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Diffector, to exhibit fuch an accurate difplay of thefe, and many of the contiguous parts, as was previously neceffary to produce the four elegant plates of them, which are annexed to these observations.

Such is the substance of the polemic part of thefe Commentaries; from which it is fufficiently apparent, that Dr. Monro will find it impoffible to difprove fuch teftimonies, with respect to the three contefted points, as his Antagonist has produced. To view this matter, however, in the fairest light; as Dr. Hunter exprefsly afcribes the happy injection to his brother, in which Dr. Monro fucceeded equally two months after; the latter may, in candour, be fuppofed an equal Injector, tho', in this particular, a later one. That the fubftance of this part has long been concluded wonderfully extenfive and tubular, is certain: but Mr. Hunter's compleat injection of it, has ferved as a very curious and fatisfactory demonftration of its truth, and is the first that has come to our knowlege. Had Dr. Monro contented himself with averring, that independent of the least hint or information of this preparation, or of the new doctrine of the Lymphatics, he had as compleatly filled the part, and as inconsciously maintained that doctrine, folely from his perfonal investigation and deductions, fuch averment had been confiderably more defenfible; notwithstanding the glaring improbability of thefe anatomical novelties being long a fecret at Edinburgh, after their publication to many Pupils, and other Auditors, at London. For Dr. Hunter has juftly allowed, "that two perfons engaged in the fame ftudies may, not improbably, light on the fame difcovery;" and has elsewhere acknowleged his former opinion, "that he had made fome difcoveries himfelf, in which, he was afterwards convinced, he had been anticipated by Albinus and Haller." He feems, nevertheless, to have contracted no acrimony, nor ill language, from fuch anticipations; in which refpect he certainly merits imitation. On the other hand, it feems likely, that a Gentleman who had not been robbed of a difcovery, but only anticipated in it, would have fairly acquiefced in his confcious co-incidence with the penetration of another, who, from a variety of accidents, might have firft ftarted the discovery. But this circumftance of crying out first, with little temper and decency, looks like confidering human flefh and ho fe flesh, on the fame footing; and fuppofs jo keying in an anatomical Course, as fair as it was formerly fatnoird at a

anatomical Courfe, as fair as it was formerly fuppofed at a horfe-race. Real honour, however, that high and exquifite honefty, which fhould be expected among men of scientific and liberal purfuits, is a very delicate uniform virtue, and will no more permit our invading the property of another's mind, than the wife of his bofom, or the money in his purse: and fome unfair purfuits are commonly in view, when we prefer the applaufe of others, or any of its lucrative confequences, to the well-founded approbation of our own hearts.

After all, however, there is no being certain, how long it is fince this Gentleman may have intended to have atchieved these discoveries, in which, perhaps, he has only been prevented by the officious hurry and impatience of others. He has indifputably been much enamoured of them all, and great love will plead for great allowances. It may be apprehended nevertheless, if this precipitate ardor for finding out fhall ftill prevail, that its confequences may fometimes approach too near to finding more than was loft: and, at the very worst, a little generous truth may often turn out as reputably as too much invention.

With regard to the Author of thefe Commentaries, his superiority in the prefent debate, is too palpable for any, who confider writings abftracted from their Writers, to diffemble their conviction of it. This litigation will naturally. eftablish his pretenfions the more extenfively, and more specdily, perhaps, than might have been effected by publishing his difcoveries without it. The origin of the conteft, with the illiberal manner in which it begun, must have a natural tendency to confirm him in that candour with which he treats all his other anatomical cotemporaries whom he names: for we may reasonably conclude, no man ever feels the excellence of any virtue fo affectingly, as when he has been fenfibly hurt by the want of it in another. Confummate candour is probably one of the rareft attainments of human nature; and tho' to rejoice in the equal or even fuperior worth and happiness of others, founds romantic, and may be thought rather one of the beatitudes in a state exclufive of doubt and difcord; yet it is very conceivable, that fuch excellent perfons, as have fubdued all envy in themselves, may have fome foretaste of fo refined a fruition in this.

Since the great and compleat difcovery of the Circulation, all fubfequent anatomical ones have been thought reputable, in proportion to the light and importance attending them; and it were truly unjust to exclude men from fame, who fo

painfully,

painfully, fo difagreeably, and even fometimes fo dangerously, employ themselves in the purfuit of it. It is no wonder then, if one Anatomift, who has inveftigated an useful, or were it only a very curious discovery, fhould affert an honour he had dearly earned; and prove tenacious, or even vindictive of it, from the invafion or rapacity of another; efpecially in the prefent cafe, where there was no medium: as Dr. Hunter muft either have afferted his prior difcovery of the contested points, or have fat down under the charge of that plagiarism, which he has fo effectually repelled, and, with fo much probability, retorted. This confideration will fufficiently qualify that poignancy of refentment, and keennefs of raillery, which abound in fome parts of this work; while thofe detached from the controverfy, and publifhed for the information of Students in Anatomy, difcover the accuracy and precision of a Mafter.

