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Review. Moral and Sacred Poetry.

both sexes. In his introductory remarks, Mr. Blackmore informs his readers, that the subject of this paper is contained in the following passage of Malthus's Essay on the Principle of Population.

"Nature will not be defeated in her purposes; the necessary mortality must come in some form or other; and the extirpation of one disease, will only be the signal for the birth of another, perhaps more fatal. We cannot lower the waters of misery by pressing them down in different places, which must necessarily make them rise somewhere else, the only way in which we can hope to effect our purpose, is by drawing them off. In a country which keeps its population at a certain standard, if the average number of marriages and births be given, it is evident that the average number of deaths will be also given; and the channel through which the great stream of mortality is contantly flowing,will always carryoff a given quantity. Now, if we stop up any of the given channels, it is most perfectly clear, that the stream must run with greater force through some of the other channels; that is, if we eradicate some diseases, others will become more fatal. In this case, the only distinguishable cause is the damming up a necessary outlet of mortality. The way in which it operates, is probably by increasing poverty, in consequence of a supply of labour too rapid for the demand. If the cow-pox should extirpate the small-pox, and yet the number of marriages continue the same, we shall find a very perceptible difference in the increased mortality of some other disease. Nothing could prevent this, but a start in agriculture."-vol. ii. b. iv. c. 5.

The theory laid down by Malthus in the preceding extract, Dr. Blackmore has illustrated by a variety of tables, founded upon the increase and decrease of various diseases, taken at distinct periods, in reference to their mortal effects on each sex, in their varied stages of life. In the result of these tables the author seems to have demonstrated the accuracy of the data on which Malthus had founded his observations; and on the whole they present us with a gloomy picture of the stern conditions on which human life is held.

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To medical men, in their respective spheres of active operation, this pamphlet will furnish much data for professional inquiry and observation, and supply other readers with an ample field for serious reflections; while in its grand result it teaches all, the necessity and importance of preparing to meet an evil which threa tens us at every step we take in life, and which no human art or power can enable us either to annihilate or elude.

REVIEW. Moral and Sacred Poetry, selected and arranged by the Rev. T. Wilcocks and Rev. T. Horton. 12mo. pp. 310. Byers, Devonport. 1829. SEVERAL selections of poetry, bearing in many respects a strong resemblance to this volume, have lately passed under our inspection. In character indeed they have not been uniform, much depending upon the taste, the judgment, and the moral feelings of the selector, together with the spirit by which he is actuated, and the predomi nant principles which govern his mind. These will generally appear in the objects of his choice, and leave scattered throughout his pages some visible traces of his mental levity or seriousness of disposition. Few, however, have fallen into our hands, in which we have not found more to admire than to condemn, though candour compels the acknowledgment, that while the articles contained in some, have justly earned their meed of praise, by the elegance of their diction, the harmony of their versification, and the purity of the sentiments they convey, others have found, in splendid inoffensiveness, their principal, if not their only recommendation.

In the volume now before our tribunal, we have discovered much to command our approbation, and, with the exception of a few inaccuracies in transcribing, nothing to demand any reprehension. It is an elegant bouquet, gathered from the highly cultivated gardens of our most illustrious bards, and so arranged as to attract the eye by its variegated and brilliant colours; and which, after each flower has regaled our senses with its own peculiar hue and fragrance, imparts fresh delight by the delicious aroma which results from the combination of the whole.

In the construction of his tables, and in the calculations and facts on which they are established, Dr. Blackmore has evinced much diligence in research, and much precision in detail; but we regret that he has not extended his physiological observations beyond the mere facts and theory they were intended to illustrate. So far as they proceed, we peruse them with an intensity of interest, from a conviction that all mankind are involved in their issues; but no gleam of hope is afforded us, that any real panacea has ever yet been found, or that it lies within the range of human discovery. It is admitted, that the healing Of the articles themselves there can be art may in many cases mitigate the causes but one opinion. In the works of our most of mortality, and, in some departments of celebrated poets, they have long since passed affliction, arrest the progress of death; but the ordeal of criticism, and receiving in their while it presents a shield against his shafts indigenous soil the awards which their in one place, it leaves another more vul- respective merits had a right to claim, they nerable, and of this the king of terrors cannot be supposed to have suffered any never fails to take all due advantage. deterioration from being transplanted into a

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Review. The Cambrian Quarterly Magazine.

