Treatise on Materia Medica," in 4 vols. 8vo.

Messrs Baillie and John Bell, are also ranked among the most esteem. ed anatomists. The former has published the "Anatomy of the most delicate parts of the human body, in 8vo." To the second we are indebtted for "The Anatomy of the human body," in 3 vols 8vo. with plates well engraved, and a volume

of discourses on the nature and treatment of wounds.

Though the British school of surgery is not so celebrated as that of medicine, yet it contains many esteemed surgeons; of this number is Mr Benjamin Bell, who has published "A complete System of Surgery," in 6 vols. 8vo. a "Treatise on Ul. cers," in 1 vol. 8vo. a " Treatise on the Venereal Disease," in 2 vols. 8vo..

AGRICULTURE.

Sir John Sinclair is known as one of the best informed men on the subject of political economy which Britain has produced. He is not .comparable, as a writer, to the Smiths, the Stewarts, &c. but he has been no less useful to his country. His "History of the Public Revenue of the British empire," contains a number of unknown or forgotten facts, and a great many useful views, which have been turned to account.

The "Statistical account of Scotland" will henceforth be a model for those who write on such subjects. The rules he has given, while they facilitate this labour, secure its exact

ness.

Scotland, less favoured by nature than England, needs more the assistance of art to enrich its soil. Accordingly agriculture is very careful ly studied, and receives every kind of encouragement. It has been thought necessary above all, to enlighten the cultivators, and even the proprietors; and, in this view, a professorship of agriculture has been established in

the university of Edinburgh. It is at present filled by Dr Coventry, whose lectures are attended by a great number of students. His course embraces, not only agriculture properly so called, that is to say, the art of multiplying and improving the productions of the soil; but also the art of planting and preserving forests, and embellishing the country: lastly, political agriculture, that is, the relation between the mode of cultivating the soil, the state of cultivation, and the progress of luxury and of divers. branches of industry.

The

Farmer's Magazine," a journal which appears in Edinburgh, tends also to prove how much agri. culture is studied in Scotland. It is chiefly compiled by practical far

(Concluded from p. 739.)

ON my arrival

at the town of -, where there are several universities, and many academies, and other polite seminaries of education, my patron did not immediately launch me, as the phrase is. On the contrary, he carried me every where with him in his carriage, introduced me to the magistrates, professors, and most respectable inhabitants, and re. commended me as a man of prodigious literary acquisitions, who had made my fortune by teaching, and retired from business. That it was a national loss, for such prodigious abilities as mine to lie dormant, &c. &c. In about three months, in consequence of the pressing solicitations of my patron, and the most respectable inhabitants of the place, I agreed to devote six hours of the day to the private assistance of young gentlemen attending the universities, provided they attended me at my own lodgings. In a few days I had thirty

at

at one guinea per month; and might have had double that number, but positively refused to admit more, as I was teaching for amusement rather than emolument, and wished to act a conscientious part to my constitu.

ents.

Such was my ignorance of the world, that I fancied my present situation would be both easy and agreeable; nor did it ever enter into my head, that boys attending the university could need much assistance, or indeed any assistance at all. In this, however, I was completely mistaken, as you will see by the sequel.

I found my pupils in general, from ten to twelve years old, smart, polite, little fellows, who could hand a tea kettle, make a bow, enter or quit a room, &c. as gracefully as any man in the kingdom. Their effrontery and assurance might have done credit to Bonaparte himself, and their fluency of speech was really astonishing. So expert and docile were they, that most of them had been brought forward to the university in two years, and the most tardy of them in three. But the only loss was, that these great efforts had been made by their teach. ers, and not by themselves. teacher had done every thing, and the pupil nothing. They had merely a smattering, which served to render them ridiculous in the eyes of any real judge, or (to give the thought an allegorical turn) they had only as much light as tended to render their darkness more conspicuous.

The

The reason of an assistant at the university now became self-evident. The judicious parent had stuck at no expence to make his boy a blockhead, by hurrying him through the forms of a classical education, in less than half the time necessary to make a tailor or a shoemaker; and the farce having been thus begun, must be correspondently conducted, or dropt at once, by sending the young gentleman back to school, which is cer

tainly the most judicious step that could be taken. In a word, the in.. fatuated father, having hired a man to think and act for his boy while at sehool, must do the same for him at the university, or let him stick; and it is ten to one if the unfortunate youth do not need some person to render him the same friendly offices for life..

