ABYSSINIAN, in ecclefiaftical hiftory, are well drawn up; but they fhould have compofed but one article, as there is properly fpeaking no such Ject in the Chriftian church as Abyffinians. It would be ridiculous to call fects in the Christian church by the names SPANIARD, FRENCH, and ITALIAN, &c. and if fo, with what propriety is ABYSSINIAN made the name of a fect?

ACADEMICS, we are told, "were a fect of philofophers, who followed the doctrine of SOCRATES and PLATO, as to the uncertainty of knowledge, and the incomprehenfibility of truth." This we apprehend to be a mistake. The members of the middle and new Academy were indeed fceptics, and profeffed to be the followers of Socrates and Plato; but Socrates and Plato were not themfelves fceptics, though the former affirmed, as he had reafon to do, that there was no certainty in the phyfical fcience, which, in his days, was cultivated among the Greeks. This is indeed proved in the article itself, in which, as it is not long, contradiction might furely have been avoided.

Under the title ACADEMY, we have short accounts of the various affociations known by that title, which have, in the different nations of modern Europe, been inftituted for the cultivation of arts, fciences, and literature. The academies are grouped into claffes denominated from the objects which they have in view; fuch as ACADEMIES of Antiquities; ACADEMIES of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture; ACADEMIES of Belles Lettres; ACADEMIES, Chirurgical; ACADEMIES Cofmographical; ACADEMIES, Ecclefiaftical; ACADEMIES, Hiftorical; ACADEMIES of Language; ACADEMIES of Law; ACADEMIES, Medical; ACA

DEMIES

DEMIES of Sciences, &c. &c. This claffification has a very scientific appearance; but the reader will find that on this, as on many other occafions, appearance is deceitful. The Royal Academy of Arts, which, in 1768, was infituted in London for the encouragement of Defigning, Painting, Sculpture, &c. is ranged, not under the clafs entitled ACADEMIES of Painting, Sculpture, &c. but, under the clafs ACADEMIES of Antiquities! Under the class ACADEMIES Cafmographical is ranged, we know not for what reason, the ACADEMY of Dancing, inftituted by Louis XIV. In the Encyclopædia Britannica, this highly pri. vileged Academy is claffed as one of the ACADEMIES, or Schools of Arts, which it certainly was; though it is not eafy to conceive how the Academicians, by cultivating the art for which they were affociated, could contribute to the improvement of Geography! ACADEMY of Medals and Infcriptions appears in the New Cyclopædia in the clafs ACADEMIES of Law, though it would furely have, with greater propriety, been ranged, as in the Encyclopædia Britannica, under the clafs ACADEMIES of Antiquities. Both Cyclopædias, we think very improperly, diftinguifh the clafs ACADEMIES of Belles Lettres from ACADEMIES of Language, or Grammatical Academies; for neither poetry nor eloquence will be fuccefsfully cultivated by him, who ne glects the study of grammar. "Naval ACADEMY, as that of Petersburgh and that of England," feems to be ranged under Medical ACADEMIES, with what propriety we know not, as all that is faid of it is, "See ACADEMY," under which word nothing more of Naval Academies is to be feen! From ACADEMIES of Sciences no reference is made to SOCIETY, which there certainly should have been, to give to the Royal SOCIETIES of London and Edinburgh that connexion which they have with foreign Academies, inftituted for the fame purpofe, and of which even the plan of this work admitted the proper notice to be taken.

But whilst we object to Dr. Rees's claffification of ACADEMIES, as the moft antiphilofophical arrangement that we have feen; we acknowledge with pleasure, that he has brought to our notice a greater number of these useful inftitutions, than is to be found in any other English work, with which we are acquainted,

ACCELERATION, in phyfics, is a very good article; as is likewife ACCENT, in grammar, where the reader will find a fummary account of what has been written by the most eminent Grammarians on the antiquity and ufe of the Greek

accents.

The

The article ACCOMMODATION, in Theology, is peculiarly objectionable. The compiler, whoever he was, has brought together the arguments of various rational Chriftians among our English Divines, as well as of ftill more rational Chriftians in Germany, to fet afide the application of the Jewish prophecies made by the writers of the New Teftament to the perfon and character of our Saviour; to call in queftion the very exiftence of the Devil, and of confequence the Mofaic history of the fall of man, and the Chriftian doctrine of redemption, which, if that hiftory be falfe, is unintelligible; and even to prove, that it was no part of the defign of Chrift's miffion to inftru&t his followers in all thofe particular truths which may be confidered as influencing religious opinions! As impartiality is the firft and greateft duty of the conductors of a Cyclopaedia, we fhould have had no objection to this conduct, if the arguments of these men of modern liberality had been followed by a fummary of the reafonings which have been urged, in reply to them, by fuch Divines as are accounted more orthodox, and, of courfe, lefs liberal. But not one word have we on the orthodox fide of the queftion; though, as if confcious that he had done. wrong, the compiler or editor concludes with obferving, that the opinions, which he had been labouring to prove erroneous, are fuch" as the reader of this article will not incautiously reject, and without the previous hefitation and fubfequent examination which they deferved!" If it is thus that the New Cyclopædia is to be conducted; if no theological opinions are to receive in it any fupport but those which are approved by the editor and his friends; and if even fuch Divines as Warburton (who furely was no orthodox bigot) are not to be contrafted with Sykes and Middleton; and fuch men as Grotius, and Limborch, and Witfius, and Mofheim, with Dutch and German theologians of the modern schools, it is impoffible that, as real friends to our ecclefiaftical e@ablishment, we can wish fuccefs to the labours of Dr. Rees. Many opportunities, however, will occur to him during the progrefs of the work, for counteracting the mifchievous effects of this pernicious article, and we truft that of thefe he will eagerly lay hold.

