agreeably to the letter, as well as the fpirit of the conftitution; and warned by the fcenes of 1648, fet no new example of the degradation of kings by their fubjects. The additions made by Mr. Pearfon to Dr. Paley's obfer vations on the Oath against Simony, are judicious; but they are not fo original, or of fo much importance as his annotations on the Chapter which treats of Subfcription to the Articles of Religion. According to Dr. Paley, "the legiflature of the 13th Eliz. is the impofer of fubfcription to the thirty-nine articles, whofe intention the fubfcriber is bound to obey." This opinion the prefent author very fuccessfully combats. "I have to obferve in general," fays he, "that neither the legiflature of Elizabeth, nor that of any period preceding the prefent, has any authority to bind us, but what it receives from the fanction, expreffed or implied, of the legislature of the prefent. If a law, paffed at any former period, is fuffered to remain unrepealed, we may, in ordinary cafes, reasonably conclude, that it is the intention of the prefent legislature to continue it; but it is the latter circumftance alone, which lays us under an obligation to obferve it. When it can be clearly collected, that it is not the intention of the present legislature to continue any law, that law is not binding on the confcience, even though it fhould remain unrepealed. If this were not the case, there could be no fuch thing as a law wholly or in part obfolete; no fuch thing as an unrepealed law, which is not in its full original force. "With refpect to the queftion of fubfcription, it is neceffary to diftinguish between the obligation to fubfcribe the articles, and the obligation to fubfcribe them in a particular fenfe. The legislature for the time being, in continuing the Act of the 13 Eliz. c. 12, impofes the first; but the governors of the church, acting under the authority of the legislature, are to direct the fecond. The Act of 13 Eliz. requires candidates for holy orders to fubfcribe the thirty-nine articles, and directs, that no ecclefiaftical perfon fhall advisedly maintain or affirm any doctrine directly contrary or repugnant to the thirty-nine articles. By virtue of which, the governors of the church cannot, fo long as that Act, or others requiring or directing the fame things, fhall remain unrepealed, authorize any fuch person to omit subscription, or to maintain or affirm any doctrine directly contrary or repugnant to the thirty-nine articles; becaufe the governors of the church have no authority to do any thing contrary to the law, customs, and flatutes of the realm. It does not appear, however, that the legislature ever affumed to itself the right of fixing the fenfe of the thirty-nine articles; but rather, that it is intended, as in reafon it ought, to leave that mats ter to the judgment of the governors of the church for the time being; that is to the convocation of both houfes acting under the king's affent; for this, as is afferted in the 139th canon, is the true Church of England by reprefentation." In fupport of this reafoning, if it need any fupport, it may be obferved, that the claim of the Church of Rome to infal libility, libility, is one of the errors, which the compilers of the thirtynine articles exprefsly condemned. It is little likely that fuch men would arrogate infallibility to themfelves at the very inftant when they were cenfuring fuch arrogance in others. This, however, they certainly did, if it was their intention that every propofition in the thirty-nine articles fhould, to the end of time, be underflood in the very fenfe in which it was stated by them. We fay this, on the fuppofition that they were per fectly agreed among themfelves as to the true fenfe of every propofition; but this is by no means probable. With respect to the queftions moft keenly agitated at prefent, it is indeed moft evident, that they were all Auti-pelagians, and that they thought, as every man of reflection must think, that no creature, whether innocent or finful, can merit of his Maker, or render God his debtor. It does not appear, however, that on the fubjects of grace, predeftination, and original fin, they all held the very fame opinions, or expected the very fame opinions to be held by others; for, in that cafe, they furely would have expreffed themselves in fuch a manner, as not to leave room for that latitude of interpretation, which the artiles on thefe fubjects unquestionably admit. It was their inten. tion to guard the Church of England against the herefies of Pelagius and the Romish doctrine of merit; and this is fo clearly expreffed, that