against Papifts. Under this head, we meet with the following remarks: If we attend to the form of the oath to be now taken by the Papifts, in the last Act of Parliament, we thall obferve a very ftriking variation between that and the oath of fupremacy of Geo. I. Stat. II. Cap. 13. By that, every Proteftant, and all other perfons, are required, on their oath, to declare, that no foreign prince, perfon, prelate, ftate, or potentate, hath, or ought to have, any jurifdiction, power, fuperiority, pre-eminence, or authority, ecclefiaftical or fpiritual, within thefe realms. But in the last ftatute, to accommodate the Papifts, and to avoid encroaching on their obedience and fubmiffion to their fpiritual Father, the words "ecclefiaftical or fpiritual" are omitted, and the words temporal or civil" fubftituted; by which it is plainly declared, that the legiflature, conscious of the jurifdiction of the Pope over every Papift within this realm, and that the Papifts, as fuch, could never confcientiously abjure the fame; have defignedly changed thofe, material words, and thereby recognized, within thefe realms, the ecclefiaftical and fpiritual jurifdiction of the Pope, and all in authority under him." This circumftance feems to affect Dr. Ibbet fon moft strongly; who having publicly avowed his approbation of the plan, adopted by the members of the Proteftant Affociation, expreffes his doubts relating to the propriety of a Proteftant's taking the oath of fupremacy, in the form in which it is at prefent adminiftered. He feems to think, that the authority of the Roman pontiff in matters of an ecclefi aftical and fpiritual nature is, at leaft, virtually acknowledged by the legiflature, from the omiffion of the words [piritual and ecclefiaftical in the oath that hath been framed to accommodate the Papifts. We do not fee the matter in the ferious light in which it is viewed by the learned Archdeacon, A Proteftant may juftly fwear, that no prince, power, ftate, &c. hath any authority in Great Britain. The Pope hath, in fact, no more power than he had before the late indulgence granted to the Papifts took place. No authority hath been explicitly delegated to the fee of Rome: and all the claim it hath, exifts only (as it did before) in the creed of the Papift. To a Proteftant, it is a mere negation; and cannot in the least affect his confcience in the matter of the oath, which difavows the active, pofitive right and legal exiftence of the Pope's supremacy over the ecclefiaftical conftitution of these lands.

The fourth fection contains, Obfervations on the manner in which the late Act was obtained on the principal arguments in its favour, and on the fatal confequences which will moft probably refult from it."

The conclufion treats of the abfolute neceffity of an application to Parliament for redrefs; and the conftitutional mode of obtaining it.'

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Nothing

Nothing (fays the Affociation) but a law to repeal and qualify the late Act, can keep the Papifts within the bounds of allegiance and decency.- Our constitution hath marked out the mode of obtaining redrefs; and declares it to be the right of the fubject to petition. Let petitions be circulated throughout the kingdom; let the clergy of the established church, and Proteftant 'minifters of every denomination, and all who are zealous for the welfare and fafety of the Proteftant religion, cordially unite, and ftrenuously exert themfelves on this important occafion. Let petitions against the Popish bill be fent to Parliament, with numerous fignatures from every county, city, and corporation, and from other refpectable bodies of people. Let our represent atives be inftructed by their conftituents, to fupport these petitions in the houfe; and as the eve of a general election is approaching, we have reafon to hope that thefe inftructions will be attended to. Should they be neglected, we foon shall have an opportunity of electing members more attentive to the voice of the people, and the prefervation of the Proteftant interest.— We prefume, it would be better if the late Act of Parliament were totally repealed, and the laws against the Papifts placed on their former footing; but if that cannot be obtained, a qualifying Act, with fome restrictions, feems abfolutely neceffary. Thus the Papifts would be curbed, but not crushed; they would not be perfecuted, nor could they perfecute: the grand objects of this ASSOCIATION Would be obtained; the Proteftant religion would be preserved; the British conftitution would be fecured, and the Hanoverian fucceffion eftablished, upon the firmeft bafis.'

FOREIGN LITERATURE.

