from the Reverend John Pridden, M. A. and from the Reverend. Mr. Samuel Denne, with other additions. These memoranda are with greater affiduity now fecured, because, we are told, repeated attacks of the relentless ocean threaten the speedy demolition of a place venerable for its antiquity, and of a fabric not lefs admired for the peculiarity of its ftructure, than affuredly ufeful as a fea mark to navigators. We have here, likewife, remarks on the archiepifcopal palace of Mayfield in Suffex, in a letter from Mr. Denne. This palace is fuppofed to have been firft erected by Dunftan; but at that time it muft have been merely a wooden building: the ruins which now remain, and are in fome parts habitable and fpacious, fhew that it was once a very large and noble manfion. Archbishop Cranmer appears to have been deprived of it by the arbitrary pleasure of Henry VIII. It is now in the poffeffion of the defcendants of John Baker, Efquire.

The plates are eight in number, viz. Weft front of Reculver church; north-eaft view, infide, and various monuments; plan of Reculver church and caftle 1785; Ford Palace and other views; fouth-eaft view of Daun de Lyon Gateway, &c. Mayfield palace; ditto, Great Hall of Mayfield Palace.

Three more numbers are published, of which we shall give an account as soon as our other engagements to the Public will permit.

ART. IV. A Defcription of all the Burfa Mucofe of the Human Body; their Structure explained, and compared with that of the capfular Ligaments of the Joints, and of thofe Sacs which line the Cavities of the Thorax and Abdomen: With Remarks on the Accidents and Difeafes which affect thofe feveral Sacs, and on the Illuftrated with Tables. Operations neceffary for their Cure. By Alexander Monro, M. D. Profeffor of Phyfic, Anatomy, and Surgery, at Edinburgh; and Member of the Royal College, &c. &c. Folio. 12s. Boards. Elliot.

1788.

S the Burfe Mucefe are organs which form a very curious part of our ftructure, a perfect knowlege of them will frequently be found useful in practice; yet, notwithstanding the neceffity of being well acquainted with thefe material parts of the human frame, anatomifts, even the latest and most accurate, have not paid that attention to the fubject which its importance feems to require.

It is well known that the tendons of the mufcles, at the wrifts and ancles, and in their courfe along the fingers and toes, are conducted in theaths. Winflow obferved, that thefe fheaths were lined with thin and fmooth membranes; and Albinus remarked, that where these ligamentary fheaths were abfent, facs were frequently interpofed between the tendons and the bones over which thefe tendons moved. To these facs, he fir

firft gave (if our memory does not fail us) the name of Burfa Mucofee; and in his admirable work, the Hiftory of the Mufcles, he defcribes feveral of them. Profeffor Monro thinks, and not without juft grounds, that Winflow had not fufficiently examined the extent and structure of the membranes lining the Jigamentous fheaths of the tendons; and he also makes it appear, that Albinus did not perceive, as is really the cafe, any fimilarity between these membranes and the facs which he defcribed under the name of Bursa Mucofa. Some of the later anatomifts, the profeffor thinks, have not fufficiently attended to Albinus's difcovery; and that others, especially the learned Haller, have mistaken the nature of the Burfa, fuppofing them to be formed of cellular membrane, like that which covers the belly of the mufcles; while the greater number of the later writers on anatomy have contented themfelves with repeating the defcription given by Albinus, and have never attempted to throw farther light on the fubject.

Thele reafons Dr. Monro offers as an apology for inveftigating the fubject, and he proceeds with fome general observations on the number, fituation, and connexion of the Burfe: he next defcribes the particular fituation of each of them, with references to accurate drawings, which reprefent them in their natural fize: he afterward explains the ftructure of each part which enters into the compofition of the Burfe, and compares their structure, firft, with that of the capfular ligaments of the joints; and then with that of thofe facs which line the cavities of the thorax and abdomen: laftly, he treats of the dangerous inflammation, generally attendant on wounds penetrating into the cavities of fhut facs, and gives the most approved methods for preventing the mischiefs thence arifing.

