marble, robed in the ufual formal ftyle; certainly much more decent, if not fo picturefque as thofe I have juft defcribed.'

The celebrated gardens of M. de Girardin are well defcribed; and Dr. Smith evinces himself an enthufiaft in favour of Rouffeau, probably from his being a kindred fpirit,' and fond of botany. We refpect Rouffeau's genius and fenfibility; but uneducated as he was, and his mind untinctured with just literature, with fixt principles of morality, and difcriminate stamina of truth, his genius was too wild and irregular, his fenfibility partook too much of difeafe. His writings refemble thofe Ruffian palaces of ice, which reflect a thousand fplendid hues, but vanifh beneath the fummer fun of truth and religion. His views of fociety were theoretic and vifionary; and have only contributed to anarchy in the country where they are most admired. ;

Rouffeau's widow Dr. Smith found to be of a fuperior cha racter to that commonly received of her. Small ftature, countenance fenfible and ftriking, manners of a gentlewoman, polite and eafy. The character of Julia, after marriage, was drawn from that of madame Boy-de-Tour, of Lyons: the manufcript of the confefiions was caftrated in fome parts by M. de Girardin. In his apology for Rouffeau, Dr. Smith warmly Teprobates Mr. Burke's eulogium on the French Meffalina, as he terms her, we hope from authentic evidence gathered on the fpot. Reflections are fometimes introduced on events which have happened fince the years of the Travels; but we wonder when we find the doctor, p. 129, mentioning the caufe of ftraw being put into the murdered Beitier's mouth, as first difclofed in his work, while most of the common accounts of the French revolution prefent the fame, and particularly the Tableaux de la Revolution, and the New Annual Regifter, of each of which we long tince gave a review.

But we must follow our author on his journey to Italy.

Nov. 29. The morning was fine, and we departed very early, repaffing about day-break the Pont du Gard, which, by the uncertain light of the mifty dawn, appeared with uncommon majesty. The firft rays of the morning illuminated its fummit, while its mafly bafe, with the rocks and woods on either fide,, were ftill half-veiled in darknefs. The wind was hushed, and the bubbling ftream of the valley below alone difturbed the general repose.

At a little diftance we quitted our former road, and turned towards Avignon. Near a fmall inn by the way, are fome high peak. ed rocks, which afforded us a few good lichens, as my exanthemati. cus and tumidulus, Tranf. of Linn. Society, vol. i. as well as the im merfus of Weber, and fome others. This lichen immerfus is a very wonderful production. It confifts of a hard white cruft, greenifh

when

when cut or fcraped, bearing many fmall black fields, each of which is immersed in a deep cavity of its own form, apparently hollowed, not only out of the cruft, but even out of the ftone itself. That any effect of vegetation fhould produce fuch hollows is inconceivable, yet that appears to be the cafe. Some parts of the rock may be found strongly marked with thefe impreffions, after the plant which occafioned them is totally decayed, and the shields fallen out. This phænomenon is well worthy the attention of those who do not affect to defpife any thing that has engaged the wisdom of the eternal mind. The plant is found in most countries, and very plentifully in Derbyshire, on calcareous rocks. Some other minute lichens, as exanthematicus above mentioned, feem to poffefs a degree of the fame power of excavating the ftone on which they grow."

From the account of fir John Hawkwood, vol. I. p. 302, 3, it appears that the doctor has not feen the late biography of him, publifhed in the Bibliotheca Topographica Britannica. We pafs numerous pages abounding with pleafing materials, to attend our traveller to Rome, and St. Peter's.

It was impoffible to defer visiting St. Peter's any longer than the firft day after our arrival at Rome. The effect of the colonade before it was different from what we expected. All prints make it appear too long, and the fountains too fmall. The beft view I have ever seen of this church, is in a picture at the Villa Borghefe.