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parterre, where their formerly half-concealed | of literary ambition. Laying aside their beauties, will appear in all the glory of their native colouring and perfume.

15 The very numerous pieces inserted in this selection, are arranged under the following general heads:-God; Creation; Providence; Rural and Descriptive; Word of God in Redemption; Religion; Paraphrase of Scripture; Sentimental and Pathetic; Time and Eternity; Miscellaneous. Under these general topics their various branches are respectively introduced, but all are in strict conformity with the leading title.

The pages are neatly and closely printed, and the book itself is put out of hand with much elegance. It has an engraved titlepage, ornamented with a beautiful vignette, which confers an equal honour on the genius which gave birth to the design, and to the artist which transferred it to the plate. These however, are but minor considerations, when compared with what the volume con

tains.

Including about four hundred articles, no deficiency in variety can be apprehended; and in proportion as these are combined with accompanying excellencies, entertainment and instruction will go hand in hand. On looking through the whole, the reader will find many coruscations of thought, and associations of terms and ideas, which will charm by their novelty, and by their innate vigour leave a deep and lasting impression on his mind.

The sentiments every where inculcated, are either decidedly religious, or of a highly exalted moral character. Having examined them with due attention, we now add with much pleasure, that we do not recollect a single stanza of which the reverend compilers need be ashamed. Equally free from the dogmas of sectarianism, and the intolerance of bigotry, a vigorous pulsation of religious feeling may be found in several articles,

"Twined with the wreaths Parnassian' laurels yield,"

while in others, to which these exalted epithets can only be partially applied, it will be difficult to find in any line a thought

Which angels might not hear, or virgins tell."

REVIEW. The Cambrian Quarterly Magazine and Celtic Repertory. 8vo. 2 No. 1. Hughes. London.

THE spirit of intellectual enterprise has, we perceive, reached at length the fastnesses of Snowden and Penmaen Mawr, and the descendants of the Llewelyns and Cadwaladers of old, have felt the kindlings

genealogies and their boast of primoge niture, we behold them now entering the arena of English competition. Hitherto they have lain bound, like their own Owen Lawgoch, by the spells of prejudice; but we sincerely hope that having once broken their fetters, they will not suffer themselves to be again enslaved.

That there are clever men in the Principality is evident from the work now under notice; its contents are of that miscellaneous kind, which usually characterize periodical publications; but several of the articles exhibit the workings of minds not altogether unaccustomed to think. A few of the shorter papers are light as legendary lore can make them, while others are marked by all the gravity of antiquarian speculation and research; most of these are, however, upon subjects of importance, and cannot but prove highly interesting to all who take pleasure in an acquaintance with the early history of mankind, and of their own primitive institutions.

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The work also contains some pretty pieces of poetry, as well original, as translations from the Welsh. Of the latter kind is the following, contributed, we believe, by Dr. Owen Pugh. It is curious as a specimen of the style of sacred poetry, about five hundred years ago. The original stanzas, we are informed, are extracted from a manuscript at Hengwrt, the contents of which are miscellaneous, and which was written about the commencement of the fifteenth century. The original verses never have been printed, and they are a fair specimen of the religious compositions of the bards of the fourteenth century.

Teach me, O God! the one mysterious, stay of the

realm of heaven,

Creator of a holy people, and the guardian,
Of unfailing name, thou unerring judge,
The awful mystery of thy grace divine!
Teach me, O God! the one mysterious, the sure
stay of active talent,

To attain, before my death,

A prudent disposition, thou support of virtues!

In a splendid course of fair reward, by thy good

will.

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Review.-Roman History-Brief Survey of Books.

Three enemies to man, thou triune God, there are
To sink him down in sin:

The devil; and his vice; and this a world so foul
and frail;

How strait the adverse bondage blended with our flesh!

