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For the EUROPEAN MAGAZINE. THE ROYAL INTERVIEW: A SINGULAR BENEVOLENCE.

INCLEMENT as the winter of 1786 was, the winter of 1785 will long be recorded in the annals of meteorological obfervation, as having been a feafon of the most intense and continued feverity ever known in England long will it alfo be recorded as the feafon which, of all others in the memory of man, afforded to the fons and daughters of opulence the most frequent opportunities of revelling in the luxury infeparable from an exercife of the god-like virtues of humanity and benevolence.

One day, during this gloomy period, as his Majesty, regardless of the weather, and never more happy than when in action,-it may be added, too, never more delighted than when doing good,—was taking a folitary excurfion on foot, and unbending his mind from the cares of government, he met two party little boys (the eldest seemingly not more than eight years of age), who, though ignorant it was the KING they had the honour to addrefs, fell upon their knees before him, deep as the fnow lay, and wringing their little hands, prayed for relief-the "“smallest * relief," they cried, for they were hungry, very hungry, and had nothing to eat."

More would they have faid, but for a torrent of tears, which gufhing down their innocent cheeks, actually choaked their utter

ance.

His Majefty, perfectly confounded with horror at the fight, tenderly defired the weeping fuppliants to rife; and having at length, with that amiable affability which fo peculiarly diftinguishes the character of our fovereign, encouraged them to proceed with their ftory, they added, that their mother had been dead three days, and ftill lay unburied; that their father himself, whom they alfo were afraid of lofing, was ftretched by her fide upon a bed of straw, in a fick and helpless condition; and, in fine, that they had neither money, nor food, nor firing, at home.

In this brief detail of woe, ingenuously as it had been given, there was a fomewhat more than fufficient to excite pity in the

ANECDOTE OF

Royal bofom; and the question with his Majefty now was, whether, fimply as the tale had been told, there could poffibly be any truth in it?

He accordingly ordered the two boys to proceed homeward, and, following them till they reached a wretched hovel, he there found the mother, as mentioned, dead— dead, too, apparently, from a total want of common neceffaries, with the father, literally as described, ready to perifh alfo, but ftill encircling with his enfeebled arm the deceased partner of his woes, as if unwilling to remain behind her.

The King now felt a tear start from his own eye, nor did he think his dignity degraded by giving a loose to his fenfibility on the occafion; and accordingly leaving behind him what cab he had about him (which rarely, however, amounts to much) he haftened back to Windfor; related to the Queen what he had seen, but declared himfelt totally incapable of expreffing what he felt; and inftantly dispatched a meffenger with a supply of provisions, cloathing, coals, and every other accommodation which might afford immediate fuftenance and comfort to a helpless family, groaning, he declared, under afflictions more piercing by far than he could have fuppofed to exift in any part of his dominions, or even conceived to be poffible, had he not himfelf witneed them.

Revived by the bounty of his fovereign, the old man foon recovered; and the King (anxious to give happiness to the children as well as bealth to the father) finished the good work he had fo meritoriously begun, by giving orders that till the years of maturity they should be clothed, educated, and fupported at his expence, with the hope of having fuch preferments bestowed upon them afterwards as their conduct might justify.

On other occafions, his Majefty may have acted more like a KING; but upon no 0.0cafion, perhaps, did he act more like a MAN. Such, however, is the opinion of PHILALETHS.

OBSERVATIONS on the MANNERS, CUSTOMS, DRESS, AGRICULTURE, &c. of the JAPANESE.

[By C. P. THUNBERG, formerly PHYSICIAN to the Dutch Factory in Japan *.] · (Concluded from Page 316.)

THE

HE religion throughout Japan is heathenish, but there are many different fects, which all however live in the greatest unanimity and concord, without difputes or

EUROP. MAG.

