of furfaces increafed in quantity, and mixed with pus; and the curdled matter is the coagulable lymph very constantly found on inflamed furfaces.'

The Second Part contains a defcription of the lymphatic glands, and the diftribution of the lymphatics in different parts. The author informs us that it is effentially the fame as has been read during the last twelve years in Windmillftreet: the additions are chiefly the varieties which occurred in the diffections of different bodies. The defcriptions are fometimes illuftrated with cafes, where the organs mentioned were diseased. Our author has difcovered no glands in the brain. The pituitary gland confifts, according to his obfervations, of a cortical and medullary part: it seems to refemble the rest of the brain, and, in no respect, the glands of the abforbents. He does not, however, deny the existence of lymphatics in the brain. In the mefocolon, the glands are few and small, which leads Mr. Cruikshank to fufpect that fome change is produced in the chyle, during its retention in thefe organs. It adds ftrongly to the force of the opinion which we have fuggefted, fince the fluids in that portion of the inteftine must be fufficiently animalized to require no farther dilution. Our author never knew perfons fupported by clyfters longer than three weeks.

The particular diftribution of the abforbents affords little that we can extract. Our author has feen them on the heart, in the pancreas, and fome other parts, in which they have not been yet described, in the human body. He denies that there are lacteals in the ftomach. There are undoubtedly abforbents; but as chyle feems to be formed by the fecreted fluids in the duodenum, the difpute is almost about words. The relief on taking food, when much exhaufted, may undoubtedly arife, in a great degree, from the ftimulus on the nerves of the ftomach; it is equally certain, that fomthing either of the fluids taken in, already animalized, or even of a watery nature, is alfo absorbed. The feelings of nurfes, who eat after they have been exhaufted by the fucking of a ftrong child, or even when they only drink; the feelings of every one in the fame fituation, in confequence of fatigue, feem to fupport this opinion.

In the lymphatics of the lungs, our author tells us that there are valves; the injection runs in different directions, in confequence of the frequent anastomoses. He has known pulmonary consumption produced by breathing putrid air; and he feems to think that this disease may be infectious. It is not eafy to prove negatives; but, if the facts were well founded,

they

they would have long fince been established on indubitable evidence. We have known putrid air produce cachexy and fever; we have never known it produce a pulmonary complaint. Our author's remarks on the abforbents of the brain we shall felect.

There is the appearance of abforbents on the furface of the brain, between the tunica arachnoides and pia mater. Ruysch was the first who obferved this; he has given an engraving of them, inflated with air, and calls them vafa pfeuda lymphatica. I have repeatedly injected them with quickfilver; but, as they appear to me to be deftitute of valves, the great characteristic of abforbent veffels, and as I have not yet traced them to the glands, I have not yet determined what they are. They may be abforbents without valves, as the fluids, coming from the brain, have the affiftance of their own gravity in defcending, and the valves would have been of no ufe in veffels not expofed to the contraction of furrounding mufcles.-That the brain has abforbents, I am perfectly certain; for I have seen absorbent glands in the foramen caroticum, which, from this fituation, could not belong to any veffels but fuch as were coming down from the brain. From thefe glands the deep-feated abforbents of the head go into other glands, in the courfe of the internal jugular veins and carotid arteries; and, having been joined by thofe from the outfide of the head, they form larger and larger trunks as they come nearer the angle between the jugular and fubclavian veins, and are blended with the absorbents of the neck.'

Of the thoracic duct our author gives a very particular defcription. The valves at its termination, he thinks, occafionally oppose the retrograde motion of the blood through it from the subclavian; while, in general, the force of the lymph is greater than that of the blood in the veins. This is partly true; though our author does not make allowance for the direction of the courfe of the fluids. The blood in the veins defcends by its gravity, and, like all defcending bodies, preffes forward in a ftrait line. The lymph, from the curve of the terminating branches of the duct, acquires nearly the fame direction; befides, the lymph has received an impulse from the action of the heart and aorta: the force of the heart was long before loft in the convoluted veffels of the head; fo that the. motion of the blood in the fubclavian vein receives little affiftance from it.

We cannot leave Mr. Cruikshank without our fincere commendations of his very accurate and useful work, which will be a lafting monument of his skill, addrefs, and attention.

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Two Difcourfes delivered at Public Meetings of the Royal Academy of Sciences and Belles Lettres, at Berlin, in the Years 1785, and 1786. I. On the Population of States in general, and that of the Pruffian Dominions in particular. 11. On the True Riches of States and Nations, the Balance of Commerce, and that of Power. By the Baron de Hertzberg. 8vo. 25. 6d. Dilly.

