preparations are making at the feveral docks for the equipment of a powerful

navy.

Letters from Madrid fay, that his Catholic Majefty has given orders for three feventy-gun fhips to be put upon the stocks at Ferrol, and two of fixty at Carthagena; to be built with the utmost expedition.

A letter from Amsterdam mentions, that 2000 tons of cordage are now fhipping at that port, for the use of the French navy.

9.

Octob. Laft faturday was observed by the Jews as a day of fafting and humiliation, in order to atone and expiate for their fins of the last year, according to the Ordinance of Mofes, mentioned in the xvith chapter of Leviticus. It was kept in so strict a manner, that there was not an Ifraelite to be seen in the streets from the friday night at fix, to seven in the next evening; a great many of them were in the fynagogue all that time; neither did any of them, during that space of time, either eat, drink, or even indulge themfelves with a pinch of fnuff: on which occafion Mr. Jacob Gonzales, a Ja maica merchant, prefented the Portu guese fynagogue with 100 I. and others gave donations according to their refpective abilities.

On funday morning the ancient fociety of College Youths rang a compleat peal of five thousand one hundred and twenty Oxford Treble Bob Royals, at the parish church of St. Giles's in the fields, in three hours and feven minutes.

Last week an apple, the fize of a large walnut, was brought from Wyland to Newcastle, which was the fecond growth this year of a tree in the garden there. Last week was cast on fhore, 1 mile above Bridlington Bay, in Yorkshire, a large and uncommon fish, that weighed upwards of 233 1. fomewhat refembling the bottle-fish, or hirfk, but the real name the oldest fisherman here could not tell; it was bought for a trifle by a fishwoman at that place, who retailed it to the inhabitants as a fine fea falmon, at the rate of 3d. and 4d. per

pound; but the purchasers' finding out the feeret, carried the woman to the fide of the Bay, and gave her a most fevere fea ducking.

Octob. 10. In the late dispatches to the court of Madrid, among other important articles, are faid to be contain ed exprefs orders to the earl of Rochfort, to demand Spain's final determination, with regard to the ransom of the Manillas; according to which our miniftry are to regulate certain affairs of importance now on the carpet.

A letter from France mentions, that the difinterested behaviour of the Monf. Morriette, late counsel for the Cales family, has fo endeared him to all ranks, that it is common at Paris to distinguish that gentleman by the appellation of a fecond Lord Chief Juftice Pratt.

It is faid Governor Littleton's eftimate of the lofs fuftained in the bay of Honduras, is come over in the late packet, arrived at Falmouth from the Weft Indies.

The Winchelsea, Capt. How, in the fervice of the East India Company, was loft by the carelessness or unskilfulness of the pilot, who run her on a fand. bank, but there happily were no lives loft: the captain is come home in the Liverpool. She was immensely rich, having upwards of one hundred and twenty thousand pounds in fpecie on board, besides other great valuables.

It is reported, that 30 per cent. were infured upon the Winchelfea, Capt. How, lately lost in her paffage from the Weft Indies.

The general report is, that the Com. pany's affairs abroad bear but an indifferent afpect; that the majors Adams and Knox are both dead; that part of the English army (supposed to be some French foldiers and feapoys in our fervice) were deferted to the enemy [Indians] and that Shaw Sadir, Coffim Aly Cawn the late Nabob, and the prince to whom he fled after his defeat, were determined to unite their forces against the English.

We hear an additional number of armed cutters are ordered to cruize in the firth of Clyde during the winter.

For

淡淡

1764.

nant Women.

MADAM,

Y

women.

OU remember how much I astonished you, the other day, by calling in question the wonderful effects of the imagination in pregnant You told me, you had not fuppofed, till then, there was a man living, who doubted fo notorious a fact. You thought it had never been denied, that a fright, a longing, and various other paflions of the mother, would effect the embryo in fuch a manner as to produce a deformity, or preternatural appearance, in fome one part of its body. At the fame time you de-, clared, how happy it would make you, and many other women, could I explode this prejudice, if it were a prejudice, for that you was almost afraid to ftir abroad, least some strange object should injure your offspring; and, in fhort, that the whole term of your pregnancy, was, on this account, a state of uneafinefs and apprehension. In order, therefore, to remove this anxiety, I fhall endeavour to demonstrate, that, notwithstanding the almoft univerfality of the opinion, it is one of the fuperVOL. III,

Ritions of antient times, and has no better authority for its fupport than prescription.

