jection does not, in the leaft, tend to invalidate his theory; or affect the conclufions he has drawn from experimental proofs of the existence of such specific qualities of attraction in the fecondary or chemical elements of compound bodies.

But to come to our Author's defign. Conceiving the want of a scientific fyftem to be, at prefent, the greatest impediment to the improvement of natural knowlege, he tells us, that the importance of it had long infpired him with a defire of fupplying fo ncceflary a work; to the execution of which he has not been remifs in applying himself. The extenfivenefs, and complex nature of the fubject, however, rendering it a task of fuch labour and difficulty, as almoft to make him defpair of accomplishing it, he thought it expedient, in the mean time, to publifh a more compendious work; which may be preparatory to, and, in fome meafure, a subftitute for, one more copious and perfect.

It is fuch a compendious Introduction to Philofophic Chemistry, that is here offered to the public: the final defign of which is, in the Author's words, That it fhould incite the tafte for this kind of fludy; and furnifh, at the fame time, the facile means of its profecution. The mediative intention is, that it should prefent the sketch, or primæ linea, of the principles of the chemical Philofophy; as well as of operative Chemistry, fo far as relates to experiment; together with a practical view of all the leading processes known, and their principal application to œconomical purposes; or to the explanation of the phenomena of Nature; and fubferviently to this, a delineation, likewife, of the generical character of each clafs of the fubjects, and the criterions of diftinction of the feveral fpecies of bodies, with a fuccinct enumeration of all their general properties; or, in other words, the philofophic hiftory of each article.

In perfuance of this defign,' continues the Author, I have firft, in an introductory Discourse, laid down the general theoretic and practical principles of Chemistry, as well in a philofophic as technical light: founding the one part on the appearances of nature prefented by her in her ufual courfe, or produced by art; and the other, as far as could be made expedient, on the notions and method already received. In what relates to the practice, I have endeavoured to convey full and clear inftructions for the fabrication and preparation of the neceftary apparatus: there not having been, before, any attempt to the accommodating the utenfils and inftruments of Chemistry folely to experimental purpofes; nor confe•quently

quently to the teaching in what manner, an Elaboratory for fpeculative ufes fhould be furnished: in default of which information, the furnaces employed for Pharmacy, practical Metallurgy, or other arts, are generally erroneously conftructed on fuch occafions, and the correfpondent utenfils provided, at an unneceffary expence; and yet prove afterwards, incommodious for fome, and infufficient to other proceffes, requifite to be practifed in experimental persuits. To thefe I have fubjoined ample directions for the execution of all the general operations, that may become needful to the performance of any experiment or process: whether fuch as folely appertain to Chemistry, or fuch, as being in more general ufe, are nevertheless occafionally introduced into it, in aid of the others.

I then proceed to give the experiments and proceffes on the feveral particular kinds of bodies: but, in order to ren<der them effectual in explaining and demonftrating the true nature and properties of the fubjects, I have prefixed a concife view of the philofophic hiftory of each article that con• ftitutes them; and of the manner in which they may be• come the object of experiment: attempting to establish first the proper generical nature of each, with respect to what it is capable of effecting on, and fuffering from, other bodies: which I conceive to be the only juft principle of identity or diverfity of kind in a scientific confideration of natural bodies.

To the experiments and proceffes are fubjoined, for the • most part, obfervations explanatory of the encheirefis, and illuftrative of the doctrine intended to be established by them; pointing out alfo the application which is, or may. be, made of each to œconomical or commercial uses; and the collateral lights that may be drawn from it, with relation to other parts of this treatife, or of natural Philofophy • in general.

་

This is the plan of difpofition of the contents of the work: and the particular fubje&is of experiment embraced in it are, firft, earths; fecondly, falts; thirdly, animal fubftances; fourthly, vegetable fubftances; and, fifthly, metallic bodies.'

Such are the defign, method, and fubject of this Effay, on the Institutes of experimental Chemistry; in the execution of which, the genius and fagacity of the Author, as a Philofopher, are no lefs confpicuous than his fkill and industry as a practical Chemift.

We fhould with pleasure enter into the particulars of this curious and interefting work; but, for the following reafons,

.

which, we hope, will be a fatisfactory excufe to thofe of our Readers who might otherwise be defirous of having their justly-excited curiofity further fatisfied. In the first place, it would be impoffible to convey an adequate idea of the Author's principles and arguments, without extending this article to an inconvenient length.

In the next, our fo doing would only ferve to increase their defire to perufe the work itself; which perufal would render the beft abftract we could make of it, with refpect to them, entirely useless and, as to our Readers in general, certain it is, that however curious and important a work of this nature may appear to many, it would afford the majority little inftruction or entertainment.

We take our leave, therefore, of this truly ingenious performance; moft earneftly recommending it to the attentive perufal, and confideration, of all thofe who are, in any wife, engaged in phyfical studies.

The Chemical Works of Cafpar Neumann, M. D. Profeffor of Chemistry at Berlin, F. R. S. &c. Abridged and methodized, with large Additions, containing the later Difcoveries and Improvements made in Chemistry and the Arts depending thereon. By William Lewis, M. B. and F. R. S. 4to. Il. Is. Johnston.

W

E are here presented with a very compleat, and comprehenfive abridgment of the voluminous works of Dr. Neumann, formerly Director of the royal Elaboratory and Apotheca at Berlin: an Author, fays our Editor, who, biaffed by no theory, and attached to no opinions, has enquired, by experiment, into the properties and ufes of the moft confiderable natural and artificial productions, as well as the preparation of the principal commodities which de-. pend on Chemistry; and feems to have candidly, and without referve, communicated all he difcovered.