It is meet for me to pray, thou Lord! the sacred
guide of free desire!"

On every day and every night the same;
In private thou art the director, the recorder of the
wealth

Of grace; thon, my true Father, my unerring
light. p. 60.

REVIEW. Roman History for Youth, illustrated by Seventy-six Engravings, from original Drawings by W. H. Brooke, Esq., engraved by H. White, Esq., with a series of Questions, and References for their Solution, by Thos. Rose. Fisher & Co. London. 1829, WHEN old Rome, anxious to know its destiny, employed augurs to consult the flight of birds, no conception was entertained, that a period would arrive, when the essentials of its voluminous history would be comprised within the narrow compass of twelve sixpenny numbers; yet such is the fate that has overtaken it, in the volume now before us. The empire of Rome, however, sustained from the sword of Mahomet, an injury of which its history cannot complain from the pen of Mr. Rose, The former led to the dismemberment of its provinces, and an extinction of the Roman name, while the latter has compressed the leading features of its history into an essence, and given a consolidation to its ancient glory.

In this epitome of Roman history, its more prominent characteristics are preserved, and its leading events are connected together in a brief, but regular series. Many important branches, as we might naturally expect in this compendium, are either passed over in silence, or only slightly touched; but he who makes himself fully acquainted with the facts, the incidents, and the narrations embodied in this abridgment, as they rose, and gave place to others, while descending in chronological order on the stream of time, will prove himself a greater proficient in the knowledge of its revolutionary transactions, the turbulence of its power, and the intrigues of its factions, than many who have spent seven years at school in collecting materials to write its epitaph.

The numerous engravings are intimately connected with the events recorded, and in their united co-operation they mutually illustrate each other. To the author this must have been a work of no small difficulty, as every one acquainted with the

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undertaking must be aware, that to dilate was a much more easy task than to compress. Mr. Rose has, however, undertaken the more arduous part, and in its execution has displayed his ingenuity and judgment to considerable advantage.

The work is designed for the use of young persons, and for schools, and to both of these it will prove an important acquisition. It contains two well-executed maps of the Roman dominions; and the last number embodies, in an Appendix, two hundred and forty questions, relating to the leading transactions recorded in the preceding history, all referring to the pages in which they occur. These, while serving to exercise and refresh the memory of the reader, will add essentially to the value of the book.

BRIEF SURVEY OF BOOKS.

1. Stories from the History of Scotland, by the Rev. Alexander Stewart, (Simpkin, London,) now come before us in a second edition, by no means inferior, either in appearance or contents, to its elder brother, which we reviewed some months since. The history of Scotland is full of incidents, rendered in many respects remarkably interesting, by the prevailing manners of the age in which they occurred, and the peculiar character of the people to whom they refer. Hence, these stories are generally tinged with gloom, and too frequently stained with blood. Yet such is the prominence of their distinguishing features, that they impart to the reader a melancholy gratification, which can hardly be defined; but which will live in his recollection, when the fictions of romance shall be consigned to oblivion.

2. Illustrations of Natural History, embracing a series of Engravings, and descriptive Accounts of the most interesting and popular Genera and Species of the Animal World, (Longman, London,) appear before us in numbers, of which we have three. Each contains three neatly executed plates, and the descriptive accounts are in every respect appropriate. When complete, we have no doubt that it will be an ornamental, useful, and entertaining work.

3. Practical Information by the Society for superseding the necessity of Climbing Boys, with a description of Glass's improved Machinery for cleansing Chimneys, (Bagster, London,) is a pamphlet which evinces much humanity in behalf of that degraded class of our fellow-creatures, the climbing boys, many of whom are stolen,

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Astronomical Occurrences for July, 1829.

