Sold by JAMES WATSON, No 40. South Bridge, And the principal Bookfellers in Scotland; By Meffrs RICHARDSON, Royal Exchange; MURRAY and HIGHLY, (2) Mr Eggs, for a method of Bending Steel. Instead of employing heat, as is ufually done, the patentee proceeds in the following manner;-Having fhaped the blade, fpring, or whatever elfe is wanted, he stretches it over an iron (technically called a flat) which is convex at the part over which the fteel is paffed. He then strikes the bent steel for a great number of times with an iron of a chiffel form, which cuts into the feel, and the bending is completed. This he thinks will fave much trouble and labour, and will answer for feveral kinds of fprings, furgical inftruments, and particularly for the bent fprings of rupture truffes. Mr Turnbull, for an Improvement in the common process of Bleaching Cotton or Linen Pieces. The patentee begins his procefs by taking any kind of earth which is easily mixable with water, fuch as clay, marle, or fuller's earth, or if that cannot be had, any kind of soft mud and the like, which is put into a boiler to eva porate the moisture, dried, again mixed with water, and paffed through fivet to enfure a requifite fineness. This is then mixed with quick-lime, which is flacked in the earthy pulp, and forms the materials for the feveral backings which the cloth is to undergo. The pieces are to be worked in the backing tubs for a number of times, alternating this with rinfing and fouring, as in the long established method of bleaching, and expofing to the air on the bleaching ground. The only difference in the procefs here employed is the admixture of earthy mud or clay to the lime, whereby the corrofive force of the lat ter is moderated, and may therefore be used more freely. In the last buckings, pot-afh is alfo added to the earthy mixture. This procefs, therefore, unites that of fulling with foaping, or wafhing with alkaline lye, and it ap pears, very probable, that fuch a union may be a faving of time, and of expence of alkali, which is the heaviest article. Mr Playfair, of London, for an Invention, by which Ships are enabled to sail faster than they now do in a heavy sea. This invention confifts in placing on the bow of the fhip, or on fuch part of it as the oppofing wave ftrikes, a fhield, or water-fkreen, between which and the fhip, are fprings to let it retire back upon the fhip in fuch a manner, as that the time during which the wave acts is prolonged, and that hard crash prevented that takes place against thofe fhips that have not fuch a protection. This fhield or kreen is fo made, as to be without difficulty placed whenever the wave happens to strike, and changed from that to any other when circum ftances require it. The fhield is above the water-line when the ship is in a horizontal pofition, being only under water when the wave comes, fo that it may not impede the failing of the veel, by making it cut the water with more difficulty, when there is no water to oppofe them. Mr Hitchcock, for converting Old Skins of Parchment or Vellum into Leather. Mr Hotchkis, for a new Mechanical Power for lifting Weights, &c. Cannongare, of Edinburgh. From the Cannongate he was afterwards tranf lated to Lady Yefter's Kirk, where he continued but a few years. In the year 1758, he was appointed first minifter of that which is called the High Church, the most refpectable clerical situation in the kingdom. ལ. About this time he received the compliment of the degree of D. D. from the University of St Andrew's, the oldest university in Scotland; and began to read almost the first course of Lectures upon the principles of Literary Compofition, which were delivered in Scotland. Only Dr Adam Smith, the celebrated author of the Wealth of Nations, had read to a refpectable audience, a series of difcourfes not very diffimilar to thofe of Blair upon Rhetoric and elegant literature. Smith had difcontinued the profecution of this undertaking, and had been appointed to the profefforfhip of moral philofophy in the Univerfity of Glafgot, before Blair had begun to read his Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres in Edinburgh. This was a bold undertaking; for the lectures of Smith, as they poffeffed extraordinary merit, had obtained very great applause. But whatever fears might have been conceived by Dr Blair or his friends, thefe were diffipated on the first reading of his courfe of lectures. The elementary nature of artificial language; the original fentiments of mental tafte; the diftinguishing characteristics of compofition were fu kilfully explained, and his illuftrations were fo judiciously felected; there was fuch an adaptation of the