rank, which relate altogether to the duty we owe to one another; fuch as juftice, mercy, truth, fincerity, benevolence, and the like; by analogy with which we conceive, and reprefent to ourselves fupernatural, but fimilar and answerable, moral perfections in God, which are otherwife utterly inconceivable and imperceptible to any faculty in the mind of man. 9. Which gives us the trueft notion of God, to fuppofe his perfections the very fame in kind with the fe of our own minds, and different on y in be ing infinite, free from all defects, and abfolutely perfect; or, to fuppofe them only fimilar and answerable to ours, and to be not only infinitely greater and more confummate, but likewife in kind infinitely different from, and better than ours? The great Mr Locke is of the former opinion, and our Author of the latter. He does not feem to diftinguish fo accurately between the effence and properties of matter, as Mr Locke does, and he makes brutes to be meer machines. Hants, Sept. 19, 1745. J. Ws. A Remedy against the pernicious Effects of Sublimate and Arfenic. A Mr URBAN, S the town has been lately acquainted with a very remarkable caufe at Guildhall, concerning the baker's apprentice, who at tempted to poifon his mistress with white arfenic, (commonly called ratsbane:) And as events of this fort moft commonly prove fatal, for want of fpeedy relief to the unhappy fufferer, it may not be amifs or unfeasonable to prefent the publick with an effectual remedy; the fuccefs of which I have often experienced, when it has been duly adminiftered, and in proper time. I am forry to find the lenity of our laws infufficient to punish offenders, adequate to this crime. Now the ill effects of fublimate mercury are certainly known, as also those from arfenic, both white and yellow, all which in themselves appear to be the most corrofive and deadly of the mineral tribe, not only from their faline fpicule, which like daggers wound the nervous coats of the ftomach with acute pain, but also by their ponderofity irritating the most fenible membranes to violent vomitings, faintings, and convulfions. This being premifed, it is of the utmoft confequence to provide fome proper antidote, fufficiently powerful to mitigate thefe dreadful fymptoms, and by timely affiflance refcue the diftrefs'd conflict from the jaws of death and as no time is to be loft when this dismal catastrophe is urgent; firft let a gallon of clean river water be immediately made as hot as is convenient to drink, into which drop by degrees of oleum tartari per deliquium. two ounces, keep it ftirring a little till the water is well faturated, with which it will most intimately mix, then let the patient drink a halfpint bafon of this liquor warm, with a large spoonful of fallad oil, or that from fweet almonds in each bafon of liquor, and repeat it after the vomiting intermediately every 3 or 4 minutes, till the whole gallon is confumed. This extemporaneous lixivium is fo fuddenly made, and its efficacy fo undeniable, that I prefer it beyond all others, inasmuch as by its alkaline it fpeedily fheaths the acrid points of thofe abrading darts, and by this means destroys that fpafmodick fti. mulus from whence the firft fymptoms took their rife. Various are the effects effects of the mineral and vegetable poifons; but the certain appear ance of the nervous fyftem being almoft momentarily affected, is evident to a demonstration from the paralytic difpofition they both occafion. 'Tis remarkable, from an eminent author, That "goats and quails "are fatten'd by hellebore, ftarlings by hemlock, and hogs innocently "eat henbane, all which we call poisonous." And as the use of sweet oil is most frequently given, fo that from sweet almonds (commonly fo called) is in itself as ufeful, and in medicine takes the first place, being conftantly given with the greateft efficacy in all diforders of the breaft. kidneys, or urinary paffages. The manner of making this falutary oil is from bitter almonds, by expreffion; but what I am now going to relate is most remarkably furprifing; namely, that the diftill'd oil, drawn with common water from the fame almond cakes, from which the exprefs'd oil has been before extracted, is in itself a most dangerous poifon, and has the fame effect with the laurel water formerly mention'd in one of your magazines +. I have seen the effects of them both on dogs, and they are equally fatal in their action, provided both are fufficiently impregnated. Two ounces of either of thefe waters kill a middle fized dog inftantaneously; he drops dead on the table, before 'tis well down his throat; but if the fame quantity be lowered with as much fpring water, he may, perhaps, live an hour; and in the interim may be quite recovered, by the help of 60 drops of ftrong spirit of fal armoniack given inwardly, in four ounces of warm water, holding the fame volatile fpirit often to his noftrils. This acting as a momentum on the nervous fluid, reinftates the inebriated animal on his legs again. Your confiant Reader, SALUTIFER, Vide the mechanical account of poison just published, where_the_whole theory is moft elegantly delineated by that learned and ingenious author, R. MEAD, M.D. (.M.L. & R.S.S. + See