Colonel de Siegen, a Heffian officer, either in the year 1643, or 1648; he left behind him two fpecimens of his difcovery.

Our Author alfo introduces another very diftinguished claimant, of our own nation, whofe pretenfions, he observes, he cannot properly pafs by unnoticed, although they seem to reft on mistaken grounds; this is Sir Chriftopher Wren. In the preface to Dr. Hooke's Micrographia it is faid, "he (Dr. Wren) was the firft inventor of the art of graving in mezzotinto, which was afterwards profecuted and improved by his Royal Highness Prince Rupert, in a method fomewhat different, upon the fuggeftion (as is faid) of the learned and ingenious John Evelyn, Efq:Of this art fome original effays are extant: viz. the head of a Moor, &c. by the Inventor; the execution of St. John Baptift, by the Prince; on the fword is the mark R. P. f. (i. e. Rupertus Princeps fecit); over it an electoral coronet."

As the circumftance of this invention is not mentioned by Mr. Evelyn, in his treatife written exprefly on the fubject of engraving, where he celebrates Dr. Wren's skill in defigning, his filence is, by our Author, confidered as an objection of fuch weight, as leads him to fuppofe Dr. Hooke's affertion founded on a mistake.

The mechanic procefs of this fpecies of engraving, its peculiar character, its excellencies, and the fubjects beft adapted to it, are confidered and explained; fome account is also given of the earliest artifts who have practifed this mode of fculpture, with a lift of their principal pieces.

In the appendix are given, No. 1. Comparative Tables of Artists, in mezzotinto, of different nations, before the middle of the prefent century. No. 2. Lift of Modern British Artifts, and of thofe now or lately living. No. 3. Lift of Mezzotintos after ancient mafters, by modern artists.

This Work will, we make no doubt, prove an acceptable acquifition to all lovers of the arts, particularly to the collectors of mezzotintos; and appears to us, as the Editor likewise obferves, in the advertisement, to have added, in many inftances, to the ftock of information, which the Public were before poffeffed of, relative to that fubject.

ART. IX. Remarkable Ruins, and Romantic Prospects in the North of Scotland, accompanied with fingular Subjects of Natural History, and ancient Monuments, hitherto undelineated and undefcribed. Drawn and defcribed by the Rev. Charles Cordiner, of Banff, and engraved by Peter Mazell. 4to. The first fix Numbers at 5s. each. White, &c.

THE Public are indebted to the pencil of a felf-taught ge nius for the reprefentations of these remote views, antiquities, and curious subjects, which, without the affistance of

I 4

his

his labours, would probably have mouldered away unknown ; we must not therefore examine thefe performances too critically, nor expect to find in them, all the fcience of a profeffed artift.

This work confifts, of the four following heads, Remarkable Ruins, Romantic Profpects, fingular fubjects of Natural Hiftory, and Ancient Monuments: let us confider each of thefe articles feparately.

With refpect to the firft, juftice obliges us to obferve, that Mr. Cordiner feems a little deficient in the knowledge of perfpective, both linear and aerial; and this is more ftrikingly apparent in delineations of buildings, than in any other subject : we would therefore advife him to make himfelf mafter of the principal rules in that fcience, which he will, if a mathematician, attain in a very fhort time, by ftudying Brook Taylor's most valuable treatife on that fubject; otherwife, let him perufe Highmore, Kirby, or fome one of the many commentators on that able mafter.

The fame deficiency, in point of perspective, occurs in the profpects, though the linear errors are not quite fo confpicuous in these subjects as in architecture, as was before remarked; but as a want of keeping, or violation of the aerial perfpe&ive, is too obvious in many of them, we would also advise our Author to ftudy that article, in the works of fome of our beft artists, and at the fame time to attend to their management of light and fhade, particularly with an eye to the general effect.-Notwithstanding thefe ftrictures, both the ruins and profpects have a confiderable degree of merit.