quarrels. The fpiritual emperor, Dairi, is, like the Pope, head of the church, and has the appointment of the chief priests. Every fect has feparate churches and feparate idols, *From the ENGLISH REVIEW for May, 1786, Fff

which

ging them, and when they fire them, which is commonly done once in feven years, in order to clean and prove them, the artillery man provides himfelf with a long pole having a match at the end, which he applies with averted eyes. The fabre is therefore their principal and best weapon, which is univer

which are reprefented under fome determinate, and that often a monftrous fhape. They commonly invent a great number of idols, one for almost every trade, like the old Romans; and confequently they have inferior and fuperior gods. One eternal and almighty God, fuperior to all the reft, is not indeed unknown to the Japanese, but the know-fally worn, except by the peasants. They ledge of him is enveloped in much darkness, I have not however feen among any heathens fuch a large and majeftic idol of this god, as in two Japanese temples. In the one there is an image of gilt wood, of fuch an enormous fize that fix men may fit, according to the Japanese fashion, in the palm of his hand, and the breadth between the fhoulders is five fathoms. In the other, his infinite power is reprefented by (maller gods, which ftand around him on all fides, to the number of 33,333. They have many temples, which are built for the most part without the cities on fome eminence, and in the finest fituations. There are a number of priests in every temple, although they have but little to do, their bufinefs being to keep the temple clean, to light the candles, &c. and offer flowers confecrated to the idol, and fuch as they believe to be most acceptable to it. There is no preaching or finging in the temples, but they always ftand open for those who may come to pray, or make some offering. Strangers are never excluded from the temples, even the Dutch are allowed to vifit them; and when the inns are taken up, they are lodged in them, as actually happened once during my journey to court.

The arms of the Japanese confist of a bow and arrow, fabre, halbert, and musket. The bows are very large, and the arrows long, as in China. When the bows are to be bent and difcharged, the troop always reft on one knee, which hinders them making a speedy difcharge. In the fpring, the troops affemble to practise fhooting at a mark. Muskets are not general; I only faw them in the hands of perfons of diftinction, in a separate and elevated part of the audience-room. The barrel is of the common length, but the stock is very short, and as well as I could obferve at a diftance, there was a match in the lock. 1 never faw a gun fired, though I have often heard the report from the Dutch factory. The interpreters informed me, that the stock, which, on account of its shortness, cannot be placed against the fhoulder, is fet againft the cheek, an account that is not altogether credible. Cannons are not used in this country, but in Nagasaki, at the imperial guard, there are feveral, formerly taken from the Portuguefe, though fhips are not faluted, and indeed scarce any ufe at all is made of them. The Japanese Have very little fill in mana

are commonly a yard long, a little crookel
and thick in the back. The blades are of an
incomparable goodness, and the old ones are
in very high esteem. They are far fuperior to
the Spanish blades, fo celebrated in Europe.
A tolerably thick nail is easily cut in two,
without any damage to the edge; and a man,
according to the account of the Japanese, may
be cleft in two. No blade is fold under frz
kobangs, but the fabres often coft 50, 60, nay,
above 100 rix-dollars; they constitute the
dearest and most beloved property of the Ja-
panese. The hilt is furnished with a round
and firm plate, has no bow, and is fometimes
fix inches in length. The hilt is flat, with
obtuse edges; it is cut off transversely at the
end, and covered with the skin of the shark,
which is uneven on its furface; it is import-
ed by the Dutch, and fold very dear; fome-
times at 50 or 60 kobangs, each kobang at
fix rix-dollars. Befides, filk cord is wrapped
round in fuch a manner that the fhagreen
may be seen through it; the plates are thick-
er than a rix-dollar; they either are adorned
with figures in high relief, or pierced artifici-
ally with a number of holes. The fheath is
thick and fomewhat flat; it is truncated at
the end; it is fometimes covered with the
finest shagreen, which is varnished; it is
fometimes of wood, and painted with a black
varnish, or variegated with black and white;
one fometimes obferves a filver ring or two
on the sheath. On one of the fides there is
a fmall elevation, perforated with a hole,
through which a filk string passes, and ferves
to fasten the fabre occasionally. Within the
hilt there is also a cavity for receiving a knife
of three inches length. A separate fash is ne-
ver used, but the sword is ftuck in the belt,
on the left fide, with the edge upwards, which
to an European appears ridiculous. All per-
fons in office wear two fuch fabres, one of
their own, and the other the sward of office,
as it is called; the latter is always the longer.
Both are worn in the belt on the fame fide,
and so disposed as to cross each other. When
they are fitting, they have their fword of of-
fice laid on one fide or before them.

