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It powerfully attenuates tough vifcid humours, and fits them to pafs off by the glands of the kidneys, and all the other emun&tories of the body, when given in fo fmall a quantity, or fo guarded, as to pafs out of the ftomach without much irritation. In dropfies of the breast especially, it does admirable fervice: and relieves a dyspnoea more effectually than most other medicines.

A man by taking only fix drachms of it mixed with small cinnamon water, by a little at a time, piffed fix quarts in four and twenty hours, when he had made but very little water for a long time before. In this manner it is often given with extraordinary fuccefs.

When given as an emetic, it does not leave that nausea and fickness at the ftomach after the operation, as fome rougher medicines generally do.

The vinum fcilliticum is of the fame nature; and the pulp of fquills, made up with fapo and gum ammoniacum, either into pills or bolufes, has often done admirable fervice.'

We must not omit to observe, that Dr. Wilkes appears evidently to have been a man of confiderable medical learning, and that his obfervations are judicious.

The Appendix added by Dr. Falk is quite detached from the Effay, and deferves to be confidered entirely as a distinct treatife. With respect to physical principles it differs in fome places from the preceding, but by thofe the method of cure is very little effected. The fubfequent paffage, relative to the external cure of the difeafe, is, we think, the chief practical remark contained in the Appendix.

The good effect of the falt of fteel, in dropfical disorders is great; and I have fucceeded to admiration, particularly, if I have added a mercurial plafter all over the abdomen, when the patient was not too far gone. It is a method which in future will fland in need of very little improvement;-at least it has fo much certainty of fuccefs, in ordinary cafes, where there is only a flaccidity of fibres in the fyftem, and where the extravafated humour, lymph, ferum, or whatever we may please to call it, is yet mild, and not excluded from circulation, that even, Speaking mathematically, it must cure to a demonftration, and cannot do harm in the worst cafe poffible, under the guidance of a judicious physician.

But let us proceed farther. Suppofe we should fucceed agreeable to the promife I have here made, there is yet much to be done before the patient is restored to a firm ftate of health. There is nothing fo common as a patient recovering from the dropfy, and relapfing again. As the abdomen falls away, it fhould diligently be compreffed and contracted, either by continuing the plafter or bandages, or both; the opening medicines fhould be continued, the tincture of the bark given, and the fyftem kept warm and comfortable, even for a confiderable time, till the veffels have recovered their tone again.”

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A Supplement to Calculations of the Value of Annuities, published for the Ufe of Societies inflituted for the Benefit of Age. Containing various Illuftrations of the Doctrine of Annuities, and compleat Tables of the Value of £. immediate Annuity. (Being the only ones extant by half-yearly Interest and Payments.) Together with Investigations of the laudable Society of Annuitants; fbering what Annuity each Member hath purchased, and real Mortality therein, from its Inflitution, compared with Dr. Halley's Table. Alfo Jeveral Publications, Lelters, and Anecdotes relative to that Society, and explanatory of Proceedings to the prefent Year. To which are added, a Table and various Obfervations to elucidate the Subject of the national Debt, occafioned by Mr. Laurie's few Remarks on Dr. Price's Obfervations. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Ridley.

THIS

HIS copious title fufficiently expreffes the contents of this elaborate fupplement to this gentleman's former Calcu lations. Befides the new and general tables of annuities by half-yearly intereft, and illuftrated with many examples of calculation, he has interfperfed through the work a mass of promifcuous obfervations relative to annuities and focieties for the benefit of age, &c. the whole intended more particularly to undeceive his deluded affociates in the Laudable Society, concerning which inftitution a quantity of materials and tranfac tions are here brought together, in which our author himfelf bore a confiderable share. Mr. D's manner of compofition is rather unpleasant; he is however right in the main point, his calculations being juft, and fufficiently accurate. From the accounts herein contained, it is pretty evident that this fociety is purfuing measures which muft foon end in its abolition, and the probable ruin of many whofe expectations of future fubfiftence entirely depend on it. Neither do the members or managers feem at all difpofed to benefit by the admonition and advice of this gentleman, nor even by thofe of the ftill greater authority of Dr. Price, whofe opinion on the subject was requested, and by him given in the following words :

It may be depended on, that the prefent payments and ftock of the fociety will not fupport an equal annuity higher than 151. This is not a matter of opinion but of certainty. Mr. Dale's calculations in this paper demonftrate it sufficiently; nor is it poffible for any one to attend properly to these calculations without being convinced They are made on the fuppofition, that the rate of mortality in the fociety is the fame with that

Mr, William Dale, a member of the above-mentioned Laudable Society, as appears by the body of the work.

exhibited in Dr. Halley's table of obfervations: but the truth is, that not above half the number of perfons have died in the fociety, that should have died according to that table and it follows from hence, that the fociety cannot, in reality, with any degree of fafety, promife to pay more than an annuity of about 1. or 21. If therefore, the fociety does not intend to lay the foundation of future diflrefs; or has any regard to juflice, or any feelings of humanity, it will not undertake to pay an equal annuity of 241. RICHARD PRICE.

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And again, in apfwer to a fecond request, the fame gentleman fays, All the obfervations in this paper, appear to me to be right; and must convince every candid and attentive perfon of the iniquity there is in promifing an equal, or mean annuity of 241. a year, which is at least twice as much as the payment and stock of the fociety will fupport.