You may well imagine it cost me many a pang to bring my mind to relish this new situation, and in fact so it did. I did not know whether most to admire the address of my friend, in introducing me to business as an independant man who undertook it solely for amusement, and the benefit of mankind, or the stupidity and credulity of those who believed him. In less than three days after my arrival, the whole town knew the exact amount of my fortune, viz, L.20,000. It was in vain for me to deny, for the more I denied the more firmly it was believed. I never got at the bottom of this secret till late. ly. My friend, it seems, had digested the whole plan, unknown to me; and on first taking me into his charge, had got L.20,000 of his own bankstock transferred to me, merely to create an imaginary fortune, and justify what he had said about the state of my finances. The very day of our arrival, the mayor of the town wrote to his friend Abraham Newlands to know what bank-stock stood in my name, and received for answer, L.20,000. Knowing nothing of this matter, my denial confirmed the opinion that I was a good sort of modest man.

I mentioned the above circumstance, merely to shew of what immense service this device was to me, for the very first week I commenced business, two accidents happened which must have proved fatal to me; had I not been a man of independent fortune. 1st, Billy Daisy stumbled on a hole in my carpet, and sprained

his ancle, 2d, Jack Boltsprit, in going down stairs, reddere urinam, caught a severe cold, which lasted three days and a half. The whole town was in commotion before I was aware of the matter. The common cant was, "that no man qualified to conduct the polite education, of youth would be so scandalously inattentive to the health and morals of his pupils, as to have a ragged carpet in his house, or want a water closet." My friend came to me in a great bustle, and told me, he had got the matter settled; advising me at the same time to pay all attention to the convenience of the boys, for if they kept healthy, and behaved politely, it was of no conse. quence, whether they spoke Greek and Latin or not.

Hardly was the old carpet discarded, and the water closet erected, when a new difficulty occurred.Dick Addlepate and Anthony Numskull fell into a dispute about precedence, and each insisted that he had the best right to enter my house first; and so far did they carry the matter, as to roll one another in the kennel. The ladies screamed and fainted, and the town's officers were called to part the fray, as the young gentlemen were high spirited, and had noble blood in their veins, no unofficial man durst meddle with them, for fear of after consequences. On the first alarm I went to the mayor, and requested the magistrates would in their great wisdom fall upon some method to settle this matter of etiquette betwixt the two gentlemen, which might otherwise end in a duel. The magistrates, after deliberating a whole day, came to the following resolution: " The magistrates find -the rank of the disputantsin all points equal, and can therefore found no precedency on that head. Decern the disputants to march a-breast of each o*ther into Mr M'Dominie's house each day, if the door is wide enough to admit both at once; and if not, ordain

Mr M'Dominie to widen his door on purpose for their reception." Fortunately my door was wide enough, and needed no alteration. I was very sensible of the justice and equity of this decision, as it determined the matter so satisfactorily, that the young gentlemen might enter with or without precedence as the humour might take them.

These, and a few other incidents equally important, were the only difficulties I had to encounter, for, on the score of education, both parents and children were easily satisfied. My business was to explain the tasks, and write out the exercises prescribed; while the young gentlemen were busy making wry faces behind my back, or twisting papers into the curls of my wig. But it was to keep them idle that their parents paid me so liberally; and every gentleman who has children, or cash, has a right to educate the one, and expend the other, exactly as he pleases. Men are solely led by appearances, and it is a fact, that the boys, who have the least capacity to learn, are by far most expert at the showy accomplishments. One pupil of mine who had not capacity even to learn the multiplication table, understood the whole round of etiquette so well, that he actually opened and conducted a ball at the age of twelve, to the universal satisfaction of a polite and numerous assembly. The Earl of came up to his mother, and thus addressedher: "Egad, madam, you have the cleverest boy in Europe."

Not to be too tedious, Mr Editor, I remained ten years in this situation, and actually saved L.3,000. Had I acted the part of an honest man, I could not have saved 3d.; and what is still more extraordinary, had it been known that I was really a poor destitute animal, I am morally certain I could not have procured a single pupil. Such is the penetration and generosit

generosity of mankind. With this competence I have retired to my na tive spot, where I intend to spend the residue of my days. I have had more experience in education than generally falls to the lot of any individual. The result of my whole ex. perience is, that no person has more ignorant children, than the man who is at most fuss and expence about their education. That an honest man may be the noblest work of God, but totally unfit to act any useful part in this world, at least for himself; and I have certainly great cause to bless the day I was turned adrift from the burgh of ; as it made me acquainted with the world, and enabled me to make my fortune.

I have, during my leisure hours, digested a plan of polite education exclusively suited to the higher ranks, as a mark of gratitude for former favours, by which I hope to be rendered ten times more immortal than Dr Jenner, who has done much to improve their looks, by eradicating the small pox, but whose merits and exertions are but like a " drop in the bucket," when compared to mine. In fact, it is my'intention to begin my system of education, even previous to the birth of the pupil, by administring such potions to both the parents, and particularly to the mother during her state of preg nancy, as cannot fail to instill such propensities and ideas into the fœtus while in its embryo state, as will totally supersede the necessity of all education whatever posterior to the birth.

