РОЕТ І CAL. Art. 12. The Poetical Review: a visionary Poem. By a Gentle On each gay object which Dame Nature yield,— From Tom the Tinker to the garter'd Knight!' This Gentleman' is, certainly, Tom the Tinker, himself, in dif guife. Another couplet, or two; for we do not often meet with fach exquifite stuff. As honeft Tom is dreaming about the foaming preacher of Shoredb, he obferves that his (the foaming preacher's) -Changing talents ev'ry fancy hit, The gay The-atre, or devou: Pul-pit.' Well faid, friend Tom! If thou hadit but a little fenfe, a little literature, and a little notion of tagging a rhime, thou mighteft, perhaps, be able to write verses for the St. Giles's Magazine. POLITICAL. Art. 13. De Jure Colonias inter et Metropolen apud Prifcos. 12mo. 1 s. 6d. Geneva printed, and fold by Cater in London. 1277. This very short treatife, concerning the refpective rights of colonies and parent ftates among the ancients, which is faid to be printed at Geneva, is, we have reafon to think, manufactured much nearer home. Be this, however, as it may, it contains fome very juft, general ideas, which may be of confiderable ufe to fuch readers as are defirous of having a more extenfive and accurate acquaintance with the fubject, efpecially if they confult thofe paffages in the Greek and Roman writers which are referred to by the Author. The judicious reader may form fome idea of the Author's political complexion, from the following fhort paffage, which we shall give in his own words, as it fhews the plan of his work-Coloniarum duplex eft genus, primum, ubi vel in terras metropoli fubditas mittuntur coloni, vel in alias, metropoli opes et arma præbenti alterum, in quo opibus fuis freti coloni, in terras metropoli non fubditas proficifcuntur. Hi funt immunes et fui juris, illi metropoli fubditi funt et obnoxii. Quod nunc pluribus et luculenter oftendere aggredior. L A W. R. Art. 14. Cafes of Practice in the Court of King's Bench at Westminster, from the Reign of Queen Elizabein to the 14th of Geo. III, a Period of near 220 Years. Selected from, and examined by, the Books of Reports; and methodically arranged under proper Titles: fhewing the whole Practice of that Court, ancient and modern; and being a Complete Guide to all Barrillers as well as. Attornies. With a Table containing the Names of the Cafes, and Index of the principal Matters. By a Gentleman of the Middle Temple. 4to. 12 s. bound. Owen. 1778. The authority of precedents is well known at the bar; a collection of precedents therefore, well arranged, as this appears to be, must afford great affiftance to practitioners, even though it fhould fail, as it probably will, of thewing the whole practice of the court, and of being a complete guide to all barristers as well as attornies. N. Art. 15. Inftructions for registering Deeds, Conveyances, Wills, and other Incumbrances, affecting Eftates in the County of Middlefex; with Precedents of Memorials of every Kind, made Ufe of for the Regiftring of fuch Deeds, Conveyances, and Wills, &c. And Affidavits of the due Execution of fuch Deeds, and Memorials executed in the Country: and alfo the Form of discharging Mortgages by Certificate; with an Affidavit of the due Execution thereof, where the Parties live at a Distance from London. By William Rigge, Deputy Register for the County of Middlefex. 8vo. 5 s. Sold by the Author at the Middlefex Register Office, Bell-yard. By an act of 7 Anne, c. 20, all deeds, wills, or other incumbrances affecting real estates in the county of Middlesex, are to be registered in the manner therein directed, to render them valid: a like regulation was established by the 8 Geo. II. c. 6. in the north riding of Yorkshire; and ought, for the full fecurity of all tranfactions relating to land, to be extended through every county. The trouble, delay, and errors, arifing from a want of knowledge in the neceffary forms of tranfacting bufinefs at the Middlefex Register Office, induced Mr. Rigge to draw up thefe inftructions and precedents, for the mutual ease of himself and all thofe who bring deeds to register: these motives, and his ftation in that office, render it unneceffary to add any thing farther in recommendation of this compendium. DRAMATIC. N. Art. 16. The Gipfies; a Comic Opera, in Two Acts; as it is performed at the Theatre-Royal in the Hay market. 8vo. 1 S. Cadell. 1778. An indifferent tranflation of an indifferent petite piece, intituled, Les Bohemiens. The English, indeed, is, in one intance, lefs exceptionable than the French: it is fhorter. HUSBANDRY, &c. Art. 17. Obfervations on the Tillage of the Earth, and on the Theory of Inftruments adapted to this End. By James Black, of Morden in Surry. 4to. s. boards. Elmly. 