The hiftories of monftrous births, where the imperfection or deformity is afcribed to fome affection of the mother, are numberlefs; and indeed so authenticated, that an advocate for the power of imagination will triumphantly tell you, Facts are stubborn things, and that all reasoning is sophistry, when oppofed to facts but the answer to this kind of argument is, that experience fhews it is difficult to ascertain a fact; and that, when we coolly and carefully examine the truth of reputed facts, they are often difcovered to have been advance ed thro' haftinefs and credulity, and to have been perpetuated thro'ignorance and fervility.-It is entirely owing to the fashion of fcrutinizing into facts, that the arts and fciences have made a greater progrefs within these last two centuries, than they had done the preceding two thousand years. Upon this principle, therefore, I fhall enquire into the credibility of thofe hiftories; and, if I can demonftrate, that they are incredible, you will then grant, that these boafted facts are either innocent delufions, or downright impoftures.

The productions of nature, in the feveral claffes both of living and inani mate things, are not all equally perfect: g, ૧

we

we fee in birds, beafts, and plants, every now and then, an irregular or preternatural formation; but when the acci dent happens to the human fpecies, an Opinion has been adopted, that a fright, or fome other affection of the mother, in the course of her pregnancy, has wrought the change. They mean, if they mean any thing, that at the inftant the mother received the impreffion, the child was of the natural form, but, by the power of her imagination, the structure of the parts was that moment altered, and affumed the appearance either fuddenly or gradually, with which the child was born. They must conceive, that the infant who is born with a large discolouration on any part of its skin, had, before the difcolouration took place, a fair skin: that the child who is born with fix toes, had originally but five; and again, that the child who is born with one leg, or one arm, had originally two; and fo of every other preternatural appearance, whether it be an increase or defect of the parts of the body.

Now, madam, to fhorten my letter as much as poffible, I fhall fingle out a cafe, from the many narratives published in favour of that opinion; and, by expofing the abfurdity of this one example, you will infer, that all the other wonderful stories of the fame kind, are equally abfurd. It has been alledged, that a lady advanced 5 or 6 months in her pregnancy, has been so terrified, by a beggar's thrufting fuddenly the ftump of an amputated arm into her coach, that the child, of which the was afterwards brought to bed, was born with a stump of an arm, resembling that of the beggar.

Be fo good to pause here a while, and confider what an operation must be performed to work this effect. A child at the term of 5 or 6 months, is of a confiderable bulk, and the arm itself not small. This arm must drop off by the power of imagination; there must be no blood lost to endanger the life of the child; and the wound must be healed before the birth. Does not the mere

ftating this propofition expofe it ridicu loufnels? I am alinost ashamed to urge any other reasons to demonstrate the folly of it; but shall obferve, for argument's fake, that, admitting a limb could drop off by the force of fancy, it ftill would remain with the mother, till the delivery; the bones, at least, would not putrify and waste away, tho' the filefh fhould: but it was never pretended, in cafes of this nature, that any part of the limb was found by the midwife; and, what is also worthy of observing, the ftumps of all fuch imperfect limbs have a smooth skin, which plainly evinces they were, from their first formation, of the same figure; for, had there been a wound, there would have been a fcar, and fcars are very diftinguishable from sound skin.

