OF THE EUROPEAN MAGAZINE, AND LONDON REVIEW, FOR APRIL 1802. DR. SAMUEL MADDEN. (WITH A PORTRAIT.) F this diftinguished patriot, το whom the kingdom of Ireland owes many obligations, it is to be regretted that few circumstances are known. At the time of his death he was suffered to slide into the grave unnoticed by his friends, the greater part of whom have fince themselves followed him, and cannot now be called upon to bear testimony to the merits of their departed affociates, nor to communicate any particulars concerning him. He was born in the year 1686, in Ireland as it is supposed, where he received his education. Of the early part of his life nothing is known. He appears, however, to have cultivated letters, and in February 1729 produced at Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre a Tragedy, called "Themistocles; or, The Lover of his, Country;" which was acted nine nights; and this play, he informs us in a preface, he was tempted to let appear by the offer of a noble study of books from the profits of it. Two years afterwards he projected a scheme for promoting learning in the College of Dublin by premiums. In 1733 he produced the first volume of a work entitled "Memoirs of the Twentieth Century, being original Letters of State under George the Sixth ; relating to the most important Events in Great Britain and Europe as to Church and State, Arts and Sciences, Trade, Taxes, and Treaties, Peace and War, and Characters of the greatest Persons of those Times from the Middle of the Eighteenth to the End of the Twentieth Century, and the World. Re ceived and revealed in the Year 1728, and now published for the Instruction of all eminent Statesmen, Churchmen, Patriots, Politicians, Projectors, Papists, and Protestants," in fix volumes, 8vo. The circumstances attending this publication were fomewhat remarkable.. A thousand copies were printed with such very great dispatch, that three printers were employed on it, and the names of an uncommon number of reputable booksellers in the title page. The current report was, that the edition was suppressed on the day of publica tion, and the volume is now exceedingly scarce, almost the whole impression being destroyed. Continuing his patriotical career, we find him, in 1740, in his native country, setting apart the annual fum of one hundred pounds to be diftributed by way of premium to the inhabitants of Ireland only; namely, sol. to the author of the best invention for improving any useful art or manufacture; 251. to the person who should execute the best statue or piece of sculpture; and 251. to the person who should finish the best piece of painting, either in hiftory or landscape; the premiums to be decided by the Dublin Society, of which Dr. Madden was the institutor. The good effects of these well applied benefactions have not only been felt to advantage in the kingdom where they were given, but have even extended their influence to its fister kingdom, having given rise to the Society for the Encouragement of Arts and Sciences in London. In 1745, he published a long poem, called "Boulter's Monument, a panegyrical Iiz Poems Ar Poem facred to the Memory of Dr. Hugh Boulter, Archbishop of magh," 8vo. This poem, having for a number of years laid afide poetry for very different studies, he obtained the affistance of Dr. Johnson to correct, for which he paid him ten guineas. In an oration spoken at Dublin, by Mr. Sheridan, December 6, 1757, that Gen. tleman took occafion to mention Dr. Madden's bounty, and intended to have proceeded in the following manner, but was prevented by observing the Doctor to be then present. Speaking of the admirable institution of premiums, he intended to have gone on, " Whose author, had he never contributed any thing farther to the good of his country, would have deferved im mortal honour, and must have been held in reverence by latest pofterity. But the unwearied and difintereied endea. vours, during a long course of years, of this truly good man, in a variety of branches, što promote industry, and confequently the welfare of this kingdom, and the mighty benefits which have thence refulted to the community, have made many of the good people of Ireland forry, that a long-talked of scheme has not hitherto been put in execution: that we might not appear inferior in point of gratitude to the citizens of London with respect to a fellow-citizen (Sir John Barnard), furely not with more reafon, and that like them we might be able to address our patriot, Præfenti tibi maturos largimur honores." Dr. Madden presented to his friend Dr. Leland a poem of about two hundred lines, which was prefixed to the fecond edition of the latter's "Life of Philip of Macedon," and left a Tragedy in MSS. by will to his friend Mr. Sheridan. He was beneficed in Ireland, where he continued to refide until the time of his death, December 30, 1765, leaving a name, as Dr. Johnfon faid, which Ireland ought to ho nour. A very careless and inaccurate writer, Monf. Grosley, whose errors are fo numerous as to entitle him to little credit, has, in his Tour to London, 8vo. 1772, p. 100, speaking of a city in the centre of France, "which, at the beginning of the fifteenth century, served as a theatre to the grandelt scene that