claufe in the act referred to, which feems to be rather obfcurely worded. Art. 54. The Univerfal Reckoner; or, every Trader's infallible Guide. Containing new and complete Tables, moft carefully caft up, and exhibiting, at one View, the Value or Amount of any Quantity of Goods, from One Farthing to Twenty Shillings. To which are added, a valuable Catalogue of Weights, Measures, &c. and Tables for calling up Wages, by the Day, Week, Month, and Year. By John Betterworth, Author of Grammar Epitomised. Is. Hogg. 1778. Tables of this kind, provided they are fo correct as to justify the infallibility allumed by Mr. Bettelworth, in his title-page, are certainly ufeful, even, (as he rightly obferves, to those who are acquainted with figures, as they may greatly contribute to that saving of TIME, which men of business always attend to: and to which men of pleasure would likewife attend, if they knew how to turn their own favourite purfuits to the best account. Art. 55. A Sentimental Diary, kept in an Excurfion to Little Hampton, near Arundel, and to Brighthelmftone, in Suffex. 12mo. 2 s. Ryall, in Union-Street, Westminster. Relates, with pleafantry, the incidents which attended an excurfion (apparently a real one) to the places mentioned in the title; with oblervations, and moral reflections, fomewhat in the manner of Sterne but Sterne had the rare merit of originality. Art. 56. The School-Mistress for the Poor. Bell. 1778. 12mo. 2 s. 6 d. This book is written with the humane and pious defign of enabling the children of the poor to read the fcriptures with religious and moral improvement. The Teacher fuppofes her scholars to have just read a portion of the Old Teftament, and recites to them the heads of what they have read; giving them at the fame time fuch practical instructions as naturally arife from the leffon. The work difcovers much goodness of heart, and is very proper to be put into the hands of the poor. Art. 57. The Temple of Cythnos; or, the Oracles of Fortune and Wijdom, for the Four Seajons of Life. Translated from the Greek. 8vo. 3 s. fewed. Conant. 1778. The best way by which we can give our Readers any idea of this curious performance (which is faid to be tranflated, with small variations, from an ancient Greek fragment found in the ruins of Pompeii) will be, by laying before them a fpecimen of the oracles it contains: Fortune. From her graceful mien, it is easy to foretel that the will dance with a taste to be admired by the beholders. Wisdom. But that admiration will not laft, unless the purity of her heart beams through her modeft looks. ORACLE E. Fort. She may equal her companions in feveral accomplishments, but never will outfhine them in any. Wif. She will be the better beloved by them, provided the refign to none the prize of goodnefs and benevolence. ORACLE III. Fort. She fhall attain to fuch elegance of fpeech, that perfuafion will feem to have established its throne upon her lips. Wif. If the exert that power for evil purpofes, it will be looked upon as an odious tyranny even by thofe who might yield to it. ORACLE IV. Fort. The fweet melody of her voice announces that she will excel in mufic, and raife or quell, at pleafure, the paffions of her hearers. Wif. Let her guard her own heart against the enchantment of an art no less dangerous than charming. ORACLE V. Fort. The polishing of Art is loft upon her; fhe will ever be as fhe came from the hands of Nature. Wif. She will not be a great lofer by this inaptitude, if the primitive fimplicity and rectitude of her heart are equally fafe from alteration. ORACLE VI. Fort. Love's tales, of which he is paffionately fond, will fit her to be either the heroine, or the author of one. Wis. She may yet avoid both thefe misfortunes, by ceafing to I read thofe dangerous works which either corrupt the heart, or difor. der the mind. Fort. She will excel in all the ingenious and economical works fuitable to her sex, and useful in domeftic life. Wisdom. If the adds to this cheerfulness and good nature, Wifdom has nothing to teach or wifh for her.' In this manner, Fortune and Wifdom reply to a great variety of questions propofed to them by males and females at the different ages of life. Thofe who are fond of trifling with gravity and folemnity, may find amufement, and poffibly inftruction, in confulting this Oracle. SERMON S. I. The dying Believer's Confidence and Joy in Chrift.-Preached at the Weigh-Houfe, in Little Eaftcheap, London, April 12, 1778, on Occafion of the Death of the Rev. Samuel Wilton, D. D. who departed this Life April 3, in the 34th Year of his Age. By Samuel Palmer. To which is added, an Oration at his Interment in Bunhill-fields, April 1, by Samuel Morton Savage, D. D. Published at the Requelt of the Congregation. 8vo. 6d. Buckland. II. Orphans and Fatherless.-Preached before the Lord-Mayor and Governors of the feveral Hospitals, at Chrift-Church, Sept. 21, 1778. By Paul Wright, D. D. F.S.. 6d. Payne, &c. COR CORRESPONDENCE. MIRATOR informs us, that we appear to have given, in our Review for laft Month, an account of a tract not yet published, viz. "A View of the Principles of Tritheifts, Arians, &c." This our Correfpondent styles a Myslery;' and we are now to affure him, that his letter is equally myfterious to us. The Gentleman is, probably, not to learn, that we are not remarkably fond of myfteries; and, therefore, to get rid of this, in as few words as poffible, we will honeftly communicate to him all that we know of the matter: that the pamphlet in queftion came to our hands in common with other new publications, through Mr. Becket's conveyance, fo long ago as the beginning of July laft; and that we have, fince, had fufficient reafon to conclude that it was at that time published, as we faw accounts of it in other monthly publications, five months ago.Mirator's letter muft, therefore, furely, have been written under fome misapprehenfion, or misinformation.