1778. As all the civilized part of mankind, depend for fubfiftence on the culture of the earth, tillage fubfifts by unremitted practice all over Europe, and many valuable improvements, on true philofophical principles, are brought to the telt of experiment, in this country in particular. Thefe principles, with the refuit of them, have of late years been repeatedly laid before the Public, in numerous writings; fo numerous, as that every county, if not every parish, abounds with actual examples, obvious to the traveller as well as the native, so that he who rides may read; it might be thought, that until fome very important new difcoveries are made, the prefent generation at least, were fufficiently flocked with agricultural books. But farmers are like other men; and becaufe fome fuccefs fui cultivators have diftinguished themfelves by publishing their principles and experiments, every literary husbandman would be a Virgil, a Columella, or a Tull: and thus country gentlemen and inquifitive farmers, have ventured and loft much time and much money, on the credit of confident writers, from the days of Ellis of Little Gaddefden, to the prefent moment. If Mr. Black is fkilful in the art of tillage, which we have no reafon to dispute, he must practice much better than he can defcribe. His obfervations are of a defultory nature, and he is quite an humourift with his pen; affecting a learned, quaint, fententioufnefs, little fuitable to the apprehenfions of plain country readers. Let an entire paragraph fhew whether this reprefentation is injurious : What is it that makes fresh earth fruitful is it not the accumulation of the influences of the elements which remain on the fuperficies, without a poffibility of pene:rating deeper? treh fand is not fo. Has nature fickened? Is the in danger of death, unless relieved by our noftrums? Has the fun abated an atom of his regular period? Have the former and latter rains mifcarried? Has the easterly wind failed of returning at his appointed feafon, to dry the earth? Are there not ox lands? Can the art of man prepare an ox fatting grafs land, by means of his compounded dunghills? Que fai je? Et qui pourroit tout dire fans un mortel ennuy ?` Lire for dire, would give a much better close to a string of interrogations that muft edify an honeft farmer in a wonderful manner! The plates, fuitable to the defcriptions, are mere etchings, too coarfe and rude to communicate a clear idea of mechanical contri vances; and they are as loofely and inaccurately referred to: add to thefe circumstances, that the conftruction of ploughs ought to be explained without the affiftance of Sir Ifaac Newton, or of the far fetched terms of vis inertia, and vis impressa. The performance, however, affords on the whole, glimpses of knowledge, that incline us to think Mr. Black may really understand what he is about, when his pen is out of his hand. MISCELLANEOUS. N. Art. 18. Mentoria: Or the Young Ladies Inftructor, in fami Jiar Converfations on Moral and Entertaining Subjects; calculated to improve yourg Minds in the effential as well as ornamental Parts of Female Education. By Mifs Ann Murray. Dedicated by Permiffion, to the Princess Royal. 12mo. 38. bound. Dilly. 1778. There is fuch a general want of useful elementary books, for the inftruction of young perfons, and particularly of young ladies, that it is a great mortification to us not to be able to recommend the prefent work, as judicioufly adapted for this purpofe. But we muft not fuffer our tenderness for a female writer, or the protection of a royal dedication, to bias our decifion. Upon a careful examination of the various contents of this fmall volume, we find ourselves obliged to declare it as our opinion, that though the dialogues on topics of decorum, morality and religion, contain many ufcful hints of information and advice, thofe on fcientific fubjects are too fuperficial to give a young perfon any ufeful ideas refpecting the first rudiments of knowledge. The ftory of Romulus and Remus fills up the dialogue on hiftory; and the feveral fubjects of grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, arithmetic, algebra, geometry, aftronomy and mufic, are dispatched in one dialogue of 24 pages; at the clofe of which, the pupil very properly exclaims, "I with, my dear Mentoria, I understood all the fciences; how wife and clever I fhould be!" E. Art. 19. A Differtation on the Folclande and Boclande of the Saxons, 4to. I s. 6d. Richardion. White, &c. 