foned his refignation of the Prefidency *. But fuch was the respect which the Academicians entertained for his general conduct and great abilities, that he was invited to return to his feat in a manner by no means difgraceful to either party. His Majefty alfo fignified that he fhould be pleafed if he should refume the Prefidency, and he very properly returned to the chair, from which he was foon after obliged to retire by ill health, and on the 10th of November 1791, he deputed Mr. Weft to fupply his place, and was never after able to resume that honourable fituation." P. 196.

His remarks on Sir Joshua as an artift, are evidently those of a man who thinks for himself.

The article of Romney, at prefent meagre, may be improved from Mr. Hayley's copious Memoirs; that of Mr. Barry, with which the feries clofes, is copious, and interesting but Mr. Edwards's opinion of Barry as an artift, has a tendency to remove him from the very high rank in which he has been placed by fome other critics.

Befides a fhort lift of errata appended to the work, we have noticed the following; p. 60, Gay, for Gray; p. 95, Mary Benwell. This lady is fill living; and W. A. Barrow, p. 162, is faid here to be living, and confequently could not have been intended for a place among the dead. P. 265-6, in fpeaking of Rooker's Oxford Almanacks, it is faid, "It is to be lamented, that he preferved no regular feries or collection of thofe excellent prints, which certainly exhibit fome of the beft views which have been taken in that elegant city." This is true; but regular feries of Rooker's Almanacks may yet be had, and that in excellent prefervation, from Mr. Cooke of Oxford, the University book feller, in whose pos-feffion the plates now are. We have noticed other typographical errors, but they will probably occur to the reader, and cannot much affect the character of a volume which, to all lovers of the arts, muft prove entertaining and inftructive, and a proper fupplement to the works of Lord Orford.

"The friends of Sir Joshua were fo partial to him, that at the time of his refignation, they univerfally fuppofed, that the members of the Academy had treated him improperly; but this - was not the fact they only oppofed him in his endeavours to introduce improperly a perfon to be a member of the Academy.

"Upon Sir Joshua's refignation, several of his friends chofe to foothe him with complimentary verfes. Among others, Lord Carlile (See the Annual Regifter for 1790) and Mr. Jerningham, employed their pens to reproach the members of the Academy, and to juftify the Prefident; but as they knew little of the difpute, their want of impartiality may be excufed by their friendship."

ART.

ART. III. Pharmacopeia Collegii Regalis Medicorum Londi nenfis M.D.CCC.IX. 4to. et 12mo. pud Longman.

BESIDES exhibiting a catalogue of the Materia Medica, a pharmacopoeia defcribes the various proceffes by which medicinal fubftances are prepared, for the use of practitioners in phy fic and furgery. But as thefe proceffes are founded upon chemical principles, it is evident that they must be fuf. ceptible of modification and improvement, according as the fcience of chemistry itself becomes improved. In this point of view, a pharmacopoeia modelled after the form under which chemiftry appear d 20 or 30 years ago, can be of little ufe at prefent. This confideration has induced the London College of Phyficians (as it had previously induced the Col leges of Edinburgh and Dublin) to put forth a new edition of their Pharmacopoeia *, accommodated, for the most part, to the improved ftate of chemical fcience. In doing which, they have (in our opinion) rendered a moft effential fervice to the medical profeflion.

The first change that was required was a change of nomenclature. The appellations given to the vegetable and foffil fixed alkalies were peculiar to the Bakerian edition of the London pharmacopoeia. General ufage required that potafla fhould be adopted in place of kali, and foda in place of natron. In the denomination of the volatile alkali (ammonia) no alteration was wanting.

Having adopted the fimple terms of the new chemical Janguage, it was further neceffary to adopt the compound terms alfo; which indeed convey more accurate ideas of the nature of the different combinations of bodies, than the old terms were capable of doing. Thus from the old terms ammonia præparata, kuli præparatum, and natron præparatum, it could never be collected that each of thefe alkaline preparations was a compound body, confifting of the specific alkali and carbonic acid. But if inftead of thefe expreflions, the terms carbonas ammonia, carbonas potaffe or fubcarbonas potuffe and carbonas fode or fubcarbonas jode be employed, we are at once informed of the precife condition of the fubftance mentioned t.

The edition preceding the prefent, was published twentythree years ago, namely, in 1787, under the direction of the late Sir G. Baker, at that time prefident of the College.

+ In two or three inftances the College have chofen to adhere to the old names. Thus they ftill retain alumen in place of f perfulphas alumine et potaffe, and foda tartarizata, in place of tartras potaffe et foda.

The

The old term CALX, as applied to metals combined with oxygen, has been very properly fuperfeded by the more appropriate term oxydum. Thus it is no longer hydrargyrus calcinatus ruber, but hydragyri oxydum rubrum, and fo in other inftances. The botanical nomenclature, as well as the chemical, has been confiderably improved. Thus, inftead of cicuta (to which genus of plants the hemlock used in medicine did not belong) we have conium; instead of genifta, fpartium; inflead of chamamelum, anthemis; inftead of helleborous albus, veratrum. Befides this change in botanical nomenclature, the catalogue of the Materia Medica has been in other respects confiderably amended. Many inert and useless articles have been thrown out, and feveral new articles, of approved efficacy, have been introduced in their place. Thefe alterations have rendered the prefent edition of the London Pharmacopaia much fuperior to the preceding.