• The whole building is of a kind of stalactitical stone, called Pietra di Tivoli, because the principal quarries of it are at that place. It is very hard, but of an extremely porous unequal texture, so as not to look well when feen too near; not unlike the stone used for building at Matlock, but lefs porous, and at a small distance looks like new Portland ftone. Such is the appearance of St. Peter's. One would think it had fcarcely been finished a twelvemonth. The p e pediment, as has been often obferved, is too fmall, and the whole weft front far inferior in majefty to that of our St. Paul's, except the colonade; and I am not sure whether that, however magnificent as a part, does not leffen the effect of the church itself. Nothing can be finer than the two fountains perpetually playing; their vaft volume of waters, thrown into various forms by the wind, is one of the nobleft objects imaginable. Rome is the only place to fee really fine fountains: how different from the impertinent fquirts of Verfailles! We found by our valet, that the old ftory of queen Chriftina's fuppofing thefe Roman fountains to be made to play on purpofe to amufe her, is now transferred to the prefent queen of Naples. This is the common fate of fuch anecdotes.

But although St. Paul's may very well bear a comparison with St. Peter's as to its outfide, the fuperiority of the latter within is decided indeed! Lefs, perhaps, with refpect to architecture than cleanlinefs, lightfomenefs, and, above all, richness of decoration. The veftibule too is totally wanting in St. Paul's.

• On entering the church, we were fenfible of the effect fo generally mentioned, its not appearing fo large as we expected; but this idea wore away every time afterwards. At the firft vifit we were too much distracted by the variety of objects, to attend to any thing properly. We therefore took a curfory view of the whole, and often returned afterwards with new pleasure to the fame magnificent scene. As it is of no confequence to the reader in what order we faw things, I fhall collect together, under one view, a few of our remarks made at different times, avoiding as much as poffible faying what others have faid, or at least avoiding faying it in the fame manner.

• The great pilafters of the nave are only coloured to imitate blue and white marble, although the rest of the building and decorations are almost all of different kinds of marble. How easily might St. Paul's be painted in the fame manner! or if only white-washed, what an advantage would it be to its appearance!

The fuperb canopy of bronze over the high altar, and the hundred filver lamps continually burning before it, are described in every book. The glorious dome above, conftructed with a lightnefs and magnificence equally furprifing and pleafing to the beholder, has been as often described: but words cannot do it justice, nor would I have any one hope to get an adequate idea of it by con templating the gloomy cupola of St. Paul's.

The aifles are occupied by a number of altars, the altar-pieces of which are accurate copies, in mosaic, of the most celebrated pictures in Rome, which by this means are immortalized; for nothing but the entire downfall of the building can ever do these mofaics the least injury, while the originals are daily approaching to decay.

• The best in the church is perhaps that of St. Petronilla, after the picture of Guercino, preserved in the palace of Monte Cavallo, esteemed one of the four first pictures in Rome; for the only three allowed to be comparable to it are, the Transfiguration of Raphael, the St. Jerome of Domenichino, and the Defcent from the Crofs of Daniel de Volterra, or rather Michael Angelo. So connoiffeurs have decided, and it becomes us humbly to affent. I only beg leave not to confine my admiration entirely within fuch narrow limits. To fay the truth, I have contemplated many pictures with more pleasure than the Transfiguration of Raphael. The want of keeping, in making the hill fo low, is a glaring abfurdity; and with refpect to our Saviour, with Mofes and Elias hanging in the air, three figures of elder pith fufpended by threads, and electrified fo as to repel each other, would have nearly the fame attitudes.

'The mosaics of the crucifixion of St. Sebastian, and the death of St. Jerome, after Domenichino, St. Bafil faying mafs, after Subleyras, with fome others, are excellent, and inferior to the pic

tures

1

tures from which they are taken in fome minutiae of drawing only, as the abbé Richard obferves.

The fculptures of this magnificent church are fcarcely lefs worthy our attention. The most striking of all is the bas-relief of Attila prevented from approaching Rome by the apparitions of St. Peter and St. Paul in the air. It confifts of a number of figures as large as life, by Algardi, of whom I fhall have more to fay in fpeaking of Bologna. This fculpture is placed over the altar of St. Leo, in whose pontificate the event it reprefents was faid to have happened. For though the ftory is allowed by catholic writers to be a fable, it was too good a story to be loft. The holy fathers have therefore permitted it to be perpetuated, even in the fanctuary of pretended truth. The more enlightened fpectator may take it as an allegory, while the multitude, if they please, may believe it as gospel. If an error, it is one on the right fide.'