there cannot be a doubt that it is the intention of the legiflature, and the prefent governors of the church, to guard against the fame errors by impofing fubfcrip. tion. The difference of opinion, however, between moderate Calvinifts and moderate Arminians, if it recurred to our reformers (as we think it must have done) seems not 'to have been confidered by them as of any importance; and both these denominations of Chriftians may fubfcribe the thirty-nine articles in a true fenfe, for both condemn Pelagianism and the doctrine of merit. "It will appear," fays this author," from an attentive confideration of this fubject, and fuch a confideration I earnestly recommend to all concerned in it, that a clergyman greatly offends against the obligation incurred by his fubfcription to the articles, when in his preaching he aims at any fingularities of doctrine; when, though he keeps within the limits of an allowed interpretation of the articles, he adopts any measures to induce the belief, that others, who alfo keep within the limits of an allowed interpretation of them, do not preach the true doctrine of the Church of England.-This remark, for which, in the present day, there is but too much occafion, I do not apply to any particular party in the church. So far as it is applicable, I wish it to be applied by all parties, to their mutual correction and comfort." The The remarks on the Chapter which treats of Wills, are ingenious and useful; but with refpect to the cafe of an heir at law fucceeding to a freehold eftate,in confequence of an informal will, our opinion coincides with Dr. Paley's. The author's obfervations on Charity, Slavery, Profeffional Affiftance, Pecuniary Bounty, Refentment, Anger, and Revenge, are all excellent, We were particularly pleased with the following paffage: "I recommend the attentive perufal of these fermons*, and more efpecially of the laft, to those pious and well-meaning writers of the prefent day, who, in their zeal against vice†, are so apt to indulge themselves in invectives against human nature. I do not mean any offence, when I advife them to keep the following paffage, always hanging before their eyes, in their feveral places of ftudy." Men may speak of the degeneracy and corruption of the world according to the experience they have had of it; but human nature, considered as the Divine workmanship, should methinks be treated as facred; for, in the image of God made he man.” On Duelling, Litigation, Slander, Incest, Marriage, and the Duty of Children, Mr. Pearfon has added little to the obfer. vations and reafonings of Dr. Paley; but that little appears to us worthy of attention. The whole volume, indeed, may be read with fo much advantage by those who have ftudied The Principles of Moral and Political Philofophy, by the Archdeacon of Carlisle, that we fhall expect, with fonie degree of impatience, the second part, in which the author proposes to conclude his Annotations on that popular work. ART. V. A Treatise on the Means of purifying infected Air, of preventing Contagion, and arrefting its Progrefs. By L. B. Guyton-Morveau, Member of the National Institute of France, &c. Tranflated from the French by R. Hall, M. D. 8vo. 248 pp. 6s. Hurst. 1802. ACID fumigations have acquired the reputation of being deftructive of contagion. In how great a degree this property which has been afcribed to them does really exift, is * Two Sermons, by Dr. Hey, on the nature of the Malevolent Senti» ments, and Bishop Butler's Sermon on Refentment. + Should not the author have faid, "in their zeal for the peculiar dogmas of Calvin"? The man who thinks that fuch invectives against human nature at once fap the foundations of virtue, and blafpheme the attributes of a benevolent God, may be as zealous against vice as any pious Calvinift that ever exifted. a quef. a queflion which we shall not on the prefent occafion undertake to difcufs. In the laft feffion of the Parliament of thefe kingdoms we have seen, that the opinion of their anti-pesti. dential virtues was fo ftrong, as to procure to one of our coun trymen (Dr. Smyth), as a remuneration for his great attention to this fubject, no lefs a fum than five thousand pounds. His fumigation (as we have described it in a former volume*) confifts of the nitric acid vapour, extricated from a mixture of nitre or faltpetre and vitriolic acid. The celebrated French chemist, Guyton-Morveau, of whofe work we have here a tranflation, prefers the muriatic acid vapour and the oxygenated muriatic acid gas, for this purpose. His procefs for purifying the air in the chambers of infirmaries, the wards of