The fubjects in natural history appear to have been drawn` with great accuracy and neatnefs, from fpecimens uncommonly curious and interefting.

The ancient monuments confift chiefly of fculptured stones placed over the graves of princes, heroes, and other great men, generally containing fome allufions to war, or the chace. Thefe, as well as the preceding article, are executed with tafle and neatnefs, (and there is every reafon also to believe) with the ftricteft fidelity.

This work is publifhed in numbers, each containing four plates, with letter-prefs defcriptions. The plates measure seven inches and a quarter, by five and a quarter. They are neatly engraved, and printed on good paper. Only feven numbers have yet been publifhed. It is to be hoped Mr. Cordiner will meet with so much of the public favour, as may induce him to continue this pleafing and curious publication; for, fhould any accident caufe him to relinquish it, it may, probably, be long. ere another perfon, equally qualified, will be found, in that remote country, to complete what he has fo well begun.

As

As Mr. Cordiner here ftands in the double capacity of draughtsman and hiftorian, in order to give our Readers an idea of his abilities for executing the latter, let him fpeak for himfelf:

A SINGULAR POLYPE.

The Zoophyta are in general diftinguished by fuch difplays of intelligence, and wife defign in the formation of them, as fills our minds with admiration. The detail of particular facts relating to their ftructure and economy, become hence most exceedingly interefting, as it leads to new difcoveries of the univerfal care of the great Author of Nature, This is the primary object of natural hiftory, and enhances the delight and enter

tainment of it.

This very beautiful Polype, at A and C, we fhall call the Sea Marygold, until abler hands fhall appoint it a more cha-' racteristical place in the fyftem of marine animals.

It is remarkable, that the cafe B, in which it lodges, is not a fhell, nor of a fhelly fubftance; but is of a skinny nature, foft, compreffible, elaftic; by this peculiarity it is effentially diftinguifhed from all thofe animals that are the inhabitants of tubular hells. Its rays, or tentacula, are admirably contrived for catching and inclofing minute animals; and it is often employed in playing them round in the water, feemingly in fearch of food and nourishment; and is feen evidently catching at fomething, at atoms which elude human obfervation.

The ftructure of the tentacula is very remarkable; the extremity of each appears like a miniature of the whole; and each individual ray, viz. 1, 2, 3, &c. is an active trap; they feve rally bend and wave in oppofite directions, and in thefe exertions vary their form, as at E.-D. is one of the tentacula on a ftill larger fcale, by which the exquifitely fine formation of the whole is the more clearly difplayed.

It is altogether most delicately alive to any hoftile touch, and feems even to have a prefentiment of the approach of injury, probably from the movement of the water; and then with inftantaneous dexterity retreats into the cafe B; and is there fo completely fhut up, as not to be the leaft difcernible.

When all has been quiet about it for fome time, it expands by flow degrees, as if fearful of the danger, or the enemy being not yet paft; but feeling no difturbance, fpreads forth again in all its beauty. A, is the natural fize on the tubular coraline to which it adhered.-C, the fame magnified.It was dredged up from the bottom of fifty fathom water, from hard ground, fome leagues from the coaft of Banff; where corals, and ftones co-t

We copy thefe references (though we cannot give the plates), to avoid mangling the Author's expreffions.

vered

vered with fhells, are frequent, and exhibit varieties of animals not found on the fhores.'

N. B. The feventh number of the above work is publifhed, but we have not yet feen it.

ART. X. Letters and Papers on Agriculture, Planting, &c. Selected from the Correfpondence-book of the Society inftituted at Bath for the Encouragement of Agriculture, Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, within the Counties of Somerfet, Wilts, Glocefter, and Dorfet, and the City and County of Bristol. Vol. III. 8vo. 75. Boards, Dilly. 1786.

