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peculiarities in St. Paul's Epistles; on the prophecies of Daniel and St. John, &c. To which are added, some strictures on the prophecies of Isaiah," 1798, 8vo. In this work, which is as devoid of elegance of style, as of strength of argument, and which shows how far a man may go, to whom all established belief is obnoxious, the inspiration of the New Testament writers is questioned, the genuineness of the Apocalypse is endeavoured to be invalidated; and the evangelical predictions of Isaiah are transferred from the Messiah to the political history of our own times. The most singular circumstance of the personal history of Mr. Amner, was his incurring the displeasure of George Steevens, the celebrated commentator on Shakspeare. This he probably did very innocently, for Mr. Steevens was one of those men who wanted no motives for revenge or malignity but what he found in his own breast. He had, however, contracted a dislike to Mr. Amner, who was his neighbour at Hampstead, and marked him out as the victim of a species of malignity which, we believe, has no parallel. This was his writing several notes to the indecent passages in Shakspeare, in a gross and immoral style, and placing Mr. Amner's name to them. These appeared ⚫ first in the edition of 1793, and are still continued.

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AMONTONS (WILLIAM), an ingenious French mechanic, was born in Normandy the last day of August, 1663. His father having removed to Paris, William received the first part of his education in this city. He was in the third form of the Latin school, when, after a considerable illness, he contracted such a deafness as obliged him to renounce almost all conversation with mankind. this situation he began to think of employing himself in the invention of machines: he applied therefore to the study of geometry; and it is said, that he would not try any remedy to cure his deafness, either because he thought it incurable, or because it increased his attention. He studied also the arts of drawing, of surveying lands, and of building, and in a short time he endeavoured to acquire a knowledge of those more sublime laws which regulate the universe. He studied with great care the nature of barometers and thermometers; and, in 1687, he presented a new hygroscope to the royal academy of sciences, which was very much approved. He communicated to Hubin,

1 Gent. Mag. 1798, 1803,

a famous enameller, some thoughts he had conceived, concerning new barometers and thermometers; but Hubin had anticipated him in some of his thoughts, and did not much regard the rest, till he made a voyage into England, where the same thoughts were mentioned to him by some fellows of the Royal Society. Amontons found out a method to communicate intelligence to a great distance, in a very little time, which Fontenelle thus describes: Let there be people placed in several stations, at such a distance from one another, that by the help of a telescope a man in one station may see a signal made in the next before him; he must immediately make the same signal, that it may be seen by persons in the station next after him, who is to communicate it to those in the following station; and so on. These signals may be as letters of the alphabet, or as a cypher, understood only by the two persons who are in the distant places, and not by those who make the signals. The person in the second station making the signal to the person in the third the very moment he sees it in the first, the news may be carried to the greatest distance in as little time as is necessary to make the signals in the first station. The distance of the several stations, which must be as few as possible, is measured by the reach of a telescope. Amontons tried this method in a small tract of land, before several persons of the highest rank at the court of France. This apparently is the origin of the telegraph now so generally used; but there exists a book, entitled "De Secretis," written by one Weckerus in 1582, where he gives, from the authority of Cardanus, who flourished about 1530, the following method by which the besieged party in a city may communicate their circumstances to the surrounding country: Suppose five torches to be lighted, and held in a horizontal line; the first torch upon the left hand of the looker-on to represent A, the second E, and so on for the five vowels. The consonants are performed thus; inclining the first torch to the left represents B, to the right C, elevating it above the line D, and depressing it below F. By the second torch brandished in the same manner, the four succeeding consonants may be represented, &c. which will comprehend in all twenty letters. Cardanus says, that the historian Polybius, who flourished above a century before Christ, in one of his fragments gives an obscure and mutilated description of a method to effect the above purpose. Probably, adds the

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gentleman to whom we are indebted for this communication, a copy of this De Secretis, or the obscure description of Polybius, might, unacknowledged, have infused Amontons with the idea of the modern telegraph; and, after the primary hint was given, the application of the telescope might easily occur. What, however, is most remarkable, is, that in neither case was the invention followed lay dormant until the commencement of the revolutionary war of France in 1793.

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In 1695, Amontons published "Remarques et experiences physiques sur la construction d'une nouvelle clepsydre, sur les barometres, thermometres, et hygrometres;" and this is the only book he wrote, besides the pieces which he contributed to the Journal des Sçavans. Though the hour-glasses made with water, so much in use among the ancients, be entirely laid aside, because the clocks and watches are much more useful, yet Amontons took a great deal of pains in making his new hour-glass, in hopes that it might serve at sea, being made in such a manner, that the most violent motion could not alter its regularity, whereas a great agitation infallibly disorders a clock or watch. When the royal academy was new regulated in 1699, Amontons was admitted a member of it, and read there his new theory of Friction, in which he happily cleared up a very important part of mechanics. He had a particular genius for making experiments: his notions were precise and just: he knew how to prevent the inconveniences of his new inventions, and had a wonderful skill in executing them. He enjoyed perfect health, and, as he led a regular life, was not subject to the least infirmity, but was suddenly seized with an inflammation in his bowels, which occasioned his death, 11th of October, 1705, aged 42.