AR. T. XI.

Taberni Bergman, Chemia Profefforis, &c. Opufcula Phyfica & Chemica, Philofophical and Chemical Effays, collected and revifed by the Author, with Additions. By Tobern Bergman, Profeffor of Chemistry, F. R. S. &c. Illuftrated with Plates, Vol. I. Upfal, &c. 1779. Svo. 7 s. 6d. fewed. London, imported by Lowndes,

N this valuable publication, the philofophical world are prefented with a collection of excellent chemical effays, on feveral curious and interefling subjects. Some of them have formerly been publifhed feparately, in the Swedish, French, or Latin languages. After having been revifed by the Author, they are here collected into one volume; which, we are affured, will be followed by feveral others. We fhall confider them in the order in which the Author has prefented them; extracting fuch particulars as may be moft acceptable to our philofophical Readers.

Differtation

Differtation I. On the Aerial Acid.

This effay contains an experimental inveftigation of Fixed Air, firft published in 1775, in one of the volumes of the Tranf actions of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences. One of the principal defigns of the Author is to prove the acidity of fixed air; to which he gives the name of the Aerial Acid. Among the various proofs of this quality, exhibited by M. Bergman, it is rather remarkable that, though he obferved its property of readily combining with alcaline falts, rendering them milder, and cryftallizable (in which laft cafe he erroneoufly confiders them as fa turated with that acid); yet he feems not to have proceeded to a ftill more decifive proof of that quality, which had occurred to another inquirer into the fame fubject *; who has shewn that folutions of alcaline falts may be completely neutralifed by fixed air, or the mephitic acid, and may even be rendered fubacid; in the very fame manner as the neutral folutions of Glauber's falt, nitre, or fea falt, may be rendered acidulous, by a few additional drops of vitriolic, nitrous, or marine acid.

When the oleum tartari per deliquium is expofed to fixed air, the crystals which very foon appear, and which have been ob ferved by the Author, the Duc de Chaulnes, and others, are by no means neutral. The fact is, that the neutral mephitic falt is not equally foluble in water, as the mild alcali; fo that, in their experiments, when the infide of a receiver wetted with el. tartar. or a faturated folution of mild alcali, is expofed to fixed air, cryftals are formed before the alcali can have ace quired a fufficient quantity of the mephitic acid to neutralife it; because there is not water enough to hold the falt, though yet only partially neutralifed, in a state of folution. To render the alcaline folution, therefore, perfectly neutral, or fubacid; the fal. tartar. fhould be diffolved in a larger quantity of water than will barely diffolve it.

In the paper above referred to, it has been fatisfactorily fhewn, that the marks of acidity exhibited by fixed air are not to be afcribed to the vitriolic or any other acid, employed in the ufal proceffes for procuring it; as was fuppofed by fome foreign philofophers. In the prefent differtation, however, we meet with an obfervation, which, if not explained, might throw fome doubt on the intrinsic acidity of fixed air, and which therefore deferves fome notice,

It is well known, that when a weak infufion of litmus has been made red, by being impregnated with fixed air, the rednefs gradually disappears on expofing the liquor to the common

* See Experiments and Obfervations on Fixed Air, &c. by Ms. Bewley, in Dr. Pricftley's Second Volume of Experiments on Air, pag. 337, &c.

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air.

air. It has been alleged that this circumftance is not peculiar to fixed air; for that the colour given to this infufion is equally fugitive, when the water has been weakly impregnated even with the mineral acids. The Author has detected the fallacy of this experiment, by obferving that the prepared litmus ufually contains alcaline matter; that the mineral acid com bines with this laft, and expels from it its fixed air, which enters the infufion. So that, in this cafe, it is not the diluted mineral acid which gives the liquor its redness, and which af terwards flies off, fo as to cause the infufion to reaffume its blue colour; but it is the fixed air expelled by it from the alcaline fubftance that produces both these appearances: the mineral acid remaining combined with the alcali in the litmus; and having no other concern in the appearances than diflodging the mephitic acid from the litmus. Suppofe the alcali to require the quantity m of mineral acid before it is perfectly faturated; it is evident that the quantity of acid may be added 10 times fuc

m

ΙΟ

ceffively, fo as to produce as many fucceffive appearances of this fugitive rednefs: one portion more added will render the redness permanent.

