Jerius Maximus obferves, these ancient memorials are contemplated, nefcio qua dulcedine. We have heard Dr. Dayrell, a relation of the late Lord Cobham, propose an alteration in a line of Pope's, refpecting that nobleman: O fave my country, Heaven, fhall be thy laft.' "O d--my country, Heaven, fhall be thy laft.' Sic lege noftro Periculo! The collection is prefaced by an addrefs, in Latin verfe, to the Duke of Marlborough, toward the conclufion of which the Author prophefies that his Grace will die before his wife. A rare inftance, of plain fpeaking in a dedication! ·L POLITICAL. Art. 30. Address to the Rulers of the State: in which their Conduct and Measures, the Principles and Abilities of their Opponents, and the real Intereft of England, with regard to America, and her natural Enemies, are freely canvaffed. By a friend to Great-Britain. 4to. 2 S. Bew, 1778. A fenfible, well-informed, candid, though, in fome refpects (as we apprehend), a chimerical writer, here estimates the characters, principles, and conduct, of our leading men, both in and out of power. The confequence deduced from this investigation, is, that we ought not to think of changing hands; for that, on the whole, a fet of minifters, better qualified than those now in office, could not be formed out of the minority. Yet is not our Author bigotted either to the perfons employed, or to the measures that have been adopted for fome years paft. He ftrongly condemns, in particular, the fatal plan of administration and coercion, by which we have loft the greatest part of our American colonies; and he, with equal earneftnefs, recommends an effectual reconciliation with the Americans, fuch, indeed, as can only be obtained by the most ample and unreferved conceffions on our part: even the granting them (what they are already in poffeffion of) their favourite independency. By this means, he supposes, we shall not only lofe nothing, but gain every thing worth contending for: i. e. we shall recover the AMERICAN TRADE, which, he endeavours to fhew, will naturally and infallibly return to its accustomed channel. With respect to France, he seems to make light of her utmost efforts to hurt us; and he ufes every argument to animate our miniftry to a firm and spirited exertion of the power lodged in their hands, to punish the perfidy of that nation. This he confiders as the only means, not only of retrieving our national credit, but of regaining the refped of the Americans, and facilitating a strict federal alliance with them which, he contends, can by no means be fo effectually accomplished, as by victories over our real and common enemies.' As all this is easily done, upon paper, our Author proceeds to plan even (we had almost faid) greater things: nothing less than our speedily humbling the pride of all our national, though not declared enemies; in which number, he includes Spain, Holland, and Portugal.-In fhort, our Addreffer treads the whole circle of political ground, and offers, to government, a multitude of hints,-fome of which feem to be more especially worthy of attention. Art. Art. 31. A Letter to Sir George Saville, Bart. On the Allegiance of a British Subject, occafioned by his late Bill in Parliament, in favour of the Roman Catholics of this Kingdom. 8vo. I S. Robfon. 1778. A grateful Roman Catholic here makes the most becoming acknowledgments to Sir George, for the liberal spirit manifefted by that worthy patriot, in regard to the parliamentary tranfaction mentioned in the title-page. If we may view this ingenious writer as the mouth of his party, we shall confider him with the greater pleasure, as he hath given fuch an expofition of the prefent political creed of the English Catholics, (and the Irish too, we take it for granted) as leaves us little room to apprehend their ever making an ill ufe of the advantage that hath, with fo much candor and generofity, been thrown into their scale. Art. 32. An Essay on Liberty. 8vo. Is. Bew. 1778. Though the Author of this performance appears to have a fincere regard for the cause of liberty, and there are in it fome good obfervations, we cannot fay much in its praife. The Remarks are very trite, and the language is void of fpirit and elegance. There is, at the fame time, a want of accuracy in the delineation of events, and of fagacity and precifion in marking the characters of our princes. The whole has fomething of the air of a school declamation, written more from a confused recollection of facts, than from found knowledge and judgment, If this be the Author's first attempt, perhaps he will acquit himself better on a future occafion. What he is chiefly to be commended for, is the candour with which he fpeaks of our monarchs, even when he condemns their conduct, and his having never introduced any personal reflections. K. Art. 33. A View of the Hard Labour Bill; being an Abstract of a pamphlet entitled, "Draught of a Bill to punish by Imprisonment and hard Labour, certain Offenders; and to establish proper Places for their Reception." Interfperfed with Obfervations relative to the Subject of the above Draught in particular, and to penal Jurifprudence in general. By Jeremy Bentham of Lincoln's Inn, Efq; Svo. 2 s. 6.d.. Payne, &c. 1778. 2 In confequence of the ftop put to the transportation of convicted felons, by our American quarrel, a plan was formed for employing them at home: and as this ingenious commentator on the bill ob ferves, It may be fome confolation to us under the misfortunes from which thofe difficulties took their rife, if they fhould have forced us into the adoption of a plan that promifes to operate one of the most fignal improvements that have ever yet been made in criminal legiflation. It may not even be altogether extravagant to fuppofe, that at the end we may be found to have profited, not much less than we fhall have fuffered, by thefe misfortunes, when the benefits of this improvement come to be taken into the account.' This may ferve to fhew our Author's general idea of the bill, which he fupports by pertinent remarks on the different claufes; making, at the fame time, many fhrewd obfervations on legal language, and on the verbose, crafty ftyle of legislative compofition. There never perhaps was an age that better juftifies the comparison between a body politic and a private I family, family, in any rank of life, than the prefent; fince it will ever be This is but a fide-glance ;-it gives us no full view of any of the The performance before us might, perhaps, with more propriety, have been entitled, like the anfwer to the interefting letter to the Duchefs of Devonshire, Defultory Thoughts. These defultory thoughts relate, chiefly, to the political state of our country, and to the characters and conduct of the leaders of that party in oppofition to the measures of government, which, in contempt, is called patriotic. Thefe leading gentlemen feem to ftand but low in the eftimation of this writer; who has, aptly enough, hit off many traits in their respective public characters.