Star. — London, England, 1818-02-20 00:00:00

4iTERATURE. Few who have attended to 'the progress of Litera ture can question the services that have been ren dered to Science by the numerous Encyclopedias that have beep from time to time presented to the public ; nor can any reason so satisfactory be advan ced for the general success that has attended these publications as the facilities they afford to the com munity in general for acquiring information on any particular subject which would otherwise be beyond reach, from the sacrifice of time which would other wile be required to search libraries and general col lections—a sacrifice which many cannot afford from other avocations, even in pursuit of knowledge.— These different publications have each their respec tive merits ; but all have been rendered, more or less inconvenient by the branches of the same subject often requiring illustration by reference ; and hence it became obvious that any plan calculated to render this less necessary would not only save trouble, but facilitate the acquisition of knowledge.—These, and similar considerations, seem to have suggested the idea of a new work of this kind, embracing more of re.-Viod, in the strict sense of that teirr., than has yet been apparent in Cydopeeditts. Some time ago we noticed a Prospectus that was then issued of a work to be entitled Encyclopedia Mdropolitana, and laid a sketch of the plan, intended to be pursued, before our Readers. We have real pleasure in announcing that the First part of this la borious, and we may add, judging from what is be fore us, most promising undertaking, has just made its appearance. Three great natural divisions have been adopted for the purpose of rescuing the' great body of Philosophy and History from the confusion of miscellaneous and incidental information—viz. the nalneephical, the Historical, and the Miscellaneous ; and, for a reason which shall immediately be noticed, the first of these has been sub-divided into the domain of pure and that of mixed science—making, in all, four divisions. Of each of thesethe Editors propose to publish a portion in every Part, to make, in all, 2; volumes, the last of which is to be au Index to t wilole work. W have said thus much of the general arrange + went of the work. because it is entirely new, and all far as we can kedge, very admirably conceived; but another and still more important consideration next presents itself—what are the principles on which it rests ? Are they such as may be expected to contri bute to the pease and good order of society, to the preservation of our best interests, to the amelioration of our lot, to the essential happiness of mankind here and ht-eafter? It is but right to let the Authors ansu er in their own words. " The master thought, (say ,hey) on which our plan rests, is the moral ora gin end tendency of all true science : in other words, our great objects are to exhibit the Arts and Sciences in th eir philosophical harmony ; to teach Pinto iotlie in union with MORALS ; and to sustain Mo rality by RSVEALED Rattcrioe." Elsewhese they very justly say—" A slight glance at the particular departmeat of literature which we have chosen, es pecially as it has been filled on the Continent,. from the memorable combination of deistical talent in tho Dictionnaire Encydopedique, to a work on the same' principles said to be now publishing in France, will demonstrate that the best interests of mankind have suffered serious injury from this cause ; that the fountains of education may be poisoned, while the stream appears to flow on with increasing power and smoothness ; and that the insinuation of sceptical principles into works of science is fraught with the greatest danger to posterity." Diderot and D'Alembert, the authors of the pre liminary discourse to the French Encyclopedia, pro fessed to follow Bacon ; but it it menifest that they were either unable to comprehend his philosophical principles, or that they wilfully perverted them to serve their own impious and detestable pdtpoees.— Their blunder in the very first step of theta reason ing is so gross, that one eannot suppose it to be other than intentional. " All our knowledge," say they, "may be dis tingu:shed into direct and reflected. All our direct knowledge reduces itself to what we receivethrdegh the senses:in= whence it follows, that it is to our sensations that we owe all our ideas." Sueh logic as this is only fit for the support of such wicked de signs is these impostors meditated. The conse quence has no more to do with the premises than it has with the age of Methusaleh, or the invention of gunpowder. The writers of the Encyclopedia Me trbpolitana, on the other hand, profess to unite an c.ent with modern phllosophy, to discover in Plato and bacon, one and the tame truth, which is immu table, and which necessarily leads up to the spirit of truth itself, displayed in the glorious revelation of the Christian R,eligien. " We rest our strongest pretensions to approba tion," say they in the Preliminary Treatise, " on the fact that we have only re-proclaimed the coin ciding precepts of the Athenian Verulam and the British. Plato." 