Vol. XV..p. 309. T Of the Tails of COMETS. Opinionum commenta delet dies, naturæ judicia confirmat. HE appearance of the late comet has, as I find both from writings and converfation, excited the curiofity of a great many to enquire into the various folutions of the Phænomena of their tails; but fo unhappy have been the greateft part of philofophers in their attempts towards a folution, that I cannot find any hypothefis hitherto propofed, but it has either been fhewn inconclufive, and not fufficient to account for the general appearances, or has been fo chimerical and arbitrary as not to deferve a terious confutation. The hypothefis propofed by the illuftrious Sir Iface Newton, has, I think, gained the greateft applaufes amongst the learned, as it agrees with the appearances more accurately, and feems to be built upon a more rational and folid foun- ‹ dation than any hitherto offer'd to the publick. But as fome perfons are not fatisfied with it, others take up with it instead of a better, I fhall offer a conjecture, which may perhaps reconcile the objections raifed against it with the Phænomena, or at leaft may have the good effect to put people upon a more diligent confideration of this fubject. What What I fhall offer will be a little contrary to his folution, but as it follows from the principles he has laid down, I prefume every ingenious reader, if true, will admit of it. As a great many perfons have not either leifure or opportunity to confult his Principia, I fhall for their cafe lay down the principles whereon he founds his folution. 1f, Then, I think 'tis agreed on all hands, that there is a fubtile elaftick medium diffused throughout the heavenly regions, and according to the nature of all bodies gravitating towards the fun. Of this every one may be easily convinced, who confiders the nature of our air: for the space into which it may expand itself by its elafticity is fo great, as that a cubick inch of air will, according to the calculation of fome of our modern philofophers, expand itfelf throughout the planetary regions, even to the orb of Saturn. If then the fun and the reft of the planets be furrounded with atmospheres not unlike our own (to which I think both reafon and obfervations will eafily agree) no one can doubt but that they may dilate themselves every way, and by the mixture of them all conftitute a medium, whose denfity may be infenfible with respect to any thing we can compare it to, and the refiftance it affords to the folid bodies of the planets and comets moving therein may be fo fmall, as that any change in their motions arifing from thence cannot be discover'd in any finite number of years. Now as this medium gravitates towards the fun, it must be denfer in the folar regions than in parts more remote. zdly, 'Tis manifeft from obfervations, that the comets are furrounded with huge and dense atmospheres, as it is probable, if they are of the fame nature as the planets. "Tis further prefum'd that they are maffes of earth and water, and confequently that by the fun's heat the fluid parts may be elevated into their atmospheres, after the manner of Imoak or vapours in our air. This being premis'd, his Solution is as follows: As the fmoak emitted out of a chimney by its heat diminishes the fpecifick gravity of the air to which it is contiguous, and thereby makes it to rush upwards, or towards the fuperior parts of the atmo fphere, and carry along with it the fmoak entangled in it; in like manner why may not the heated vapours of a comet afcend from the fun? For as thefe vapours emitted from the comet heat the medium wherein they are engaged, that matter is rarefied by the heat which it acquires; and because by this rarefaction the fpecifick gravity wherewith it tends towards the fun is diminish'd, it will afcend therefrom, and carry along with it those particles of which the tail is compos'd. 'Tis objected to this explication of it, that it seems somewhat incredible, upon account of the great velocity wherewith the comet moves near its perihelion, that the vapours fhou'd at that time afcend, when the refiftance arifing from the progreffive motion of the comet in its orbit is so great: for, fay they, if the medium is fufficient to buoy them up, as it happens in the defcent of a comet to the fun, the refiftance of the fame medium is fufficient to bear them down in its afcent from the fun, fince the fame cause that endeavours to make them afcend in one cafe, endeavours to bear them down in another. I am fenfible it wou'd appear at firft fight to exceed the bounds of a paradox, fhou'd I, in oppofition to this objection, affert that the refiftance arifing from the motion of the comet, after it has paffed the folar regions, is the cause of the afcent. Whether the afcent may not be promoted by the refiftance, I fhall offer a conjecture, and leave it to the judgment of the impartial reader. It may perhaps not be improper to obferve that as fome of the comets delcribe very elliptical orbits, the line wherein they move, after they have defcribed the most curve part of their orbit, may, without any fenfible error, be confider'd as a right line; and, to make the cafe as fimple and plain as poffible, we