character of fair, the statement of the Reviewer can lay no claim; for he expreffes himself in fuch a manner as muft lead a ftranger to fuppofe that, by fome improper means, Mr Bruce or I had got poffeffion of Dr Hun. ter's written lectures, and clandeftinely appropriated them to our own ufe. Were this the meaning which he wishes to convey to the public, I would not hesitate to call him an infamous calumniator; for I could fupport the charge by the written teftimony of the Doctor himself. But he expreffes himself afterwards in different terms. "The article Grammar (fays he,) "is known to confit almost entirely "of mere tranfcripts of grammati"cal exercises in the humanity clafs, 66 upon the fubject of the Profeffor's "lectures. These exercises were not "only published without the Profef"for's knowledge or approbation, "but the statement of his doctrines "is frequently inaccurate." This paragraph expreffes fome truth, fome falfehood, and fomething that is foreign from the purpofe. It is furely foreign from the purpofe of the Reviewer, to enquire whether Dr Hunter's doctrines be accurately ftated or not, in a work which profeffes not to state them; for, if the authors of the article Grammar have availed themselves of all the information which they could honourably procure, to make that article as complete as they were able, they have difcharged their duty to the public; and it, is not eafy to conceive what injury they have done to the Profeffor, by forbearing to poft his name against their mistakes. It is falfe, as every man knows who has read even Harris's Hermes and Horne Tooke's Diverfions of Purley, that the article Grammar in the Encyclo. pædia confifts almost entirely of tranfcripts of Grammatical exercifes in the Humanity Clafs on the subject of the Profeffor's lectures. It is however true, that part of it confifts of tran fcripts of effays written by a pupil of Dr Hunter's; and it is likewife true, that thofe effays were published without the Doctor's confent; becaufe a confent, which he had no right either to give or to withhold, it would have been folly to afk. The effays in queftion were written by Mr Bruce, fome of them for himfelf when attending the humanity. fchool, and others for his friends after he had commenced the ludy of theology. They were written for prizes, which the late Earl of Kinnoul, then Chancellor of the Univerfity, gave every year to the ftudents, who, in the different claffes, appear ed by fuch performances to have made the greatest progrefs in literature and fcience. To all Mr Bruce's gram matical effays, I believe prizes were adjudged by Dr Hunter himself ; and in one of them, I know that the Doctor lavished fuch praifes as no man of letters, not loft to all fense of honour and modefty, could lavish on his own compofitions. Thefe effays were as much the property of Mr Bruce as any medical thefes ever publifhed in the University of Edinburgh was the property of the young phyfician whofe name stood as that of author on its title page; and though not printed, they may be faid to have been published foon after they were written, for many copies of them were difperfed through England by the late Dr Berkeley of Canterbury and his fon fome copies were circulated both in England and in Scotland by myself; and I have been told (but perhaps falfely) that Dr Hunter, to ferve the interells of his favourite pupil, embraced every opportunity of fhewing his philological effays to his learned friends. This being a fair ftate of the cafe, which I am under no apprehenfion of feeing controverted, your readers will determine whether any apology whatever was due to Dr Hanter for inferting in the Encyclopædia what the Reviewer Reviewer calls transcripts of Gram- are men of like learning, like difpo matical exercifes; and if they will take the trouble to turn to the 15th page of the preface to that work, they will find that no apology whatever has been made to him. Mr Bruce, who at one period of his life was treated with much kindnefs by the Profeffor, thought that a public expreffion of gratitude was due from him to his old mafter; but from me, who never did Dr Hunter an injury, nor ever received from him a favour, nothing was due to that Grammarian but justice; and STRICT juftice has been done to him. He knows why the word STRICT is here printed in capitals; and if he wishes the public to know likewife, he has but to exprefs that with, and it fhall be complied with. I will not, however, gratify the curiofity of any anonymous writer, by publishing the Doctor's letters on this fubject to the late Mr Macfarquar, unless I be requefted to do fo by himself, or compelled to do fo by the impertinence of his pretended friends; and without the perufal of thofe letters, your readers would not perhaps comprehend the propriety of the latter part of the note which the Reviewer calls an apology. Does this Reviewer, when he informs us that Dr Hunter has been in the habit of giving public lectures on grammar from a date anterior to the publication of Horne Tooke's letter to Mr Dunning, mean to infinuate, that Horne Tooke borrowed the better part of his principles from Dr Hunter? or does his meaning extend no farther, than that these two learned and acute men had, unknown to each other, taught the fame grammatical doctrines? If the former be his meaning, he will not probably gain much credit with the public; if he means nothing more than what is implied in the latter queftion, he communicates no information which will surprise those, who believe, as I do, that Dr Hunter and Horne Tooke fitions, and like principles. When the I have now done with the Reviewer, and with Philalethes. If Dr Hunter himself make any reply to this letter, due notice fhall be taken of it; for he will not be fo abfurd as to find fault with the Encyclopædia, because it confifts not wholly of original matter; but having vindicated my character, and the character of my friend, I will make no reply to any future attack by an anonymous writer. Stirling, I am, Your's, &c. Aug. 19th 1799. GEO. GLEIG. CHARAC From an original letter found in a book purchased in Edinburgh*. Dungannon, June 28th, 1762. Soft in the feaft, but thund'ring in the fight, SIR, MUST entreat your pardon for the liberty which I, a perfect ftranger to you, take, of troubling you with the following lines, which I know no other method of commu nicating to the Tranflator of Offian's Unknown to Offian, tho' the Mufes' Mild as the evening beam, and as the ta mid-day bright. Cold tho' his clime, and barbarous his fcious twine, Thou King of Songs ! around