'And again, " from all that has been said, it seems clear, that the dnly difference between Plato and Bacon was, that, to speak in popular lan guage, the one more especially cultivated Natural Philosophy, the other Metaphysics. Plato treated princlpaily of truth, as manifested in the world of Intellect ; Bacon, of the same truth, as manifested in the world of Sense ; but far from disagreeing as to the mode of attaining that truth, far from differing 'in the great views of tile education of the mind, they both proceeded on the same principles of unity and progression, and consequently they both cultivated alike the Science of Method, such as we have here described it." It is to the developement of what is here called the Science of Method that the portion belonging to the Pure Sciences is devoted in the Book before us. It forms, indeed, a necessary introduction to the whole, inasmuch as it not only lays before the Reader a general analysis of knowledge, or arbre ener9pedique, differing from those of all former 5, but states the methodical principles on which the union of the sciences depends. This is, in truth, doing what the term Encyclopedia implies ought always to be done, namely, forming a circle of sciences, all radiating as it were from one common centre—whereas in other works of the like kind we have seen, at the most, but segments of very different magnitude, and 111-assorted position. We are not prepared, indeed, to defend the actual space assigned to each particialar science in the pro posed plan. It may be, that in the prog'rees of the Work the writers will find it advisable to melte some corrections in that respect, but what we think of the highest importance is, the laying down those con necting principles, on which method essentially de pends, and the applying them in tbe . gyeat outline, to a general concatenation of arts and sc iences. Hence we consider that as method is avowed to be the chief aim and distinguishing feature of thin publica tion, so the principtei of method exhibited in the 'Preliminary Treatise are what must furnish the true criterion of superiority, at least in the philosophical branch of the work. The word method, like most others, is used in common discourse, with greater or less precision. We are apt to apply it to any sort of arrangement, or settled habit, however casual in its origin or trivial in its aim. The worthy citizen, who duly smokes a certain number of pipes every week in the year, and extends his Sundays walk always to the same mile -stone, 'called a methodical man ; but the word method, when employed wick reference to our scientific pur suits, has a far different meaning, and it is well and skilfully explained in the essay before us, of which it is impossible here to give any other than a faint outline. Method, it is argued, implies in this sense a principle of unity with progeetsion. It is chiefly conversant about the relations of things, which rela tions are either necessary, or inferred front observa tion. On the one depends whatever isproperly called a law ; the ether constitutes a theory. The relation of law ;lees to our thoughts a necessary ferns, which the ancients called an ides. • Lifts are in their sato* progressive. They are either pure acts of the mind, in which case their progressions constitute the pure sciences, or they ire mixed with and applied to things external, in which case they constitute the mixed and applied sciences. A good method, there fotee in all vases, depends on a Blear preconception, or guiding thought or intuitive act of the mind, and cannot result from the more casual observation of na tun.—The s writer illustrates this position in a gre a t variety of witys, as it bears on domestic econorr v, o:i the art of conversation, oa moral conduct, on ecien tifie discoveries, on Mathematics, on Experimental Philosophy, on Natural History, on Poetry, and on Philosophy in general, which last consideration leads to a masterly argument on the identity of the Plato nic and Baconian Philosophy. remainder of the Preliminary Treatise is taken up with an application of the principles of method to the proposed arrange ment of science in the present work, and exhibits, at the conclusion, a general plan of the work. The second division begins, in pursuance of that plan, with a treatise on Mocha:tics, that science stets. ding at the head of the class called the mixed, and applied. We have not room to enter into its detail : it