The author introduces the extract with unfavourable comments on the vain and
irreligious attitudes of the Frenchmen who made the descent. He observes: 'I
would rather stand upon the brink of the crater, with my heart elevated and
expanded by a view of the greatness of God's works [...] than with the mind and
motives of a philosophist, cultivate science in the very jaws of destruction'
(19).
Section: Literary Department
Subsection: II. Review of Reviews
Christian Observer, 1 (1802), 33–35.
The Origin, Advantages, Disadvantages, and Importance of Literary
Journals
[1/2]
Journal des SçavansJournal des Sçavans
(1665–1792)
Journal des Savans
(1816–1900+)
BUCOP CloseView the register entry >>Hutton 1795Hutton,
Charles 1795. A Mathematical and Philosophical Dictionary:
Containing an Explanation of the Terms, and an Account of the Several Subjects,
Comprized under the Heads Mathematics, Astronomy, and Philosophy both Natural
and Experimental; with an Historical Account of the Rise, Progress, and Present
State of these Sciences; also Memoirs of the Lives and Writings of the Most
Eminent Authors, Both Ancient and Modern, who by their Discoveries or
Improvements Have Contributed to the Advancement of them, 2 vols, London:
J. Johnson and G. G. and J. Robinson
CloseView the register entry >>
'For some time, the
Royal SocietyRoyal Society of London
CloseView the register entry >>
[...] published at the end of each number of the
Philosophical
TransactionsPhilosophical Transactions of the Royal Society
(1665–1900+)
Waterloo Directory
CloseView the register entry >>, an account of such books as related to objects of
science. These transactions may therefore be considered a kind of
philosophical journal; and, with the publications of other similar
institutions, have frequently been classed among literary journals' (34).
Subsection: III. Literary and Philosophical Intelligence, &c.
&c.
An editorial introduction explains that this section of the journal will
contain a collection of 'amusing and interesting details concerning Letters and
Philosophy', including 'REPORTS OF NEW
INVENTIONS, PHILOSOPHICAL DISCOVERIES, AND CURIOUS
EXPERIMENTS; SKETCHES OF THE
PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES,
&C.' By careful searching of the principal literary and scientific
journals, it is intended to give 'a brief but satisfactory view of the state
and progress of Science and Letters throughout the civilized world'. It is
noted that many articles, 'particularly those with respect to foreign science
and literature' are to be 'inserted upon the authority of the works from which
we extract them'. However, the note promises to take great pains in
ascertaining the authenticity of articles of a 'suspicious or doubtful nature'
appearing 'in our own prints and journals', and to acknowledge the subsequent
discovery of any inauthentic articles.
The author discusses at length
Abraham Rees'sRees, Abraham
(1743–1825)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> new
edition of
Ephraim
Chambers'sChambers, Ephraim
(1680?–1740)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>CyclopædiaChambers,
Ephraim 1728. Cyclopædia; or, An Universal Dictionary of
Arts and Sciences: Containing the Definitions of the Terms, and Accounts of the
Things Signify'd Thereby, in the Several Arts, Both Liberal and Mechanical, and
the Several Sciences, Human and Divine, 2 vols, London: James and John
Knapton [and 19 others]
CloseView the register entry >>,
the publication of which has just begun in parts. A long extract from the
prospectus or preface discusses the encyclopaedia's arrangement of the sciences
in comparison with that used by the Encyclopédie. Considers that
'readers are much more likely to be preserved from error, and instructed and
confirmed in religious truth, by the
Encyclopaedia Britannica[Macfarquhar, Colin] and [Gleig, George] eds 1797. Encyclopædia
Britannica; or, A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Miscellaneous Literature:
Constructed on a Plan, by Which the Different Sciences and Arts are Digested
into the Form of Distinct Treatises or Systems, Comprehending the History,
Theory, and Practice, of Each, According to the Latest Discoveries and
Improvements ... Compiled from the Writings of the Best Authors, in Several
Languages, the Most Approved Dictionaries, as well of General Science as of its
Particular Branches, the Transactions, Journals, and Memoirs, of Learned
Societies, both at Home and Abroad, the MS. Lectures of Eminent Professors on
Different Sciences, and a Variety of Original Materials, Furnished by an
Extensive Correspondence, 3rd edn, 18 vols, Edinburgh: A. Bell and C.