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others sold by their unnatural parents, and | ing missions to foreign parts. Could all not a few taken from workhouses. It the sects into which the Christian world is furnishes ample evidence, that by the divided, be induced thus to combine and machinery recommended, every object can concentrate their exertions, there can be no be obtained for which boys of tender age doubt that many advantages would result are employed. We are glad to find these from their harmonious concurrence; but machines daily getting more and more we must not forget that the land of Utopia into use and reputation, and hope the time has never yet been discovered, and until is not distant when the miserable victims that shall be effected, we may hope in of poverty and misfortune, will no longer vain for the establishment of an Universal be found to reproach, by their wretched- Missionary Society. Into all the details ness, the regulations of civilized society. of the author we can fully enter, and nearly all his conclusions we readily admit. The great defect lies at the foundation. might with as much reason hope that the monarchs of the world will co-operate in establishing a partnership concern in universal empire, as that the religious factions of Christendom will ever amalgamate their energies; and till this shall be done, the whole must be consigned to the dominions of chimera. We, however, give the author credit for the purity of his intentions, and should rejoice to think that the plan he recommends, lay within the range of probable practicability.

4. Dialogues on Purgatory and Indulgences, between Paul and Murphy, by Jacob Stanley, (Stephens, London,) have both argument and humour to recommend them. The author appears to be well -acquainted with the subject he undertakes to discuss, and knows how to manage the controversy between the contending parties. So far as the dialogues have proceeded, for they are to appear in numbers, he has stated the Roman Catholic arguments in their full force, as well as introduced the Protestant champion to combat and repel their energy. Nothing short of this would entitle his observations to respect. He who cannot fairly meet his antagonist, should never dare him to the field. From the specimen before us, we augur for Paul a successful issue of his conflict with Murphy.

5. Refutation of the Heretical Doctrine promulgated by the Rev. Edward Irving, respecting the Person and Atonement of Christ, by J. A. Haldane, (Hamilton, London,) is a pamphlet which bears hard on the wild freaks of the Scottish divine. Among his eccentric speculations, Mr. Irving has of late been floundering about in the slough of unfulfilled prophecy, to the great amusement of his enemies, and the sincere regret of the more sober part of his genuine friends. In this Serbonian region, this highly talented, and morally respectable individual, seems to have lost nearly all his usefulness, and, while wandering in the fogs of his own creating, to have come within hail of the shores of Socinianism. Here Mr. Haldane discovers his situation, and lifts his voice to warn him of surrounding danger. It is a spirited tract, containing many serious charges, many pointed arguments, and many shrewd observations, which it is incumbent on Mr. Irving to repel.

6. New Model of Christian Missions to Popish, Mahometan, and Pagan Nations, explained in four letters to a friend, (Holdsworth, London,) proposes, as its fundamental principle, the mutual co-operation of all true Christians, in send

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7. The Young Christian's Pocket Library of Religious Knowledge, (Fisher, London,) was noticed in our last, when its first number only had appeared. Since that time, eighteen more have been published, which, on close inspection, fully justify our former anticipations. articles being chiefly of an experimental and practical nature, are calculated to be useful to the reader; and, indeed, nothing short of this was to be expected, when we advert to the celebrated divines whose works have furnished the selections.

ASTRONOMICAL OCCURRENCES FOR
JULY, 1829.

The

THE sun enters the sign Leo on the 23d, at 1 minute past 5 in the morning, his declination on the 1st is 23 degrees 8 minutes north, and on the 31st, 18 degrees 18 minutes north; his semi-diameter on the 1st, is 15 minutes, 45 seconds, and 5 tenths; and on the 25th, 15 minutes, 46 seconds, and 7 tenths; his semi-diameter occupies 1 minute, 8 seconds, and 5 tenths in passing the meridian on the 1st, and on the 25th, 1 minute, 7 seconds, and 1 tenth; his hourly motion in space on the 1st is 2 minutes and 23 seeconds; and on the 25th, 2 minutes, 23 seconds, and 3 tenths. He rises on the 1st at 45 minutes past 3, and sets at 15 minutes past 8; and on the 31st he rises at 17 minutes past 4, and sets at 43 minutes past 7: he is in perigee on the 2nd.

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Precession of the Equinoxes.

