Earl of Hardwicke. But thefe I forbear to exhibit till I may be furnished, as I hope to be, with materials for refuting fuch charges, that the antidote may attend the poifon of malignity, and that I may be able to reprefent the good qualities of this truly great man without impurity or alloy.'

The APPENDIX, ('containing Proofs, Quotations, and Extracts, from books and papers relative to and illuftrating the ESSAY,') will agreeably entertain the reader, by the variety of the quotations from the writings of eminent perfons, who flourifhed in the latter end of the laft, and in the beginning of the prefent, century.

ART. XVII. Obfervations and Remarks in a Journey through Sicily and Calabria, in the Year 1791: with a Poftfcript, containing fome Account of the Ceremonies of the laft Holy Week at Rome, and of a fhort Excurfion to Tivoli. By the Rev. Brian Hill, A. M. late of Queen's College, Oxford, and Chaplain to the Eari of Leven and Melvill. 8vo. PP. 306.

Stockdale. 1792.

7s. 6d. Boards.

NOTWITHSTANDING the almoft innumerable travels, already published, defcriptive of Italy and Sicily, every new writer, endowed with the fpirit of obfervation, proves that the fubject is not exhausted. The variable ftate of thofe countries, arifing from circumftances in fome meafure peculiar to themfelves,we mean the tremendous earthquakes, by which they are fo often agitated, continually affords matter for new descriptions and new reflections. The recent effects of thefe dreadful convulfions of nature in Sicily and Calabria are well painted by Mr. Hill; who, we think, has delineated the characteristic features, both phyfical and moral, of thofe interefting countries, as fuccefsfully as any preceding traveller. As the glofs of novelty, however, is confiderably worn off from the merely defcriptive part of the work, we fhall infert, as a specimen of Mr. Hill's eafy and agreeable manner of writing, part of a letter from Catania, which will probably appear very interesting to many of our readers:

Mr. Brydone, in the hiftory which he gives of this wonderful mountain, (Etna,) infinuates, that it is of much greater antiquity than the world itself, according to the Mofaic account. As a proof of this bold conjecture, he oblerves, vol. i. p. 124, 125, that a ftream of lava which flowed two thousand years ago, is "as yet only covered with a very fcanty vegetation;" and concluding that the vegetative process is always fimilar, dates the age of the mountain according to the various ftrata of lava and foil that have been difcovered. "Near a vault (fays he) which is now thirty feet below ground, and has probably been a burial-place, there is a draw-well, REV. JULY 1792.

Ꮓ

where

where there are several strata of lavas, with earth to a confiderable thicknefs over the furface of each ftratum. Recupero has made ufe of this as an argument to prove the great antiquity of the eruptions of his mountain: for if it requires two thousand years or upwards to form but a fcanty foil on the furface of a lava, there must have been more than that space of time betwixt each of the eruptions which have formed thefe ftrata. But what fhall we fay of a pit they funk near to laci of a great depth? They pierced through feven diftinct lavas, one under the other, the furfaces of which were parallel, and most of them covered with a thick bed of rich earth. Now (fays he) the eruption which formed the loweft of these lavas, if we may be allowed to reafon from analogy, must have flowed from the mountain at least fourteen thousand years ago."

As I have a much greater veneration for the writings of Mofes, confirmed by the teftimony of the most ancient authors, of Chrift and his apoftles, and of the whole body of the Jewish nation, than for the testimony of one Sicilian author, plaufible as his account may appear, I must beg leave to make a few obfervations against this fuppofed antiquity of the mighty Etna.

In the first place, Mr. Brydone fuppofes Signior Recupero, whom he calls "the hiftoriographer of Etna," a very competent judge of the circumftances above related, and feems to take upon trult the greater part of what that volcanic philofopher has thought proper to advance. Admitting that gentleman to poffefs a very confiderable fhare of knowledge, we may yet hazard a conjecture in fuppofing that his obfervations have been chiefly confined to the regions of Etna, and in that cafe he might poffibly miflake other dark ftrata, in the well at Iaci, of whofe nature he was unacquainted, for thofe of lava *. However, without calling in question either the veracity or the knowledge of the canonic Recupero, Mr. Brydone himself furnishes fufficient matter to refute his own hypothefis. "Our landlord at Nicolofi, (fays he) gave us an account of the fingular fate of the beautiful country near Hybla, at no great diftance from hence. It was fo celebrated for its fertility, and particularly for its honey, that it was called Mel Paffi, till it was overwhelmed by the lava of Etna; and having then become totally barren, its name was changed by a kind of pun to Mal Paffi. In a fecond eruption, by a shower of afhes from the mountain, it foon reaffumed its ancient beauty and fertility, and for many years was called Bel Paffi." How foon? I apprehend in a much shorter space than two thousand years; and as Jaci appears to be as near the mountain as Bel Paffi, why may not fome of the feven layers be fertilized by the fame caufe? Again, page 125, fpeaking of the progrefs of vegetation, he fays, "This progrefs, I fuppofe, is often greatly accelerated by showers of afhes from the mountain, as I have