There is, indeed, hardly any material circumstance, relating to the chemical hiftory of the mineral, vegetable, and animal kingdoms, which this laborious Author, or his induftrious and accurate Editor, have not inferted in the text or annotations. We muft do the latter the juftice alfo, to fay, that we think he has fully and effectually compleated his defign, of collecting and difpofing with propriety, the many valuable materials, fcattered up and down, in the writings of our indefatigable Profeffor. Nor will the Chemift, in

theory

theory or practice, think himself lefs obliged to the candour and ingenuity of Dr. Lewis, for the remarks he has himself thought proper to add, refpecting the later difcoveries and improvements made in Chemistry, and the Arts depending thereon: not a little of which we are indebted for, to the Diaries of his own Elaboratory.

The difpofition of the parts of the fubject, in all works of this nature, is generally fo much alike, when any method at all is purfued, that it would be needless to enter into a particular detail of the contents of this volume. As it may be expected, however, that we should give some specimen of the work, we fhall felect Dr. Neumann's account, and chemical analyfis, of the principal wines drank in Europe.

(1.) The Madeira iflands, and Palma one of the Canaries, afford two kinds; the first called Madera Sec; the <latter, which is the richest and beft of the two, Canary or Palm Sec. The name Sec (corruptly written Sack,) fignifies dry; thefe wines being made from half-dried grapes. There is another fort of Sec wine, inferior to both the foregoing, prepared about Xeres in Spain, and hence called, according to our Orthography, Sherris or Sherry. (2.) The wines of Candia and Greece, particularly the latter, ' are of common ufe in Italy. Malmfey was formerly the. produce of thofe parts only, but is now brought chiefly from Spain: It is a fweet wine, of a golden, or brownish-yel-. low colour: the Italians call it Manna alla bocca e baljamo • al cervello. "Manna to the mouth and balfam to the brain." • Zant and Cephalonia fend alfo to Venice fome good, and no fmall quantity of indifferent wines: almost all the wines indeed made ufe of in the Venetian territories come from Greece and the Morea; of which there are fome forts fo bad, and fo cheap, that large quanties are made into Vinegar for the preparation of Ceruffe.

< (3.) Italy, not Greece, produces the Vino Greco: this is a gold coloured untous wine, of a pungent sweetness, the growth of Mount Vefuvius, greatly fophifticated by, the Neapolitans. In the neighbourhood of Vefuvius is "made the Mangiaguerra wine, as also a thick blackish one • called Verracia; and at the foot of the hill, the delicious Vino vergine: the Italians apply this last name likewife to all the other wines made without preffure. The kingdom of Naples affords the Campania or Paufilippo and Mufcatel, the Surentine, Salernitan, and other excellent wines, as alfo the Chiarello, much drank at Rome. But the principal of all these wines is the red, fat, fweet, and greatly poignant one, called Lachryma Chrifti. (4) The Ecclefiaftical

Kk 3

• State

6

• State produces the light, pleasant Albano; and the sweet Montefiafcone, a yellowish not very ftrong wine, which comes the nearest to good Florence, but does not keep well; together with several of lefs note, as the Nomentan, Monteran, Velitrin, Prænetic, Il Romenefca, d'Orvieto, &c. (5.) In Tuscany are the excellent white and red Florence; the celebrated hot, ftrong, red wine de Monte Pulciano; the • Montalneo, Porte Hercole, &c. But along the coast of the Adriatic, at Ancona, Rimini, Pefaro, as far as Bologna, I met with exceeding bad wines, chiefly of the boiled unfermented kind, heavy, difagreeable, and unwholfome. (6.) In Lombardy alfo there is abundance of bad wines: the Modenese and Montferrat are tolerable; the Marcemino, produced about Vicenza and Padua, pretty good. The other wines moft commonly drank in that province, are the Brefcian, Veronefe, Placentine, Lumelline, and Pucine; and in the Genoefe, the Vino di monte vernaccia, Vino amabile or Vino di cinque terre and Vino razzefe. Between Nizza and Savona is produced an incomparable Mufcadine; near Aquileia is the Rofatz, and near Pavia the Vino piccante. (7.) Piemont, and part of Savoy, have excellent light wines. (8.) The Sicilian, Sardinian, and Corfican wines are alfo good: the firft, as particularly the Catanean, Panormitan, Meffinian, and Syracufan, are accounted the best, ⚫ and are chiefly bought up by the Knights of Malta.

<

(9.) Moft of the Spanish wines are compofed of fermented or half fermented wine mixed with infpiffated Must and variously manufactured, or of an infufion of dry grapes in weak Muft. No wines freeze more difficultly than the Spanish, these abounding both with unctuous matter and ' with inflammable spirit. We have a few of these wines in Germany, as the Alicant (which is a thick, ftrong, very sweet, and almost naufeous wine,) Sherry, Spanish Malmfey, and that fimply called Spanish wine: but in Spain itself there are many more, Tarragan, Salamanca, Malaga, Cordoua, Galicia, Andalufia, fundry bastards, Vino de toro, &c.

(10.) In Portugal there is plenty of red Port, a cheap, but not a very excellent wine, drank in large quantity in England. The best Vino tinto, a blackish red wine, used by the Coopers for colouring other wines, is faid by fome to be the produce of Portugal. This kingdom deals largealfo in Madera, of which the King receives yearly twelve thoufand pipes by way of tithes. (11.) In France, thére is a great variety of wines; of which the ftrong, sweet, full-bodied, fpirituous ones are called Vins de liqueur. There is fcarcely a province in France that does not produce wine : • Languedoc