Of the numerous combinations of fixed air (or rather of water faturated with this acid) with various fubftances, which are here defcribed by the Author, we fhall mention only a few. He affirms that fpirit of wine will absorb double its bulk of this fluid; and that the fame is nearly true of oil of turpentine; which, at first, abforbs it with great avidity. Nay, he affirms that a portion of oil of olives will abforb almoft an equal bulk of fixed air. The impregnated water diffolves zinc, and a femimetal which he calls Magneftum, as well as iron. It diffolves likewise a notable quantity of magnefia; edth part, the Author fays, of its weight. We have formerly diffolved nearly an ounce of magnefia, reduced to the ftate of a moft fubtile powder, in three pints of water, which was fupplied from time to time with fixed air. The folution, when faturated, had a faline, earthy, and, at the fame time, a bitter tafte, like that of the fal cathart, amarus: from which it only differs with refpect to the acid wherein the earth is diffolved. This preparation appears to us well adapted to answer various medical intentions, where the defign is to introduce a large quantity of fixed air into the fyftem.

The Author, who appears to have been one of the first who discovered the method of impregnating water with fixed air, and thereby imitating the Pyrmont, Spa, Seltzer, and other waters, fpeaks highly of the benefits he has derived from the ufe of the artificia! Seltzer water in particular, during eight years, in the cure of what he calls an hæmorrhoidal colic, to which he has

been periodically fubject. The flux, from the hæmorrhoids, which has been fopped, particularly, in the cold feafon, has conftantly been brought on by this regimen, after fix days perfeverance in it; and fometimes, even on the third or fourth day. He relates likewife a few out of many inftances, which he could produce, of the good effects that have enfued from the fame regimen, in Sweden; where the procefs of impregnating water with fixed air, &c. is become familiar in families of all ranks and he affirms, that the moft obftinate intermittent fevers which raged throughout that whole kingdom, for fome years past, and which would not yield to the bark, have almost conftantly been removed by the artificial Seltzer water, or other fimilar impregnations of water with fixed air.

Dertation II. On the Analysis of Waters.

This valuable paper contains, within a tmall compafs, a moft excellent fet of obfervations and rules for examining waters or for difcovering, collecting, and afcertaining the nature of their various and heterogeneous contents. Befides 'the ufual methods, and thofe which have been fuggefted by the numerous difcoveries that have been very lately made in the chemical branch of experimental philofophy; it contains many others peculiar, we believe, to the Author. Such, we apprehend, is his method of detecting the prefence of fulphar, in certain waters of the foetid kind, by adding a fmall quantity of concentrated nitrous acid; by which the foetid fimell is corrected, and finally deftroyed, and the fulphur is precipitated. We fhall only mention another new and curious teft, by which the prefence of calcareous earth in water is detected.

This teft is the acid of fugar, difcovered, we believe, by the Author, and of which we fhall have occafion to fpeak prefently. If the smalleft portion of calcareous earth, combined in any manner whatever, be contained, even in a very large quantity of water [Cantharo' *], a small cryftal of this acid, ho larger than the head of a pin, being dropped into it, will produce fria and clouds; caufed by a precipitate formed of the calcareous earth, combined with the faccharine acid, and which is infoluble in water. Scarce any water, the Author obferves, is perfectly free from calcareous earth. Even with refpect to that which is reputed the pureft, this teft is fo fenfible, that when the water has stood twenty-four hours after it has been dropped into it, it will prefent fome appearance, though perhaps a faint one, of this peculiar precipitate. A combination of the faccharine acid, with an alcaline falt, produces the fame effect, ftill more fenfibly, in confequence of a double affinity." No acid,

The Swedish Cambarus, as we are told in a nore, confifts of eight quadrantes; each of which contains 12; cubic Swedish inches.

alcaline,