fhall confider its path as fuch, after its departure from the fun. This being granted, we argue as follows. When the comet begins to afcend from the fun, the vapours now fwimming in the fuperior parts of the comet's atmosphere and the medium aforefaid, by the refiftance arifing from the motion of the comet, will be propelled towards the body of it, 'till a quantity of them be gathered together and compreffed, fufficient to rarefie the medium, and encrease its elafticity by their heat to fuch a degree, as to be equal to the refiftance. Now as the quantity of the vapours is perpetually encreasing, fince fresh vapours continually afcend, the elafticity of that portion of the medium wherein they float may be encreased fo far as to exceed the refiftance: this portion therefore of the medium will expand itself by its elasticity, till the refiftance of the medium be equal to the force wherewith it expands itself, fo that the volume into which it dilates itself, will (cæteris paribus) be proportional to the quantity of vapours gather'd together. It is to be observ'd, that as the elafticity of the medium nearer the comet is greater than that part of it towards which the comet tends, this portion of the medium cannot dilate itfelf towards it, but is rather fupported by it. When this portion of the medium now dilated is again refifted by the elaftick force of the medium againft which it rushes, it will remain in that ftate, till a new fupply of vapours afcend sufficient to overcome the refiftance, when again it will expand itfelf. It may perhaps be enquired why the refiftance of the medium, if it is fufficient to comprefs thefe vapours, is not alfo fufficient to keep them in that compreffed ftate. But in answer hereunto, we are to obferve that the refiftance of the medium wou'd be fufficient to keep them in that compressed ftate, if a new quantity of vapours did not perpetually afcend, and en. crease its clafticity. For why may not vapours afcend from the comet into thofe parts lying betwixt the comet and the extremity of this column of vapours, fince there is no refiftance to hinder their afcent? Wherefore as the elafticity or expanding force of the medium is inceffantly, encreased by the additional fupplies of heated particles or vapours, it may become greater than is fufficient to counteract the refiftance: from whence it follows that thefe additional fupplies of heated particles will hinder the refiftance, arifing from the motion of the comet, from reducing them into the fame ftate they were in before they expanded themselves. 'Tis a confequence allo of this hypothefis, that the vapours cannot afcend in any other direction, befides the line wherein the comet tends to move, as there is nothing in any other direction whereon any portion of the medium can prefs whilft it expands itself. I am aware of an objec tion, which at firft fight may feem to deftroy what we have been la bouring bouring to prove; it is, that if the refiflance of the medium is the cause of the afcent, why does not the tail precede the comet in its defcent to wards the fun? But we ought to obferve, that the vapours then exhaled have not receiv'd a fufficient heat from the comet to rarefie the medium to fuch a degree as to overcome the refiftance; which at that time becomes continually greater, fo that the refiftance exceeding the expounding force of the medium, will propel the floating particles into the parts left by the comet, and thereby make the appearance of a tail. Yours, SOPHUS. Objections against Mr Yate's Hypothefis of Comets, with bis Anfwers. S 1 R, AM furpriz'd to fee Mr Tate, a gentleman of figure amongst the learn Ied, fo much out of humour with a (mile, and that too, only lea return to a premature one of his own, upon a late ingenious Dr, vol. 13, p. 193 E. But fince fmiling is fo dangerous to that gentleman, (1) I fall be ferious at prefent, and ftick to the fubject; tho' I freely indulge Mr. Tate that way of writing, in which he seems to appear with fome talte, provided he do not thereby enervate his defence, to the great disappointment of others as well as myself. In the following figure, CDE reprefents the earth's orbit, cge that of Venus, and APF the comet's trajectory. A the place of the comet, Dec. 23, 1743. B the place of the comet Fb. 9, 1744. b its place March 3. and C, D and a the respective places of the earth on the fame days. (2) Now (1) If I feem to write with fome tafte in that way, how in attacking me in that way fo dangerous to me? - He feems to write like a perfon, who, under the fmart of the rod, appears to fubmit to correction, because he knows he is not able to take vengeance. (2) To his figure I have added the pricked line b mk, being Mr Wright's trajectory of the comet, that the meaneft reader may fee how much they differ. He has cunningly enough removed the peribelion near one fign backwards, that fo he might conveniently fee the comet on Mar. the 3d; he bas 1 kewife fixed the places of the comet, Feb. 9. and Mar. 3. under the fame angle when viewed from D and a, as Mr Wright has done; but the firft place on Dec. 23. differs little lefs than a whole fign, or a twelfth part of the heavens, both in Longitude and Latitude, (for |