Near Viterbo there is a hill that feems to be compofed of volcanic matter, though there are no other marks of any volcano in the neighbourhood. Indeed, the appearance of the hill itself, which is a low, long bank, is a fufficient proof that it was neither thrown up nor confifts of lava run into that form.' 7

obferved

obferved in fome places the richest foil, to the depth of five or fix feet, and upwards; and ftill below that nothing but rocks of lava.” Speaking of a convent of Benedictine monks, p. 147, he writes,

Their garden is the greatest curiofity: although it be formed on the rugged and barren furface of the lava, it has a variety and neatness feldom to be met with. The walks are broad and paved with flints, and the trees and hedges (which, by the bye, are in a bad taste, and cut into a number of ridiculous fhapes) thrive exceedingly. The whole foil muft have been brought from a great distance, as the furface of this lava (only one hundred and fifty years old) is as hard and bare as a piece of iron." Why might not foil have been brought to cover former lavas as well as this? When it is confidered how extremely populous thefe parts were in former ages; it may be eafily fuppofed, that the people would ufe their utmoft industry to refertilize the lands which the lava overflowed. If fuch an event can happen in fo fhort a fpace, I fee no reason for rejecting the Mofaic regifter of the world's age.

But there is another objection yet unanfwered, we read, p. 189, 190, “I observed, that this region of Etna, like the former, is compofed of lava; but this is now covered fo deep with earth, that it is no where to be feen but in the beds of the torrents. In many of these it is worn down by the water to the depth of fifty or fixty feet, and in one of them ftill confiderably more. What an idea does not this give of the amazing antiquity of the eruptions of this mountain!" But is it extraordinary, that a country fo rent as this is by repeated earthquakes, fhould abound with deep chafms, through which the water would run as the most natural paffage, without requiring ages to wear itfelf away? I did not particularly attend to this circumftance in my road, but I must have crofied all the ftreams that flow between the mountain and the fea, and do not remember one deep chafm all the way. There is indeed one confiderable river that runs through a bed of very ancient lava, which evidently appears to have been worn by the attrition of the water, but it is by no means fo deep as to require above two or 3000 years for the purpofe. All thefe circumstances taken to ether, I shall remain an infidel to infidelity till ftronger evidence against the writings of Mofes be brought to light.'

This performance is written, throughout, with perfpicuity, and is enlivened with such a portion of fimple ornament as fuits the epiftolary ftyle. Modefty, cheerfulness, philanthropy, and piety, characterize the reflections of this amiable and refpectable writer.

ART. XVIII. An Efay on Archery: defcribing the Practice of that Art, in all Ages and Nations. By Walter Michael Mofeley, Efq. 8vo. PP. 348. 75. Boards. Robfon. 1792. IN this writing age, almost every art has its hiftorian. Archery, indeed, had not been neglected by the authors of former days; witness the Toxophilus of Afcham, as ancient

as the reign of Henry VIII; Markham's Art of Archery, published in 1634; and Wood's Bowman's Glory, in 1682:but Mr. Mofeley takes a far wider range than any of his predeceffors; and his work difplays learning and taste. It will prove highly acceptable to the antiquary, not useless to the hiftorian, nor unentertaining to the general reader ;—while it cannot fail to delight those who excel in the ingenious art of which it treats.

The author confiders his subject under the different heads of Bows, Arrows, Quivers, Butts and Targets, and Crofs-bows; and his account is illuftrated by plates. As a fpecimen of the work, we fhall infert part of his observations on arrows, because they may be easily understood without having recourse to the plates.

The fubftances from which Arrows have been fabricated, have differed in almost every country. They were frequently made of reeds, as we may infer from the Latin word Arundo, signifying both an arrow and a reed.

