made by macerating it with alder bark and water, in which the aftringent principle fhould feem to unite with the vegetable acid, to form the folvent. In thefe folutions the iron is not too much deprived of its phlogiston; and, contrary to thofe made in mineral acids, they improve with age, for the vegetable acid, tending to putridity, evolves phlogifton, which unites with the iron; whereas the vitriolic folution is continually parting with that volatile principle, and thereby becoming not only lefs fit for producing blacknefs, but the calx of iron, when highly dephlogisticated, is very injurious to the texture of the cloth."

This obfervation may perhaps reconcile the oppofite opinions, of cloth being weakened, and not weakened, by the black dye experiment has decided in favour of both, and both may be equally true, the difference in the effect depending ont the ftate of the vitriolic folution. We should imagine, however, that the injuriousness of the dephlogisticated folution is not owing to the iron calx, which does not appear to have any corrofive quality, but to the fuperabundant vitriolic acid; for, in proportion as the calx becomes dephlogifticated, it separates from the folution, and precipitates in an ochery state; and that portion of acid, which before held it diffolved, remains of course free in the liquor.

to here-Ch.

MATHEMATICAL, &c.

Some Properties of Geometrical Series, explained in the Solution of a Problem which hath been thought indeterminate. By John Rotheram, M. D.

The problem of which Dr. Rotheram has given the refolution, is this: The fum of the terms of any geometrical feries being given, and alfo the fum of their fquares, to determine the feries.' The Doctor has refolved the problem with brevity, but can fcarcely be faid to have done it with perfpicuity; as the reafon of the fteps which he has taken does not readily appear. The refult of his investigation is this general rule: Divide the fum of the fquares by the sum of the feries add the quotient to, and fubtract it from, the fum of the feries. Divide the fum by the difference; the quotient will be the ratio, and the remainder equal to twice the first term; from which the feries is readily formed.

We do not know from what authority Dr. Rotheram says this problem has been thought indeterminate: it is obviously otherwife; for though the question involves three unknown quantities, yet he has two exprefs conditions given, and a third is implied in the terms being in geometrical progreffion.

He adds, if r, the ratio, be fuppofed negative, the feries x+xr+xr2+xr3 +, &c. ad infinit. becomes x-xr+xr2xr+, &c.; and, as it is well known that the fum of the for

the fum of the latter, by changing the fign of

x

the quantity r, will be ; and if, in this feries, r1, the

I tr

feries will be x−x+x-x+, &c. ad infinit. and its fum I have,' fays Dr. Rotheram, added this laft feries, because it has lately been the fubject of much debate, and I have determined its fum by a different method to others. Mr. Vince is right in calling the fum of this feries, though the method by which he made his deduction is falfe, and which gave his opponents the opportunity of faying, that the fum of the feries might have been

or

x

3 4 any thing

2

as well as

x

2

The fum of this feries is here neatly derived: but we apprehend that the parties concerned may object to this statement of the difpute; as they will, perhaps, think that Mr. Vince's mode of defining the fum of a feries gave as much room, at least, for their objection, as his mode of inveftigating it.

On Halos, by the Rev. James Wood, A. M. Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge.

On the 30th of November 1786, Mr. Wood faw three very brilliant halos round the moon, at Cambridge. The order of the colours, beginning from the moon, was, white of a confiderable breadth, yellow, orange, red; violet, green, yellowish, red; violet, green, yellowish, red. The red of a fourth was juft vifible. The radii of the rings might be about one, two, and three degrees: but they were not measured. The red in the inner ring feemed, in each cafe, to be contiguous to the violet in the next.

On the 2d of December following, a fingle halo was seen round the moon, at about a degree and a quarter from it: the colours followed one another in the fame order which they obferved in thofe mentioned above; and the red colour of a fecond halo was juft difcernible, the diameter of which, as nearly as could be determined by the eye, was double the diameter of the inner one. Mr. Wood obferves, that the order in which the colours were fituated, as well in thefe, as in all the halos which he has feen, is fimilar to the order affigned to them by Sir Ifaac Newton, at the end of the fecond book of his Optics; and, confequently, contrary to the order in which they are laid down by Des Cartes and Huygens: but he thinks the hypothefis by which Newton attempted to account for the appearance of these meteors, is equally unfatisfactory with REV. MAY 1791.

C

thofe

thofe which the two latter gentlemen had employed for the fame purpose; and he therefore endeavours to establish another, founded on the principles which are laid down in the ninth chapter of the second book of Smith's Optics; and for which we must refer to the paper itself, as it is utterly impoffible for us to explain them without the figures.

[To be continued.]

to here, W

ART. II. Mr. Moore's full Inquiry into the Subject of Suicide. [Article concluded from our laft Volume, p. 403.]

HAVING laid before our readers a general view of the arguments of this elaborate work, we now proceed to select fuch paffages as may at once ferve to entertain the reader, and to give him fome idea of the variety and extent of the author's reading on the fubject which he treats.