Macfarquhar
CloseView the register entry >>, than by
the present undertaking, if this edition be conducted upon the plan and
principles of the former', but continues: 'We speak not of the scientific parts
of the Cyclopædia, which are certainly executed in the former edition
with great ability' (36–37).
Journal of
Natural Philosophy, Chemistry and the ArtsJournal of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry and the
Arts
(1797–1813)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>Boardman 1805, Boardman,
Thomas 1805. A Dictionary of the Veterinary Art: Containing All
the Modern Improvements, London: George Kearsley
CloseView the register entry >>Pinkerton 1802, Pinkerton,
John 1802. Modern Geography: A Description of the Empires,
Kingdoms, States, and Colonies, with the Oceans, Seas, and Isles, in all Parts
of the World: Including the Most Recent Discoveries, and Political Alterations,
Digested on a New Plan; the Astronomical Introduction by S. Vince, 2 vols,
London: T. Cadell and W. Davies, and T. N. Longman and O. Rees
CloseView the register entry >>Sauer 1802Sauer, Martin
1802. An Account of a Geographical and Astronomical Expedition to the
Northern Parts of Russia: For Ascertaining the Degrees of Latitude and
Longitude of the Mouth of the River Kovima; of the Whole Coast of the Tshutski,
to East Cape; and of the Islands in the Eastern Ocean, Stretching to the
American Coast. Performed, By Command of Her Imperial Majesty Catherine the
Second, Empress of all the Russias, By Commodore Joseph Billings, in the Years
1785, &c. to 1794. The Whole Narrated from the Original Papers, London:
T. Cadell, Jun. and W. Davies
CloseView the register entry >>
The writer records that 'Mr. BLAIRBlair, William
(1766–1822)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, of Great Russell
Street, has circulated proposals for publishing an Entire System of Medical
and Operative Surgery; comprising the latest Improvements in the Theory and
Practice' , giving details of subscription (121).
The writer reports that
Jean A ChaptalChaptal, Jean Antoine
(1756–1832)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>
has presented a report to the Consuls 'containing the project of a
MAGNIFICENT WORK UPON EGYPT,
to be formed from the materials collected during the expedition to that
country'. The proposed contents of the work are reported in detail. (126)
'A Bookseller of Brunswick proposes to publish the interesting
correspondence of
GEORGE
FORSTERForster, Georg Adam (Johann Georg Adam)
(1754–94)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>, with many of the most distinguished
naturalists in Europe'.
The writer reports that the proprietor of the
Philadelphia
MuseumPhiladelphia Museum
CloseView the register entry >> has collected, from 'the interior', bones constituting the
entire skeleton of the Mammoth, 'a species which seems to have perished, but
the existence of which has been supposed from some discoveries made in the
North'.
The report reprints a decree transmitted to
Franz J GallGall, Franz Joseph
(1758–1828)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> by the
'Territorial Government of Lower Austria' commanding him to desist from giving
phrenological lectures to mixed audiences at his house, on the grounds that his
theory appears 'contrary to the first principles of religion and morality'. A
further note records that Gall has been 'permitted to proceed in his Lectures
on Skulls, but only to foreigners, and excluding women'. (136)
Itard 1802Itard, Jean E. Marie
Gaspard 1802. An Historical Account of the Discovery and
Education of a Savage Man, or of the First Developments, Physical and Moral, of
the Young Savage Caught in the Woods Near Aveyron, in the Year 1798,
London: Richard Phillips
CloseView the register entry >>
A notice on the progress of stereotype printing begins with the assertion
that it is 'an English invention', before discussing its adoption in Paris by
Firmin DidotDidot, Firmin
(1764–1836)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>. It is
viewed as likely to become 'one of the most considerable improvements connected
with Literature, which has been made since the invention of moveable types'.
