fubject of it. If plethora prevails, in a great degree, a low diet will be proper: if the patient is liable to the contrary extreme of inanition, a more nourishing generous diet will be fuitable. Either extreme fhould be corrected. We often fee, that oppofite as they are in their natures, plethora and inanition frequently prove the exciting caufes of this difeafe: and this, in courie, cannot be guarded against without a correction of the fources from which they fpring. Epilepfies, likewife, fometimes arife from worms in the inteftinal canal, under which ciṛcumftances, anthelmintics prove efficacious remedies. Numerous as the medicines are which have been at one time or another boasted of, as infallible cures of epilepfies, we believe it is agreed on all hands, that we have not yet been fortunate enough to have discovered a fpecific for the complaint; and therefore our fuccefs in treating it will depend much on our fagacity in discovering, and our skill in removing, the circumftances which occafion it.

The Doctor's cautions refpecting bleeding in apoplexies, merit the attention of phyficians. He admits that perfons who live freely, and eat. immoderately,-fat, fhort-necked, inactive perfons, people who are plethoric, both in reality and appearance, are those who are moft fubject to attacks of apoplexy. Where then, fays he, can a doubt lie in refpect to bleeding, especially if the pulle is extremely full and tenfe, with an appearance of fuffocation? It is often performed under thefe circumftances; yet from the confequences attending it in general, he thinks there is a reason to fufpect, that bleeding, in this cafe, is much more frequently performed than is proper, or conducive to the patient's recovery. He believes that the patient, from the animal ftrength being much reduced by the operation, often expires foon afterward; or if he furvives a few days, he fuffers an hemi-plegia, which, in his opinion, probably might not have happened, if bleeding had been omitted. To Dr. Fothergill it feems more probable, that a large undigested meal, diftending the ftomach, preffing upon the aorta defcendens, obftructing the free expanfion of the lungs, is the means of crowding the arterial fyftem in the head with more blood than ought to be there, and hence producing the disease. If, fays the Doctor, we could fuddenly remove this furcharge of blood in the upper parts, by bleeding, and without reducing the patient's ftrength, it would be at all times requifite: but this, in his opinion, is hardly to be expected. His object therefore is, to remove as foon as poffible the obvious caufe, by liberal dofes of white vitriol, one fcruple or half a drachm for a dose, emetic tartar diffolved in water, and every other means of evacuating the inteftinal canal, and the fyftem in general. Though we are no way disposed to favour or encourage the repeated bleedings which

have been practifed in thefe cafes, yet, we must confefs, we think the Doctor much too general in the rules he lays down. Where great compreffion of the brain has evidently taken place from the fulness he admits, where the animal powers are confiderably impaired, and the vital powers much oppreffed, we conceive, that one bleeding might afford great relief, and might enable us to venture upon emetic medicines, and brisk purgatives, not only with more fafety, but with a greater profpect of fuccefs and in this idea we are not only warranted by experience, but we have on our fide the general voice of the most fkilful phyficians, who have, for fome time, declined profufe and repeated bleedings in apoplexies, and have adopted them only fo far as may be requifite, under certain circumftances, to obviate the danger of emetics in conftitutions labouring under too great fulness and diftenfion.

Of the other papers in this volume, written by the late Dr. Fothergill, we fhall take the lefs notice at prefent, as they may poffibly hereafter come under our confideration; but we cannot, even in this place, help obferving, in general, that what he has written on the difeafe which he, not very fcientifically, terms, the fick head-ach, feems to be a confufion of the hiftories of the hypochondriafis and dyfpepfia, decorated with the popular pame above-mentioned.

Dr. William Wright's remarks on the use of cold bathing in the locked-jaw, deferve the very serious attention and confideration of the profeffion.

The 23d article contains the hiftory of a curious cafe which had been treated as a dropfy, but, on the death and diffection of the patient, proved to be the effect of a diseased kidney, which, in a boy of four years and a half old, inftead of weighing a few ounces, had grown to the fize of fixteen pounds.