-But, probably, the publisher of the View, &c. can alone explain the mystery, to the fatisfaction of this Correfpondent. A letter has been addreffed to us, by E. A. author of a poem, entitled, The Seducers; in which the writer feems to lament that he did not turn feducer himself, and apply to what he calls our venality, in the pecuniary way. Infults of this nature, from difappointed and indignant DLNESS, are to be expected; but intelligence of the real character of fuch productions of the prefs as fall under our notice, is one of the first duties we owe to the Public;and if a book be trash, trash be it called. E. A refers to a former private letter; but the Writer of the fhort Article relative to his poem, in our laft Month's Catalogue, declares that he never received it.-Harfh as the Author of The Seducers may fuppofe his Reviewer to be, that Reviewer would not wish to be thought capable of making a rude return to the polite address of a stranger. +++ The Reviewers are not answerable for the language of any Advertisements inferted on the Covers of their publication, or otherwife circulated with their Monthly Numbers. They never faw Mr. Bertrand's Advertisement (vid. laft Month's Review) till they read it on the last page of their blue paper. The two laft lines ought not to have been inferted, without permiffion. ++ Eboracenfis may be affured that the work, entitled, The Light of Nature further pursued, by ED. SEARCH, Efq; (published in May latt) has not been overlooked; and that this Article will be duly difcharged, among the rest of our arrears. P. 3 ERRATUM in our laft, vix. 320, par. 3, 1. 6, for tide of flavery, &c. r. fide of, &c. In this mouth p. 341. par. 1. l. last, for kind, r. timid. L. 1 THE MONTHLY REVIEW For DECEMBER, 1778. ART. I. Obfervations made during a Voyage round the World, on HIS publication contains the philofophical obfervations made by the author, during his late voyage round the world, collected and arranged in a fyftematical form. His object in this performance, as himself obferves, is nature in its greatest extent; the earth, the fea, the air, the organic and animated creation, and more particularly that clafs of beings to which we ourselves belong.' His remarks are comprehended under fix general divifions, or chapters, which are fubdivided into fections. The first of thefe chapters contains his obfervations on the earth, and lands, their inequalities, ftrata, and conftituent parts. In the fecond, he treats of waters, particularly of the ocean, and of its depth, colour, faltnefs, tempera. ture, phofphoreal light, the formation of ice, &c. The atmo fphere, and the meteors contained in it, form the ful jects of his third chapter; in which he treats particularly of aqueous meteors, fuch as rain, fnow, water-fpouts, &c. of aerial phenomena; of fiery meteors, fuch as lightning, fiery globes, and the Auftral lights; and of winds, regular and variable. The fourth chapter contains his remarks on the changes this globe has undergone, whether regular or accidental; and on the formation of islands. In the fifth chapter, the author proceeds to the confideration of the various organic bodies which constitute the vegetable and animal kingdom; their numbers, stations, yarieties, claffification, &c. These five chapters conftitute only about a third part of the prefent performance. The whole of the remainder, comprehended in, the fixth chapter, and which is the moft laboured and finished part of this work, is appropriated to Man, or rather to that part of the human fpecies who inhabit the South Sea Lands; VOL. LIX. where Dd where many tribes had never seen a fingle individual of any European or polished nation; and accordingly prefent the philofophical obferver with fit fubjects for the inveftigation of man with respect both to his phyfical and moral character. In the numerous fections into which this chapter is divided, the author treats of the numbers and population of the South Sea iflanders; the varieties of this part of the human fpecies. with respect to fize, colour, and turn of mind; the causes of these differences; the various progreffes of these islanders from the favage ftate towards civilifation; their methods of procuring food, by fishing, hunting, fowling, &c. their uniting in focieties, and their modes of government; their moral principles, and cuftoms; their arts and manufactures; their religion, mythology, nuptial and other rites. The work is terminated by a recapitulation, comprehending a general view of the happiness of the iflanders in the South Sea, and a fhort comparison of their manners and cuftoms with those of other nations; to which are added, fome reflections on the difeafes that occurred, and the remedies and preventatives that were used during the voyage. Having given our readers this fhort analysis of the work, we fhall proceed to extract from it a few particulars, by which they may be enabled to form a judgment of the nature and defign of it. The author divides the globe into three large mafles of land, or continents: The eaftern, comprehending Europe, Asia, and Africa; the western, or America; and New Holland; which, though it be an ifland, yet, as it is little, if at all inferior in fize to Europe, may not improperly have the appellation of a continent applied to it. On this occafion he makes a general obfervation, that all the remarkable fouthern points of land on our globe, have a great and ftriking fimilarity in regard to their conformation, and the fituation of islands in their vicinity. They are all high and rocky; each feems to be the extremity of a range of high mountains running northward. All have to the caltward one or more large islands. Nay, if we continue the comparifon, all continents have a great finuofity on the weft-fide towards the north. So many coinciding circumftances feem, not to be merely accidental, but rather to proceed from one and the fame general caufe. I do not pretend to point out this first caufe, but cannot help fufpecting, that a violent flood coming from the fouth-welt has produced this ftriking identity of conformation in these lands, though I can neither point out the time when this great revolution happened, nor aflign any reafon for its operating in this manner. It fuffices to have mentioned the fact, and hinted at the next cause, without any oftentation. • America has the Andes running from the South to the North, and ending in Cape Froward, nay, extending even beyond the freight |