ART. VI. The Works of the Right Rev. Hugh Hamilton, D.D. late Bishop of Offory; collected and published, with Jome Alterations and Additions from his Manufcripts. _By Alexander Hamilton, Efq. his eldeft Son. 8vo. Two Volumes. 11. 8s. Nicol and Co. 1809. WHOEVER is able to appreciate the writings of Dr. Hugh Hamilton, will be glad to fee them thus collected in an uniform and correct edition. His elegant, and purely geometrical work on Conic Sections has long established him in the firft rank of modern mathematicians, and in the clafs with Euclid, Apollonius, and all the best elementary writers of antiquity. His other works are all of diftinguifhed merit, and will be briefly enumerated in the course of this article. Dr. Hugh Hamilton, late Bishop of Offory, was born in the county of Dublin, March 26, 1729; was entered at Trinity College, Dublin, Nov. 17, 1742; and in 1751, was elected a Fellow of that College. In 1758, he publifhed his treatife "de Sectionibus Conicis ;" and in 1759, was elected Erafmus Smith's Profeffor of Natural Philo. fophy. In 1764, he refigned his fellowship, having accepted a College living; and in 1767, obtained the living of St. Anne's, Dublin; which, in the following year, he refigned, at the proposal of Primate Robinfon, for the Deanery of Armagh. In 1772, he married an Irith lady of good family, of the name of Wood. In 1796, he was confecrated Bishop of Clonfert, having been recommended to that dignity without his own folicitation or knowledge; and in 1799, was removed to the fee of Offory, where he continued to his death, which happened on the 1ft of December, 1805, in his 77th year. His fon, being the editor of his works, modeftly declines the task of drawing up a character of his father, which might be fufpected of partiality; but leaves it to be collected from the circumftances of his life, as he has related them; and to the care of a friend, who has thus drawn his literary character. "In a portrait of the intellect of the late Bishop of Offory, the diftinguished feature is a patient manner of thinking.' Of this quality he has given a ftrong fpecimen in the account of his progrefs to the beautiful difcovery he made (or at leaft, illuftrated, and established beyond doubt the flight hints and conjectures of others) of the chemical folubility of water in air. It is not uncommon to depreciate fobriety of inveftigation, and to extol comparatively the rapid glance, which, though it fome. times intuitively pervades the receffes of nature, yet oftener produces vifionary and bafelefs theories. They, who adopt this judgment, fhould recollect that Sir Ifaac Newton, when he was afked by what means he made his great difcoveries, answered, with his characteristic modefty and obfervance of truth, by a patient manner of thinking.' • Multi mathematica fciunt, pauci mathefin,' is an obfervation inapplicable to Dr. Hamil. ton; for he joined to an extenfive knowledge of the science, a truly mathematical fpirit, which guided his reafoning on other fubjects; while, at the fame time, he was free from any tincture of that indifpofition or inability to attend to collateral confiderations, which fo often diftorts the arguments of mere mathematicians. Though poffeffed of a mind strictly difciplined by demonstration, and invefted with that fagacity and attention which fuch studies infufe, he never fuffered his valuation of probabilities, in the judgment and conduct of life, to be warped or narrowed by his favourite ftudy. "Preferving a juft eftimation of the fupreme merits of the great Dr. Clarke's Demonstration of the Existence and Attributes of God, it may truly be faid, that Dr. Hamilton displays a more fuccinct severity of argumentation: his work is more compact, and the parts are more clofely condenfed. Perhaps this dif ference arofe from Dr. Hamilton's work not forming part of a fermon, as Dr. Clarke's did. In one point he was more fuccefsful than Dr. Clarke; he preferves an uniformity of argument, deducing both the phyfical and moral_attributes from the prin ciple of neceffary exiftence; whereas Dr. Clarke, after proving the phyfical attributes fynthetically, or à priori, when he comes to prove the moral (as intelligence), leaves his first process, and ufes that à pofteriori. P. xx. We may add to this, even from the modest narrative of his fon, that in every office, whether ecclefiaftical or otherwife, he feems to have been anxious to perform all the duties it impofed; and to have done good, not only with ability, but with zeal. The Works of the Bishop of Offory, as collected in these volumes, are the following: 1. De Sectionibus Conicis, tractatus Geometricus. In five books; of which the firft treats of the cone itself, and the fections of it, generally. 2. Of the affections from which the conic fections derive their names; of their parameters, axes, foci, and description in plane. 3. Of the parabola. 4. Of the ellipfe and hyperbola. 