But we must here close our extracts from this interesting work for the prefent; and resume the two remaining volumes in fome future number.

On the Properties of Matter, the Principles of Chemifiry, and the Nature and Conftruction of Aeriform Fluids, or Gafes. In which the Abfurdities of the Theories hitherto advanced, and generally received, respecting thofe Subjects, are fully expofed; and fuch an Explanation of them given, as Reafon, naturally, points out; and every Obfervation, fully, confirms. By E. Peart, M. D. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Boards. Miller. 1792. WE have often attended on Dr. Peart in his doubts, difficul

ties, and new fuggeftions. When we have paid the tribute to his ingenuity, we have feldom been able to add, that, we were convinced by his arguments. He feems to fail in clearly feeing the whole force of an explanation, and his doubts often arise from a flight mifconception of fome part, which renders the whole obfcure. On fome other points, he is neceffarily involved in difficulties, from the obfcurity of the subject, and he objects to an explanation, because it does not go the full length of the question-a length, which the narrownefs of human views can feldom entirely penetrate. With the affiftance of this account, we fhall very briefly give the fubftance of the prefent work, and leave the whole to the decifion of philofophers.

The first fection refpects, the erroneous opinions and falfe reasoning with refpect to matter, its properties and modes of existence, particularly when in an aeriform state, with an attempt to rectify them by adhering to reafon and experience.' The principal objects of Dr. Peart's attention are, the doctrines

t

of

of the immaterialifts, and the modern ideas, which come ver nearly to the fame point, viz. the fubftitution of fpheres of repulfion. We contend for neither; but, on the latter fubject," Dr. Peart fhould have fhown, that bodies, apparently in contact, are really fo. If refiftance is ever found to take place, independent of contact, these must be a sphere of repulfion, or a body must act where it is not. A fphere of attraction, within one of repulfion, is not fo abfurd as he fuppofes, nor inconfiftent with common phenomena. Another opinion, which he combats, is the modern chymical fyftem of the gafes, depending on the union of the caloric. This, however, muft be refted on, as a fact: it is, in this view, well established; nor is the explanation fo abfurd, as Dr. Peart endeavours to prove.

The fecond fection contains a fummary view of the elementary principles of bodies. Matter he divides into two kinds, the fixed and the active-in other words, folids, and the magnetic, the electric or fimilar effluvia: the latter are divided into two genera, æther, and phlogiston.

• Thofe properties are of two general kinds. One portion of these original material particles, have fimply, the property of attracting the other particles of matter, in all points and directions, and thefe I diftinguish by the name of fixed particles of matter. The other particles of matter, have the property of being excited by contact with the fixed particles of matter, to attract other particles fimilar to themselves, in one direction only, fo as to form themselves into right lines, compofed of particles, fingly arranged, in contact: confequently, as the fixed particles attract these in all points and directions, these will arrange themselves around the fixed matter, as their centre, and form an atmosphere of radii, fpherically furrounding the fixed centre; which radial lines of particles, diverge as they recede from the centre. These I have called active particles of matter.

These active particles are of two kinds; when either kind is excited by contact with fixed matter, it attracts particles of the fame kind into atmospheric arrangement; and two atmospheres of the fame kind, furrounding two fixed centres, have no attraction for each other, but refift every attempt to bring them into the fame place: but if an atmosphere of one kind be brought in contact with an atmosphere of the other kind, they will attract each other, so as to draw their respective fixed centres into contact. To one kind of these active particles I give the name of æther, and the other I diftinguish by that of phlogifton.

The fixed particles are drawn together by these active particles, fo as to form bodies more or less folid and bulky, according to the proportion of each, which enters into their compofition: while the active particles themfelves, by contact with thofe fixed particles,

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arrange