ART. 60. Ariftophanis Rana. Edidit, commentario illuftravit, varietatem lectionis, Scholia Græca indicemque verborum et rerum adjecie Jo. Georg. Christ. Höpfner. Vol. I, XLVI, and 198 pp. in 1. 8vo. This first volume comprises the Greek text, the Scholia, and the various readings. The text, except in a few inftances of different lection, punctuation, and of the divifion of the portions allotted to the interlocutors, agrees with that of Brunck. The editor, however, expreffes a wifh, that he had depended lefs on the authority of Brunck, and more regularly adopted the readings fupplied by MSS. The Ravenna MS. of which Invernizi availed himself, is unquestionably of great importance; and as that editor did not pretend to the character of a critic, but approved, indiscriminately, whatever readings occurred in it, any one who fhall hereafter undertake to improve the text, would ftill find it to furnish abundant matter for his confideration, though lefs, we think, in this, than in the other comedies. The Scholia are printed here exactly as they ftand in Küfter's edition, except, that fometimes the alterations propofed by K. are received into the text, whilft the additions which Invernizi had before communicated from the Ravenna MS. are inclofed in brackets. In the various readings, all those are comprehended of which former editors have made any ufe, including thofe of two modern MSS. the Codices Bavaricus and Elbingenfis, the differences found in which had been printed at the end of an edition of the Rana, by Harles, Leipzig, 1788. The fecond volume will contain the commentary, in which will not only be given extracts from the observations of former critics on this comedy, but likewife whatever remarks may be found difperfed in the works of different philological writers, tending to elucidate it, with the editor's appreciation of their merit, and his own occafional hints. The Greek text is, in this volume, accompanied with frequent directions to the performers (papais), which likewife ferve to throw confiderable light on the piece. Ibid. ART. 61. Marc. Aurel. Antonius Unterhaltungen mit fich felbft Aus dem Griechifchen mit Anmerkungen, und Verfuchen zur Darstellung Aoifcher Philofophie, von Joh. Wilh. Reche.-Meditations of M. A Antoninus. From the Greek, with Obfervations, and an Attempt to point out the Principles of the Stoic Philofophy, by J. W. Reche. XXX, and 543 pp. 8vo. Francfort on the M. 1797. Those who are acquainted with the character and ftyle of this au thor, will think the tranflator entitled to no fmall share of praise, when we affure them, that the original is, upon the whole, rendered in a faithful and clear manner. Confiderable improvements have also been made in the text, not only by a judicious felection from the different readings, but likewife, where it was thought neceffary, by the editor's own conjectural emendations of it. To the tranflation is fubjoined a statement of the opinions of M. Antoninus, reduced under certain heads; as, God, the World, Providence, Human Nature, Morality, Freedom of Will, Happiness, Futurity, c. Ibid. ACKNOW. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TO CORRESPONDENTS. The author of the Four Effays, might furely have fpared his pains to obviate a fufpicion, which we exprefsly declared to be precluded by the context of his work; and, for the fame reaWith fon, we cannot think it neceffary to print his letter. refpect to the denial of the Law of Nature," we believe him to be right, in fubftance; but we should have expreffed it, denying the power of Confcience," or "the Moral Senfe." To a Querift we anfwer, that certainly the divine nature cannot fuffer or die; yet we conceive, that the human nature could not poffibly atone, unless united with the divine. The author of the Effential Principles of the Wealth of Nations, will excufe us, if we take further time to confider his Letter. We are very careful not to mifreprefent authors; but are not likely to agree in opinion with one who calls Smith's Enquiry into the Wealth of Nations, "one of the most uninftructive political treatifes that have for a long time appeared." We have not received S. S.'s fecond edition, nor do we defire it. What we faid of his firft was well confidered, and was juft. His intemperate Letters difgrace him, not us. The author of Critical Trifles may be affured that he has not "wounded our vanity;" nor fhould we have offended his, had it not been peculiarly fenfitive. LITERARY INTELLIGENCE. Doctor Bloch, the celebrated philofopher of Berlin, whose works on Icthyology are of the highest reputation, is about to publish a Compendium Icthyologicum. Mr. Gough has made large preparations for a new edition of Cambden. Mr. Nichols has a third volume of his Leicestershire almost finished. Mr. Maurice has finished the greater part of his promifed volume of the Hiftory of Hindoftan. Mr. G. Dyer is about to publifh his Poetical Works, by fubfcription, in three volumes, octavo. ERRATUM. In our Review for April, p. 438, l. 17, for révolution, read Revelation, THE BRITISH CRITIC, For JUNE, 1798. Le Mérite pourtant m'eft toujours precieux, Merit I honour and fupport at once; BOILEAU. ART. I. Philofophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, for 1797. Part II. 4to. 327 pp. 10s. Elmfly. 