(185) The practices of stereotyping and its important commercial implications
are discussed. A notice records that 'Messrs. Lancliffe and W. Hawkes
jun. CloseView the register entry >> of Newcastle upon Tyne' have achieved a heat of unparalleled
intensity by the combustion of oxygen and hydrogen gas using a blowpipe.
[2] Royal Society
Subjects:
Natural History | Astronomy, Light, Heat, Instruments,
Observation, Theory | Botany, Physiology, Anatomy, Theology of Nature,
Wonder, Feeling, Microscopy, Cell Biology
Discussing measures brought before the
House of
CommonsHouse of Commons
CloseView the register entry >> concerning restrictions on the clergy, considers at length
the 'evil of non-residence' (266). Observes: 'We cannot concur with some
individuals in regarding the promotion of science, or the gratification of
curiosity, as grounds on which a parish priest can be vindicated in neglecting
the most important of all human duties, the care of the souls of his
parishioners [...]. The neglect of those interests, no degree of literary or
philosophical attainments can compensate'. Such pursuits are nevertheless
accorded 'their due commendation, and to those who engage in them, our due
tribute of respect as public benefactors' (267).
'We have received Letters from different Correspondents recommending, a
complete separation of the religious from the merely miscellaneous Articles.
One of them observes, that Vimand's Essay on the Dry Rot, inserted in our last
Number, though excellent in itself, appears in its present situation "like a
receipt for a Custard in a Volume of Sermons." Our Readers will see that we
have attended to these suggestions in the arrangement of the present
Number.'
Supernaturalism, Observation, Error, Cultural Geography, Electricity,
Chemistry, Theology of Nature, Natural Law, Expertise
The writer argues that experience is not a proper test of credibility, since
it is 'in the highest degree fluctuating and uncertain, nay, the term itself is
scarcely intelligible, unless in combination with some person, age, or country,
to which it refers' (291). Examples are given of natural phenomena observable
only in certain parts of the world, or observed only at certain periods, like
the phenomena of electricity, most of which were not observed before the
previous century. A natural philosopher, it is argued, might be justified in
withholding assent to the evidence on which the discovery of new physical
qualities is based, but not if the evidence was such as had 'never deceived him
in any other instance', however extraordinary the thing observed might be. This
is not, the writer continues, an uncommon experience: 'The science of chemistry
exhibits many appearances little less revolting to an uninformed mind than
Miracles themselves'. Consideration is given to the objection to this argument
based on the disanalogy of physical facts and miraculous phenomena. Reasoning
upon 'theistical principles', it is claimed, 'Miracles are, in reality, no
farther improbable in themselves than as they are unusual; in other words,
there is no antecedent presumption arising from the nature of the Godhead, or
the constitution of things established in the present world, which should lead
us to think it unlikely that the Almighty [...] may suspend the operation of
his own established laws'. Miracles require divine omnipotence no more than do
the 'common operations of nature', and should consequently be judged on the
same basis. (292) The biblical miracles were properly objects of observation
'to ordinary men': 'They were not like the result of many philosophical
experiments, which require a scientific eye to remark, and a scientific pen to
report them' (293).
Section: III. Literary and Philosophical Intelligence, &c. &c.
Maupertuis 1738Maupertuis,
Pierre Louis Moreau de 1738. La figure de la terre:
determinée par les observations de messieurs De Maupertuis, Clairaut,
Camus, Le Monnier, de l'Académie royale des sciences, & de M.
l'abbé Outhier, correspondant de la même académie,
accompagnés de M. Celsius, professeur d'astronomie à Upsal:
faites par ordre du roi au cercle polaire, Amsterdam: Jean Catuffe
CloseView the register entry >>
Reports that 'The vaccine inoculation gains ground in this country; above
7000 persons [...] were inoculated in Catolonia, [...] the inoculation has been
attended with complete success' (395).