As the widows of Malabar and other eastern nations afford a fplendid example of religious fuicide, we fhall begin our extracts with the author's account of a conteft between the wives of Ceteus, an Indian officer, about 2000 years ago, which of them fhould have the privilege of being burned on her hufband's funeral pile:

The contest was ftrong between the two wives of an Indian officer named Ceteus, who had been flain* in battle, which should have the diftinguishing privilege of burning on her husband's funeral pile (for to one only it was permitted to make this bloody facrifice.) One pleaded her priority of conjugal attachment; the other objected her rival's pregnancy, and that he could not confiftently with the laws deftroy her infant with herfelf. The reafoning of the younger wife being admitted, the elder retired with the frongeft marks of dejection and defpondency; as if he had been found guilty of fome great offence. But the other rejoicing in her victory, approached the pile crowned with garlands, and clothed in all bridal array. She was led forth by her nearest relations, who fang hymns in celebration of her virtues. She then diftributed the ornamental parts of her drefs, which was very rich and much adorned with jewels, among her furrounding friends. Having taken her laft farewell, he was conducted up the pile by her own brother, and thus finished her life heroically amid the fhouts and acclamations of an immense crowd of spectators. All the troops under arms marched thrice round the pile, while the combuftibles were lighting up; and fhe, embracing her husband's dead body, expreffed no ignoble fears or apprehenfions as the flames approached her. This heroine excited

The battle was fought between Antigonus and Eumenes near the Tigris, fome time after the death of Alexander the Great: and the following account is the fubftance of what is to be found in Diod. Sic. Lib. xix.'

the

the pity of fome fpectators; whilft others broke forth into extravagant praifes of her fortitude: but fome of the Greeks, who were prefent, reprobated fuch practices as barbarous and inhuman.'

This account is followed by another example of the fame kind of female intrepidity in modern times, which the author has extracted from Holwell's Interefting Events of Bengal; to which we refer the reader.

Mr. Moore's opinion concerning the origin of this custom, which is a fubject involved in much obfcurity, is thus expreffed:

It is well known, that in the most ancient times and among nations not far emerged out of the clouds of ignorance and barbarifm, very confused notions prevailed (but ftill there were fome) of an existence after death. As thefe notions were not very fpiritualized, it was no wonder, that the ideas entertained of a future stage of existence, fhould entirely correfpond with thofe of their prefent lives; and that thefe very ignorant and unenlightened people could have no more exalted conceptions of futurity, than as a state, in which they were to enjoy every delight of their heart on earth in an enlarged degree and an uninterrupted fruition. It was therefore very natural to conceive, that what had contributed highly to their gratifications on earth, must do the fame in their future existence. From hence a general cuftom arofe among all unenlightened nations, (and the fame is ftill to be found among thofe, who continue in their ignorance and darkness) of not fuffering their friends to go into the other world unaccompanied with whatever was neceffary for their comfortable or pleasurable fubfistence in this: hence the furnishing of their deceafed friend with provifions, clothes and arms, as well as animals of various forts for his better accommodation in his new ftation. But the idea was carried further on the fame principle; and it was conceived, that thofe friends, thofe relations and domeftics, who had been best beloved by the deceased party, and most useful to him on earth, would alfo be able to continue their fervices, and to contribute to his happinefs in his new life. Hence followed a defire and readiness on

moft

The doctrine of the immortality of the foul, falfely understood, has almost throughout all nations and in every age, engaged women, flaves, fubjects, friends, to murder themfelves; that they might go and ferve in the other world the object of their respect and love in this. Thus it was in the West Indies and among the Danes; and thus it is at prefent in Japan, in Macaffer, and many other places. Thefe cuftoms do not fo directly proceed from the doctrine of the immortality of the foul, as from that of the refurrection of the body; from whence they have drawn this confequence, that after death the fame individual will have the fame wants, the fame fentiments, the fame paffions. In this point of view, the doctrine of the immortality of the foul has a prodigious effect on mankind, because the idea of only a fimple change of habitation is more within the reach of the human

C 2

moft occafions in beloved wives, in favourite flaves, voluntarily to deprive themselves of that life, which was now become ufelefs here, by the demife of their lord, but which might continue to be ferviceable to him, where he was gone. Where this was not done voluntarily, it was generally required and executed by the customs of the country; and thus it naturally became a matter of fhame and reproach, not to be willing to pay this laft tribute of refpect and duty. From hence then a very fair and probable origin may be traced of an immolation of wives to the manes of their hufbands;-an immolation partly voluntary and partly forced; in which a diversity of rites and cuftoms were obferved according to the different fentiments and religious ufages of the nations, among whom it prevailed. The Indian facrifice on thefe occafions was much circumfcribed to what it was in other nations; being confined to one wife and unaccompanied with any thing elfe. This was owing to their doctrine of the metempfychofis, which takes away the idea of having the fame purfuits and paffions in the next stage of exiftence. In India it was confidered as a matter of religion, and rather for the benefit of the woman burning than to be of any ufe to the deceased. But whether these practises first took their rife in India and were diffused from thence; or whether they were copied by the Indians from other nations, is equally immaterial and difficult to determine at this diftance of time: as it is alfo, at what period the practice of wives burning in India might commence. However it is pretty clear, that fuch a practice could not have prevailed before the Indians had loft fight of the purity of their ancient faith and doctrines; and had fallen much from their fame for wifdom and knowledge; or at leaft till their Bramins ufed that knowledge to the purposes of gaining an undue influence and power over the minds of the vulgar. The first actual example recorded (or at least that has fallen within the author's knowledge) of a wife burning in India, is that of the wife of Ceteus abovementioned, in the age fucceeding Alexander's, or about two thousand years ago; but then it is declared at that time to have been done according to a very ancient custom or law of that country.'

The author goes on to develope the laws attending this fingular custom:

In the year 1773 a number of learned Bramins met at Fort William in Bengal, at the request and by the encouragement of Governor Haftings, to compile a code of what they could collect of their ancient laws. This they completed in the year 1775, and tranflated it from the original Shanfcrit into the Perfian language. Mr. Halhed was then employed by the Governor General, to tranflate from the Perfian, and the work was completed and printed in London in the year 1777, under the title of "A Code of Gentoo Laws or Ordinations of the Pundits *." The antiquity of these human understanding, and more adapted to flatter the heart, than the idea of a new modification.- Montefquieu, Spirit of Laws, vol. II. b. xxiv. c. xix.'

Pundits are Gentoo lawyers or learned Bramins, who alone understand the Shanfcrit language.'

laws