The Burfe Mucofa, as far as our Author hath yet obferved, are only to be found in the extremities of the body; they are in all 140, 33 in each fuperior, and 37 in each inferior extremity. A fpecification of them without the plates would be unintelligible.

Profeffor Monro accurately compares the ftructure of the Burfe with that of the capfular ligaments; and the more attentively we examine this comparison, the more juft and perfect does the agreement appear. The moft ufeful part of this comparison is not that which regards the found ftate of the Burfa and capfular ligaments; but that which refers to their refpective ufes when in a found ftate, the accidents to which they are expofed, the difeafes to which they are liable, and above all the furgical operations that are neceffary for removing thefe difeafes.

The next chapter is a comparison of the ftructure of the Burfe with that of the pleura, pericardium and peritonæum. The admiffion of air into thefe cavities is productive of the wort confequences; this leads the ingenious author into many arguments

arguments which prove the abfolute neceffity, where any operation requires an opening of thefe cavities, of preventing, as much as poffible, any admiffion of air; and the directions which he gives for conducting the operation fo as to avoid this inconvenience are admirable. Among other operations on which he enlarges, is that for the reduction of the incarcerated hernia, He fhews that the cutting of the peritoneum, or the tendons of the abdominal muscles, contributes little to the fatal confequences which frequently attend the operation; but that all, or at leaft the most dangerous, of the bad fymptoms, are from the opening of the hernial fac, and the confequent admiffion of air. He therefore juftly condemns the common mode, univerfally recommended, of opening the hernial fac before cutting the tendons of the abdominal mufcles. After the integuments are cut through, and the fac is expofed to view, he advises to cut the tendon and reduce the hernia without opening it. His arguments for the propriety of this practice, and the answers which he gives to objections that may be made against it, are well fupported; and we do not remember to have feen a more judicious plan for conducting the operation.

To authors like Dr. Monro, it is difficult to fay, whether the science of anatomy, or the art of furgery, is most indebted: the Doctor accurately defcribes the parts, explains their offices in a found ftate, fhews the accidents and diseases to which they are fubject; and what is of the utmoft confequence, points out the molt approved means by which health may be restored.

ART. V. The Maneuverer, or Skilful Seaman: Being an Effay on the Theory and Practice of the various Movements of a Ship at Sea, as well as of Naval Evolutions in general. Tranflated from the French of M. Bourdé de Villehuet, by the Chevalier de Saufeuil, Knight of the Mott Noble Order of St. Philip, &c. &c. &c. Illuftrated with Thirteen Copperplates, five of which, with many interesting Obfervations interfperfed through the Work by way of Notes, are the Production of an English Officer. 4to. 18s. Boards. Hooper. 1788.

TH

HERE are few fubjects on which a good treatife is more wanted in England than that of Naval Tactics: for notwithstanding we had many books on the fubject before this tranflation of M. Bourde's work appeared; yet none of them were fully fcientific, and, at the fame time, fufficiently elementary for the purpose of inftructing youth who are intended for naval employments. The prefent work is not exactly that which we wish to fee; but it appears to us greatly fuperior to any thing we have met with before on this head; and as its reputation is thoroughly eftablished among the Author's countrymen, we apprehend it will meet with a favourable reception here, and be ftudied by our naval cadets, at least till fomething better

adapted

adapted to our own fervice makes its appearance: which, probably, may not foon happen.

