polished Indian people, with the additional circumftance of a few men and other creatures having been faved in a large This curious fubject is fo well treated, that the philo fophical reader will perufe it with pleasure.
The climate of Mexico next attracts the Abbé's attention, when he again fhews the errors of the French writers.
One of the arguments most infifted on by Buffon and De Paw, to illuftrate the unhappy nature of the American foil, and the malignity of its climate, is the pretended degeneracy of animals.
In the fourth differtation, the Author examines the proofs which these naturalifts bring to fupport their opinions, and detects many contradictions into which they have fallen. The natural hiftory of America wants much improvement, and we think this differtation affords many hints for fuch improvement. Pointing out the errors of reputable authors, is the first step toward reformation; fubfequent obfervation of facts must then eftablish the true fyftem.
In the fifth differtation, the Abbé treats of the phyfical and moral conftitution of the Mexicans. Here M. de Paw is ably refuted, both with respect to what he advances concerning the corporeal and mental qualities of the Mexicans. The firft Europeans who eftablished themselves in America, not lefs powerful than avaricious, defirous of enriching themfelves to the detriment of the natives, kept them in a ftate of flavery, and confidered them as fatyrs. The miffionaries having, in fix years, baptized above a million of these large apes and garces, the bishop of Tlafcala was under the neceffity of obtaining a bull from the Pope, to make the Spaniards acknowledge the native Americans to be true men [veros homines]. A copy of the origi nal bull is given in a note; it is dated 1537, 4to. non. Jun. Dr. Robertfon, who has in fome measure adopted the opinions of M. de Paw, is also refuted by the Abbé.
The fixth treatife is on the culture [probably civilization] of the Mexicans. The greatest part of the inhabitants of the new continent confefled a fupreme omnipotent Being, although their belief was, like that of the vulgar among other people, mixed with errors and fuperftitions. They had temples and priefts, facrifices and rites for the uniform worship of the Divinity. They had a king, governors, and magiftrates. They had numerous cities, and an extenfive population. They took great care to enforce juftice and equity in commercial and civil contracts. Every individual was fecured in his property and poffeffions. They exercifed agriculture and other arts; not only thofe neceffary to life, but fuch alfo as contributed to luxury and pleasure. What more is neceffary to vindicate a nation from the imputation of being barbarous and favage? M. de
Paw deems them barbarous and favage, becaufe they want money-they want iron-they are unfkilled in naval architec- ture-and feveral arts. The Author refutes each of these im- putations with much ingenuity. With regard to money, any portable property of value, of which there are various forts in Mexico, anfwers all the purposes of coined or ftamped money. The Athenians ufed oxen as money; as the Romans did sheep; -the Lacedemonians had no money,-yet thefe were civilized nations. As to the want of iron, the Americans had a species of copper, to which they gave a temper as hard, we are told, as the Europeans do to fteel.-The Abbé treats each objection of De Paw nearly in the fame manner, and concludes this trea- tife with a catalogue of writers in the American languages. This catalogue, though not numerous (being only one hundred and fourteen), is a fufficient proof of their languages being written.
The feventh differtation treats of the boundaries and popula- tion of Mexico. The former part of this treatife is merely geographical, and the latter is intended to correct the mistakes of fome French writers.
The eighth explains the religious fyftem of the Mexicans. The Author, though he acknowledges fome of the rites to be cruel, fhews, that the Mexicans were no more inhuman than many highly civilized people of the old world.
In the laft differtation, the Author attempts to refute Aftruc, and other writers on that fubject, by fhewing that the lues venerea did not originally come from America, or any of its iflands. He, however, does not decide with certainty on this difputed point; he offers his opinion only as a conjecture, that the contagion firft came from Guinea, or fome other equinoxial country on the coaft of Africa. There is great probability that this conjecture is right, and many learned phyficians have been of the fame opinion.
From the extracts which we have given, our Readers will be able to judge of the tranflator's ftyle; and we shall only add, that we think he hath done his countrymen, who are ignorant of the Italian language, a material fervice, by prefent- ing them with the Abbé Clavigero's work in an English drefs.
P. 58, 1. 8 from bottom, for inconfiftent,' r. confiflent.
- 62, 1. 8, place a comma at them, and remove the comma from the next following word,-which will reftore the fenfe.
To the REMARKABLE PASSAGES in this Volume.