1797. THIS publication of the Royal Society contains ten papers, the enumeration of which follows that of the ten other which are contained in Part I. papers XI. On the Action of Nitre upon Gold and Platina, By Smithfon Tennant, Efq. F. R. S. In the course of fome experiments on another subject, Mr. T. having obferved, that a tube of gold had been partly corroded by nitre which had been heated in it, was thereby induced to examine the action of that falt upon gold, and likewife on platina, in a more fatisfactory manner. For this purpose he exposed fome pieces of gold with nitre in a tube of gold, to a ftrong red heat during two hours, at the end of which S s BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XI. JUNE, 1798. time, time, the tube was removed from the fire, and the contents were found to consist of cauftic alkali, and of nitre partly decompofed, together with 60 grains of gold, which, on the addition of water, was readily precipitated in the form of a black powder, but moftly in its metallic ftate. By a fimilar treatment of platina, a fimilar effect was produced, excepting that the powder which was precipitated had a brown appearance, and confifted of the calx of platina, combined with a portion of alkali, which could not be separated by boiling in water, though it was found to be entirely foluble in marine acid. We cannot help fufpecting that fome marine acid may have been concerned in thofe experiments, which, in conjunction with the nitrous acid, formed a fort of aqua regia, the proper folvent of gold and platina. The nitre of the fhops frequently contains a portion of other falts; hence Mr. T. would have done well to have afcertained the purity of his nitre, before he made his experiments. XII. Experiments to determine the Force of fired Gunpowder. By Benjamin Count of Rumford, F. R. Š. M. R.Í. A. This author, ftruck by the very great difference which exists between the refults of fimilar inquiries, made by other able perfons, on the initial expanfive force of inflamed gunpowder, and being diffatisficd with the methods which they had purfued, endeavoured to attain his object by a new method; namely, by afcertaining the force of gunpowder, from actual measurement, in a direct and decifive experiment: and the account of this investigation is contained in the prefent long and valuable paper. The calculations of former experimentors were principally founded upon the fuppofition, that the aerial fluid, which is generated in the combuftion of gunpowder, being heated to the temperature of red-hot iron, forms the expansive force of the explosion. Their experiments were attended with the generation of different quantities of elaftic fluid, and of course with different refults; but the prefent author fhows that they are all wide of the truth, for he finds reafon to conclude, from his numerous experiments, made in the courfe of many years, that the force of gunpowder is owing to the expansion of the aqueous vapour, generated from the powder in its combuftion. "The brilliant difcoveries," fays he, "of modern chemists have taught us, that both the conftituent parts of which water is compofed, and even water itself, exist in the materials which are combined to make gunpowder; and there is much reafon to believe that water is actually formed, as well as difengaged, in its combustion.” **** « It is well well known, that the elafticity of aqueous vapour, is incomparably more augmented by any given augmentation of temperature, than that of any permanently elaftic fluid whatever; and thofe who are acquainted with the amazing force of fteam, when heated only to a few degrees above the boiling point, can eafily perceive that its elafticity must be almost infinite when greatly condensed and heated to the temperature of red-hot iron; and this heat it muft certainly acquire in the explofion of gunpowder. But if the force of fired gunpowder arifes principally from the elaftic force of heated aqueous vapour, a cannon is nothing more than a fteam engine upon a peculiar conftruction; and upon determining the ratio of the elafticity of this vapour to its denfity, and to its temperature, a law will be found to obtain, very different from that affumed by Mr. Robins, in his Treatife on Gunnery. What this law really is, I do not pretend to have determined with that decree of precifion which I wifhed; but the experiments of which I am about to give an account will, I think, demonstrate in the moft fatisfactory manner, not only that the force of fired gunpowder is, in fact, much greater than has been imagined, but also that its force confifts principally in the temporary action of a fluid not permanently elastic, and confequently, that all the theories hitherto propofed for the elucidation of this fubject, must be essentially erroneous." P. 233. The new method which Count R. propofed to himself, was to contrive an apparatus, in which the elaftic fluid generated in the combuftion of gunpowder fhould be made to act, on a determined furface, against a weight, which, by being increased at pleasure, should at last be such as would just be able to confine it, and which in that cafe would exactly counterbalance, and confequently measure, its elaftic force. This plan was accordingly put in execution; and after several alterations, improvements, and preliminary experiments, the Count overcame all impediments, and completed an apparatus fully adequate to the object in view. As it is impoffible to convey a diftinct idea of this apparatus, without the affiftance of the drawings, which are annexed to the paper, we fhall mention fuch particulars only as may render the account of the refults, in some measure, intelligible to our readers. Upon a folid foundation of bricks and ftone, a fhort and thick iron barrel was placed, with its axis perpendicular to the horizon. Its bore was of an inch in diameter, and 2,13 inches in length. It had no aperture befides its muzzle or upper opening, which, when the barrel was charged, was fhut up by means of a thick leather stopper, over which an hemifphere of fteel was placed, and this was preffed by the fuperincumbent weight of a large piece of ordnance. As the barrel had no touch-hole, the powder in it was inflamed by the external ap Ss 2 plication |