The nostrums I intend chiefly to make use of, are a decoction of English grammar-Elixir of young gentlemen and ladies geography-Quintessence of dancing-Compound tincture of politeness, &c. &c. But as I expect not only to receive a national reward for this rare discovery, but

leo to be knighted, you will ex

cuse me for not being more explicit at present.

As to the lower ranks of mankind, I would propose not to admit them to a participation of the above divine discovery, but would manage their education much in the same style as formerly, only I would recommend a little more attention to the classics. They are the people who must do the drudgery of life, and it is neces. sary they should be qualified for the important task. I appeal to yourself and the nation at large, what would be the consequence, if a gen. tleman could not occasionally get one of his domestics or dependents to decypher an old Latin charter, or explain the motto of his coat of

arms,

THOUGHTS on two IMPORTANT QUES

TIONS.-1. Which is the most miserable? and 2. Which the happiest animal in the Creation?

OF

By Sir JOHN SINCLAIR.

1. The miserable Animal.

Fall animals, there is none that leads a life so utterly useless and contemptible, as the common cottage cock.

Though of the feathered tribe, yet he is unable to fly to any distance, and far less, like the eagle, to soar aloft into the air; nor can he, like others of the same species, dive into another element, bat, unhappy wretch, he is chained like a kind of fixture to the earth.

The food he lives on is the most nauseous that can be conceived, principally consisting of the most odious insects, or of grain or seeds picked out from the excrements of other domesticated animals. Even this food could not be digested, (owing to the natural defects in the forma

tion of this most contemptible creature,) if it were not that instinct pointed out the necessity of taking, with its food, gravel or small stones, to assist in the process of digestion.

In a wild state, the cock wanders about wherever his fancy leads him. At night he roosts on lofty trees, and enjoys, both by day and by night, all the invigorating influences of a pure atmosphere. In its domesticated state, what a change! He is confined unpitied to one miserable spot. If tempted to stray out into a-field, where some ripening grain is to be found, he is driven from it by violence; and at night he is forced into a cold comfortless hovel, where his peace is disturbed by the cries of helpless children, or the clamours of a scolding housewife.

If any thing could alleviate the distresses of such a scene of misery, it would be the comfort of having a chearful companion. But of all beings, the dunghill hen is the most stupid. Unless when roused to tem. porary exertion, for the protection of its helpless offspring, it is at other times perfectly callous, receives with a cold indifference the caresses of its male associate, and hardly seems possesed of any feeling or animation whatever.

Perhaps it is impossible to witness a more disgusting spectacle than to see the common cottage cock, attended by his stupid companions, wandering over a nauseous dunghill, and regaling himself with its contents, Not satisfied with scraping the surface, and searching, as far as his, strength will permit, the centre of this mass of corruption, he mounts to the top, and loudly proclaims his exultation, glorying in what he ought to consider his shame, and trumpeting forth his own infamy and disgrace..

Such a life, fortunately for the wretched being doomed to spend it, is of short duration. Sometimes he

is carried to the village fete, where he is compelled to fight for the a musement of a cruel multitude, and perhaps perishes in the bloody contest; at other times he is suddenly seized by his relentless mistress, and consigned to destruction.

2. The Happy Animal.

Perhaps there is no animal, who enjoys, on the whole, more real personal comfort, with less anxiety and care, than the domesticated cottage cock.

At his first bursting from the shell, he is a perfect creature, and partakes in a superior degree all the usual pleasures of early life, without much dependence on the aid of othHe is not, like the helpless infant, for many weary months and seasons,

ers.

"Muling and puking in his nurse's arms.

On the contrary, he at once participates all the comforts of an active state of existence.

All animals must for some time remain under the guardianship of their parents. enjoys this useful protection with peculiar advantage. During the day the parent hen guards her offspring with anxious care, and with a fierceness hardly to be paralelled; and at night they repose in safety and comfort, under the shelter of her wings.

The little chicken

In the case of man, no sooner does the infant exhibit the appearance of reason, than he is immediately subjected to all the horrors of the severest discipline; to learn some unwholesome and laborious trade, or to acquire the knowledge of some ancient or modern language, from which he may not afterwards derive any solid advantage. How different is the fate of the young cock, who learns、 all that is necessary for his comfort, without stripes, confinement, or trouble.

As soon as this fortunate animal reaches maturity, every rival is re