N. B. To find any particular Book, or Pamphlet, fee the Table of Contents, prefixed to the Volume.
ACID, acetous, difference be- tween it and radical vinegar,
Adam and Eve, account of their creation, from an Indian hif- tory of the world, 420. Etna, beautiful view of its fum- mit, in M. Houel's Voyage Pittorefque, 603. Other views of the Mount, 604. More particulars, 605. Agriculture, abfolute, fyftem of, 99. relative, what, 102. Air, hepatic, exper. on, 185.
dephlogisticated, on the in- flammation of, in clofed veffels, 553. Its effects on fire, acting on the most refractory mineral fubftances, 557.
Alexandrian MS. of the New Test. account of, 546. Dr. Woide's edit of, 545. Alfred, king, his verfion of Oro- fius commended, 616. America, great advantages to be reaped by, from her commercial intercourfe with France, 594. Argand's lamp confidered, 321. Afiatic Mifcellanies, 422, 480. Afthma, cafe of a cure of, in which the flowers of zinc were highly inftrumental, 333- Aftronomical inftruments, obferva- tions on the methods of gradu- ating, 29, 157. Athenians, account of their man- ners, and the state of their re- public, at the clofe of the Per- fian wars, 460. Atonement, Dr. Price's notion of
that doctrine, 402. Attachments, doctrine of, 259. Attorneys, the low ones, pettifog- gers, their vile practices expof- ed, 175.
APP. Rev. Vol. LXXVI.
Balloon (air) account of the ca-
tastrophe of that by which Pil. de Rozier and de Romaine perifhed, 331. Caufe of that unhappy accid. investigated, ib. Barker, Mr. his barometrical and thermometrical register, 193. Bafaltes, remarkable rock of, in Sicily, 604.
Bath waters, their fuccefs in pa- ralytic cafes, eftimated by the hofpital regifter, 535. Beak, Bp. his character, 146. In- terment at Durham, 147, Belknap, Mr. his account of the white mountains in New Hamp shire, 138.
his obfervations on the Aurora Borealis, 393. On the method of preferving parf- nips by drying, 470. Bellendenus, fome account of that
writer, 489. New edit. of his three books De Statu, &c. ib. Berkeley, Bp. anecdote of his con-
nection, as a writer, with Steele, in the Guardian, 23. Berthollet, M. his memoir con- cerning the difference between radical vinegar and the acetous acid, 553. Concerning the preparation of cauftic alkali, its cryftallization, and its ac- tion on spirit of wine, 554 Bolfover cattle, in Derbyshire, ac- count of, 428. Magnificent entertainments given there to Ch. I ib. Brain, difeafes of, and accidents to which it is liable, confider- ed, 35.
Atructure of, enquiry con- cerning, 559.
Bryant, Mr. his account of the torpedo, 140.
Butis, fanctuary of defcribed, 567. Incredible fize of the rock, ib.
CAglioftro, Count, his advent.
385. His impofture strongly indicated, 389. Camper, Dr. his conjectures re- lative to fome petrifactions found near Maeftricht, 106. Carfe, a Scottish word, explain- ed, 148.
Cafcade, fee Hutchins. Cavallo, Mr. his magnetical ex- periments, as published in the Philofoph. Tranfactions, 193. Cave, the printer, anecdote of, 281. His method of getting materials for the parliamentary debates, as given in the Gen- tleman's magazine, 286. Cavendish, Mr. his account of ex- periments at Hudfon's Bay, re- lative to freezing mixtures, 191. Caufland, Mr. his particulars re- lative to the Indians of North America, 197 Cepheus, obfervations on the vari- ation of the light of a star in the head of, 30. Chabert, Marquis de, on the use of marine clocks, relative to navigation, &c. 560. Chambers, Mr. his tranflation of
an Indian account of embaffies and letters that paffed between the Emperor of China, and Sultan Shahrokh, 421. His tranflation of a Perfian hiftory of the Marratta ftate, 482. Chaftellux, M. de, attacked on ac- count of his mifreprefentations of the Quakers, &c. 337. Cheltenham water, nature of, 36. Chesterfield, Earl of, ftory of his acquaintance, and difference, with S. Johnfon, 288. Chrift. See Fathers. See Pro- phets. See Meffiah.
Clark, Dr. his obferv. on the ex- cefs of the mortality of males above that of females, 120. Clocks, marine. See Chabert. Comets. See Rittenhouse.
Condorcet, M. his eulogies on fome late deceased members of the French academy, 238.
--, his memoir on the calculation of probabilities, part iv. 561.