WE

E have lately viewed with astonishment the decline of an. excentric planet, which has affumed various and uncommon appearances, has been the harbinger of violent commotions, rode in a whirlwind, and directed the ftorm, yet has at laft fet in peace, and left, in its weft, a mild, but steady and attractive radiance. We speak of the late king of Pruffia, whom pofterity will look up to with wonder, and who only appeared of lefs importance, because he was not beheld at a greater diftance. His vigorous and comprehenfive mind could grafp the most remote, and combine the most improbable events, while it could pursue the dull routine of office, and the more minute detail of political economy. A genius which could at times fhine with fuch brilliancy, can seldom look fo near as to comprehend little objects. The event was as might be expected, when we add, that, with abilities fo enterprifing, a mind so clear, and a comprehension so intuitive, a series of the most fortunate accidents, a concurrence of the most unexpected circumstances, were combined. Few kings were ever fo able, and none, equally able, were fo fortunate as Frederick. The hiftorian may find his parallel as a warrior; may compare him with men of equal ingenuity and wit; with ftatesmen of equal penetration and steadiness; but they will fearch in vain for an union of thefe qualities, in a degree which will bring the object of their panegyric near to Frederick. But it is not our prefent business to write an culo.gium; if it were, we fhould imitate the addrefs of our author, who, in the king of Pruffia's capital, in an academy foftered and fupported by him, fcarcely fays a word but what his fovereign might have heard without a blush. We would not, however, be understood to fhade his faults by the dazzling luftre of his virtues: he had great ones; but they belong to him as a man, and we have spoken of him as a king. Peace to his manes! May future princes equal him as the father of his people, and rise above him as the father of a family!

The baron de Hertzberg, minifter of ftate, and the first object of the new king's munificence, as a member of the academy of Berlin, pronounced, on the late king's birth day, Difcourfes on Political Economy, particularly relating to Pruffia. From thefe Difcourfes we have collected much curious inforVOL. LXIII. Jan. 1787.

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mation;

mation; but the two before us have only appeared in an English dress; and to these our present account must be confined. The firft is on the Population of States in general, and that of Pruffia in particular. The baron appears, in these difcuffions, to be an able politician, an enlightened historian, and a clear, intelligent philofopher. His effays are cool and difpaffionate, without affected refinement of fentiment, a mifplaced brilliancy of thought, or an unfuitable ornament of language. We may add, that his tranflator has executed his office with propriety and judgment.

On the fubject of population in general, our author agrees with Montefquieu, in thinking the world lefs populous at prefent than in ancient times, but does not fuppofe the difference to be so great as that writer has alleged. We think fome confiderations, which baron Hertzberg has omitted, would still farther leffen that disproportion.

:

The measures which the king of Pruffia has adopted to increase the population of his kingdom are judicious, spirited, and decifive they have been confequently fuccessful. The population of his hereditary dominions has been doubled; and, by the increase of his territories, it has been trebled. All this has been effected in spite of the long and bloody wars in which he has been engaged. The means by which it has been effected are: the encouragement of agriculture; draining marshes; building farms and villages; receiving induftrious refugees, and affifting the poor with money on the most advantageous conditions; alienating his own demefnes; purchafing rights of common, in order to enclose and render them more generally useful; and laying up magazines, to prevent the bad confequences of failing crops, which, in a country fo poor as Pruffia, would be fatal to a population, ftretched, in this manner, feemingly to its utmost bent. Though thefe methods be the best foundation for a numerous population, yet the king did not neglect manufactures: we fee in the lift of expences allowed from the king's purse, among other things, machines for the Manchester manufacture. He encourages manufacturers by rewards, by bounties, by lending advantageous capitals, by removing the burthen of the foldiery from the poorest and most induftrious spots. The Pruffians, at this moment, clothe their own common people, and export many coarfe woollens: their filk manufactures are very flourishing: their linens are a great fource of external wealth; and, in the laft year, we faw the number of Pruffian veffels that paffed the Sound to be not much less numerous than the Dutch and the English. Even the army is not detrimental to population. Its conftitution is now known to be, in a great degree,

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degree, a national militia; for the fixed garrifons are chiefly compofed of foreigners. Frederick was first able to make an army of 200,000 men actually useful to the kingdom that maintains them. The baron does not affert fo much, but he does more; he gives us facts, by which we think it may be eafily proved. On the whole, the population of Pruffia is eftimated at 6 millions, or 1667 perfons to each fquare mile. France, our author observes, has 2500; the Auftrian monarchy Should have 1900; England and Ireland 1800; Spain 1200; Poland 700; Denmark 210; Sweden 117; Ruffia only 80. What would be the power of this unwieldy kingdom, if her inhabitants could be brought within a space adapted for their general exertion? The population of Pruffia is, however, faid to be fo unequal, that fome provinces have 3100 people on each square mile.

In the fecond Difcourfe the baron begins with depreciating an affectation of fecrecy, the conduct of little minds, or of those who fear the light. This difregard of narrow policy is a noble principle, worthy of the enlightened minifter of an able fovereign. He then proceeds to his real fubject, viz. to ascertain the true riches of a nation, the balance of commerce, and of power. The power of a state confifts in that degree of population which we have just defcribed; and the bafis of that population is agriculture, industry, and comThe ftate of agriculture and commerce beft adapted to this full, but nervous and active population, has not been properly afcertained in all its branches; but, as the baron Hertzberg does not lead us to these researches, we must wait for another opportunity of explaining this fubject.

merce.

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The balance of commerce influences that of power. baron gives a fhort and comprehenfive hiftory of the latter fubject, which we cannot abridge. In this history, when oar author approaches modern times, he talks like a dexterous politician. The king, he says, obtained the duchy of Silefia in confequence of a particular claim, grounded on lawful titles. Again,

The Poles having given occafion by a civil war to three neighbouring powers, to make good certain claims which they had upon fome provinces of Poland, the partition of thofe provinces was made in 1772, according to the principles of a balance of power, of which the three potentates were to agree among themselves.'

The following paffage affords us fome new light.

The war which broke out in 1776, between Great Britain and the colonies of North America, gave occafion to the court of France to declare for those colonies, and to afford them

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