The moon is new on the 1st, at 45 minutes past 4 in the morning, in the 9th degree of Cancer, having upwards of 4 degrees south latitude; she enters her first quarter on the 9th at 31 minutes past 6 in the morning, in the 16th degree of Libra, having about one degree north latitude; she is full on the 16th, at 42 minutes past 2 in the afternoon, in the 23d degree of Capricorn, having upwards of 4 degrees north latitude; on the 23d, at 14 minutes past 6 in the morning, she enters her last quarter in 30th degree of Aries, having above 2 degrees south latitude, and she again changes on the 30th, at 39 minutes past 5 in the morning in the 6th degree of Leo, having above 4 degrees south latitude. She passes Mercury on the 1st, at 40 minutes past 4 in the afternoon; Venus and Mars on the 2d, the former planet at 20 minutes past 4 in the morning, and the latter at noon. On the 3d at 7 minutes past 5 in the morning, she is in conjunction with Saturn, and on the 13th, at 45 minutes past 4 in the morning, she passes Jupiter. She crosses the ecliptic in her ascending node on the 8th, and in her descending on the 20th: she is in apogee on the 6th, and in perigee on the 18th.

The planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Saturn, are all too near the sun to become objects of contemplation to the astronomer this month. The noble planet Jupiter is conspicuous in the constellation Scorpio, and with his satellites forms an interesting object for the telescopic observer. There are two visible eclipses of his first satellite; one on the 12th, at 31 minutes 17 seconds past 10 in the evening; the other on the 28th, at 50 minutes 5 seconds past 8 in the evening. This planet sets on the 1st at 53 minutes past 1 in the morning, and on the 25th at 11 minutes past 12 at night. The appearance of the heavens at sun-set on the 1st, is the same as last month, with the exception that the most western of the constellations have sunk beneath the horizon, and the whole of them appearing more westerly.

PRECESSION OF THE EQUINOXES.

MR. EDITOR,

SIR,In my last communication I subjected my theory of motion in opposition to that of universal gravitation, to an arithmetical test, which I am convinced will delight and surprise every real votary of truth; and I now send another proof, in regard to a curious problem, about which,

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in Newton's Principia, there is so much elaborate mystification. The cause which I assign would be a quantity of motion lost, if it did not produce this effect, and in the two bodies, most within our reach and measure, the cause and effect exactly coincide.

I verily believe that Newton could not have attempted to mystify this and other subjects, if he had not had wrong measures of the celestial motions, for in his time the distance of the sun was taken at only half its true quantity, and hence there did not appear to be the true agreement between phenomena and the causes. Hence fallacious theories were adopted.

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Many other proofs, equally new and curious, from considering Nature in con. nexion with the theory of motion, and with true measures of phenomena, could be adduced; but I fear to be thought an encroacher on your pages on subjects which, though of momentous interest, are not understood by, or interesting to, the great mass of readers. R. PHILLIPS.

Knightsbridge, April, 25, 1829.

The precession of the equinoxes, or the recession of nodes, universally, is exactly, equal to one circumference of the planet, for the recession of the node is caused solely by the very simple circumstance of the planet making one revolution, and gaining that quantity of motion, owing to its turning once on its axis, while it per forms its orbit; hence there is one revolution as an incidental or accidental circumstance, and the year or period is longer than the orbit by the quantity of one revolution.

Thus the precession of the terrestrial equinoxes goes round the ecliptic in 25,868 years, and the earth's whole orbit is 590,500,000 miles, being 22,830 miles per annum for the ecliptic quantity, which, reduced to the terrestrial equator as cosine of 23 degrees, 91,706, to radius it is exactly 24,886 miles, or the true and exact circumference of the revolving equator.

Again, the moon's nodes fall back in 223 lunations, through the whole circle of her orbit, which is about 1,500,000 miles round, and consequently she falls back in each lunation 6690 miles, but as her axis and orbit are inclined 6° 40′, the cosine 99324 is to radius as 6690 to 6750 nearly, while her calculated circumference is about 6760 miles; which quantity of motion the moon gains in every revolution, and crosses her node, or the plane of her orbit, that quantity sooner.

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