Imágenes de página
PDF
ePub

The fhock was trifling at my country-house at Harthill, which has many high trees about it; whereas, it was feverely felt at a gentleman's house in the neighbourhood, not so circumftanced.

A noise was antecedent to the concuffion, and gave the alarm to many persons who were infenfible of the fhock. It was particularly loud in feveral houses which have electrical conductors.

Few travellers, either on horse-back or in carriages, perceived the earthquake. The paffageboat upon the Duke of Bridgewater's canal, was suddenly stopped in its course, as if it had ftruck upon a cable, or other obftacle. Many perfons feemed to be electrified by the fhock, and wandering rheumatic pains fucceeded it.

A lady received a sudden stroke on her head, during the earthquake. She was standing in a closet, on the outfide wall of which, oppofite to her head, a leaden spout terminated, fo as to form an imperfect conductor. I am informed by a gentleman, whofe cattle graze in a large pafture near his house, that he obferved them to be exceedingly agitated before the earthquake; and

that,

that, previous to it, they all ran to their ufual place of shelter in ftorms.

These facts cannot be explained by any fuppofition of fermentations or explosions in the bowels of the earth, unless they be confidered as agents in the production and accumulation of the electrical fluid. And many of them feem to confirm the theory of Dr Stukely and Signior Beccaria concerning earthquakes. But, in whatever manner fuch awful and tremendous events may be accounted for, the pious philosopher, when he contemplates them, extends his views beyond all fecondary causes; and, directing them to the great Author of the univerfe, regards the laws of nature only as the exertions of his divine energy.

**My friend Dr Priestley, to whom I have communicated the preceding obfervations, and who is much better acquainted with electricity than I am, feems to be fully fatisfied that the late earthquake is not to be ascribed to any fubterranecus caufe. And he is perfuaded, that he shall be able to produce fimilar phaenomena, by means of a moft powerful and magnificent electrical machine, now in the poffeffion of Lord Shelburne,

from

from which he has feen sparks taken, in the open air, at the distance of twenty inches.

Extract of a letter from Andrew Daly, M. D. and Archiater at Bayreuth in Franconia, to Dr Duncan.

'The judicious writer, who fo rationally explodes the pretended miracles of the impoftor Gaffner, in the 15th number of the Medical Commentaries, is, however, mifinformed when he says, that the celebrated De Haen fided with Gaffner, and published a work De Miraculis, which was fuppreffed. In that work, which is really extant, the learned author, véry elaborately refutes all these pretended marvellous operations; and I therefore transcribe from it, for your perufal, fundry paragraphs, in which Dr De Haen gives his opinion on the fubject. Dr De Haen was, indeed, extremely inftrumental in expofing the whole affair in its proper light to their Imperial Majefties; and, by their order, Gaffner's manoeuvres were at length prohibited. Dr De Haen published a volume De Magia, about two years before his laft work De Miraculis made its appearance.

appearance. He infcribed both to Cardinal Eu genius. The dedicatory epiftle prefixed to the latter is dated in February 1776. Soon after this Dr De Haen perceived fymptoms of an asthma, and his legs became greatly inflated. In the course of the fummer, Profeffor Jacquin, his physician, defired a friend to inform me that Dr De Haen was much relieved by eating a large quantity of herrings; he died, however, not long after this. Dr De Haen, when very young, had feveral attacks of an hereditary gout, which he entirely removed by a strict milk diet at that time; and afterwards enjoyed perfect health to the age of about seventy.

[ocr errors]

This ingenious man, who honoured me with his friendship, was as amiable in private life as he was indefatigable in his public character. He was, perhaps, too apt to criticife with acrimony, and was very warm in maintaining any opinions he had espoused. This temper, a very unhappy one in a man of letters, created him an incredible number of adverfaries, who have an open field for retaliation, by his having written fo elaborately and theologically De Magia and De Miraculis. The only apology I think can be made to free Dr De Haen from the virulence of cenfure, is, that it is not unworthy

of

of any author to undertake the refutation even of ridiculous fuperftitious notions, when they are prejudicial to fociety: And, had he lived longer, I have reason to believe that the doctrine of those whom he calls, in his work De Miraculis, magnetici medici, would not have efcaped him. Gaffner's temporary reputation will, I prefume, make many laugh in Great Britain at the ignorance and credulity of the Germans; but the Germans will have a fufficient fund for retaliation, when they are told that a German urine-prophet, or mock-doctor, found means to enrich himself, even in the metropolis of the British Empire, at the expence of the public credulity."

The paragraphs referred to in this letter, extracted from Dr De Haen's work entitled De Miraculis liber, Francofurti et Lipfiae, ex officina Eflingeriana 1776, are the following:

Praefatio pag. 15. Utque adeo numerofiffimi illi (Energumeni), qui nunc Germaniam inundent, aut fimplices, aut vafri homines fint, quorum Sathanas perfonatus, vel ipfis vitam defidiofam ad tempus conciliet, vel infernalem fuam aftutiam atque vafritiem explendi facultatem praebeat, vel theatralem coronam Sycophantis Exorciftis imponat. Idem pag. 23. Sententia mea de nuperiori,

bus

« AnteriorContinuar »