Philofophical Tranfa&ions, giving fome Account of the prefent Undertakings, Studies, and Labours of the Ingenious, in many confulerable Parts of the World. Vol. LII. Part I. For the Year 1761. 4to. 12s. in Sheets. Davis and Rey

mers.

HILE the publication of the Philofophical Transactions was entrusted folely to the Secretaries of the Society, it was no great wonder that a number of unimportant papers fhould render fuch publication fufficiently voluminous, or that partiality fhould fometimes give a place to others, redounding little to the credit of fo learned and difcerning a body. From the regulations, however, which were made a few years ago, when a Committee was first appointed to reconfider the papers read before them, and felect out of them fuch as they fhould judge moft proper for publication, we were in hopes that the future collections would be more curious and important, or, at least, that if they could not be rendered more interefting, they would be lefs voluminous; efpecially as the grounds of the preference given to the pieces laid before them were to be confeffedly, the importance or fingularity of the fubjects, or the improved manner of treating them. We are in fome degree mortified, however, to fee the Compilers fill proceeding fo much in their old ftrain, magno conatu magnas nugas dicere; and to find their publications answer much the fame end as formerly, viz. to fatisfy the public, that the

meetings

meetings of the Royal Society are continued, and that their Tranfactions ftill afford dull reiterated accounts of all the Earthquakes, Eruptions, Hurricanes, Summer-fhowers, and Jack o'lanthorns, which have been recorded in the Newspapers and Magazines fo long before, and in a manner fo little worth remembering, as to have been almost forgotten.

Not that we mean to infinuate, that the mifcellany before us extending thro' a quarto volume of 414 pages, contains nothing fingular and important: but we muft avow our concern to fee the Philofophical Tranfactions, published by an English Royal Society, reduced almoft to a mere Journal of practical, and often confeffedly blundering, experiments and obfervations.

If we had the honour of this learned body and of our country less at heart, we poffibly might not have spoken our minds thus freely; but, as we know the great and diftinguished abilities of many of the Members of the Society, we would exhort them, if they have the fame regard for the character and credit of their body, not to justify, by their indolence or neglect, the reflection recently caft on all establishments of this nature; que chacun de ceux qui les compofent vaut toujours mieux feul qu'avec le corps*. But to proceed to give our Readers fome account of the refpective papers contained in this volume, agreeable to our plan.

NATURAL HISTORY and PHYSICS.

Art. 1. An account of the use of Furze in fencing the Banks of Rivers. In a letter from the Rev. Mr. David Wark.

In this paper is recommended a method to raise locks and dam-heads, at one tenth of the ordinary expence, by means of furze, and a perpendicular wall of ftone, or of dealboards.

Art. 2. An account of a remarkable Halo. In a letter from Thomas Barker, Efq;

Mr. Barker introduces this account with fome obfervations not directly applicable to the fubject, intimating his defire of hearing that fome impartial perfon had examined into his opinion, concerning the change of colour in Sirius, fometime. fince prefented to the Society †. The phenomenon here poken of, was obferved fo long ago as May 20, 1737.

* Emile. Par J. J. Rouffeau, vol. III. p. 316.
+ See Review, vol. XXV. p. 7.

Art. 3.

Art. 3. An account of a Meteor feen in New-England; and of a Whirl-wind felt in that country. In a letter from Mr. John Winthrop, Profeffor of philofophy at Cambridge in New-England.

A fimple relation of two phenomena, not very uncommon in most countries, and much less extraordinary in New England.

8. An account of an Eruption of Mount Vefuvius. In a letter from Sir Francis Hafkins Eyles Stiles, Bart. F. R. S. 9. Another account of the fame Eruption of Mount Vefuvius. By the fame.

The public are here reminded, that an eruption of Vesuvius happened in December 1760; that two English Gentlemen, with their guides, were obliged to run away from it, and that the Neapolitans were, as ufual on fuch occafions, very much frightned.

12. Experiments on checking the too luxuriant Growth of Fruit Trees, tending to difpofe them to produce Fruit. In a letter from Keane Fitzgerald, Efq; F. R. S.

The Author of this paper tells us, that by cutting off the bark of fruit-trees, and putting it on again, he made the branches fo circumcifed, produce fruit very plentifully.

13. An account of the Urtica Marina. In a letter from Jofeph Gaertner, M. D. ·

In this paper are defcribed feveral fpecics of the Urtica Marina, called by Mr. Hughes* animal flowers; Dr. Gaertner claffing them under the fame genus as the Hydra of Linnæus, commonly called the Polype. Their figures are given, neatly engraved.

14. A Catalogue of the fifty Plants from Chelsea Garden, prefented to the Royal Society by the Company of Apothecaries, for the year 1760.

15. An account of the Cicuta, recommended by Dr. Storke; by William Watfon, M. D. F. R. S.

The defign of this paper is to afcertain the fpecies of the Cicuta recommended by Dr. Storke, fo that medical Practi

See Review, vol. III. p. 197. Hughes's Natural History of Barbados.

ioners,

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