Notes that 'Dr
SchraderSchrader, Heinrich Adolf
(1767–1836)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>, of Gottingen, has begun a journal in Latin and German,
appropriated to the most important discoveries in the science of vegetables'
(395).
Reports that 'The vaccine inoculation has found its way even into Turkey
[...] the ideas of predestination entertained by the Turks, and which have
prevented them from adopting the inoculation of the small-pox [...] have given
way in favour of the vaccine' (395).
Reports that 'An unusual degree of jealous vigilance, seems to be exercised
at Vienna, over the books which are published or imported, as well as the
lectures which are delivered at that city. A spy attends the course of each
professor. None but strangers are permitted to be present at
Mr. Gall'sGall, Franz Joseph
(1758–1828)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> lectures
on Sculls [sic]' (399).
In discussing whether it is improper to express emotion or elation of
spirits, asks, 'Why may not the Christian be allowed his eureka as well
as
ArchimedesArchimedes
(c. 287–212 BC)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>?'
(428).
Section: Literary and Philosophical Intelligence, &c. &c.
Describes the recently invented 'Floating Water Mill' which is
'stationed upon the Thames, between Blackfriars and London Bridges' (454).
Lists the contents of volume nineteen of the Transactions of the Society of
Arts.
Reports that 'An epidemic putrid fever' continues to ravage Brussels.
States: 'According to the opinion of the physicians, this fever is marked by
some pestilential characteristics, and they are not yet able to class it
amongst the known maladies'.
In a letter concerning whether or not those who commit suicide should be
given a Christian burial, the writer states: 'I have also known of instances of
clergymen refusing altogether to give Christian burial in such case
notwithstanding a verdict of insanity. I should be glad to know what right a
Coroner has to lay his commands on the clergy' (503).
Section: Literary and Philosophical Intelligence, &c. &c.
States that a gentleman in Birmingham has 'invented a new barometer [...]
which, by certain combinations of wheel-machinery, points out the most minute
variation in the gravity of the atmosphere' (532). Reports that 'Sir H.C.
Englefield has made some accurate experiments [...] in consequence of
Herschel's interesting discovery of the separation of solar heat and light
by the prism, and which appears to be a complete confirmation of the truth
and accuracy of Dr. Herschel's assertions on that subject' (532).
Gives an overview of the account given by the Comité Central de
Vaccine concerning uptake of the small pox vaccine in France. Reports on the
French response to the 'reward given by the British
parliamentHouses of Parliament
CloseView the register entry >> to
Dr. J. C. SmithSmith, Dr J C
(fl. 1802)
CO1/1/8b/2 CloseView the register entry >>, for
his discovery of the efficacy of the nitrous acid fumigation in purifying
infectious air. The French Minister for the interior
Jean A
ChaptalChaptal, Jean Antoine
(1756–1832)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> asserts that 'Guyton MorveauGuyton de Morveau, Louis Bernard
(1737–1816)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> pointed out, in 1783,
the use of fumigations by muriatic acid in purifying corrupted air'. Later
'BonaparteNapoleon I, Emperor of France
(1769–1821)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> has signified that it is his
intention to propose a prize medal [...] for the best experiment which shall be
made every year upon the galvanic fluid; and also the sum of 60,000 francs, to
such persons as shall promote electricity and galvanism [...]. Foreigners of
all nations may be competitors'. (533)
Reports that the court in Madrid has sent 'two learned men' to visit England
'for the purpose of purchasing mathematical and astronomical instruments'
before setting out to make 'discoveries in the interior of Africa'. (533)
Extracts an account of the death of Voltaire so that readers may have the 'opportunity of contemplating the end of a man whose life was unremittingly employed in the endeavours to crush Christ and his cause' (574). The extract claims that a number of 'conspirators', including
Jean Le R d'Alembert Alembert, Jean Le Rond d'
(1717–83)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> and
Denis DiderotDiderot, Denis
(1713–84)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>, scuppered Voltaire's attempt to confess his sins before he died. States that 'his physicians, particularly
M. TronchinTronchin, Théodor
(1709–81)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>, calling in to administer relief, thunderstruck, retire[d], declaring the death of the impious man to be terrible indeed' (576).