Looking into the body of the work, we find many changes for the better, in regard to the metallic preparations. In the former edition, the number of antimonial preparations amounted to seven; in the prefent edition they do not exceed five, which are certainly quite fufficient for all medical purposes. The tartarized antimony of the old pharmacopœia was prepared from what was then termed crocus antimonii and crystals of tartar (fuper-tartrate of potash) but in the prefent edition, the tartarized antimony is prepared from the oxyd of antimony (which oxyd is obtained by precipitation from a nitro-muriatic folution of fulphuret of antimony) and fupertartrate of potash; which procefs is calculated to yield a tar tarized antimony of a more uniform quality than could be obtained by the former procefs.

In like manner the number of mercurial preparations has been reduced. In the former edition of the Pharmacopoeia, they amounted to twelve, under the fection entitled Preparata ex Hydrargyro, without including the mercurial pills and ointments which were inferted in other places. In the prefent edition, they have been reduced to ten, including the new preparation, entitled liquor hydrargyri oxymuriati, which is a folution of oxymuriate of mercury in water (in the propor tion of half a grain of the oxymuriate to one fluid ounce of water) with a Imall addition of rectified spirit.

Under the title Preparata Ferro, fome new chalybeate preparations have been introduced; viz. liquor ferri alkalini, miftura ferri compofita, and pilula ferri cum myrrhâ: and the carbonas ferri (i. e. a precipitate obtained by adding fubcarbonate of foda to a folution of fulphate of iron in water) fupplies the place of the former rubigo ferri. Refpecting thefe chalybeate preparations, we cannot refrain from remarking, that the

first, viz. the liquor ferri alkalini is liable to much objection, from the circumftance of its being fo eafily, and indeed fo inftantaneously decompounded, not only by all kinds of acids, but even by every kind of aftringent vegetable tincture, decoction or infufion. If alkaline chalybeates fhould be given, the better way would be to prescribe the carbonate of foda and the carbonate of iron, in the form of pills, washing them down with a fufficient quantity of water, or any other appropriate liquor.

Of arjenicum, which had no place in the old Pharmacopœia, there are two preparations in the prefent; viz. arfenici oxydum præparatum and liquor arfenicalis. The firft is ufed in the preparation of the laft mentioned liquor or folution, which is made by diffolving equal quantities of the oxydum arsenici and fubcarbonas potaffee in boiling water, in the proportions of four grains of the oxyd, and four grains of the fubcarbo nate to one fluid ounce of water. For many years past this preparation has been in ufe for the cure of agues, in dofes of from five or fix minims to fifteen or twenty minims; that is, in quantities containing from to or of a grain of the arfenical oxyd. In thefe dofes, it is a perfectly fafe remedy, provided it be not perfifted in too long.

After the title VEGETABILIA, have been introduced many useful preparations, which were wanting in the former Pharmacopoeia; fuch as the infufisns of columba, cascarilla, cufparia, digitalis, &c.; the tinctures of digitalis, humulus, and hyofcyamus; the extracts of aconitum, hyofcyamus, farfaparilla and taraxacum. There is, however, one preparation among the vegetable fubftances which requires alteration. We mean the fyrupus fenne. In confequence of the large proportion of manna directed to be added to this preparation, it becomes falid after cooling, lofing altogether the properties of a fyrup. But if the manna were left out, and a due proportion of coarfe fugar were fubftituted in its place, the preparation would always remain in a ftate of liquidity, while its cathartic power would be little, if at all, diminished.

Before we conclude our review of this work, it is proper to notice the alterations which have been made in regard to the liquid meafures. The ftatute wine gallon is that which is ufed by the College. The eighth part of the gallon is a pint, formerly expreffed by the Latin term libra, but now by the new term oclarius*, the term libra, being restricted to

*The fextarius was a Roman measure, confiderably exceeding our pint, of which mention is frequently made in the writings of Celfus

the

the pound-weight; the oftarius, or pint, is divided into fix teen parts, each part bearing the name of fluiduncia, in contradiftinction to the uncia ufed in weights; the fluiduncia is divided into eight parts, each of which is termed a fluidrachma; lafly, the fluidrachma is fubdivided into fixty parts, denominated minima, which are measured by graduated glafs tubes, invented by the late Mr. Lane. This is much preferable to the former mode of measuring by drops, which vary in bulk according to the greater or lefs fpecific gravity of the fluid employed, and according to the fhape and size of the rim of the bottle from which they are dropped. It is therefore greatly to be desired, that the minim measure be univer fally adopted.

In regard to the general compofition of the work, it may be remarked, that the various proceffes are defcribed with as much concifenefs as was confiftent with perfpicuity. The ftyle, though fimple, (as the fubject required) is by no means inelegant; many of the expreffions may be found in Celfus.

On the whole, we are of opinion that, although it may be fufceptible of fome further improvements, the new Pharmacopia of the London College reflects much credit on the induftry, learning, and ability of the committee of physicians appointed to compofe it; and we may fafely pronounce, that it will prove of the greatest utility to all orders of the medical profeffion.

ART. IV. Annals of Great Britain, &c.

(Concluded from our last, p. 260.)

IN no part of this work does the impartiality of the author appear more confpicuous, than in the account which he gives of the rife and progrefs of the French Revolution; and in no part of it could the impartiality of a zealous Whig be put to fo fevere a trial. Like thousands of the most intelligent of his countrymen of all parties, he acknowledges, that he hailed it, at its commencement, as the most glorious event that had occurred for ages, without having duly weighed, as it appears, the principles and views of thofe from whom it fprung. Even after Mr. Burke had opened the eyes of fuch English Whigs as were not abfolutely infatuated by the fpirit of party, he continued to adhere to Mr. Fox, and, to our fur prife, contends, that in the declamations of that statesman,

there