Iaftly, that by the act of uniformity, incumbents, who refide on their livings, notwithstanding they have curates, are obliged, without a lawful impediment, to read fervice once every month, ' in their own churches, 'in the language which the people understand.

In confirmation of his opinion on the question in debate, he cites fome ancient reports; and then proceeds to confider the detrimental confequences arifing from thefe prefentations.

If, he fays, the natives of Wales are excluded from eccle. fiaftical preferments in that principality, every inducement to a liberal education will be taken away, and the country involved in Gothic ignorance and barbarity.

By the way, this argument can be of no weight, while the natives of Wales find preferment in almost every part of the kingdom.

But he fays the churches are deferted; and in many parts of Wales almost all the inhabitants are either Methodists or Moravians.

Ignorance, we may obferve, is the parent of fanaticism; and while the common people of Wales fpend their lives, in a kind of barbarifm, behind their native mountains, they will naturally become the dupes of every enthufiaft, who appears amongst them with any extraordinary pretenfions.

It must however be confeffed, that it is unreasonable to oblige the people of Wales to have prayers and fermons in an unknown tongue. Yet we cannot but think, with the bishop of St. Afaph, "That it is the true intereft of the Welch to enlarge their views and notions, and to unite with the rest of their fellow fubjects in language as well as government." And if in a course of ages this language fhould be forgotten, the loss, we apprehend, would be of no material importance, as we have hardly one author in it of any eftimation.

This writer concludes with an addrefs to all fuch as are any way concerned, either immediately or remotely, to concur in the means that will be proposed to have this matter fully fettled by a legal decifion.

36. An Answer to the Obfervations of Mr. Geach, and to the cur fory Remarks of Mr. Alcock, on Dr. Baker's Essay on the endemial Colic of Devonshire. In a Letter from Dr. Saunders to Dr. Baker. 8vo. Pr. Is. Dilly.

The author of this pamphlet is the gentleman mentioned by Dr. Baker, as the perfon who affifted him in making the experiments on Devonshire cyder. He appears now as an assistant in a more public manner; and like a true polemical writer, drubs his antagonists most heartily. In this performance, men

tion

1

tion is made of a few matters of fact, which, as they have not been formerly taken notice of, we shall give to our readers. One is, that it can be proved by a certificate which Dr. Baker has fhewn the author, that, in the year 1766, there were in Devonshire, in three parishes only, at least thirty veffels lined with lead. Another is, that in Dorfetfhire, particularly on the fide near to Somersetshire, the cyder-preffes are very frequently lined with lead; and that the colica pictonum is molt frequent in those parishes where they use the most lead: he knows a gentleman who makes a great deal of cyder, but who ufes no lead in his utenfils; the colic of Poitou is never in that gentleman's family, although his fervants drink large quantities of cyder.'

But what is still more alarming, it is affirmed, from the pofitive teftimony of gentlemen of credit who refide in Dorsetshire, that it is a common practice among the farmers of that county, to buy from the apothecaries large quantities of fachar. Saturni, with which they sweeten their cyder. If these facts are just (and we have no reafon to doubt of their authenticity) they must be allowed to afford great weight to Dr. Baker's opinion of the cause of the endemial colic.

As it is not improbable, that the fubject of this controverfy will be farther agitated in future publications, we would recommend to those who may engage in it, to temper their zeal with that spirit of liberality and candor, which are the effential characteristics of every genuine inquirer, and convince the world, that they contend more for the difcovery of truth, than the triumph of carrying an hypothefis.

37. Practical Directions, fhewing a Method of preserving the Perinæum in Birth, and delivering the Placenta without Violence. Illuftrated by Cafes. By John Harvie, M. D. 8vo. Pr. 1s. 6d. Wilfon,

It is acknowledged by the beft accoucheurs, that child-birth is an operation which is beft performed by nature herself; who indeed always requires affiftance, but feldom fuffers with impunity either violent precipitation or controul. To know, therefore, the ufual process of delivery, and the most approved methods of promoting it with safety, are matters of the highest importance in the obstetrical profeffion, and compose the subject of the treatise in which we are now engaged.

From the natural formation of the os externum of women, and the largenefs of the heads of children at their birth, the perinæum would be expofed to laceration, if the delivery was not properly affifted. To prevent fo dreadful a confequence, the author gives the following directions :

'So foon as the vertex of the child's head begins to push into the os externum, it must only be allowed to advance in a flow and gradual manner, by the action of the labour pains,

To do this properly, the accoucheur having directed his patient to lie down upon the bed in the ufual position, every pain must be attended to; and as foon as a pain has acted long enough to render the frænum of the perinæum tight, the farther action of that pain must be totally prevented, by the palm of the left hand applied against the perinæum with a proper force.

By obferving this method in every following pain, a safe dilatation will be gradually produced. During the interval of pain, fresh hogs lard, the best ointment for that purpose, is to be infinuated upon the infide of the perinæum and into all the

os externum.

When the parts are greatly dilated in this gradual manner, the accoucheur, with the palm of his hand applied as already directed, is to prevent the forehead of the child making its rife from under the perinæum, till he feels by the nape of the neck, that the vertex is entirely out from below the offa pubis. Thus the external parts will not be put upon the ftretch fo much by one inch and a half, as they would be were the forehead allowed to rife at the time that the vertex is under the pubes. *

To explain this rule, I muft obferve that the distance in a ftreight line between a child's forehead and vertex (when the head is not altered from its natural figure) is one inch and a half more than it is between the forehead and nape of a child's neck. And frequently a much greater difference is obferved in laborious cafes, as in these the head is commonly lengthened in proportion to the difficulty.