England ever acted in that kingdom," mentions several English families as lately extinct, or still fubfifting there. "This city," he adds, " in return, has given the British dominions an illustrious perfonage, to whom they are indebted for the first prizes which have been there diftributed for the encouragement of agriculture and arts. His name was Madain: being thrown upon the coast of Ireland, by events of which I could never hear any fatisfactory асcount, he fettled in Dublin, by the name of Madden, there made a fortune, dedicated a part of his estate, which amounted to four or five thousand pounds a-year, to the prizes which I have fpoken of, and left a rich fuccef fion: part of this succession went over to France, to the Madains his relations, who commenced a law-fuit for the recovery of it, and caused ecclefiaftical cenfures to be published against a mer chant to whom they had fent a letter of attorney to act for them, and whom they accused of having appropriated to himself a share of their inheritance." This account of Mr. Grosley's we believe to be entirely, or at least partially, erroneous, and thould be glad if any of our Irish friends would communicate to us further particulars concerning DR. MADDEN. BRIEF MEMOIR OF THE LIFE OF BERGMAN, ERGMAN born THE CELEBRATED CHEMIST. Catharinebery, Bin Westrogothia, in the year 1, more probably in 1734, and was deftined to succeed his father as receiver of the royal revenues, but his eagerness in pursuit of fcience led him to other studies, and he was at last placed under Linnæus, whose ardour rekindled the spark, which the advice of his friends had almost fupprefled. He applied himself, under the auspices of the Prefident, to the study of infects, and par ticularly to the faw-fly (tentbredo vi elina of Linnæus) which preys on the larvæ of the ichneumons, and covers itself with the spoils. It was Bergman who discovered that the leach is oviparous; that its egg has been stiled the cocus aquaticus, and that it contains ten or twelve young ones. When the President was to give his fanction to the memoir, he wrote down these words vidi & obftupui. Those were, however, the amuse ments ments of his youth: he was designed to give a new era to Chemiftry, and a new appearance to fcience. - Wallerius refigned the chemical chair at Upfal, and Bergman offered his services to fucceed. He was not then known as a chemift; but he soon published his Differtation on Alum. It was severely criticited, and Wallerius himself attacked the young candidate with little mercy. The Prince Guitavus, the late King of Sweden, then Chancellor of the University, examined the fubject, confulted those best able to advise him, and answered with his own hand, in a particular Memoir, the allegations against Bergman, and fent it to the Senate, who confirmed the decisions of his Royal Highness. Without any prejudices, without the shackles of authority, Bergman proceeded to make experiments. His active life, perhaps the noxious fumes from his chemical experiments, ex. hausted his constitution, and shortened his days. He faw that they might have been prolonged by a little relaxation; but in fpite of the advice of his friends, as well as the dictates of his own opinion, he continued his labours almost to the end. At last he tried the waters of Medwi, but they were insufficient to relieve him; and he closed a laborious and useful life at the age of forty-nine years. ACCOUNT OF A DIVING-BOAT. CITIZEN ST. AUBIN, a man of letters at Paris, and Member of the Tribunate, has given the following account of the bateau plongeur, a divingboat, lately difcovered by Mr. Fulton, an American: " I have, says he, just been to in spect the plan and section of a nautilus, or diving-boat, invented by Mr. Fulton fimilar to that with which he lately made his curious and interesting expe riments at Havre and Bréft. "The diving-boat, in the construction of which he is now employed, will be capacious enough to contain eight men, and provifions enough for twenty-days, and will be of fufficient strength and power to enable him to plunge 100 feet under water, if neceffary. He has contrived a refervoir for air, which will enable eight men to remain under water for eight hours. When the boat is above water, it has two fails, and looks just like a common boat. When she is to dive, the masts and fails are struck. "In making his experiments at Havre, Mr. Fulton not only remained a whole hour under water with three of his companions, but held his boat parallel to the horizon at any given depth. He proved that the compass points as correctly under water as on the furface, and that while under water, the boat made way at the rate of half a league an hour, by means contrived for that purpose. "It is not twenty years fince all Europe was astonished at the first afcenfion of men in balloons: perhaps in a few years they will not be less surprised to fee a flotilla of diving-boats, which, on a giving fignal, thall, to avoid the puriuit of an enemy, plunge under water, and rife again teveral leagues from the place where they defcended 1. "The invention of balloons has hitherto been of no advantage, because no means have been found to direct their course. But if fuch means could be discovered, what would