The Dutch and Chinese are the only nations allowed to traffic in Japan. The Dutch at prefent fend but two fhips annually, which are fitted out at Batavia, and fail in June, and return at the end of the year. The chief merchandife is Japanese copper, and raw

cam

camphor. Varnished wood, porcelain, filk, rice, facki, and foia, conftitute but an inconfiderable part, and thefe articles are in the hands of private perfons, The copper, which is finer, and contains more gold than any other, is caft in pieces of the length of Gx inches and a finger's thickness. It is put on board in parcels of 120 pounds, 12 ounces to the pound; and every fhip's lading con. fifts of fix or seven thousand fuch parcels, The wares which the Dutch companies im. port, are coarse fugar, ivory, a great quantity of tin and lead, a little caft iron, various kinds of fine chintzes, Dutch cloth, of different colours and fineness, ferge, wood for dyeing, tortoife-fhell, and coflus Arabicus. The little merchandise brought by the officers on their own account, confifts of faffron, theriaca, fealing-wax, glass beads, watches, &c. &c. About the time when the Dutch fhips are expected, several outposts are stationed on the highest hills by the government; they are provided with telescopes, and long before their arriyal give the governor of Nagafaki notice. As foon as they anchor in the harbour, the upper and under officers of the Japanese immediately betake themselves on board, together with interpreters, to whom is delivered a cheft, in which all the failors books, the mufter-roll of the whole crew, fix fmall barrels of powder, fix barrels of balls, fix muskets, fix bayonets, fix piftols, and fix fwords are deposited; this is fuppofed to be the whole remaining ammunition, after the imperial garrifon has been faluted. These things are conveyed on shore, and preferved in a separate warehouse, nor are they returned before the day the ship quits the har.

bour.

Duties are quite unknown as well in the inland parts as on the coaft, nor are there any cuftoms required, either for exported or imported goods; an advantage enjoyed by few uations. But, to prevent the importation of any forbidden wares, the utmost vigilance is obferved; then the men and things are exa. mined with the eyes of Argus. When any European goes on fhore, he is examined be. fore he leaves the ship, and afterwards on his landing. This double fearch is exceedingly Arict; fo that not only the pockets and clothes are ftroked with the hands, but the pudenda of the meaner fort are preffed, and the hair of the faves. All the Japanese, who come on board, are fearched in like manner, except only their fuperior officers; fo alfo are the wares either exported or imported, first on board, and then at the factory, except the great chefts, which are opened at the factory, and fo carefully examined that they strike the very fides left they fhould be hollow. The bed-clothes are often opened,

and the feathers examined: rods of iron are run into the pots of butter and confections: a fquare hole is made in the cheese, and a long-pointed iron is thruft into it in all directions. Their fufpicion is carried fo far, that they take out and break one or two of the eggs brought from Batavia. The fame strictness is observed when any one goes from the factory on fhip-board, into the factory, or out of it, from Nagasaki to the factory on the isle of Dezima. The watch must be infpected and marked at going and returning. The hat is fometimes examined. No pri vate perfon may introduce money; it is ge nerally taken into custody till the time of de parture. Sealed letters are not allowed to be fent from or to the fhips, but they are open. ed, and required fometimes to be read by the interpreters, as are other manuscripts. All religious books, in particular fuch as contain plates, are very dangerous to import.

Latin, German, French, and Swedish books pafs more eafily, fince the interpreters do not understand them. Arms may not be imported, but it was permitted to us to carry our swords to the factory. The Dutch have themselves occafioned this ftrict fearch, which has gradually increased on feveral occafions to its prefent feverity. The wide coats and breeches of the captains, and an hundred other means, have been tried to fmuggle goods to the factory; and the interpreters, who formerly were not fearched, carried contraband wares to the city, where they fold them for ready money. Much cunning has fometimes been used to effect this. A few years ago, a parrot was found concealed in the breeches of one of the lower officers, in confequence of its beginning to prate during the examination In 1775, feveral rix-dollars and ducats were detected in the drawers of an affiftant. Thefe circumstances have led the Japanese, year after year, to limit the privileges of the Dutch traders more and more, and to search more strictly, so that all their cunning scarce enables them to deceive this vigilant people. This fcrutiny prevents only fmuggling, and not private trade. Every one is at liberty to import whatever he can fell or is in request, even fuch things as are permitted to be fold, only it must not be done privately. The reafon why private perfons are so defirous of fmuggling fucla wares as are not forbidden, is, because, when goods are fold by auction, they do not receive money, but other goods in return. These goods, which are either porcelain or japauned goods, are so clieap at Batavia, in confequence of the annual traffic, that they are fometimes fold under prime coft. Hence, for goods privately fold they get ready money, and often double the price. The company's goods Fff 2

are

are not examined on fhip-board, but are carried straight to the warehouse, where they are fealed by the Japanese.