The eloge of Amontons may be seen in the volume of the Memoirs of the Academy of Sciences for the year 1705, Hist. p. 150. And his pieces contained in the different volumes of that work, which are numerous, and upon various subjects, as the air, action of fire, barometers, thermometers, hygrometers, friction, machines, heat, cold, rarefactions, pumps, &c. may be seen in the volumes for the years 1696, 1699, 1702, 1703, 1704, and 1705,1

AMORT (EUSEBIUS), a canon regular of the order of St. Augustine, distinguished himself in Bavaria by the num

1 Gen. Dict.Moreri.-Fontenelle Hist, de l'Acad. des Sciences, 1705,Hutton's Mathematical Dict,

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ber and value of his writings, although many of them are on subjects that will not now be thought interesting. He was esteemed a wise and modest man, but rather singular in some points. He published, among other works, "Philosophia Pollingana," Augsburg, 1730, fol. at the end of which is an extraordinary attempt to deny the earth's motion; "A theological history of Indulgences," fol.; a supplement to "Pontas's Dictionary of cases of Con-science;" "Rules from holy scripture, councils, and the fathers, respecting revelations, apparitions, and visions,' 2 vols. 1744, 4to; "A dissertation on the author of The Imitation of Jesus Christ, usually attributed to Thomas a Kempis." All these works, of which, except the first, we have not been able to recover the exact titles, were written in Latin. Amort died Nov. 25, 1775, at the age of eightytwo. 1

AMORY (THOMAS), a dissenting minister of considerable note, was the son of a grocer at Taunton in Somersetshire, where he was born Jan. 28, 1701; and at that place acquired his classical learning, under the care of Mr, Chadwick. From Taunton he was removed to Exeter, that he might be instructed in the French language by Mr, Majendie, a refugee minister in that city. After this, he returned to Mr. Chadwick, where he had for his schoolfellow Mr. Micaiah Towgood; and at Lady-day 1717, they were both put under the academical instruction of Mr, Stephen James and Mr. Henry Grove, the joint tutors at Taunton for bringing up young persous to the dissenting ministry. Under these preceptors, Mr. Amory went through the usual preparatory learning; and in the summer of 1722 was approved of as a candidate for the ministry *. Being desirous of improvement, he removed, in the November following, to London, and attended a course of experimental philosophy, under Mr. John Eames, Upon his return to Taun

* When young men, among the dissenters, have passed through, or nearly finished their academical course, they undergo an examination either of the trustees and tutors of the seminaries in which they have been educated, or of some other ministers fixed upon for that purpose. Upon these occasions, they usually deliver a sermon, maintain a thesis, and submit to such exercises besides as are thought needful

and proper, If their qualifications and moral characters be approved of, they receive a testimonial signifying that approbation, accompanied with a recommendation of them to those societies among whom they may be I called to officiate. This method of proceeding may be considered as answering, in a great measure, to the conferring of deacon's orders in the church of England.

1 Diet. Hist. Biog. Universelle.

ton, he preached alternately at several places in the neighbourhood; till, upon Mr. James's death in 1724 or 1725, Mr. Amory was fixed as a stated assistant preacher to Mr. Datch of Hull Bishops; besides which, he had one monthly turn at Lambrook near South Petherton, and another at West Hatch, four miles from Taunton. At the same time, he was requested by his uncle, Mr. Grove, to take a part in the instruction of the pupils, in the room of Mr. James, with which request he complied. The business assigned him he discharged with great ability and diligence; being well qualified for it by his profound acquaintance with the Greek and Roman languages, his correct taste in the classics, and by his thorough knowledge of the best and latest improvements in sound philosophy. In 1730, he was ordained at Paul's meeting in Taunton, and from this time was united, in the congregation at Taunton, with Mr. Batsen; but that gentleman keeping the whole salary to himself, several of the principal persons in the society were so displeased with him, that, early in the spring of 1732, they agreed to build another meetinghouse, and to choose Mr. Amory for their pastor. In the beginning of 1738, on the death of Mr. Grove, he became chief tutor in the academy at Taunton, and conducted the business of it with the same abilities, and upon the same principles. He had the advantage of the lectures and experience of his excellent uncle, added to his own and many pupils were formed under him, of great worth and distinguished improvements in literature. In 1741, he married a daughter of Mr. Baker, a dissenting minister in Southwark; an excellent lady, who survived him, and with whom he lived in the greatest affection and harmony. By this lady he had several children, four of whom survived him. During his residence in Taunton he was held in the greatest esteem, not only by his own society, but by all the neighbouring congregations and ministers; and even those who differed the most from him in religious opinions, could not avoid paying a tribute of respect to the integrity and excellence of his character. He was much respected, likewise, by the gentlemen and clergy of the established church, and was particularly honoured, when very young, with the friendship of Mrs. Rowe, with whom he kept up a correspondence by letters. One instance of the respect entertained for him, and of his own liberal and honourable conduct, cannot be omitted. When some of

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