hofpitals, &c. is defcribed in the following words: Place a chafing-difh in the centre of the room, and on it an iron pot half filled with fand or alhes. On this fand-bath put a large glafs velfel (or one of porcelain or ftoneware) containing muriate of foda common falt) and when this begins to be heated, fulphuric acid (oil of vitriol) fhould be poured upon it; after which the doors and windows must be kept as clofely fhut up as poffible, for feven or eight hours. The quantity of the materials must be determined by the fize of the room or ward. An apartment containing twenty beds, will require of common falt 30 decagrammes (about 7 ounces 7 drachms) and of the fulphuric acid 24 decagrammes, (about 7 ounces 7 drachms). A chamber of the fize of between twenty-five and thirty fquare metres, will not require more than 10 decagrammes of falt, and 8 of the acid. Such is the method of fumigating apartments from which the fick or dead have been removed, The process muft be conducted in a very different manner, in rooms which are inhabited; where it is often neceffary to carry the fumigations near to the beds of the patients, and where they must be repeated, at certain intervals, according to the more or lef's rapid production of the contagious emanations. In very extensive wards, inftead of a large apparatus, several fmall ones should be employed at different points, each containing only 4 or 5 decagrammes of falt, upon which may be poured two thirds of its weight of fulphuric acid; fince it would be altogether useless to effect the entire decompofition of the falt, the vapours which are first difengaged being fufficient for the purpofe, The following method was found very advantageous in a large military-hofpital. Take a fmall portable chafing-difh, containing live coals, whereon place a pípkin of earthen or stone • Vol. xiii. p. 667. ware; ware; into this veffel put a quantity of common falt, in proportion to the fpace to be acted upon, and after it becomes fomewhat heated, pour upon it a few drops of the fulphuric acid, repeating the addition of the fulphuric acid, whenever the vapours ceafe to be raised. In conducting this process, great care muft be taken that the fumigating materials do not come in contact with any animal, vegetable, or even metallic fubftances. On board of fhip, large pipkins filled with heated fand, in which fmaller pipkins containing the fumigating ingredient may be placed, fhould be ufed inftead of the chafing-difh, which, in fuch a fituation is not fafe. Sometimes the fumiga tion may be carried on without heat, by ufing a large glafs goblet, into which, after having put a table fpoonful of common falt, add about a quarter of a wine glafs of the fulphuric acid (oil of vitriol, not all at once, but at three or four different times, with an interval of a few minutes between each time: at every effufion of the acid there will be difengaged and diffufed throughout the apartment a quantity of muriatic acid vapour, which will come into contact with the fetid or malignant mi. afmata, without producing any inconvenience to the perfons prefent. The moft expeditious way of procuring the oxyge nated muriatic acid gas, is the following into a flafk, the capacity of which is three centilitres, introduce 4 grammes of the black oxyd of manganefe, grofsly powdered; then fill the flafk about two thirds full with nitro-muriatic acid (aqua regia); after a few minutes, on being agitated, the oxygenated muriatic acid gas is copioufly difengaged. When the nitromuriatic acid cannot eafily be procured, the fame effects will be produced, by putting into the flafk along with the oxyd of manganefe, double its weight of cominon falt, and then pouring upon them the nitric acid (or common aqua-fortis); the fu migation fhould be repeated daily, and on fome occafions morning and evening. The expence is trifling. Those who are employed in fumigating with the oxygenated muriatic acid gas, must be careful not to hold their mouths too near the flask, otherwife the pungent and irritating vapour will excite violent coughing, and other unpleafant fymptoms. Various teftimonies of the fuccefsful employment of the muriatic acid fumigation, are prefixed to the details of the feveral proceffes which we have here defcribed. We fhall not offer an opinion as to which of the two acids, the nitric or the muriatic, is moft efficacious in counteracting on; but fhall only obferve, that it appears to us, that tions of the French chemift are fupported by ftrong evidence, and that in point of time, he appears to have taken the lead in the business of fumigating with a mineral acid, of our |