F Agriculture is not, in all cafes, a profitable bufinefs to

I gentlemen of fortune, it is, at leaft, in every fituation, a pleafing amufement, as it not only induces a moderate bodily exercife, highly conducive to health, but also tends to excite thofe fociable affections which conftitute one of the highest pleafures of life. Even among thofe who follow agriculture as a bufinefs, this laft circumftance is confpicuous in an eminent degree, when compared with other occupations of men, in a fimilar ftation or rank. Among manufacturers, and artifans of every kind, a fpirit of monopoly is univerfally prevalent. They view others of their own profeffion with a jealous and diftruftful eye, and the first leffon taught in their apprenticeship is to take care not to divulge the fecrets of their trade. If any one in thefe employments is fo lucky as to make a useful difcovery in the line of his bufinefs, his greatest study is to conceal it from others, and fo to disguise his operations, as to lead them on a wrong fcent in their attempts to copy after him.-Not fo the farmer. If he makes any useful difcovery, he, on all occafions, fhows a generous fatisfaction in communicating every particular concerning it to as many as are difpofed to liften to him. He rejoices in the profpect of benefiting others. He anticipates the good effect that may probably refult from it; and, instead of hiding his candle under a bufhel, he does every thing in his power to diffeminate that knowledge as univerfally as poffible.

The volume now before us, and the two former that have been published by the fame Society, fufficiently illuftrate these posttions, and much good may be expected to refult from their labours, if they perfevere, and are extremely careful in their felection of papers for the Public. The objects of agriculture are many, and they may be varied by fuch a number of circumftances, as to occafion a diverfity approaching to infinite. It must therefore happen, that certain anomalous cafes will frequently occur, which, by being confidered as general, will open a wide field for imagination to range in, and lead to conclufions that can by no means be authorized by general practice. The bufinefs of an editor of a work of the kind before us fhould be

to communicate to the Public, with fidelity, fuch cafes of this kind as occur, and to mark with a diftinguishing accuracy thofe circumftances which give room to fear that they may not be fo generally useful as the fanguine propofer may expect. We obferve fome attempts of this kind in the prefent volume, though they seem not to be directed by a hand fufficiently experienced to decide with that precifion which a fteady knowledge never fails to confer. We hope, in the fucceeding volumes, this circumftance will be carefully attended to.

As we think there is a probability that many more volumes may be ushered into the world under the aufpices of this refpect able Society, and as it is ever our defire that ufeful knowledge may be as generally diffeminated as poffible, we hope to be pardoned for offering a few more hints, that will probably tend to render the work ftill more generally ufeful, if duly adverted to.

It cannot have escaped the observation of the very refpectable members of the Bath Society, that certain particulars in the practice of agriculture are very well known, and have been long experienced, in one part of the country, which are not at all understood in other parts of it. Hence it muft happen, that long differtations will fometimes be made by an inhabitant of one diftrict, to lead toward a difcovery of facts that have already been well known, with certainty, in another. To avoid thefe ufelefs difcuffions then, as much as poffible, it should be the study of the Society to render their work as generally acceptable as they can make it among actual farmers. With this view, con-cifenefs of narration, and every other contrivance that can tend to moderate the price, and to raise the value of their book, fhould be adopted. We are the rather induced to take notice of this particular, on the prefent occafion, because, in the volume before us, we obferve fome ftriking deviations from this rule, which, for the reasons above given, we should be forry to see continued in the fucceeding parts of the work.

The prefent volume, in imitation, as it would feem, of the French memoirs, begins with an eloge (we give it the French name, because we have not, that we know of, an exact appropriated English name for the fame thing) of the late Thomas Curtis, Efq. Vice-prefident of this Society, &c. Now, although it is very natural for those who had the happiness to be acquainted with Mr. Curtis, if he was really a very amiable man, to with to pour out fome grateful tribute to his memory, nothing, furely, can be lefs interefting than fuch effufions, to those who were altogether unacquainted with him, and who can have no abfolute reliance on the truth or juftice of thofe eulogiums which they find fo liberally beftowed on him. It is well known, that in France, where this practice fo peculiarly prevails, it seems to have been adopted father with a view to difplay the talents of

the