The interpreters are all natives; they fpeak Dutch in different degrees of purity. The government permits no foreigner to learn their language, left they should by means of this acquire the knowledge of the manufactares of the country; but 40 or 50 interpreters are provided to ferve the Dutch in their trade, or on any other occafion. Thefe interpreters are divided into three claffes. The eldest, who fpeak beft, are called upperinterpreters, the fecond under, and the third pupils. Formerly the Dutch taught the Japanese Dutch; it was in particular the doctor's bufinels; but they now learn of the other interpreters. Some of the fenior interpreters fpeak Dutch pretty intelligibly; but as their language in pltrafes and conftruction differs fo widely from the European, one has often occafion to hear ftrange expreffions.

T

Many never learn to fpeak properly at all. In writing Dutch, they use instead of a pea their common pencil, and their own paper, but they write from left to right, generally in very beautiful Italian letters.

The interpreters are very inquifitive after European books, and generally provide themselves with fome from the Dutch mer. chants. They perufe then with care, and remember what they learn. They befides endeavour to get inftruction from the Europeans ¦ for which purpose they ask numberless quef. tions, particularly refpecting medicine, phycs, and natural hiftory. Moft of them ap ply to medicine, and are the only phyficians of their nation who practife in the European manner, and with European medicines, which they procure from the Dutch physicians. Hence they are able to acquire money, and to make themselves refpected. They fometimes take pupils.

ESSAY on the RISE and PROGRESS of CHEMISTRY.
[From Dr. WATSON'S CHEMICAL ESSAYS."]
[Concluded from Page 326.]

HE beginning of the fixteenth century was remarkable for a great revolution produced in the European practice of phyfic, by means of chemistry Then it was that Paracelfus, following the fteps of Bafile V. lentine, and growing famous for curing the venereal difeafe, the leprofy, and other virulent diforders, principally by the means of mercurial and antimonial preparations, wholly rejected the Galenical pharmacy, and fubftituted in its ftead the chemical. He had a profeffor's chair given him by the ma.. giftracy of Bafil, was the first who read public lectures in medicine and chemiftry, and fubjected animal and vegetable, as well as mineral, fubftances to an examination by fire.

It feldom happens that a man of but common abilities, and in the moft retired fcenes of life, obferves fuch a strict uniformity of conduct, as not to afford prejudice and partiality fufficient materials for drawing his character in different colours; but fuch a

great and irregular genius as Paracelfus, could not fail of becoming alike the fubject of the extremes of panegyric and fatire. He has accordingly been efteemed by fome, a fecond Efculapius; others have thought that he was poffefied of more impudence than merit, and that his reputation was more owing to the brutal fingularity of his conduct, than to the cures he performed. He treated the phyficians of his time with the most fottifh vanity and illiberal infolence; telling them, that the very down of his bald

pate had more knowledge than all their writers, the buckles of his thoes more learning than Galen or Avicenna, and his beard more experience than all their Univer fities. He revived the extravagant doctrine of Raymond Lully, concerning an univerial medicine, and untimely funk into his grave at the age of forty-feven, whilst he boasted himself to be in poffeffion of fecrets able to prolong the prefent period of human life to that of the Antediluviaus.

But in whatever eftimation the merit of Paracelfus as a chemift may be held, certai it is, that his fame excited the envy of fame, the emulation of others, and the industry of all. Thofe who attacked, and those who defended his principles, equally promoted the knowledge of chemistry; which from his time, by attracting the notice of phyfi. cians, began every where to be fyftemati cally treated, and more generally undertood.

Soon after the death of Paracelfus, which happened in the year 1541, the arts of mining and fluxing metals, which had been practifed in most countries from the carleft times, but had never been explained by any writers in a scientific manner, received great illustration from the works of Georgius Agricola, a German phyfician. The Greeks and Romans had left no treatifes worth mentioning upon the fubject; and though a book or two had appeared in the German language, and one in the Italian, relative to metallurgy, before Agricola published his

twelve books De Re Metallica, yet he is justly esteemed the first author of reputation in that branch of chemistry.