The Editor of this volume has fet down Mr. Pearfon of Doncafter as the author of this Paper; whereas, we apprehend, it was written by Dr. G. Pearfon, to whom the two letters, from Dr. A. Monro and Dr. Webfter, mentioning fimilar cafes, are addreffed, and which are printed as notes to this memoir. The Editor feems, moreover, to have transferred the postscript of Dr. Webster's letter to the text, and to have given Dr. Webfter the appearance of having written the memoir as well as the letter.

The late Dr. William Hunter's remarks On the uncertainty of the figns of murder in the case of bastard children,' are written with equal judgment and humanity; and it will be the duty of every member of the profeffion to attend to them.

There are several sketches of the epidemic difeafe which appeared in this country in 1775. Without meaning to depreciate the merit of the hiftories of it drawn up by the other eminent

phyficians,

phyficians, the account given of it by Dr. Thomas Glass of Exeter, and his treatment of the disease, ftrikes us as being in a truely Hippocratic fpirit, and deferving great and particular commendation.

ART. V. A View of the British Empire, more especially Scotland; with fome Propofals for the Improvement of that Country, the Extenfion of its Fisheries, and the Relief of the People. 8vo. 3s. Walter, &c. 1784.

E

VERY man who, in the prefent fituation of the British empire, turns his attention to fubjects of national importance, and endeavours to ftimulate the genius and industry of his fellow-citizens, by opening to their view any new fources of wealth and commerce, is undoubtedly entitled to public gratitude. Mr. Knox, to whom we are indebted for the work before us, travelled feveral times over a great part of the Highlands of Scotland, faw the wretched fituation of the inhabitants, heard their complaints, compared their various accounts with each other, and with his own obfervations, and he has thus been enabled to give the outlines of a plan by which fome inconveniencies might be removed, others mitigated, the country improved, and the fisheries and nurferies for feamen greatly extended.

I have, throughout the whole,' fays Mr. Knox, avoided all chimerical theories, and tirefome conjectures, founded merely upon report, or collected from the very erroneous reprefentations of old writers. It was my wish to propose a plan, adapted, in all its parts, to the natural ftate of the country, the genius, qualifications, and relative fituation of the inhabitants; practicable, expedient, and within the abilities of government.'

• Some of the tables, calculations, or estimates, are inferted from authentic documents; others upon mifcellaneous authorities; and fome upon probable conjecture. Any errors that may have escaped notice, amidft fo many figures, will be corrected; the fame attention will be given to any mistakes in opinion, fo foon [as foon] as they fhall be difcovered, or pointed out.

The Writer must disclaim any pretenfions to literary embellishments, grounding his hope of approbation merely on the application, fatigues, and expence, which have been unavoidable through every ftage and department of the bufinefs; and if any of the grievances ftated in thefe pages fhall be redreffed or mitigated, he will alfo derive additional fatisfaction in the feelings of his own breaft.'

As the Highlands of Scotland are certainly capable of very great improvements, fome part, at leaft, of our Author's plan, wel hope, will be adopted. We hazard nothing, indeed, when we fay, that the whole of it well deferves the ferious attention of the Legiflature, as we know that fome of the Scotch Members of Parliament, who are best acquainted with the fituation of the

country,

country, and confequently well qualified to pronounce upon the merit of fuch performances, have, in the warmest terms, expreffed their approbation of the work before us.

Our Author, in his introduction, gives a fketch of British politics, from the revolution, to the year 1784, including the origin and progress of the national debt, the difmemberment, and rapid fall of the empire,-the perilous fituation of government, and the nation in general,-a review of the colonies and fettlements which ftill compofe a part of the British empire, with an eftimate of the exports and imports to, and from, England-the exports and imports to, and from, the revolted colonies the relative fituation of Great Britain and France, in climate, foil, extent of territory, commerce, revenue, &c.—and concludes with recommending internal improvements, in order to open new fources of ftrength and revenue, enable the mother country to retain its fettlements, and extend and protect its

commerce.

Mr. Knox now proceeds to give an account of the ancient and present state of Scotland, particularly the Lowlands; and points out the great advantages to be derived from Scotland, confidered as a commercial nation, This part of his work likewife contains fome propofals for a more liberal fyftem of polity relative to Scotland, with conjectural eftimates of the beneficial confequences which the whole island might receive from it.