• When the head of a child comes fo low as to push out the foft parts which fill up the inferior circumference of the pelvis in the form of a tumour, the chief action of a labour pain is to prefs the head against the perinæum, and especially its edge or frænum. This preffure will be greatly taken off by the accoucheur's diligent and careful fupport of the part according to the two first rules, while at the fame time he dilates the sphincter of the vagina by preffing it back with the points of the thumb, and fingers of the right hand applied before it, and upon each fide of the child's head. Such a dilatation gives fufficient place for allowing the vertex to flip out from under the offa pubis, and thus the preffure upon the perinæum is greatly leffened.

The vertex being now entirely out from below the pubes (which the operator may be certain of by his being able to touch

touch the nape of the child's neck) the forehead will then of course begin to rife from under the perinæum upon every pain; but even now he must only allow it to do fo in a very flow

manner.

By applying the point of the thumb of his right hand upon the fronum he will fenfibly feel its tightness, and can determine whether the forehead may be allowed to rife any more, or not, during the prefent pain.

"When the forehead has risen fo far that the accoucheur feels the fontanell advanced from under the frænum, it will be proper to intreat the patient to strain only gently, and to keep fteadily in the fame position of body; after that he must very cautiously with the palm of his left hand flip back the perinæum over the child's face and chin.'

The greatest part of this pamphlet is employed about the methods of delivering the placenta. Thefe various methods, together with their respective inconveniences, the author has enumerated; and very juftly recommends the practice of leav ing the feparation of the placenta to be performed by nature, as what exposes the uterus the least to the hazard of injury. It may, indeed, be alledged, in objection to this method, that fevers of women in child-bed have sometimes been fomented by the placenta, grown putrid from retention. But fuch cafes are rarely met with; and the expediency of a practice, which, in general, is falutary, cannot be invalidated by a particular exception.

38. A Poftfcript to the Origin of Language and Nations; containing a farther Illuftration of Languages, a Plan for the Restoration of the primitive one, and a Demonftration of its Utility and Importance, as an univerfal Language and a general Key to Knowledge; with various Specimens of its Powers on ancient Authors, Coins, Tenures, Policy, Names, and other Things. By Row. Jones. 8vo. Pr. 6d. Dodfley.

We have already reviewed the work to which this pamphlet is a poftfcript, and to which we must refer our readers*, who, we hope, will have fome opinion of our candor, if not modefty, when we repeat, that we are by no means qualified to give any opinion of the performance before us. We agree with the author, however, that the Celtic is the language from which moft of the European tongues have been derived. Having faid thus much, the reader cannot expect us to lay any fresh fpecimens of this author's capacity and erudition before the pub. lic, as we acknowledge ourselves not so much masters of the fubject as to make a proper fele&tion.

39. An Effay on the Learning of Shakespeare addressed to Jofeph
Cradock, Efq; The fecond Edition, with large Additions.
By Richard Farmer, B. D. Fellow of Emmanuel-College,
Cambridge; and of the Society of Antiquaries, London. 8vo.
Pr. 2s.
Beecroft.

In our review* of the first edition of this pamphlet, we candidly allowed the merit which we thought due to the author's labours. We did not fanguinely efpoule the doctrine oppofite to what he contends for, nor were we advocates for any critical knowledge in the dead languages which Shakespeare might be poffeffed of: we only thought it probable that he was Vnot unacquainted with the Latin.

We should willingly have dropt the fubject, which we think is of no great importance to literature, had not the sentiments we then delivered with great indifference, been, as we think, illiberally and ungenteelly attacked by Mr. Farmer, in this edition of his Effay. The public can beft judge, whether it is fair to give a partial quotation from any work, without putting it in the power of a reader to confult the work itself, to know the whole scope of the argument, with the connection and relation which the quotation has to the preceding or fubfequent part of the reasoning. We complain of Mr. Farmer having quoted, and endeavoured to confute our opinions, without giving his readers an opportunity of turning to our publication by mentioning the Critical Review. - Is this juft dealing, author?

As the reader is already acquainted with our sentiments on this difpute, it is needlefs for us to revive the question concerning Shakespeare's literature. We are vain enough to believe that our Review has refolved fome difficulties in Shakespeare, and corrected many blunders in his editors and commentators ; but nothing advanced by Mr Farmer against us in this edition has in the leaft varied, but rather confirmed our already declared opinion on the fubject.

40.

The Dramatic Time-Piece: or Perpetual Monitor. Being a Calculation of the Length of Time every Act takes in the performing, in all the acting Plays at the Theatres-Royal of Drury-Lane, Covent-Garden, and Hay-Market, as minuted from repeated Obfervations, during the Course of many Years Practice. As alfo the Time of Night when Half Price will be taken, and the certain Period when any Play will be over. By J. Brownfmith, Prompé ter to the Theatre-Royal in the Hay-Market. 8vo. Pr. 1%

Almon.

We honour Mr. Brownfmith for his invention as well as h manity, becaufe (to ufe his own words) “the utility of this piece is manifold, as it will (if duly attended to) prevent gentlemens cattle from catching cold."

* See Vol. xxiii. P. 47.