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smallest articles of a particular kind, throughout the volume.

The following are the principal mutilations, in addition to the preceding, which we have discovered. ABSURDITY-A small part of this article is struck out.

ACTUAL SIN-This article has suffered a small and not important retrenchment.

ADOPTION in Theology is shamefully mutilated, and an addition is made near the end of it, which ought to have been distinguished as an American alteration. ADORATION absolute-A part of this little article has been lopped off.

AERIANS This article is also considerably mutilated; and of the next,

AETIUS, we can say something more; for here the learned American editors, who "correct" and "revise" this edition, have, by expunging one of Rees' references to Gibbon's History, while they retain the other, fallen into the amusing absurdity of referring to that author with a ubi supra, when they have not mentioned his History before in the whole article!

AFFIX in Grammar has several trifling alterations, which we leave the Hebrew scholar to estimate, and we finish our list with

AGNOCTAE, where there is a suppression, which most readers would think of importance.

These are the principal variations of magnitude which we have noted in our copy of the Cyclopædia; but, as we have not gone through every article with equal attention, it is highly probable that many have escaped us.

We shall close this part of our Review with a few general remarks. One of the first reflections, which the reader will make when he arrives at the end of this

volume will be, upon the different manner,in which the different classes of articles are republished. He cannot but observe the scrupulous care, with which insignificant American additions or alterations in the scientifick articles are distin guished by brackets; while the theological articles, and such as are connected with them, in which the most important changes have been made, are mutilated without such notice to the reader.

Why this difference? If the American editors do not agree with Dr. Rees in religious sentiments; if they believe his opinions to be such as the Scriptures do not warrant, let them openly con-. fute him; but let them allow him to be heard as well as themselves, and above all let them not stigmatize themselves by undertaking to pass off their own sentiments as those of that learned divine or his associates. And we have the greater right to demand of the American publisher (from his own prospectus) that a fair hearing should be given to all denominations of persons, especially upon theological questions; for in the United States religious sects are more various, and religious liberty is supposed to be enjoyed in a greater degree, than in almost any other place on the globe; and the American publisher of the Cyclopædia, among other recommenda tions of his edition, informs his subscribers that it is to be "adapted to this country;" from which general recommendation, he surely could never mean to except the theological part of the publication -the very part which in this country should be the least tainted with prejudice.

We shall now point out some of the principal additions and im provements in this edition.

After half a dozen trifling articles of geography (taken from Dictionaries and Gazetteers that are in every body's hands) which are wholly unworthy of a place in this work, unless it is to contain a complete system of Geography, we come to the life of Sir Ralph ABERCROMBY, which is a considerable article, but appears to be taken almost verbatim from a hasty English publication of little authority, entitled "Public Characters." As a variation from Dr. Rees' edition, it ought to have been designated, and the authori ty cited, as is generally done in his biographical articles.

arrangement of the whole article does not appear to be more per spicuous than that of the English edition, which has been deservedly censured.

AFRICA has large and important additions made to it from the tra➡ vels of Mr. Browne and Mr. Horneman: This, we believe, will be thought the most valuable of the American additions.

Such are the principal improvements we have remarked in this portion of the work.

We observed in the beginning of our review, that Mr. Bradford had resolved not to content himself with giving to his countrymen

The article ABORTION has a mere copy of Dr. Rees' Cyclobeen somewhat enlarged.

ABSORBENTS is considerably augmented, and the additional matter is very properly put in brackets. Whether the article is improved, we leave to the decision of gentlemen of the faculty; for when doctors disagree, Reviewers should not be obliged to decide. We cannot, however, commend the national vanity, displayed in these additions; still less do we approve of the contemptuous insinuation against almost all the medical characters in England, who seem to be charged with adopting the theory of cutaneous absorption merely from prejudice, because "they were no doubt natives of England," and were "bred up in the firm belief of it."*

The article ACADEMIES has al so several useful additions; but the

Since writing the above, we have seen and perused the Pennsylvania Inaugural Dissertations referred to in this article, and, whatever the fact may be respecting the absorption of ail of turpentine and camphor by the skin, we are far from thinking that the experiments there related satisfactorily establish the fact, that mercury is not ab. sorbed by or through the skin.

pedia, but promised amendments and additions. We presumed from this, that he had engaged "literary and scientifick characters," who would faithfully perform this task ; but, without calling in question their competency, we are sorry to find they have been so negligent ast to suffer many errours of the Eng lish edition to be copied into theirs in the most servile manner.