We are next prefented with a view of the Highlands; and the picture which the Author draws of the diftreffes of the wretched inhabitants muft excite the utmost commiferation in the breast of every humane Reader.

The only parts capable of agriculture,' fays he, are the vallies, or glens, around the bafes of the mountains; and thefe vallies having the fun for a few hours only, vegetation advances flowly, and the harvefts are always late. The climate is equally difcouraging to the purposes of hufbandry. The fpring is bleak and piercing; the fummer is cold and fhort; the autumn, from the beginning of Auguft, deluged with rains; the winter long and tempeftuous. During the latter feafon the people are cut off from all communication with the Low Countries, by deep beds of fnow, impaffable torrents, pathlefs mountains and moraffes on the one fide; by a long and almost impracticable navigation on the other.

To thefe accumulated difcouragements of nature, are added the oppreffions and ill-judged policy of many proprietors of thofe fterile lands, far beyond their natural value, were they even in hands more capable to improve them. Where both foil and climate confpire against the raifing of grain in any confiderable quantity, and where there are no markets, poffibly, within the distance of fifty miles, for the fale of corn and the leffer articles of hufbandry, the farmer turns his attention chiefly to the grazing of a few cattle and fheep, as the means whereby he expects to pay his rent, and fupport his family, If, therefore, his farm hath been raifed at the rate of 300 per cent.

while the price of cattle hath fcarcely advanced 100, this method of improving eftates, as the proprietors term it, furnishes a highfounding rent-roll, extremely pleafing to human vanity, but which, being founded upon oppreffion, injuftice and folly, hath hitherto proved fallacious and humiliating, to all thofe who have perfevered in the cruel experiment.

Upon the whole, the fituation of these people, inhabitants of Britain is fuch as no language can defcribe, nor fancy conceive. If, with great labour and fatigue *, the farmer raises a lender crop of oats and barley, the autumnal rains often baffle his utmost efforts, and fruftrate all his expectations; and inftead of being able to pay an exorbitant rent, he fees his family in danger of perishing during the enfuing winter, when he is precluded from any poffibility of affiftance elsewhere.'

Nor are his cattle in a better fituation in fummer they pick up a fcanty fupport amongst the moraffes, or heathy mountains; but in winter, when the grounds are covered with fnow, and when the naked wilds afford neither fhelter nor fubfiftence, the few cows, small, lean, and ready to drop down through want of pafture, are brought into the hut where the family refides, and frequently fhare with them the fmall ftock of meal which had been purchased, or raised, for the family only; while the cattle thus fuftained, are bled, occafionally, to afford nourishment for the children, after it hath been boiled, or made into cakes.

The fheep, being left upon the open heaths, feek to fhelter themselves from the inclemency of the weather amongst the hollows upon the lee-fide of the mountains; and here they are frequently buried under the fnow, for feveral weeks together, and in fevere feafons during two months or upwards. They eat their own and each other's wool, and hold out wonderfully under cold and hunger; but even in moderate winters, a confiderable number are generally found dead after the fnow hath disappeared, and in rigorous feafons few or none are left alive.

Meanwhile the fteward, hard preffed by letters from Almack's, or Newmarket, demands the rent in a tone which makes no great allowance for unpropitious feafons, the death of cattle, and other accidental misfortunes; difguifing the feelings of his own breasthis Honour's wants muft at any rate be fupplied, the bills must be duly negotiated.

Such is the ftate of farming, if it may be fo called, throughout the interior parts of the Highlands; but as that country hath an ex

Instead of the plough, the farmers generally ufe the fpade, partly through neceffity, arifing from the irregularity of the furface, and partly from ancient cuftom. The rainy feafon commences about the first of Auguft, and continues, with little intermiffion, till November. When, therefore, the corn is cut down, which is performed by hooks, a number of fheaves are piled together, and thatched on the top. In the first interval from rain, the thatch is taken off; and the fheaves, if dry, are carried to the barn. This laborious work is repeated until the whole crop hath been thus fecured,

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