5. Of fimilar fections, harmonic fections, the comparifon of other curves, &c. &c. This treatise occupies the whole firft volume, and being of long-established character, requires no further defcription. The The fecond volume begins with his "Ellay on the Exist. ence and Attributes of the Supreme Being," improved by many additions and alterations, as prepared by himself for a fecond edition. To this is added, now firft published, " An Effay on the Permiffion of Evil." It is, however, to be regretted, that the second part of this Effay, which he had planned, was never completed. Then follow the three " Philofophical Effays," long ago publifhed; 1. On the Afcent of vapours, &c. 2. On the Aurora Borealis, and 3. On the Principles of Mechanics. To which are fubjoined, "Remarks and Hints on the Improvement of Barometers;" and a paper " on the Power of fixed alkaline falts to preferve flesh from putrefaction;" both printed in the Tranfactions of the Royal Irish Academy. Laftly are reprinted his "Four Introductory Lectures on Natural Philofophy;" written originally in difcharge of his duty as Profeffor of Natural Philofophy, and received at their firft publication as the work of an acute and found philofopher. Such are the two volumes of Dr. Hamilton's Works; in which, if there is not much that is now new to the public, there is nothing that has not received from the author fuch corrections and improvements as it feemed to him to require; and the whole forms a refpectable monument to a prelate of eminent merit and piety. A good portrait of the Bishop is prefixed to the first volume. ART. VII. The Family Legend: a Tragedy. By Joanna Baillie. The fecond Edition. 8vo. 96 pp. 2s. 6d. Longman and Co. 180. WE have often had occafion to complain of the degraded ftate of our Drama, but we have now to lament a very different circumftance; that when there is an author living who is capable of giving to the public fuch scenes as are here printed, there fhould be no feeling or with in the Managers of the London theatres, or their audiences, to give her honourable employment. This but too fully explains the latent cause of our former complaints. The British Public is not at prefent worthy of good Dramas; fighting horfes and dancing dogs fill up all their withes for theatrical amusement; and-fcenes, of which our beft poets would have been proud, would be recited before such hearers like tales told to a dead Afs*, * Scriptores autem narrare putaret afello faid Horace, upon a very fimilar occafion. E 3 The The Theatre of Edinburgh has refcued it felf from any fhare in this cenfure, by receiving "the Family Legend" with enthusiastic applaufe; and a very pleafing part of Mifs Joanna Baillie's preface is her acknowledgment to her countrymen, for the favour with which her play was distinguished by them. After apologizing for a part of the conduct of her Tragedy, fhe thus proceeds: "A pleafanter part of my tafk remains behind; to exprefs the deep and grateful fenfe I have of the very favourable-I must be permitted to fay, affectionate reception this piece, which I have a pleasure in calling my Highland Play, has met with in my native land. It has been received there by an audience, who wil lingly and cordially felt that I belonged to them; and, I am well affured, had it been marred with more defects than it has, and I readily allow it has many, the favour fo warmly bestowed upon it would have been but infenfibly diminished. What belongs to me, therefore, is not triumph, but fomething far better. And could any one at this moment convince me that the work, by its own merit alone, had it come from the hand of a stranger, would have met with the fame reception, I fhould give him little thanks for his pains. He might brighten, indeed, the tints of my imaginary wreath, but he would rob it of all its fweetnefs. I have truly felt, upon this occafion, the kindlinefs of kin to kin, and I would exchange it for no other feeling. Let my country believe, that, whatever may hereafter happen to fhade or enliven my dra. matic path, I have already received from her what will enable me to hold on my way with a cheerful heart, and the recollection of it will ever be dear to me." P. xi. But, notwithstanding these right feelings in the North, the London Theatres remained in perfect apathy. Not a wifh was expreffed, that ever we heard, to be gratified with that which had been fo juftly applauded in the Scottish metropolis: and the fame votaries of dulnefs who frowned away the inspired fcenes of "De Montfort," fat gaping with ftupid delight at the f is of animals better taught than themselves; and envied not the public of Edinburgh, a treat of which they had no idea. We should be little better than the beings we have cenfured, if we were capable of diminifhing the fatisfaction of a fingle reader of this Drama, by any affected difplay of our own critical skill. The chief objection, to which the conduct of the play is liable, has been felt and anticipated by the au thor herfelf; who fufficiently accounts for what he has written, and fhows, at the fame time, how fhe could improve. it, if it were thought neceffary. We are not quite clear that it is; and we much prefer the task of praifing what is undoubtedly doubtedly good, to that of difputing upon the parts which might perhaps admit of improvement. Mifs B. has made her heroine truly interefting, by giving her refolution to perform the duties of a political marriage, with flrict honour and principle, and to refif an originally virtuous paffion, when it could no longer be cherifhed with innocence. Thefe parts of her character are beautifully opened to the reader or fpectator in the scene between her and her brother the Earl of Lorne. Finding that he was not received as a friend in the island of Mull, of which her hufband was Laird, he proceeds to urge her with questions as to the caufe of it. "But as our boat Lay waiting to receive us, warn'd by one Hel. No, all is well. Lorne. A cold conftrained voice that answer gave; Lorne. But it is faid, his vaffals with vile names All is not well. (Paufes for an answer, but he is filent.) Hel. Have I not faid it is? Lorne. Ah! doft thou thus return a brother's love If I but think on it.-Answer truly. Hel. What, am I queftioned then? 'find me Think'st thou to Like the fpoil'd heirefs of fome Lowland lord, |