Lazarus Erckern (alfay-master general of the empire of Germany) followed Agricola in the fame purfuit. His works were first published at Prague in 1574, and an English tranflation of them by Sir John Pettus came out at London in 1683. The works of Agricola and Erckern are still highly esteem. ed, though feveral others have been published, chiefly in Germany, upon the fame fubject fince their time. Among these we may reckon Shindler's Art of Aflaying Ores and Metals; the works of Henckell, of Sclutter, of Cramer, of Lehman, and of Gellert. Germany, indeed, has for a long time been the great school of metallurgy for the rest of Europe; and we, in this country, owe the prefent flourishing condition of our mines, efpecially of our copper mines, as well as of our brafs manufactory, to the wife policy of Queen Elizabeth, in granting great privileges to Daniel Hough'etter, Chriftopher Schutz, and other Germans whom the had invited into England, in order to inftruct her fubjects in the art of metallurgy.

It was not, however, till towards the middle of the last century, that general chemiftry began to be cultivated in a liberal and philofophical manner. So early as the year 1645, feveral ingenious perfons in London, in order to divert their thoughts from the horrors of the civil war which had then broken out, had formed themfelves into a fociety, and held weekly meetings, in which they treated of, what was then called, the

new

or experimental philofophy. Thefe meetings were continued in London till the eftablishment of the Royal Society in 1662; and before that time, by the removal of fome of the original members to Oxford, fimilar meetings were held there, and thofe ftudies brought into repute in that University. Mr. Boyle, who had entered upon his chemical fradies about the year 1647, was a princi pal perfon in the Oxford meetings. He publifhed at that place his Sceptical Chemift in 1661, and by his various writings and experiments greatly contributed to the introducing into England, a taste for rational chemistry.

Next to Boyle, or perhaps before him as a chemist, stands his cotemporary the unfor. tunate Beecher, whofe Phyfica Subterranea, justly intituled opus fine pari, was first publifhed in 1669. After having fuffered various perfecutions in Germany, he came over into England, and died at London in 1682, at the age of 57. He refided fome time before his death in Cornwall, which he calls the mineral school, owning that from a teacher, he was there become a learner. He

was the author of many improvements in the manner of working mines, and of fluxing metals; in particular he first introduced into Cornwall the method of fluxing tin by means of the flame of pit coal, instead of

wood or charcoal.

Lemery's very accurate course of practical chemistry appeared in 1675. Glauber's works had been publifhed at different times, from 1651 to 1661, when his tract, intituled Philofophical Furnaces, came out at Amfterdam, Kunckel died in Sweden in 1702; he had practifed chemistry for above fifty years, under the aufpices of the Elector of Saxony, and of Charles XI. of Sweden. He wrote his chemical obfervations in the German language, but had them tranflated into Latin in the year 1677; the tranflation is dedicated by its author to our Royal Society. They were afterwards tranflated into English in 1704. Having had the fuperintendency of feveral glafs-houses, he had a fine opportunity of making a great variety of experiments in that way: and I have been informed by our enamellers, and makers of artificial gems, that they can depend more upon the proccffes and obfervations of Kunckel, than of any other author upon the fame fubject. The chemical labours of thefe and many other eminent men, too numerous to mention, were greatly forwarded by the establishment of feveral focieties, for the encouragement of natural philofophy, which took place in various parts of Europe about that period.

The Philofophical Tranfactions at London, the Hiftoire de l'Academie Royale des Sciences at Paris, the Sagi d'Efperienze di Acad. del Cimento at Florence, the Journal des Scavans in Holland, the Ephemerides Academia Natura Curioforum, in Germany, the Acts of the Ac. demy of Copenhagen, and the Acta Eruditorum at Leypfic; all thefe works began to be published within the space of twenty years front 1665, when our Royal Society firft fet the example, by publishing the Philofophical Tranfactions. To thefe may be added, the works of the Academies of Berlin, Petersburgh, Stockholm, Upfal, Bononia, Bourdeaux, Montpelier, Gottingen, and of feveral others which have been established within the courfe of the prefent century. Near a thoufand volumes have been published by thefe learned focieties within less than 120 years. The number of facts which are therein related refpecting chemistry, and every other branch of natural philofophy, is exceedingly great; but the fubject is ftill greater, and mult for ever mock the efforts of the human race to exhauft it. Well did Lord Bacon compare natural philofophy to a pyramid! Its bafis is

indeed

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