The work is divided into four parts. In the firft, M. Bourdé treats of the actions of fluids on the furfaces of folid bodies; the effects of these actions when the bodies which they act on are at liberty to obey the impulfe made on them; and of the centers of gravity and gyration of bodies: and having laid down the first principles of the motions of fluids, and of bodies after percuffion, in a plain and elementary manner, he proceeds to apply thofe principles in calculating the action of the wind on the fails of a ship, and of the water on her rudder; and thence to determine the true and apparent velocities of the ship, with the direction of her motion. He demonftrates that the velocity of the ship will be as the fine of the angle of incidence of the wind on the fail, as long as the pofition of the fail, with respect to the keel of the fhip, remains the fame; and he thews that in order to remove from a coaft, or from any given line, at the greatest rate poffible, the tangent of the apparent angle of incidence of the wind on the fail must be double the targent of the angle which the fail makes with the keel of the ship, at the fame time that the angle formed by the keel and the coaft is equal to the real angle of incidence. He next confiders the effect of thofe fails which are before, and those which are abaft, the center of gravity of the fhip, feparately, as well in regard to their force in urging the fhip a-head, as in caufing her to fteer well; and, after fhewing from theory, the great use of the fprit-fail, jib, and fore ftay- fails, in caufing a fhip to fteer well, when failing by the wind, he juftly remarks, that we find by experience thefe fails yet more ufeful in this refpect than the theory makes them to be. The rudder becomes afterwards the object of our Author's confideration: he fhews, by reafonings, both obvious and natural, that it acts to the greatest advantage when it makes an angle of 45 degrees with the direction of the keel, and not when it makes an angle of about 55°, as hath been fo long infifted on in books of geometry; but, except in putting a fhip about, M. Bourdé juftly obferves, that the lefs neceffity there is for the action of the rudder the better. Under this article alfo, he very properly takes notice that, as ships are generally conftructed, the rudder cannot act under a greater angle with the keel than about 30 degrees; and he propoles to augment the range of the rudder by fhortening the length of the tiller, and to compenfate for the power which which will be thus loft, by encreafing the diameter of the wheel we fteer by, or by dimin fhing the diameter of the barrel on which the tiller rope is wound. We are as well convinced, as M. Bourdé can be, of the benefit which would arife from encreafing the range of the rudder, and that it may be done by hertoning the tiller: we are alfo perfuaded, that the power

which will be loft by fhortening the tiller may, in fome meafure, be replaced by reducing the barrel of the wheel, or by encreafing the diameter of the wheel itself; but we are at the fame time of opinion, that the encrease of power which can be gained by either or both of thefe means is yery limited. For the barrel cannot be diminished much, without confiderably encreafing the number of turns which the rope will make on it; and which, befide the lofs of time it will occafion in thifting the rudder, will often caufe one turn to ride on another; and the diameter of the wheel cannot be greatly increased, efpecially in line of battle fhips, becaufe it is always placed under the poop, and therefore limited to the height of it.

The fecond part of this work contains the application of the theory to practice, and exhibits reaíons for all the evolutions that are to be performed with a fhip. The problems which are here refolved, relate to the manner of getting under fail when the ship is riding with her head to the wind, and when there is no current; to do the fame by means of a fpring; to tack or wear a fhip; to lie to, or to difpofe the fails fo that they may exacly counteract each other; and to lie to, in a gale of wind, under any fail whatever. As this laft manoeuvre is feldom practifed but when the winds are violent and contrary, there is fcarcely any operation of this kind which is not liable to failure: M. Bourde has therefore endeavoured to remedy thefe defects, by difcuffing each feparately, and pointing out the methods which are leaft fubject to fuch inconveniences.

His next concern is to direct the feaman how to chase a ship fo as to come up with her in the shorteft poffible time. Several mathematicians have treated of the curve of pursuit, or that track which one body must purfue, under certain circumftances, to come up with another; but few or none of their fuggeftions are applicable to fhips at fea. M. Bourdé fhews that, in chafing to windward, the chafing fhip ought to tack as often as the brings the chafe on her beam. This has, indeed, been fhewn before by L'Hofte, and others; and it is faid that old Admiral Barnet was the firft who practifed it. In chafing to leeward, he directs us to keep the chafe always on the fame point of the compaís that he was on when firft feen. Directions are added, in both thefe cafes, for the fhip which is chafed.

His next object is boarding; under which head he gives ample inftructions for boarding to windward, and let ward, when you come up with the chafe on a wind; when going large, and when the fhip to be boarded is at anchor: but notwithstanding this ufeful work has now been twenty-four years in the bands of its Author's countrymen, we do not recollect to have heard of many exploits of this kind being performed by them in the courie of the last war! His inftructions for avoiding this

terrible