European Magazine, For AUGUST 1792. [Embellished with, 1. A PORTRAIT of JOSEPH BLACK, M. D. 2. A VIEW of WOODMANSTONE, near CROYDON, SURREY, And 3. A SOUTH VIEW OF OUTRADROOG. CONTAINING Some Account of Dr. Joseph Black, M. D. 83 Rules and Maxims for promoting Matri. Letter from the Countefs Dowager of London Review, with Anecdotes of Authors. Dr. Somerville's Hiftory of Political Tranfactions and of Parties, from the Restoration of King Charles the Second to the Death of King William, Caernarvonfhire, A Sketch of its Hiftory, Antiquities, Mountains, and Productions, Poems, by Charles James, Lighty-nine Fugitive Fables; Moral, Prudential, and Allegorical; Original and Selected, Murphy's Defigns of the Church and Royal Monattery of Batalba, in Portugal, with an Hiftorical and Defcrip ibid. 89 93 95 96 97 103 107 112 ibid. 115 tive Account of it, from the Portuguefe of Fr. Luis de Soufa, Memoirs of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Manchester, Vol. III. [continued], Capt. Forreft's Voyage from Calcutta to Page 117 118 126 the Mergui Archipelago, lying on the East Side of the Bay of Bengal, [Cont]. 129 The History of Rome, from the Foundation of the City by Romulus to the Death of the Emperor Marcus Antoninus, &c. &c. [concluded]. Poems; chiefly by Gentlemen of Devonshire and Cornwall. In Two Volumes, Bolwell's Life of Johnson, [Continued], 131 A Sequel to the printed Paper lately cir culated in Warwickshire, by the Rev. Mr. Charles Curtis, Brother of Alderman Curtis, a Birmingham Rector, &c. [concluded], Protest against T. Paine's "Rights of 129 133 137 143 An Account of James Quin [continued], 138 The Latin Prayer of Mary Queen of Scots [Set to Mufic], Theatrical Journal: including Mifs Barclay's first appearance in "Two to One;" Fable and Character of "The Enchanted Wood;" "Hail Fellow Well Met ;" and "Crofs Partners”Address on Opening the Theatre at Birmingham with the Lady Randolph of Mrs. Siddons, 145 Poetry; including, Henry and Lucy, A Ballad; Familiar Epifle to a Lady, when laid up with the Gout; Harvest Home, Tranflated from a Latin Poem of Jere. Bentham, Jun. Efq. by the late Mr. John Ellis, &c. &c. Eaft-India Intelligence, Foreign Intelligence, Monthly Chronicle. Obituary, &c. LONDON: Printed for J. SEWELL, Cornhill; [Entered at Stationers-all.] 147 159 The Vorfes by Dean Swift are received, and shall be foon inferted. The Memoirs mentioned by Decius will be acceptable, and we shall be very glad to have them accompanied by the Original Letters. Many Letters are received and fhall be duly attended to. A. L.'s Printed Cafe by no means falls within any department of our Magazine, and appears to be cognizable by a Court of Juftice only. AVERAGE PRICES of CORN, from Aug. 11, to Aug. 18, 1792. THE EUROPEAN MAGAZINE, AND LONDON REVIE W, SOME ACCOUNT OF DR. JOSEPH BLACK*. C HEMISTRY is a branch of natural fcience which has been rapidly advancing for thefe laft twenty years. One of the principal causes of this advancement is the difcoveries of JOSEPH BLACK, M. D. This celebrated perfon, who fills the chemical chair at Edinburgh, we have been informed, is the fon of an Irish Gentleman by a French Lady. One of his brothers lives in London. He is now about 65 years of age, and has been Profeffor of Chemistry at Edinburgh twenty-seven or twenty-eight years, in which fituation he fucceeded the late Dr. Cullen, on his appointment to be Profeffor of Medicine. He was Profeffor of Chemistry at Glafgow at the time of his election to the Univerfity of Edinburgh. He took his degree of Doctor in Physic in the University of Edinburgh, and his thefs was on the fubject of Digestion; which work may be confidered as the germ of his fubfequent important discoveries relative to magnetia and other alkaline bodies. On the 5th of June of the year 1755, his first paper upon magnetia, quicktime, and fome other alkaline bodies was read before the Literary Society in Edinburgh. This is the memoir which has immortalized the name of BLACK, and the discoveries it contains have given birth to the many beautiful facts in the new fyftem of chemistry. The experiments in this paper are fimple, but ingeniously devifed; it is concile, yet perfpicuoufly written, and the deductions fo juft, that it is condered to be a moit excellent model of compofition, reasoning, and arrangement. Magnefia alba had been hitherto confounded with other abforbent earths, and it was now for the first time diftinguished clearly, by the chemical properties Dr. Black difcovered, to be a peculiar fpecies of earth. Magnesia being found to differ from other earths, its degree of affinity to acids was next investigated. In endeavouring to convert this earth into quicklime by fire, Dr. Black difcovered, that a fubtile part was extricated, in the form of air, which had been im prifoned under a folid form, which accounted for the effervefcence with acid before, but not after calcination. Calcined magnefia, by a very happily-conceived experiment, was diicovered to abforb from common vegetable alkali, as much air as it had loft by exposure to fire. Thus, the fame air which was contained in magnelia, was detected in alkali, and likewife in earth of alum. From thefe difcoveries the author acutely concluded, that the caufe of the caufticity of quicklime was the feparation of the above air by fire from calcareous earth, and that lime became mild calcareous earth by reuniting to this air. This theory was demonftrated by plain and incontrovertible experiments; and no wonder it fhould immediately fupplant the hypothesis in vogue, that the caulticity of lime depended upon the union of igneous particles. Line being found to take this air fron alkalies, and to render them cauftic, the By a mistake which we are forry for, though we are unable to affign any reafon for the accident, the name of this Gentleman in the copper-plate is erroneously called William, tead of JOSEPH, as it ought to be, M 2 Jame |