They tell us, after Dr. Rees, uns der the article ABGARUS, that the authenticity of that prince's correspondence with our Saviour, has been admitted by archbishop Wake, although the contrary is the fact, and the mistake has been pointed out in an English review of this work.*

་་

Under the article Ăвo, a town of Sweden, Dr. Rees mentions a seminary of learning as an "academy," which should have been called a university, according to the definition given by the author, under the article Academy in the same volume. It is a little extra.. ordinary the American editors should not have taken notice of it,

*See Brit. Critick, vol. xxvi. p. 258. 1

when it has been called a university in Guthrie's geography for many years past. The royal high court of judicature, at this place, is said by Dr. Rees to be the only one in Finland, which is not true. During the reign of Gustavus III, a similar royal high court of justice was established at Wasa, for the northern district of Finland; that at Abo being for the southern district.

ACADEMY French-Mention is here made of this body as now in existence under this name; and it is observed that they meet in the Louvre, in an apartment "now called Academie Françoise ;" and that "at breaking up, forty silver medals are distributed among them, having on one side the king of France's head, and on the reverse protecteur de l'Academie," &c. !! This is surely an oversight, but it is an oversight that will amuse, rather than offend, the reader; one would imagine, however, that the incorrectness of the article, as applied to the present time, must have been observed by the American editors, when at the distance of only two or three pages from it, a reference is made to the [National] INSTITUTE, of which, we believe, the old Academy spoken of in this article, or rather individual members of it, now form one of the Classes.

At the close of the article " AcCENT, in Grammar," is this observation that "as minutely as the accents of words have been studied, those of sentences seem to have been utterly overlooked." We were surprised at this remark, and especially to find nothing here said of the labours of Walker, who has certainly investigated this very subject (if we apprehend the force of the remark) with great success. This is, upon the whole, an admirable article-one of the best in the

work; but the remark above quoted is certainly incorrect.

Acr of Faith, or auto da fé-We are here informed (in what we take to be an extract from Dr. Geddes' Tracts) of the manner of burning hereticks, as practised by the Inquisition ; and in the course of the narrative it is said, that "a scaffold is erected in the Terreiro de Paco [Terreiro do Paço] big enough for two or three thousand people," &c. As this paragraph here stands, it does not appear where, or what, the Terreiro do Paço is, and the uninformed reader would be likely to conclude that it is an appropriate place, in all Roman Catholic countries, for burning hereticks; whereas the fact is, and we presume it so appears in the Tracts here quoted, that the Terreiro do Paço is a publick square in Lisbon; and, we presume, Dr. Geddes is here describing the ceremony of burning, as practised in Lisbon, and not, in Roman Catholic countries in general. It would have been proper, also, for the information of the younger class of readers, to have added to Dr. G.'s account, that this horrible ceremony has not been witnessed in Lisbon, nor, we believe, in any other Catholic country, for many years.

ACOSTA, Joseph-We are here informed, that Acosta wrote a Naturall and Morall History of the West-Indies, and that it was first printed in Spanish, in 1591, and in French, in 1600. As this is one of the most interesting of the early works upon America, the American editors might have added, that it was also printed in English, with additions, London, 1604.

ADOLPHUS, Frederick-king of Sweden, succeeded to the government in 1751, but was not the son of his predecessor Frederick, who had no children by his Queen Ul

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We have not selected these errours for the purpose of depreciating the value of the American edition, but as evidence of a degree of negligence that was not to have been expected in the second impression of a work, which the pub. fisher sends out as "revised" and "corrected" by "several literary and scientifick" characters in this country. We are also the more particular in our remarks at this early stage of the publication that there may be the less room for animadversion in the succeeding volumes; and from the same motives we would observe, that the typographical errours seem to be more numerous than we have usually found in the Philadelphia editions; though, perhaps not more in proportion than should be expected, from the difficulty of execution of works like the present. We shall subjoin a list of the more important of those which we have noted in our copy.