• Were the equal annuity exactly the average, that the fo ciety can afford to pay, or about 21. the reformation of the fociety on the plan of granting fuch an annuity would be ruinous; fuppofing leave given to diffatisfied members to withdraw, taking back the money they have contributed. For in this cafe thofe who have purchafed more than the equal annuity (fome perhaps double or triple) will, unlefs out of their fenfes, chufe to withdraw, rather than continue their money, and go on to make exorbitant payments, for no other purpose than to make up the deficiencies of their fellow-members. The consequence of the lofs of thefe members will be, that the equal annuity will be diminished; and if the fociety, after the lofs of any number of fuch members, fhould go on to promise the fame annuity they promifed before, its payments and ftock will be infufficient, and ruin muft follow. If it reduces the annuity, thofe members again, who have purchased more than that reduced annuity, will for the fame reason that the former did, withdraw, and produce the neceffity of a fecond reduction. If this fecond reduction is not made, the payments and ftock of the fociety will be again deficient, and ruin must be the confequence. If, on the contrary, it is made, a third reduction will become neceffary. And thus one reduction will be continually rendering another neceffary, 'till at laft the fociety will confift of only fuch members as have made the lowest payments. RICHARD PRICE.'

Notwithstanding all thefe warnings, they feem refolved on hurrying to deftruation. Our author's perfevering endeavours, however, are very commendable, and feem to proceed from the best motives, and we entirely agree with him, that, however difcouraging the profpect of labouring in vain may be, the writer is unwilling to defift while perfeverance feems a

duty;

duty; and claims the affiftance of the upright fo far, at least, as to report with candour what is honeftly intended to guard the unwary from injurious deception. If it merits the approbation and protection of the fenfible, humane, and juft, the malice of their oppofites (who fhould not expect to be well thought of, or well spoken of, while they remain fo) will be. difregarded; at all events, the consciousness of faithfully difcharging the duty of a member of the fociety and of the community, by explaining and expofing the inequitable scheme of a felf-interested 'majority, will be ample recompence for the labour, expence, and danger which attend it.'

As to his Obfervations on the national Debt, they also are just enough; but they are not likely to meet with more attention and effectual regard, than his others have had paid to them.

An Efay on the Legality of impreffing Seamen. 8vo. 25. Cadell. During the prefent demand for feamen, in confequence of

the unhappy misunderstanding between Great Britain and her colonies, the legality of impreffing feamen is a question truly interefting; this queftion may be rendered still more interefting by a European war, in confequence of that misunderftanding. But an enquiry into the legality of manning her navy by the only mode hitherto found effectual, can at no time be uninterefting to an island, whose wealth and strength, and whose very existence, perhaps, as one of the powers of Europe, depend effentially and altogether upon her navy.

He who fimply puts the queftion to his feelings, to his fenfibility, will immediately determine this grand point in the negative. It is not there the politician puts his queftion. With fenfibility, with feelings, he has little bufinefs. The politician steps out of our fyftem into a fuperior one, and looks down upon every thing in the fyftem which he left, as Gulliver confidered the nation of Lilliputians, as we confider a republic of ants. His broad eye takes in a whole country, and, at one glance, fees and compares its different interefts and advantages. In a word, if we may be allowed to compare him to that allgood and omniprefent Being who created and endowed him with abilities for the fervice of his fellow-creatures, the politician, blind to the miseries of a few individuals, and deaf to the cries of widows and the fhrieks of orphan families, paffes on with firmnefs in the path which he has chofen with deliberation, and the confequences of which he has calculated with care; nor can any thing turn him afide to the right or to the VOL. XLIV, Nov. 1777. B b

left,

left, but the certainty of procuring comparatively a greater happinefs or fafety for a greater number of mankind.

It is but justice, however, to quote our author's own words, as an apology for the manner in which he has executed his work.

The author of thefe fheets is fenfible, that the inftances and citations which he has, in this fection, (the Vth) brought before the reader, might have been much more numerous, and much more judiciously felected. To many fources of useful information be had not accefs. Some he had not leisure to inspect. To thofe which he has confulted, he had not in his power to bestow necessary attention. As this apology, however it may excufe the defects of the performance, expofes him to the cenfure of obtruding, knowingly and willingly, a hafty work on the public; he begs leave to mention, That, when he firft engaged in it, he was informed that the part of this difquifition which makes the fubject of this fection, was to have been executed by a perfon ever way qualified to do it juftice. With this perfuafion he writ the firft five fections. He was then informed, that he was not receive the affiftance, with the hopes of which he had flattered himself on fetting out. In the mean time, his manufcript had been fhown, and a perfon, whofe approbation would give celebrity to any work, and whofe rank gives his flighteft deures the force of commands, was repeatedly pleafed to commend the performance, and to exprefs a wifh of feeing it in print. Little fenfible of what he was about to undertake, he promised to publish it. Nothing now remained for him, but to perform his promife; and, however faulty the execution of it may be, he would rather truft to the mild nefs of the public cenfure, by producing an unfinished work for their perufal, than incur the animadverfion of the individuals privy to this tranfaction, by retracting his promife.

To treat the fubject as it deferves, a much larger field of inquiry fhould be opened, than the author of thefe heets could venture upon. It requires a mind already treasured with various literature, and every affiltant help of books and retirement. If any perfon, thus circumftanced, fhould undertake to write on the fubject, he would find it worthy his utmost abilities.”

This acknowledgment our author's modefty might have fpared, for the inftances and citations, which he has brought before the reader,' appear to be collected with great labour, and to be digefted with much study.

This pamphlet confifts of fix fections. The firft is an introduction. The bufinefs of the fecond is to ftate the queftion; of the third, to prove, that it is a right inherent in the go. verment of every civil fociety to employ particular members thereof in any fervice which the public utility of the fociety requires; of the fourth, to show that it is neceffary and expe

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