Perhaps you will reply, that, in the inftance I have quoted, they committed a mistake who afcribed such an event to such a caufe; but that, probably, tho' the power of imagination cannot work on the large limbs fuch great effects, ftill it may on the leffer. In anfwer to this fuppofition, I must inform you, that the histories of this kind stand upon the fame foundation, and are equally well attefted with any of the others, which may appear lefs marvellous; and if the evidence of the one be given up, the evidence for the reft will fall to the ground. Befides, madam, a philofopher will instruct you, that what feems in your eyes little and fimple, is as wonderful, in its organization, as things of a larger scale; that, to add a fixth finger, or a fixth toe, to a child, is as great an instance of a miraculous pow. er, as to add two or three legs, or two or three arms therefore you may be affured, all the metamorphofes faid to be wrought during pregnancy, are equally practicable, and equally true.

I believe there is no defect more fre. quent than that of the hare lip; and it feldom happens that a woman, who bas a child with that deformity, does not endeavour to recollect the either longed for hare, or was frightened by a hare, or faw fomebody with a hare lip, no

matter

matter which. A woman, already prepoffeffed there must have been some fuch caufe, is not long at a lofs; her memory, or her prejudice, foon furnishes her with a fact, and the inftance of this child is added to the long catalogue and forgeries and falle facts.

Discolourations, or spots on the skin, is another very common appearance, are fondly resembled, by fome people, to certain fruits. I do not mean to enter particularly into the confideration of 'this article; and should not have mentioned it, but to expofe the great propenfity there is in the world, to uphold one piece of fuperftition by another. You must have heard, how much it is believed, that thefe fpots grow vivid, as the respective fruits they are faid to resemble, ripen; and afterwards fade away during the winter feafon now, though the affertion be falfe, and the faithood very palpable, yet credulity has hitherto prevailed over 'truth, at least amongst the vulgar.

:

The preternatural configuration of the parts of the body, is a much more frequent phenomenon than the generality of mankind imagine: the deviations on the external parts only, are the objects of their contemplation; but a natomists know, that the internal parts are likewife fubject to the fame diforders. To take one example out of a hundred it has been observed, in the diflection of a body, that, instead of two kidneys, nature has only beltowed one, which the has enlarged, and placed upon the middle of the back-bone. In this inftance, where the variation was imperceptible, till the death of the fubject, I will be bold to say, that the mother never fuggefted any frights or longings as the cause of that elect; and yet the cafe was as extraordinary as where that plea is advanced. Again, it happens that these preternatural productions occur equally amongst all ranks of people, and in every part of the world, as much amongst those who have never pretended to affign a caufe, as amongst the credulous, who never want one. It then we grant it to be fometimes an e

vent of nature, why fhould we doubt that it is not always fo? Do we not fmile, when Sir Roger de Coverly seriously tells the fpectators, that he does not believe Moll White had any hand in the high wind, which blew down one end of his barn? Storms, we know, are events that muft and do arife in the ordinary courfe of nature; and therefore we laugh when weak people fuppofe they are fometimes raised by witches and conjurers. Give me leave to fay, that it is equally unphilofophical to admit, that irregularities in the forma tion of a child, are fometimes events in the ordinary course of nature, and at other times are brought about by a caule fo very difproportionate to the effect: I may juitly fay difproportionate, fince a knife, and a faw, or a hammer and chiffel, feem requifite for the operation, in fome of the inftances I have alluded to.

I have before hinted, that not only in the animal, but also in the vegetable world, there is a variety of preternatural productions; which circumstance alone fhould teach us, that whatever be the appearance, that appearance took its rife in the very moment of its formation; fince it cannot be presumed, that plants are actuated by any perception or fancy, as women are faid to be: but left you should tell me, this is an unfair parallel, and that you do not underftand the analogy betwixt vegetables and animals, I fhall beg leave to illuftrate what I have laid down by another confideration.

Those who have been attentive to their poultry, will inform you, that chickens are as liable to a preternatural ftructure of their organs, as children: this propofition being granted, let us proceed a little farther into the enquiry. The egg, in order to be hatched, is placed under the hen, the heat of whofe body gives motion to the fluids which nourish the chick, till it becomes fufficiently strong to break the fhell, when it is produced with a claw extraordinary, or any other preternatural appear ance, to which chickens are liable. Now, in this cafe, the cxtraordinary claw, if 244 2

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