appears, however, to be well and carefully written. It is introduced by a short historical sketch of the rise and progress of Mechanics, as relating to solid bodies. Then follows a general view of Statics, their definitions and theorems, leading to a consideration, first, of the simple mechanical powers, the lever, in dined plane, funicular machine, wheel rind axle, pul ley, screw, and wedge, and afterwards of their com binations ; and in this part is introduced an account of the very recent experiments of Celt :el Pasley, at Chatham, on the pressure of earth, with the new and unexpected results to which they led. Dynamitic/ are next treated of, their definitions, theorems, and pro blems, etc. elle the remaining portior. of this science will be continued in a future number. The Historical Division is introduced by a Chap ter, in two parts, viz.-1. On the uses of history as a study; and 2. On the separation of the early facts of history from fable. This latter part is perhaps the more material. It traces the corruptions of early history principally to mythological fable, beginning with the history of. Egypt, of which the earliest ac count is to be found in the Ifible. This account is then compared with that of the profane historians, and shewn to be not only score rational than any which they afford, but to supply the only means of discerning any thing like truth in the thick obscu rity of their fable* Reasons are urged to prove that the Egyptian Mythology travelled to India some time after the year B. C. 1635; and that a modifica tion of the same-system was carried from India to the Northwestern extremity of Europe previously to the yoar B. C. 542, the pretended antiquity of the Chinese annals, so much boasted of by Voltaire and his shallow admirers ; and it is *hewn that this na• tion, as yet half baritarous, was probably not united under a regular government more than six or eight hundred years betore the Christian era. The writer then reviews the early history of the Scythian and Celtic nations, the Assyrians and Babylonians, the Medes and Persians, lisc. and chews that every ac count or tradition of their early state not to be found in the Sacrel Scriptures, is merely a rhapsody of fad ble and superstition. Profane history, it will have been Observed, is trea ted as subordinate to Sacred History, which forms the subject of a separate Essay, which assumes as its basis the necessity of revelation, and then proves that no pretensions to it have been tenable, but those ad vanced by the Bible. These introductory Essays are followed by a chap ter on the Antediluvian Period—another on the Pa triarchal Age, and the lives of Moses, Joshua, Sesos tris, and Theseus. We regret that our limits do not permit us to speak more at large on the Fourth Division, which is far med on a plan perfectly original, combining all the uses of an English Lexicon with those of a miscella neotis Dictionary of Science. In the fortther charac ter it will present a much more complete history of our languag thaw has yet been atternited, if we are to judge of the execution of the whole by the portion now grien to the Public. " By commencing with authorit:eQ wherever they can be cif:teat:4, from the bari:eet periods> of Zaglish composition, and continuing them successively through the different stages by which it has arrived. at its sent state of copiousness and refinement., this Dictioa nary," say its writers, " will aspire to the prelusion' of exhibiting to the English reader a sketch at least of some very interesting and instructive porticos of a history of his own language." IWe cannot :lose this article without noticing the, plates by Davis, Landeser, icc. which are nevi y and , even elegantly executed. Fritc.—Wedgeoday oe s erdelt, the male of In q 4 keres cooty, !mow, were T omtit, of corn, tbegy do. strayed : one Mod Ino UntimiatiCy rsdo:sted. OLD 8 4 1 HOY. Yesterday William Dichinr was capitally convicted of a burglary in the dwelling-house of Edward Da venport, on the 21st of January, and stealing therein , several table-cloths, two shirts, a waistcoat, and a variety of articles of wearing apparel, his property. Edward Jone, was indicted capitally for breaking and entering the dwelling-house of Matthew Day, Esq. the family being therein, and stealing a silver salt holder, a silver fork, and a silver salt spoon, his pro perty. The prosecutor resides at Brompton. On the morning of the 14th of February, at nine o'clock, the servant observed the prisoner coming out of the par lour, the door of which was open. The street door had been opened and shut again ; it could only be opened from without by a key. All the family were in the house at the time. When the prisoner came out of the parlour, the servant went to the door and called for assistance, and the other servants came down stairs, and they went for a constable, but could not obtain one, and Mr. Lee, a gentleman, who was promiscu ously passing, came to their assistance. and took the prisoner into custody. Mr. L. upon looking at the side table, discovered that a silver fork, a silver salt (from *kith the salt had been emptied,) and a salt spoon, were removed to the coiner of the table. The priso ner was taken to Queen-square Police-office, and he . Admitted to an Officer, immed Ccoper, that he had thsown away the key with which he obtained access to the house. Guilty of stealing to tfil value of 395. 