ACTS of the Apostles is an excellent article; and that which is entitled ACTS of Pilate is entitled to regard. The articles ACTION, ACTIVE power, and AGENT, have difappointed us; but we truft that the fubject will be refumed under the title PowER. It is a fubject of the higheft importance; and in thefe days of fatalifm, deferves all the attention that can be bestowed on it.

We

We were agreeably surprised to find fo very little that is exceptionable in the article ADAM. Had one fentence been omitted, in which a doubt is ftarted whether Mofes was the author of the concife account which the fcriptures give us of the origin of the human race, this article might have been recommended with confidence to the perufal of the illiterate as well as of the learned. We truft that Dr. Rees is aware of the importance of right notions of the FALL of man, and original SIN to which he refers; and that in these articles he will not content himfelf with stating the arguments on one fide only of each queftion, which he may have occafion to difcufs.

In the meagre fketch of the life of Robert ADAM, the architect, we were furprised at finding the New University of Edinburgh called one of the confiderable edifices, which was erected from his designs. An univerfity is not an edifice, nor are there two univerfities in Edinburgh, an old and

a new!

The

ADHESION, in Philofophy and Chemistry, is a valuable article taken from the Encyclopedie Methodique. article ADULTERY contains fome curious information; but is in many refpects exceptionable.

There is fomething extremely anomalous in the extent of the various articles in this work. Thus AEROLOGY occupies but three lines, whilft AEROSTATION extends. through upwards of thirteen pages. It is true, that from the former of these particulars we are referred to AIR, where we have an account of various kinds of air or gafes; but we are likewife referred from the latter, notwithstanding its length, to a variety of articles. At the end of the article AEROSTATION is the following ridiculous reference:"See also for an account of several publications on this fubject, and abftracts of their contents, Monthly Review, vol. Ixix. p. 551;-vol. lxxi. p. 379;-vol. lxxiii. p. 99." Is it thus that the editor fulfils his promife of pointing out, under each separate article, " fuch publications as afford fuller information?" Surely he ought to have enumerated the publications themfelves; as he cannot reasonably expect, that every purchaser of the New Cyclopædia, will likewise purchase the Monthly Review!

Dr. Rees is miftaken when he fays, that the existence of fuch a fubtile fluid as Newton's ETHER has been almoft univerfally allowed. We do not believe, that there is this day in Europe one philofopher, entitled to the smallest refpect, who admits that any thing which has been called æther, can be the efficient caufe of attraction and repulfion

in the material world, as of fenfation and reflection in the mind of man. Hartley's hypothefis of vibrations and vibra. tionales is one of the most abfurd fictions that ever was conceived by a man of talents; and yet Hartley's inferences from the undoubted fact-association-are entitled to much regard *.

No lefs than twelve or thirteen pages are occupied by a geological defcription of mount ETNA; but the article is valuable, and cannot be thought too long. The compiler indeed places greater confidence in Mr. Brydone's account of that mountain than the inhabitants of Catania allow it to deferve; but this was natural for a man, who probably has not vifited Sicily; and the fictions and hypothefes of that traveller can hardly iniflead any one who reads the article with attention..

AFFINITY is a long article; and, as the term comprehends the whole philofophy of chemistry, its importance is equal to its length. The article, however, is very fufceptible of improvement; and we ferioufly advife the compiler to write anew, for any future edition of the first volume of the Cyclopedia, the fection entitled Caufe of Chemical Affinity. Affinity is a fpecies of attraction, or what is fo called in the language of philofophy; but of the efficient caufes of any kind of attraction we know nothing. Newton never fuppofed, that the force of attraction is the efficient cause of the planetary motions +;" nor do fuch of his followers as understand their mafter, concern themfelves with the efficient caufes of phyfical phænomena, whether chemical or mechanical. Their utmoft ambition is to trace the laws by which physical phænomena are produced, in obedience to the author of nature; nor will any man of fober reflection attempt more.

AGRARIAN law is an article lefs exceptionable than we looked for under that title, though the compiler certainly pays to the reveries of Harrington a degree of deference to which they are not entitled..

AGRICULTURE, though a pleafing fketch of the hiftory of the art, contains little information of any value; nor are its defects fupplied by reference to works that can be in any degree useful to the practical farmer. We are indeed referred to BOARD OF AGRICULTURE, of which notice fhall be taken in due time.

See British Critic, Vol. XX. p. 6:0, &c. + See his Letters to Dr. Bentley.

The