thy brows divine, The wreath of genius. Thee, her first in fame, Thy country boafts. And not of vulgar fame Among the fons of melody her praise, For frength of thought and harmony of lays. I might leave off here; and prohave a ftrong temptation to give you bably you may wish I did; but I a morceau in Latin; being a verfion of fome favourite lines in Hughes's Siege *The name of the perfon to whom the letter was addreffed does not appear, and probably, after the lapfe of fo many years, the writer of it may no longer exift. But as it is poffible he may be yet living, I beg you will print only the initials of his name I do not recollect to have feen any publication by him, though he appears to have been very capable of entertaining and inftructing the public. G. H. Ed. Mag. Auguft 1799. M Siege of Damafcus. If they please, they may poffibly be followed by fome fcenes of Cato, in tranflating which, I paffed away fome hours of laft winter, which had otherwife been dull enough. Look in the third act for the Soliloquy of Phocyas, begin. ning with these words:" Farewell! and think of death," &c. Caled ]-Vale, & mortem cogita. Exit Phocyas folus -Vale, & mortem cogita! Hoc monet Barbarus? Præcepta morum dant ergo & Sicarii ? Qui vero cogitem de qua nil norunt vivi, Nec potis eft defunctis, aut voluntas dicere? Effare quid fis, Terror O magne ! & Limes vitam inter mortalem, & mortis expertem, Omne quod citra, viæ eft. Credas te Quem tamen nequeas attingere cogitando. modo tangere ; At fruftra comprenius effugiet manum: A tergo longe eft, fefelliique mentem. Nil reftat quod fentiam; id enim omne Nec eft quod ultra reformidem. I have left my felf no more than room to repeat my request, that you may pardon this intrufion, and to fubfcribe myself, Sir, Your moft obedient humble fervant, If you favour me with an an- AN ACCOUNT OF THE MANNER OF MAKING LEAVEN IN FRANCE; THE The manner of getting it good, is to mix (the day before one intends to bake, and before going to bed) a little of the dough before mentioned, with a third of the flour intended to make bread: the whole is to be mixed and diluted with cold water: this forms a compact dough, which ought to be left all night in a corner of the trough, covered with a proportion of flour, raifed in rolls and preffed hard to give it more folidity, and to prevent the leaven from extending itself out of its limits. The day after, at about fix in the morn. ing, it is fit to be used; with cold water it commonly takes feven or eight hours to be ready, with warm about three, but the dough is always foft. If found that on the following day the leaven was paffed, that is, already four, as may happen in the great heat of fummer, or when a ftorm has taken place during the night; it is then fufficient to renew and refresh it, by adding to it half of its weight in new flower and cold water in three hours after, it is fit to be used. When the leaven is thus prepared, they begin by putting it entire without breaking it, with a proportion of water, and it ought to be diluted very quickly and very exactly to prevent any lumps from remaining; when it is fufficiently diluted, they add to it the remainder of the water, which ought ought to be cold in fummer, and tepid, or warm, on the contrary, in winter, to counteract the effects of the hands in the two feafons, and to produce an oppofite one. They then mix all the flour deftined to be employed with the leaven, and affemble the whole in a lump which they work with the hands, carrying it from left to right, heaving it up, cutting and dividing it with the fingers folded and the thumb ftretched out that is what is called thrilling; they work it up feveral times in the fame manner, fcraping the trough every time; they introduce afterwards, in the lump, the dough that has been de tached from it with a little water, and carry it in the fame manner on the other fide; this is what is called contre frafer, or thrilling in the oppofite way. The kneading is ended by making a hollow place in the dough and pouring water in it: this labour ferves to divide and confound the coarfest part of the flour, and by the continued, quick, and fpeedy motion, forms new air, which renders the dough more viscous, more equal, long er and lighter, and it produces a bread better tafted and whiter; this third labour is called Baffinage or fermentation. To add yet to the perfection which the fermentation gives to the dough, they ftrike it with the hands, preffing it by the fides, and folding it up on itself, extending and cutting it with the hands closed and letting it fall with effort. The dough being thus fufficiently worked out, is taken from the trough and divid ed into fuch parts as are judged pro. per, cutting and ftriking it fill, and placing it in a lump near the oven, where it muft remain half an hour in winter, to enable it to preserve its warmth and to ferment: it must be turned and divided, on the contrary, when the weather is hot. The effect of fermentation is to attenuate and divide the new dough, to introduce in it a good deal of air, which as it cannot difengage itself entirely, being prevented by its vifcofity and confiftency, forms in it eyes or little concavities, raises it up, widens and fwells it: it is for that reafon, that this portion of flour kneaded with old dough, which determines all its effects, has obtained the name of leven or levain, from the French lever, to rise. This operation requires a certain degree of heat to be made flowly and gradually it is effential to accelerate or ftop the fermentation according to the feafon of the year, to make it produce its effects about the fame time in fummer or winter; for that purpose the dough ought to be put in baskets covered with linen or flannels, in a warm or cold place, according to the feafon; fire must be put in the oven, as the neceffary time to heat it, is much about that required for the fermentation to come to its point, or for the bread to have taken what is called its due preparation. DESCRIPTION OF AN IRISH SWEATING-HOUSE. From the Same. Had heard of an odd cuftom peculiar to the inhabitants of this country, and I wished to be certain whether it prevailed amongst them, it is their making ufe of what they call a fweating-house, as a remedy for every complaint. Mr Hamilton was fo kind as to take me to one in his neighbourhood. The reader muft, I fuppofe, be at a lofs to conceive what they mean by a sweating house; figure to yourself an oven five or fix feet high, and about three broad; exactly refembling a thimble, and inte M 2 *Of Brown-Hall, near Ballytra. which |