"We have now finished our examination of the first half-volume of the Cyclopedia; and, notwithstanding we have, as our duty to the publick demanded, spoken without reserve of the very exceptionable manner in which certain parts of it are re-published, yet we cannot but commend the enter prising spirit of Mr. Bradford, who has ventured upon the re-publication of a work of such magnitude. While we frankly avow, too, that the conducting of the work, as this first half-volume has been, would, in our judgment, be a forfeiture of Vol. III. No. 9.

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the liberal patronage it has obtained (to say nothing of it as an unjustifiable infringement of othe rights of Dr. Rees, a fellow-mem. ber of the commonwealth of lite. rature), we cannot but hope, that Mr. Bradford will, as it is in his power to do, by real improvements render his edition superiour to the original work; and that for the labour, anxiety, and hazard, to which he has exposed himself, he may meet with ample remunėration in the thanks, as well as the pecuniary favour of his countrymen. Sumbang bl

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mistake, said to be used for shiptunnels, instead of trennels. ACADEMICS, paragr. S. For three sects of ACADEMIES, read three sects of ACADEMICKS.

ACADEMY Naval; á reference is here made to ACADEMY, where (as is observed in an English Review) nothing further is said about Naval Academies. i

ACADEMY of Arts in New-York. We are here told of a valuable collection called the Piranessi & [and] Calcography. Is this the true name, or should it be Piranesian Calcography ?

ACCELERATION, col. 4th, line 8th, from the bottom, for Ss read Ss. This errour is also copied from the English edition.

ACHILLEUM in ancient geogra phy is misplaced, as is also

ACHILLEUS or AQUILEUS. ACRE (of land) col. 2. for ara of France, read area of France.

ADDITION in Algebra contains a typographical error of some importance.

In ADHESION in Philosophy, col. 3. at bottom, for bread b=48.

AD libitum is used in musick, not for "a piacere," but for à piacere, ACROPHOBIA for rapping read prapping! &c. &c.

AEROSTATION, practice of, col.2. In this article there is a gross errour in the calculation of the force of ascension of balloons of different diameters. This error also is copied from Rees' edition, into which it was admitted from Hutton's Math. Dictionary.

Near the bottom of the same column there is an errour copied also from the Eng. edit. It stands thus: "between 1 and 1 of it."

It should be," between 1 and " Among the omissions we should have mentioned the following ar

ticles :

ACAM-See Acham and Akem.

ACANNI OF AKANNI—see Achem; which are to be found in the Eng edition, but not in the American.*

Since the above was written, the publisher of the American edition has addrelled the following letter to a number of the fubfcribers in this town

and vicinity in reply to their Remonftrance.
"Philadelphia, Aug. 21, 1806.

I take the liberty to answer your communication by affuring you that the fubfcribers will not, in future, have any caufe of complaint in regard to retrenchments, as I détermined, immedi ately after the publication of the firft half volume, to give the text of the English edition entire, except when erroneous in point of facts, and, at the fame time.to counteract the tendency of any pernicious doctrines which it might be found to contain, by additional remarks and references distinguifhed by crotchets from the orig inal article."

"You will be pleased to communicate this information to the subfcribers of the remouftrances and, at the fame time, affure them that, although no exertion has been, or shall be wanting on my part to render the American edition fuperiour to the English copy, I with not to bind a tingle fubfcriber to the fulfilment of his engagements with me, who believes that I have, in any way, intententionally, forfeited mine with the publick.

Although, in the conducting of the American edition of the Cyclopædia, the Editors will not permit themselves to be forced from what they conceive their line of duty, by the trifling or captious objections of individuals, or the fear of loling fubfcribers, they will, always, pay refpectful attention to fuggeftions or remarks, originating in a detire to affiit them in their labours, and tending to the improvement of the work, and the correc tion of errours which, but for fuch friendly ad vice, they might inadvertently commit. I have the honour to be, &c.

SAMUEL F. BRADFORD.".

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