Pliny informs us, that this fubftance was in the highest request for the purpose we mention, and the Calamus, another fpecies of reed, fays he, hath overcome half the nations of the world, in battle.

The tree called Cornus, was formerly much celebrated for Arrow-making, and alfo for the purpose of Bows, as was the Palmtree. But the Calamus, and particularly a fort growing anciently in a river called the Rhine, was valued for its weight, and the fleadinefs with which it refifted the currents of wind in flying.-The ancient Scythians afed Fir-tree, or Deal, as Strabo relates.

The modern Arrows from India, are made of cane, which being of a fpecies very fliff, and at the fame time of very little weight, they fly with uncommon velocity from the Bow, and are capable of withflanding a fevere blow from objects which oppose their motion.

The inhabitants of Guiana ufe cane for the making of Arrows, and affix an head of firm and fharp wood to them. We are told by Pancroft, that thefe people ufe Bows about five feet in length, and Arrows of about four feer, which are partly of a cane without knots. This cane part is ufually about a yard long, and in the end of it is fixed a piece of hard wood, about twelve inches. This wood fometimes has a large gobular head; but if the Arrow be intended to kill, the wood part is either formed into a fharp point, bearded with notches, or is armed with a piece of iron; which metal they ufe fince the Europeans have visited the country +.

* This river was not the great Rhine of Germany, but a smaller ore of that name, rifing in the Appenines, and flowing near Bononia, and is therefore called by Pliny, in the above paffage, Bononienfi amne.”

"Rheno

+ The Arrows ufed by the inhabitants of Tunna island, are made of reeds, pointed with hard wood; fome of them are bearded; and thofe for killing birds have two, three, or fometimes four points.' Cooke's Voyage, 1772-1775, vol. ii. p. 82.

I have in my poffeffion fome of the kind here spoken of; and although they are of fuch prodigious length, (fome being more than five feet) they are nevertheless extremely light. I had the curiofity to weigh one of the canes, without the head part, it measured four feet long, and was half an inch in diameter throughout, when it appeared to be only three quarters of an ounce in weight.

Afcham has enumerated fifteen forts of wood, of which Arrows were made in England at the time he lived, viz. "Brazell, Turkiewoode, Fufticke, Sugerchefte, Hardbeame, Byrche, Ache, Oake, Serviftree, Aulder, Blachthorne, Beche, Elder, Afpe, Salow." Of thefe, Afpe and Afh were preferred to the rest; the one for target fhooting, the other for war.

A fimple stick, without any alteration than pointing, was perhaps the first kind of Arrow ofed by mankind. The hard wood found in fome climates was well calculated for the purpose, as it was capable of retaining its point, though forced with violence againtt the firmett bodies. But the ufe of ftones appears to be one of the fieft inventions with respect to pointing, and there are many curious circumstances relating to this practice. The clafs of thefe fubflances principally made ufe of in all nations, was the Siliceous-as common Flint, Jafper, Agate, &c.'

The reader will find much curious matter under the heads of poifoned arrows, divination by the arrow, fiery arrows, &c. and every good Englishman will perufe, with pleafure, the Hiftory of the English Long Bow. The work is agreeably written, eafy, natural, and perfpicuous; rich without verbofity, and elegant without affectation.

ART. XIX. A Complete Theory of the Conftruction and Properties of Veffels, with practical Conclufions for the Management of Ships, made eafy to Navigators. Tranflated from Théorie Complette de la Conftruction et de la Manœuvre des Vaiffeaux, of the celebrated Leonard Euler, by Henry Watfon, Efq. New Edition, with the Life of the Tranflator. 8vo. pp. 281, and Plates. 6s. Boards. Sewell. 1790.

HAVING already given our fentiments, in our 58th volume,

p. 83, of this valuable treatife, we fhall here only lay before our readers a brief account of the life of the tranflator.

Henry Watson was the fon of a grazier at Holbeach in Lincolnshire, where he was born, in or about the year 1737. When twelve or thirteen years old, he was fent to Gilberton school, where his genius for the mathematics foon made him remarkable: his progrefs in this study was quick; for, fo early as in 1753, he made a confpicuous appearance as a mathematician in the Ladies' Diary. About this time, he was patronized by Mr. Whichcot of Harpfwell, one of the members in parliament for Lincolnshire, who procured his admiffion into