a place in which stores are kept, of arms, ammunition, provisions, &c. Every fortified town ought to be furnished with a large magazine, which should contain stores of all kinds, sufficient to enable the garrison and inhabitants to hold out a long siege; and in which smiths, carpenters, wheelwrights, &c. may be employed in making everything belonging to the artillery; as carriages, wagons, &c.

Powder Magazine, is that place where the powder is kept in very large quantities. Authors differ greatly both with regard to their situation and construction; but all agree that they ought to be arched and bomb-proof. In fortifications, they are frequently placed in the rampart; but of late they have been built in different parts of the town. The first powder magazines were made with Gothic arches: but M. Vauban finding them too weak, constructed them in a semicircular form; whose dimensions are 60 feet long within, and 25 broad; the foundations are eight or nine feet thick, and eight feet high from the foundation to the spring of the arch; the floor is two feet from the ground, which keeps it from dampness.

One of our engineers of great experience some time since had observed, that after the centres of semicircular arches are struck, they settle at the crown and rise up at the hanches, even with a straight horizontal ex-magazine, trados, and fill much more so in powder magazines, whose outside at top is formed like the roof of a house, by two inclined planes joining in an angle over the top of the arch, to give a proper descent to the rain; which effects are exactly what might be expected agreeable to the true theory of arches. Now, as this shrinking of the arches must be attended with very ill consequences, by breaking the texture of the cement after it has been in some degree dried, and also by opening the joints of the vousoirs at one end, so a remedy is provided for this inconvenience with regard to bridges, by the arch of equilibration in Mr Hutton's book on bridges; but as the ill effect is much greater in powder magazines, the same ingenious gentleman proposed to find an arch of equilibration for them also, and to construct it when the span is 20 feet, the pitch or height 10 (which are the same dimensions as the semicircle), the inclined exterior walls at top forming an angle of 113 degrees, and the height of their angular point above the top of the arch equal to seven feet. This very curious question was answered in 1775 by the reverend Mr Wildbore, to be found in Mr Hutton's Miscellanea Mathematica.

Artillery Magazine. In a siege, the magazine is made about 25 or 30 yards behind the battery, towards the parallels, and at least three feet under ground, to hold the powder, loaded shells, portfires, &c. Its sides and roof must be well secured with boards to prevent the earth from falling in: a door is made to it, and a double trench or palisade is sunk from the magazine to the battery, one to go in and the other to come out at, to prevent confusion. Sometimes traverses are made in the palisades to prevent ricochet shot from plunging into them.

Magazine, on shipboard, a close room or storehouse, built in the fore or after-part of the hold, to contain the gunpowder used in battle. This apartment is strongly secured against fire, and no person is allowed to enter it with a lamp or candle: it is therefore lighted, as occasion requires, by means of the candles or lamps in the light-room contiguous to it.

Magazine Air-Gun. See Air-Gun.

Magazines, Literary; a well-known species of periodical publications, of which the first that appeared was The Gentleman's Magazine, set on foot by the projector Mr Edward Cave in the year 1731: (see the article CAVE). This, as Dr Kippis observes*, "may be considered as *Big-Britain* something of an epocha in the literary history of this country. The periodical performances before that time were almost wholly confined to political transactions, and to foreign and domestic occurrences; but the monthly magazines have opened a way for every kind of inquiry and information. The intelligence and discussion contained in them are very extensive and various; and they have been the means of diffusing a general habit of reading through the nation, which in a certain degree hath enlarged the public understanding. Many young authors, who have afterwards risen to considerable eminence in the literary world, have here made their first attempts in composition. Here too are preferred a multitude of curious and useful hints, observations, and facts, which otherwise might have never appeared; or if they had appeared in a more evanescent form, would have incurred the danger of being lost. If Magdalen, it were not an invidious task, the history of them would be no incurious or unentertaining subject. The magazines that unite utility with entertainment, are undoubtedly preferable to those (if there have been any such) which have only a view to idle and frivolous amusement. It may be observed, that two of them, The Gentleman's and The London, which last was begun the year after the former, have amidst their numerous rivals preserved their reputation to the present day. They have both of them, in general, joined instruction with pleasure; and this likewise hath been the case with some others of a latter origin."—The original London Magazine, it is believed, has been discontinued for some years past.—The next oldest publication of this kind is that entitled The Scots Magazine; which was commenced at Edinburgh a few years posterior to the appearance of the Gentleman's at London; which, like it, has survived many rivals; and which still subsists, deservedly esteemed for the chaffiness of its plan and the accuracy of its information.