principles of antient tafte, to the state of modern knowledge and language: fo much propriety and good fenfe pervading the whole, that he was confeffed to have produced the beft didactic fyftem of rhetoric and the principles of literary compofition, which have yet been prefented to the public. This Course of Lectures was jatronifed by all perfons of tafte and literature. As the higheft teftimony VOL. LXIII. that could be given of the general approbation, the Magiftrates of Edinburgh, and thofe who took an intérelt in the University, requested his Majefty to endow a profeffofhip of rhetoric and belles lettres in the Univerrfity of Edinburgh, and to nominate Dr Blair the firft profeffor, in the year 1761, to which a falary was annexed of L. 7 Sterling. The num ber of the ftudents who reforted to hear his lectures continually encreased. He from this time continued, a greeably to the general practice of the Univerfiy, to deliver them every winter, for above twenty years, rill, for the reafons given in the preface to his printed Lectures, he chofe to refign, and became profeffor emeritus. While he continued to difcharge the duties of one of the ministers of the city, and profeffor of rhetoric and belles lettres in the University of Edioburgh, he was at length encouraged to court the fuffrages of the British public, in the character of an author. His firft publication was "A Critical Differtation on the Poems of Offian.” Thefe poems are fragments of ballads in the Scoto-Celtic language, and of uncertain antiquity. It is now gederally believed, that Macpherson, the tranflator and publisher of thefe frag ments, muft have altered them, in his publication, with a very impro per and unfaithful licence, which leaves it almoft impoffible to diftinguish what parts of his tranflation are genuine, and what parts added by the tranflator. But whatever might have been done, Dr Blair engaged himfelf in the controverfy, and became the avowed champion of Macpherfon. Dr. Blair's differtation fimply illuftrates beauties in thefe poems, of which the exiftence was never questioned, but of which the nature was never more happily explained. This differtation on the Poems of Offan is, perhaps, the fineft critical compofition in the English language. It combines the precifion and acuteness of Aristotle B with with the eloquence. of Longinus. It has paffed through many editious, and is now ufually prefixed to the Poems of Offian. The immediate effect of the publication of this exquifite morfel of cri ticifm, as Lord Kames calls it, was to procure the author a very high degree of reputation, both here and in England, as one of the moft difcerning critics, and eloquent writers of the age. His fermons had already become the object of very general imitation among the younger clergy of the church of Scotland. In combina tion with his lectures, they had begun to accomplish a general change in the character of the pulpit-eloquence of this country. The general applaufe which his dif. courfes met with, joined to the repeated and earneft folicitations of his friends, made him at length refolve, not without much hesitation, to fend a volume of his Sermons to the prefs. In November 1777, Blair, thro' the medium of Mr Creech, fent the MSS. to a celebrated Bookfeller of London (Mr Strahan) who, after keeping it fome time, wrote a letter to him, difcouraging the publication. This is one of the many inftances of the unpropitious fate of the moft fuccefsful books that have appeared. Mr Stra han by fome accident fent one of the fermons to Dr Johnfon for his opinion; and, after his unfavourable letter to Dr Blair had been fent off, he received a note from Johnfon, of which the following is a paragraph; "I have read over Dr Blair's first "fermon with more than approba"tion; to fay it is good is to lay too "little." The public in general no fooner faw thefe fermons in print, than they were all of the fame mind with Dr Johnfon in regard to their merit. Her Majefty having heard one of Dr Blair's fermons read to her by the late excellent Earl of Mansfield, the great patron of Scottish genius, was pleafed to settle on the author a penfion of L.200 Sterling per annum. The first edition was quickly fold. It became fashionable with all ranks, with both fexes, even with thofe who fcarcely read any books on the fubject of morality and religion, to read, with real or affected eagerness, the Sermons of Blair. New editions were rapidly multipled. The clergy of the church of England were induced, in many inftances, to read these difcourfes to their congregations from the pulpit, inftead of new compofitions of their own. Such fuccefs made the bookfellers folicit, with great