become of camps, cannon, fortreffes, and the whole art of war! "But if we have not fucceeded in steering the balloon, and even were it impotl.ble to attain that object, the cate is different with the diving boat, which can be conducted under water in the fame manner as upon the furface. It has the advantage of failing like a common boat, and alfo of diving when it is purfaed. With these qıralities it is fit for carrying fecret orders; to fuccour a blockaded port, and to examine the force and position of arr enemy in their own harbours. These are fure and evident benefits, which the diving-boat at prefent promites. But who can fee all the consequences of this discovery, or the improvements of which it is fufceptible? Mr. Fulton has already added to his boat a machine, by means of which he blew up a large boat in the port of Breit; and if, by future experiments, the fame effect could be produced on frigates or thips of the line, what will become of maritime wars, and where will failors be found to man thips of war, when it is a phyfical certainty, that they may every moment be blown into the air by means of a diving-boat, against which no human forefight can guard them?י TO SIR, TO THE EDITOR OF THE EUROPEAN MAGAZINE. MR. WRIGHT, in his HISTORIA HISTRIONICA, 1699 (See DODSLEY'S OLD PLAYS, Vol. XII. p. 344), speaking of the early players of that century, says, "Most of them went into the King's army, and like good men and true served their old master, tho' in a different, yet in a more honourable capacity." This, however, was not the cafe with all, as will appear from the following anecdote of one of them, JOHN SHANCKE, which, as it has escaped the researches of both Mr. Malone and Mr. to in your Magazine. PERFECT DIURNAL, No. 20. Oct. 24, 1642. THIS day there came three of the Lord General's Officers post from the Army to London, signifying that there was a great fight on Sunday latt, and being brought to the Parliament, and examined, it appeared they were not sent from the Armie with any letters or otherwise, but in a cowardly manner run from their captains at the beginning of the fight, and had most basely possessed the people, both as they came away and at their coming to Towne, with many falfe rumours, giving forth in speeches that there were 20,000 men killed on both sides, and that there were not foure men in all their companies escaped with life besides themselves, and many other strange wonders, though altogether false, it being SIR, Chalmers, you will probably give a place I am, &c. G. H. rather conceived that their companys, like themselves, upon the beginning of the fight, very valiantly took their heels, and ran away. And after further enquiry was made after these commanders, it was no wonder to heare their strange news, for they were Captaine Wilson, Lieut. Whitney, and one SHANKS a player; an affidavit was offered to bee made that one of them said before he went out with the Earle of Effex, that he would take the Parliament's pay, but would never fight against any of the king's party, and the other two were very rude and infolent perfons; whereupon the House ordered they should all three be committed to the Gatehouse, and brought to condigne punishment according to Martial Law for their base cowardli nesse. TO THE EDITOR OF THE EUROPEAN MAGAZINE. Without knowing by whose partiality my "Observations on the Cow-Pock" were introduced into the Review of your valuable Magazine, I cannot but feel an high sense of the Writer's kindness; although his partiality has carried him, in commendation, far beyond the merits of my performance. As a small acknowledgement, however, I tranfmit part of a letter, dated the 22d of March, which I have just received from Professor Waterhouse, of Cambridge, near Bofton; and if you think it worthy of occupying a small portion of your valuable page, it will meet the approbation of J. C. LETTSOM. Sambrook House, April 24, 1802. 66 THIS winter there was a grand embaffy of the Indians to the Prefident and Congress. LITTLE TURTLE was the head warrior. The Prefident and Government had supplied them with ploughs, and every instrument in common use in agriculture; as well as with spinning-wheels, looms, &c. &c.: and, to crown all, the President exclaimed to LITTLE TURTLE, how the Great Spirit had made a donation to the enlightened White Men; first to ONE † in England, and from him to one in Boston, of the means to prevent them from ever having the small-pox (which had occafioned great fatality among that race); and, fuch confidence had • For February, page 119. the copper coloured King in the words of his Father, the Prefident, that he fubmitted to be inoculated, together with the rest of the warriors, by the hands of the Rev. Dr. Garitt, Chaplain to Congress. On their departure, the Prefident caused them to be supplied with the vaccine matter, and gave their Interpreter an abstract of the letter of instructions which I had written to the President. "Not long fince fifteen more Chiefs came down to Washington to receive the same blessing from the Clergyman who had inoculated Little Turtle and the other warriors." + Dr. Jenner, the firit Inoculator of the Cow-Pock in Europe. Dr. Waterhouse, the first Inoculator of the Cow-Pock in America. |