Section: Literary and Philosophical Intelligence, &c. &c.
Wittman 1803, Wittman, William 1803. Travels in Turkey,
Asia Minor, Syria, and across the Desert into Egypt During the Years 1799,
1800, and 1801, in Company with the Turkish Army, and the British Military
Mission: To Which are Annexed, Observations on the Plague, and on the Diseases
Prevalent in Turkey, and a Meteorological Journal, London: R.
Phillips
CloseView the register entry >>Bingley 1803, Bingley,
William 1803. Animal Biography; or, Authentic Anecdotes of the
Lives, Manners, and Economy, of the Animal Creation, Arranged According to the
System of Linnaeus, 3 vols, London: Richard Phillips
CloseView the register entry >>Cavallo 1803, Cavallo, Tiberius 1803. The Elements of
Natural or Experimental Philosophy, London: T. Cadell and W. Davies
CloseView the register entry >>Smith 1815, Smith,
William 1815. A Delineation of the Strata of England and Wales,
With Part of Scotland; Exhibiting the Collieries and Mines, the Marshes and Fen
Lands Originally Overflowed by the Sea, and the Varieties of Soil According to
the Variations in the Substrata, Illustrated by the Most Descriptive Names,
London: J. Cary
CloseView the register entry >>Fourcroy 1804Fourcroy, Antoine François de
1804. General System of Chemical Knowledge; and its Application to the
Phenomena of Nature and Art, trans. by
William Nicholson, 11 vols,
London: Cadell and Davies
CloseView the register entry >>
Reports: 'Mr William SmithSmith, William
(1769–1839)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> proposes to publish by subscription, in 1 vol. 4to. accurate Delineations and Descriptions of the Natural Order of the various Strata in England and Wales' (602).
Reports: 'Dr ParkeParke, Thomas
(1749–1835)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>, of Philadelphia, is said to have perfectly cured two persons of pulmonary consumptions, by means of salivation' (603).
Reports that on 2 June 1802, '[I]n a committee of Supply, the sum of £10,000 was voted to
Dr. JennerJenner, Edward
(1749–1823)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>, for the discovery of the vaccine inoculation' (615).
Outlines De Luc's refutation of the claim that a better understanding of the age of the Earth will result from the recent discovery of Egyptian zodiacs. States that accounts of the Zodiac's discovery published in the Gazette Nationale state that 'it is "certain" [...] that the present division of the zodiac, such as we are acquainted with, was established among the Egyptians 15,000 years before the Christian æra' (664).
States: 'By that part of mixed mathematics which relates to the laws and operations of nature, the mind is expanded and taught to discover order and beauty amidst seeming confusion and deformity. The utility of natural philosophy, in every department of life, is too well known at this time, when it claims at least its proper share of attention, to require any elucidation. Yet if this part of science, explaining the wisdom and power of the Creator, be studied, must young men, designed for the ministration of the Gospel, dive into the very depths of pure mathematics? What is their use almost in any case; and in particular, what relation have they to theological pursuits? [...] for generally a person earnestly engaged in the deeper parts of mathematics seldom turns to other studies, or, if he do, it is with a relaxed mind and a divided attention' (704–05).
Section: Literary and Philosophical Intelligence, &c. &c.
Simpson 1805Simpson, Thomas 1805. The Doctrine and
Application of Fluxions Containing (Besides What is Common on the Subject) a
Number of New Improvements in the Theory, and the Solutions of a Variety of New
and Very Interesting Problems in Different Branches of the Mathematics. To
Which is Prefixed an Account of his Life, ed. by
William Davis, London: H. D.