'but not of breaking and entering. The following were capitally convicted Jana Ram, fur stealing two silver table-spoons, five tea spoons, and other articles of .1. W. Smart. Robert John Clacton, for stealing a great coat value six guineas,. a C. Craddock; in his dwelling-house. Charka Dark& Prinik, for stenting . ls brooches, value W. o(William Mott and John Belling, in their dwelling-house Raconota's Itaroar.—Yesterday the RECORDER made a Report to the i'aiNca REGENT of the follow i prisoners, ripitailly convicted at the last Sessions: Charles Wood and John Vak, foe lonisotaaling ; John Lucas, arven, Matthew Suli.an, Henry Halt Mary Older sleeves, Lawrence D:nley, Ann Jones, 11- ry Aid*, aid Jansen Beallett, for stealing goods In a dwelling-house; Ann Cale and Joseph Thompson, for 'togas* goodeprivately in a shop ; Moses Daniels and John Smith, for house-breaking ; Wm. Grue, for burglary ; John Norton and Daniel Stockwell, for a like offence; George Scott and Israel Chapman, for a highway robbery ; Wl2. White, John Rood, and Thomas Casey, for sheepetealing Wm.' Kelly and Thomas Spicer, for uttering forged Banknotes Wm- Henry Ilawlinson and John Kawlinson, jun. fcr Aealing goods from a boat co the navigable river Thanes ; Chu. Sims, for burglary; Rese - O'llarx, Margaret I lumphreys„ and Hannah Briast, for a robbery oft Jamb Seidman ; Quin Rusell, for hoorre.b s caking ; sad John Farmer, for stealing privately' la a shop. —When William Kelly, Thomas Spicer, W. Henry Rat linen, and John Rantlinson the younger, were' ordered for execution on Wednesday next, the 25th instant. The others were respited during pleasure. Havooet Gaanint—i•Yesterday being the day appointed for the farther esamicatioa of Louis Vincent, a nemlierof Gentlemen at tendee+, from town ad country, to prefer charges agaiamiliat..— The One table was loaded tvids tenets ftom Dover, York, Leeds, Blythe, Liverpool, and various other Oita, when be had bean practising his impositions under pretence, to some places, of being a ten of Christoplie, the Emperor of Hayti, and in others of a rich merchant in St. Domingri. VFben the prisoner was eapeued to be! pat to the bar, the jailer informed the magistrate that bewas taken so very ill that nwening,that the physician to Clot kenwril prison, Dr. Webb, had ordered him into der hospital, and he could sot be removed with misty. Some of the gintlensen present expressing their suspicion that his illness Was but feigned, the magistrate ordered the jailer to go and either bring the prisoner, es'ia certi ficate from Dr. Webb, that the prisonear was so ids Mat be could not be recoovod. On the jailer's return be produced the 'Mot certificsge. Tbein.agisteate apologised to the several testis men its seteudsnee for the postponemessof dais emosiseitos, and informed many of them, particularly friends to Captain ci.rke, that they need sot attend the neat examinatice, as front what ap peared the public was pufectly satisfied that Vincent was an Un postor, and his story in respect to Captain Cluke was altogether false, as it appearod by the letters before hist that the ship Ro bert cams from St. Petersbeargh to Lisboa, and from theism to Liverpool, where abs now is, and was never at Se. Domino° ; that Captain Clothe is now in Liverpool, and had sot been in London these two years, sad that he had ao knowledge of Louis Viscose. This wits oesfarmoi by the Agent at Liverpool, and the Owmes at Myth. There was a packet from Mr. Wiliest form doliverol to the Magnetite, incioneg several !awl frost eskacaabta quakers in Dover, directed to At. Wm. Allen, dreg gin, Ylorigh-court, Lotnbard-stress, by whirl it appeared that Louis Vincent had been there, and told the same tale of distress The gentlemen eluded to made a subscription for him, paid his Coach-hire to London, and gave him loners to their agent, Mr. Allen, to assist him, and accompany him to fit. Wilberforce, all of which was cow-plied with. The Magistrate :.lea received a letter from the Honourable the Lord Mayor of York, ;doming them that a genteel /amp man of gams, calling himself Louis Vlacent, who answesed ist every respect a description ho saw I. the Loodos Newspapers, and who he had no doubt, was the same person, bad