'Boclande, Booklande, or Charter-land is defcribed, fays this writer, to be land granted by the King to his Thanes, and limited to them and their heirs by the authority of a charter. Folcland or Folkland was that portion of the country which remained in the hands of the people in general, unfecured by charter, and unfettered by limitations. Boclande is fometimes denominated Thainlande, Tainlande, and Toinlande, from the Thegen, Tanus or Baron to whom it invariably appertained. The Eorl, Gerefa, or Reve was the fupreme governor of the Folclande, and hence it is frequently described under the name of Reveland. Sir Edward Coke informs us, that the Boclande differed nothing from free hold land, and that the Folcland had the fame affinity to copy-hold land.' The author proceeds to confider this fubject, in order to determine farther the queftion, whether Feudal property had a Saxon or a Norman original? If it is attributed to the latter, we muft, he fays, regard it as an innovation on the common law, the arbitrary impofition of a tyrant, inimical to the liberties of the fufpected fubjects of his acquired territory. If we derive the feudal conftitution from the Saxons, it affumes a milder form: we connect it with a government that tended to promote the liberty of the fubject, and to preferve it from infringement; with the names of Alfred and Edward, and with the laws that have made thofe names venerable.' An inquiry of this kind, he obferves, has been made a few years ago by a gentleman of known learning and extenfive abilities; and he should have continued in a state of perfect conviction, had it not been exprefsly controverted in a late publication where (it is faid) a contrary hypothefis is maintained with fome degree of pertinacity. This differtation will prove acceptable to perfors who apply themselves to those studies in which tl e prefent, fubject is involved. H. Art. 20. A few Remarks on the Hiftory of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Relative chiefly to the Two latt Chapters. By a Gentlemaḥ. 8vo. Robson. 1778. We have here fome remarks which have efcaped the notice of the other anfwerers of Mr. Gibbon; they are not very numerous, indeed, and fome of them are of no great importance; but they fhew the Author to be a man of fenfe, and of confiderable learning. As the character of St. Cyprian, he fays, has been drawn rather in dark shades by Mr. Gibbon, a fhort fketch of his life. taken from Pontius and his own epiftles, may not, he thinks, be unacceptable; accordingly he employs fitteen or fixteen pages upon this fubject; to which we must refer our Readers. R. Art. 1 Art. 21. Seven Difcourfes, delivered in the Royal Academy, by the Prefident. 8vo. 5s. Boards, Cadell. 1778. The excellent difcourfes here collected, have all been feverally re'viewed in our journal, at the times of their original, feparate publication. This edition of them is, with propriety, dedicated to the King, in the following terms: The regular progrefs of cultivated life is from neceffaries to accommodations, from accommodations to ornaments. By your illuftrious predecefiors were established marts for manufactures, and colleges for science; but for the arts of elegance, thofe arts by which manufactures are employed, and fcience is refined, to found an Academy was referved for your Majefty. Had fuch patronage been without effect, there had been reafon to believe that nature had, by fome infurmountable impediment, obfructed our proficiency, but the annual improvement of the exhibitions which your Majefly has been pleafed to encourage, fhews that only encouragement had been wanting. 6 To give advice to those who are contending for royal liberality, has been for fome years the duty of my flation in the Academy; and thefe difcourfes hope for your Majefty's acceptance as well intended endeavours to excite the emulation which your notice has kindled, and direct thofe ftudies which your bounty has rewarded.' Art. 22. The Sportfman's Dictionary; or the Gentleman's Companion for Town and Country. Containing full and particular Intructions for Riding, Hunting, Fowling, Setting, Fishing, Racing, Farriery, Cocking, Hawking, &c. With the various Methods to be obferved in Breeding and Dieting of Horfes, both for the Road and Turf; alfo the Management of Dogs, Game Cocks, Durghill Fowls, Turkeys, Geefe, Ducks, Pigeons, Singing Birds, &c. And the Method of curing their various Diseases and Accidents. Collected from the belt Authors; with very confiderable Additions and Improvements. By experienced Gentlemen. Illuftrated with Copper Plates, reprefenting all the different Kinds of Nets, Snares, and Traps, that are now made Ule of. 4to. 15s. Boards. Fielding and Walker. 1778. Reprinted from the old Sportman's Dictionary (a work well known), in two volumes, 8vo. The language is not elegant, but the materials feem to have been originally furnished, as the title-page profeffes, by perfons experienced in rural sports, occupations, and pastimes. Art. 23. Proceedings of a Court Martial, held at Cambridge *, by Order of Major General Heath, commanding the American Troops for the Northern District, for the Trial of Colonel David Henley, accufed by General Burgoyne, of the Ill-treatment of the British Soldiers +-Taken in Short-hand by an Officer who was prefent. 8vo. 25. 6 d. Almon. 1778. The fpirited conduct of Mr. Burgoyne, in regard to this his profecution of an officer in the American Service, on a charge of cruelty toward fome British foldiers, part of the General's captived army, * In New England. 5 + In December and January last. feems |