eagerness, other fermons from Blair for publication. In compliance with thefe folicitations, and with the general voice of all that was refpectable in public opinion, Dr Blair publifhed a fecond volume, for which be received L. 2co copy-money. Since that time the whole fam for both these volumes was made up L. 500. When he propofed a third volume of fermons, the bookfellers at once offered him L. 600 for the copy-right of that fingle volume. It is alfo confidently reported, that for the fourth volume he received a fill larger fum. Thefe volumes have had an aftonifh Very foon after this time, Mr Stra han had a converfation with Dr. Johnfon concerning them, and then he very candidly wrote to Dr Blair, enciofing Dr Johnfon's note, and agreeing fuccefs, not only in Great Britain, ing to purchafe the volume, for which but all over Europe. There have he and Mr Cadell, in conjunction been frequently furreptitious editions re re-printed, in their original language, in both Ireland and America. In the French language there are two editions of them; one in the Dutch; one in the German, by Mr Sach, chaplain to the King of Prufia; one in the Sclavonich, or Hungarian and there is at this time a tranflation in confiderable forwardness in the Italian. About the year 1788, Dr Blair, then confiderably advanced in years, was, at his own defire, as before ftated, permitted to retire from the exercife of his duties, as Profeffor of rhetoric and belles lettres; but his falary was continued for life. Upon this event he began to revise and prepare his lectures, which he had read for about 24 years in the Univerfity, for the prefs, as feveral imperfect copies of them, compofed chiefly of notes taken by ftudents who heard them read, were circulated; and, to prevent their being fent into the world in an imperfect or erroneous form, he was induced to publifh them. In compofing them, he fays, as "a public profeffor, he thought it his duty to communicate to his pupils not only original, but ufeful matter. He hoped, that to fuch as are ftudying to cultivate their tafte, to form their style, or to prepare themselves for public fpeaking or compofition, his Lectures will afford a more comprehenfive view of what relates to thefe fubjects, than, as far as he knows, is to be received from any one book in our language." For this volume he received fifteen hundred pounds Sterling. The world received them with the fame eager curiofity and approbation with which they had been heard in his clafs-room. It was univerfally corfcffed, that no language, ancient or modern, poffeffed among the ftores of its literature, a fyftem of critical rules and of principles for the formation and the direction of tafte, at once fo judicious, fo comprehenfive, and fo faultlessly elegant. Thefe Lectures were foon tranflated, like Dr Blair's other works, into feveral other European languages, and reprinted in America and Ireland, as well as in Britain. They have paffed through fix fucceffive editions in the hands of the original publishers. They have been abridged and extracted into a unmber of compilations, poffeffing no other merits of fuch utility as that which is derived from them. No work has been hitherto produced in English to fuperfede or rival them. They difplay fometimes originality, always juftnefs of thought, without being deformed by any excefs of ornament. They are written in the moft ornate style that the didactic Spe cies of compofition can legitimately employ, There is no other book which will afford a more comprehenfive view to perfons who are ftudying to correct a bad tafle, or to form a good one for the beauties of compofition or public fpeaking. In 1796, Dr Blair publifhed "The Compaffionate Beneficence of the Deity," a fermon preached before the Society inftituted for the benefit of the Sons of the Clergy of the eftablished Church of Scotland, price I s. 6d, but fioce prefixed to the fourth volume of his fermons, This elegant difcourfe appeared with the peculiar advantage of a strong prepoffeffion in favour of the writer. It was expected, as coming from Dr Blair on fo interefting an occafion, to be an excellent difcourfe; nor has the public been disappointed. The reprefentation here given of the character of the Almighty, as the friend of the diftreffed, is very impreffive; and unequivocal recommendation is beftowed on it when it is pronounced, that this fermon, inflead of diminishing, will add additional luftre to the author's merit as a writer of fermons. Dr Blair's character as a man is not at all inferior to the eminence of his merits as an author. He had extended his ftudies beyond the provin ces of theology and tafte. The fci B 2 ences |