been lit Yolk, where he told the same distress- Mg tale, wash the exerption that he gave the Captain's name Davis, instead of Oaths; that in York several gentlemen gave Mina stuns of money, that his Lordship gave him money, and paid his co:mishits frees thence to Liverpoo:, but that be left the math on the road, and they had not beard of him since, instil they had learnt from the Newspapers that he was in custody at this Olice. Monday night, as Mr. Disking, of Bristol, was pas sing along the Deptford-road, towards Deptford, he was attacked by two men, one of whom presented a pistol at his breast, while the other rifled his pockets ,of fifteen pounds in Bank of England notes, with which they made off, threatening him with the most horrid vengeance, if he offered to make an alarm. PRIIIIIJAILT 10.—A few days only have elapsectsiece we had to relate the scenes of bloodshed and murder, that occurred at Patrick's-well, in this county and we have now the painful duty to re cord a still more atrocious proceeding, which took place in the neighbourhood of Ballingarry :—A ta mily, named Clulderhoule, lately took a farm in the the Rev. Mr. when Dickso n n—d n neighbourhood,ha beentut, tea fr da om ys in posse ss i on , last Friday evening, about eight o'clock, a party of ruf fians, about 14 in number, armed principally with pitchforks, rushed into the house.—The family were at supper, and consequently taken by surprise, when they were assailed by these miscreants, who were re solved on their destruction. Having completed, as they • a2posed, the murder of two, whom they threw upon a dunghill, they went in search of the only re maining man, Childerhouse. In an early stage of the struggle, he had been disabled by repeated stabs of pitchforks through his arm, and succeeded in con czaling himself in an inner room—he, with his wife, hroviientially eluded their sear ch, b u t cou ld over . k7ar their dreadful imprecations of vengeance, if they sound them. Twice they returned to do so, and twice they were disappointed in their bloody purpose. At length, raising x hideotts yell of triumph at the deed they h ad performed, they departed. One of the un met, thrown upon the dunghill is dead, lie Of is recovering. WORTING 111 ERCTING A T TATTEI MDDLESWC to i agar Crag R to 1 -- Dictator I t 0 1 - . Wagtail thew &aka& ;are that oar ad directed. 9 to 1 sett Milton 10 to 1 Allegretto 11 to 1 Dictator WIRD 11 to I Crecy I OAKS 411 to I apt Loo, by Waxy. 1 12 to 1 Mr. Prtuceal. No betting offered BOX Randal exercised his thorough Butcher, on Tuesday night, in e tingly chalk nging to fight any cm in a public room. Randal., who that he was an enemy to a saucy ' to be a man. Some few otiservat by both, when the phenomenon of him in one hit, and diem dent eher swore he would have justio tensfy. Betting on the fight t the Ist of April, is guineas te p Juke Sampson, the seaman of Le ti. !toads, who was Weil u I murdering James Cnenii:ghaaa. ship. Las been liberated :ran pr ' don of the Magistsates, that thi death by any blow he had reed, PEDI.STE The match between Raman, 100 guineas, IS miles, on the 10 one. Colonel Bassani, the pal The match of 150 yards bens and LtAca, the two fastest of Tuesday, on the Lea Brwir-ris &e same distance a few weeks about a foot. lie is backsi it tic are pending. The running Raker, who rt miles on the Uxbridge-road, tw guineas to run BILAIIIIM, who b and a half a few days since. _ SMITHFIELD MAE To ttu: °trai ned . ...... .3s 6d to 4 id Milton ..43 6d to 6s od Boasts 430—Calves 140—Shea MAY AND silL Os So £5 Ss Omer-- 3 Os to s ft .ate Fab. 11, at Gusty Cottage, P hfacdoneX, of Glengarry, of a i Feb. 10, at Artkington, York of a son. Oa the 29th alt. at Springfie of Carr.. t krAn At Neaagh, on the ad instal regiment, to liEsabeth NeirlAwn. Tipperary. VT: Wedn--4.-7-, - H. M. Dawn:, Satordity, at Brighton, the of Westreinetee Abbry, ac 4 PA colarhire. Friday, aged CO, Mr. Mlc! - -a) ger in Bury &. Coniston Council, laving the six potation, since July kilt. Feb. 2, a 9tonehavett. aged Episcopal Clergyman there, in Feb :7, at In; lodgings, in Do Lieut. D. Bolton, late of the R BILIOUS AND UI AS a mild and eiFecmal orders vrbich originate in and Bihar, Organs, namely; I) PETITE, HEADACHES, Hi CIES, SPASMS, COSTIVE: LIVER, &c. dm it may be :rases DITON's ANTIDILIOUS r steel approval, and pardiculaAy ray other Medicine whatever. =iodation to site notice of eve above compints. They unite oparatioa with ruccesdul effect confinement during their use, a and convenient Medicine for tb land. In tropical climates parte ridnodsat and vitiated Elle they are an invaluable and eficl wise peculiarly calculated to cot cams of the table, to restore the move !very complaiat ot.:askinel Sold in bozo s at Is. 9d. 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