Symonds
CloseView the register entry >>
Reports that
Samuel HenleyHenley, Samuel
(1740–1815)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> has printed a 'learned investigation' into the French interpretation of the recently discovered Egyptian zodiacs, in which he 'clearly proves, in opposition to the report of
M. FourrierFourier, Jean Baptiste Joseph
(1768–1830)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> [sic], that this zodiac is a heiroglyphical representation of the reformation of the Roman year by
Julius CæsarCaesar, Julius (Gaius Julius)
(100–44 BC)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, and of the correction of the Egyptian year by that standard. [...] "Where now," he asks with allowable severity, "are the 15,000 years before Christ of the learned Fourrier?"' (738). Relates that '[a] composition lately noted by
Mr. DavyDavy, Sir Humphry, Baronet
(1778–1829)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, as fit for tinging oak or pear wood of mahogany colour, is made by boiling together Brazil-wood and Roman-alum; to which, before it is applied to the wood, a little pot-ash is to be added. A durable varnish is formed, he says, from a solution of amber in oil of turpentine, mixed with a little linseed oil' (739).
See also:
Anon, 'France', Christian Observer, 1 (1802), 664–65
States that 'AldiniAldini, Giovanni
(1762–1834)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>, the nephew of
Galvini Galvani, Luigi
(1737–98)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>[sic], now at Paris, still persists in asserting the peculiarity of the Galvanic fluid, and obstinately denies it to be, as
VoltaVolta, Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio
(1745–1827)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> seemed to have demonstrated, merely a modification of electricity' (740). Reports that 'A large telescope, of twenty-two French feet in length, and twenty-two inches in diameter, is nearly finished. Its mechanism is such, that it will turn with great ease and will not require to be exposed to open air. The mirror [...] is of extraordinary clearness and purity: it is, however, not wholly of platina, as was first proposed' (741). Reports that it has 'been resolved to institute, at Paris a kind of continuation of the celebrated Memoirs of the Academy ofHistoire de l'Académie Royale des
Sciences
(1699–1790)
BUCOP CloseView the register entry >> SciencesHistoire de l'Académie Royale des
Sciences
(1699–1790)
BUCOP CloseView the register entry >>under the title Annals of the National Museum of Natural HistoryAnnales du Muséum National d'Histoire
Naturelle
(1802–13)
Mémoires du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle
(1815–32)
Nouvelles Annales du Muséum National d'Histoire
Naturelle; ou, Recueil de Mémoires
(1832–35)
Archives du Muséum National d'Histoire
Naturelle
(1839–61)
Nouvelles Archives du Muséum National d'Histoire
Naturelle
(1865–1900+)
COPAC CloseView the register entry >>' (741). Later lists the professors of the museum who are engaged in this undertaking.
Reports that 'the vaccine practice is extending in Italy in an astonishing manner. By its means the fatal ravages of small-pox have been stopped in the department of Mella [...]. During the last three months 12,000 persons have undergone the operation'.
Bacon 1802Bacon, Francis
1802. The Miscellaneous Writings of Francis Bacon, Baron of Verulam,
Viscount St. Albans, and Lord High Chancellor of England, in Philosophy,
Morality and Religion. Now First Collected into One Volume, London: M.
Jones, and H. D. Symonds
CloseView the register entry >>
A letter concerning whether those who commit suicide due to 'insanity' should be given a Christian burial. The writer quotes examples from coroners' certificates.
Gives a brief account of the life of
Abraham de MoivreMoivre, Abraham de
(1667–1754)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>. States that 'He could never endure any bold assertions or indecent witticisms against religion. A person one day thought to pay him a compliment by observing, that mathematicians were attached to no religion. He answered, "I show you, Sir, that I am Christian, by forgiving the speech you have now made"' (787).
Section: Literary and Philosophical Intelligence, &c. &c.
Aldini 1803Aldini, Giovanni 1803. An Account of the
Late Improvements in Galvanism: With a Series of Curious and Interesting
Experiments Performed Before the Commissioners of the French National
Institute, and Repeated Lately in the Anatomical Theatres of London. To Which
is Added, an Appendix, Containing the Author's Experiments on the Body of a
Malefactor Executed at Newgate, London: Cuthell and Martin & J.
Murray
CloseView the register entry >>
Subjects:
Electricity, Medical Treatment | Natural History, Ethnology, Botany