Congelation, fpirituous and aqueous, curious exper. relative to, made at Hudfon's Bay, 191. Coftard, Rev. Mr. reduced in his later days to live on private charity, 419.
D'Alembert, M. his eulogy, me- moirs, and works, 238. Darwin, Dr. his new exper. on the ocular spectra of light and colours, 197.
Demoivre, M. particulars of his life and writings, 212. Diffenters' application to parlia- ment, for a repeal of the teft, &c. 347. Charged with nar- rowness of principle, 524. Douglas, Mr. his differt. on brass inftruments, &c. found in this ifland, 428.
Dowfing, Wm. his account of his violent proceedings, in de- molishing the ornaments of churches, &c. 84. Drufes, a fmall independent na-
tion on the mountains of Le- banon, &c. curious acc. of, 626. Duelling, ftri&tures on, 115.
Er, remarks on the diseases
of fishes, curious account of the ftructure of, 152. Earth, the late fubfidence of a por- tion of, near Folkstone, 195- Eclipfe. See Grauchain. Eel, electrical. See Bryant. See
Flagg. See Patterson. Egyptians, modern, their manners
defcribed, 568. Monotonous tenor of their lives, and ex- ceffive indolence and luxury, ib. Electricity, Van Marum's exper. relative to, 581. His grand battery, how much increased, both in furface and power, 582. Extra-
Extraordinary effects of, 583. Phenomena refulting, 584. Elliot, Dr. his obferv. on the af- finities of substances in fpirit of wine, 189.
Dr. John, his exper. on light and colours, published without his name, 24. Enchanted fruit, an Indian tale, 42.
Etymology, obferv. on, 598. Euxine, commerce of, late changes with respect to, 580. Eye, difeafes of, confidered, 36. Eyre, Baron, his opinion on the legality of military power, 533.
Fathers, Chriftian, their opinions concerning Chrift, 15. Ferns, Brit. remarks rel. to, 130. Figure, obferv. on making a figure, 113. Fire, philofophical difquifition concerning, 318. Compound- ed with light, ib. Phenomena of, 320. Fire-pump, electrical defcription of, 552. Fish, their structure and phyfiology explained, 145. A new elec- trical fish defcribed, 96. Flagg, Mr. his account of the torpedo, 141.
Ford, Parfon, anecdote of, 275- Captain, his tranflation of "Softly," an ode, from Hafiz,
France and America, advantages accruing from a commercial intercourfe between thofe two nations, 593. Franklin, Dr. his proposal for a new hygrometer, 389. Sundry maritime obfervations by, 67. Causes and cure of fmoky chim- nies, 469. Defcription of a new ftove for burning pit-coal, and confuming its fmoke, 470. Dr. Rufton's letter to him on fmoky chimnies, ib. Freezing. See Congelation. Frejhets, a word used in an Amer. publication, explained, 272.
GAs, inflammable. See Monge.
Gentil, M. his memoir on the obliquity of the ecliptic, 560. Gilpin, Mr. his obferv. on the
annual paffage of herrings, 141 Goodricke, Mr. his obferv. on a ftar in the head of Cepheus, 30. Gout, new theory of, and method
of prevention and cure, 220. Grauchain, M. de, his obferv. on a folar and a lunar eclipse, 219. Gratitude encomium on, 4c9. Gray, Mr. critical remarks on his poems, 509.
Greece, anc. ftate of the arts in,463.
Habakkuk, animated paffage in,
critically illuftrated, 49. Haggai, his prophecy relative to the rebuilding of the temple, critically inveftigated, 53. Con- troversy on that fubject, 410-
Hamilton, Sir W. his particulars relative to the present state of Vefuvius, 195.
Harpfichord, improved method of quilling, 470.
Harrogate, new fprings lately dif- covered in that neighbourhood, 187. Haftings, Mr. his memoirs of In-
dia, 70. Recommends the publication of the Bhagvat Geeta, 200. His laudable en- deavours to promote the study of Indian literature, 301. Pro- ceedings against him in Parlia ment, and publications pro and con. 177. 254. 344. 444. 523. Heat, philof. investigated, 319. See alfo Wedgwood and Thomson. Herrings. See Gilpin. Herfchel, Dr. his catalogue of
1000 new nebule, and clusters of fars, 119. His inveftiga-. tion of the caufe of that indif- tinctness of vifion, which has been afcribed to the fmallnefs of the optic pencil, 198. Hickocke, Mr. his tranflation of the travels of Cefar Fredericke, 480.
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