-His comparative view of London and Glasgow is very brief, and prefents little more to our observation than this:-That the infant city of the north, is in a rifing, and the ancient city of the fouth, in a falling state. In the former,' fays he, every thing feems to be footing forward: in the latter, you fee the fall of the leaf! MATURITY is anticipated by the frugality of the one,-SUPERANNUATION is haftily brought on by the prodigality of the other.' Industry,' continues he, economy, and all thofe mechanical virtues which give energy to trade, with those moral virtues which add reputation to it, are in union, and operate conjunctively to the glory and opulence of Glasgow.'-on the other hand, in London, the Author fees only unrestrained luxury and pleasure, idleness, immorality, and vanity,-together with a variety of other vices, repugnant to the difpofition of commerce,'-In a word, the London citizens, he obferves, are fo ftrangely altered, that we are obliged to coin new words, to explain the new characters that have arifen among them: and, as if in the state of minority, guardians are appointed to protect them from the machinations of fwindlers. In the perufal of this tract, we have been entertained by the witty. turns, and lively remarks interfperfed in it; yet, on the whole, it has afforded us no great inftruction; fo that we may apply to the ingenious † writer, what he fays of Mr. Burke: He delights the ear, but the understanding is always disappointed! Alluding to the Society at the Crown and Anchor in the Strand. The Author is certainly entitled to this epithet, notwithstanding the feveral inaccuracies which we have obferved in this pamphlet, especially in the first fentence, which is, perhaps, rendered imperfect by fome flip of the prefs. Art. Art. 35. A Letter from a Member of the Long Parliament, to a An attempt to be witty and satirical, at the expence of the antimi- After fome general observations on the corrupt influence which undue power naturally produces over the heart of man, and on the exceffes to which it will probably carry those who are poffeffed of it, the Author takes notice, that it may not, perhaps, be uninteresting, or without its ufe, to see his remarks fupported and enforced by a more particular enumeration of facts and examples. He is of opinion that fuch an historical feries, though it may not place the human character in a very amiable point of view, will at leaft contribute to our more perfect knowledge of it; and may also help to preferve present and future princes from imitating fuch unworthy proceedings, and caution people and nations from intrufting princes and magistrates with a degree of authority deftructive of all the ends of government, and incompatible with either reafon or humanity. For obvious rea fons, however, and left it should be objected by ignorance and corruption, that fuch abominable scenes are incredible, and can never be again repeated, our Effayift doth not take his facts and inftances from the lives of fuch madmen and monfters as were feveral of the petty tyrants of Greece, or more extensively formidable ones of Afia or of Rome; but chiefly from princes of mixed characters, and whose good qualities and virtues feem in a great measure to have equalled or overbalanced their vices and crimes. Such a method, he apprehends, will convince us, that danger is always to be apprehended; and that a conftant habit of vigilance is neceffary, in order to preserve a free and equal government, and to guard against the encroachments and exorbitances of magiftrates and minifters in power and authority. In the prosecution of his defign, the Writer divides his effay into two parts; the first containing tracts from ancient, and the fecond from modern hiftory. The whole forms a striking and aweful picture of the enormities which have arifen from unrestrained power; and strongly impreffes the important truth intended to be enforced,-that nothing can be more dangerous than to delegate to any of our fellowcreatures, an authority which is not limited and guarded in the Atrictest manner. The Author informs us, in a fhort advertisement, that he has by him feveral other effays on different fubjects, which may, perhaps, fee the light at fome future time, if this fpecimen fhould be thought to merit the indulgence of the Public. We hope that the sentiments of a gentleman, who has fuch an extenfive acquaintance with human nature, and with history, and who applies his knowledge to the most valuable purposes, will meet with the reception and encouragement to which they are justly entitled. Hus K. HUSBANDRY, &c. Art. 37. The extenfive Practice of the new Husbandry exemplified on various Sorts of Land, for a courfe of Years, and the Importance of that Husbandry to Britain, fhewn from long Experience of feveral eminent Hufbandmen. With an Appendix, containing particular Directions to those who defire to practife this Husbandry in the best Manner, and with Succefs. By Mr. Forbes, a Practiser of the faid Husbandry. 8vo. 5 s. fewed. Payne. 1778. Confifts principally of quotations from various writers who have practifed the horse hoeing husbandry on Mr. Tull's principles; with the obfervations of the compiler, who, we understand, is fince dead. Confidering the certain expences of cultivation, the irrecoverable time spent in waiting for the refult, general principles drawn from particular inftances, are extremely dangerous in agriculture. This comparative view of different writers may therefore ferve to guard the Reader against mistakes. A very ingenious farmer ufed to argue, though a man of letters himself, that if books upon other fubjects were to be estimated by thofe on husbandry, literature had done more harm than good. Writers on agriculture are too rash calculators on expectancy; fo that gentlemen farmers, who are the chief readers, ought to read with great caution, and bring what they read to the tefts of their own knowledge, and experience on their own land. N. Art. 38. The Improvement of Waste Lands, viz. wet, moory Land, Land near Rivers and running Waters, Peat Land, and propagating Oak and other Timber upon neglected and waste Land. To which is added a Dissertation on great and fmall Farms; and the Confequences of them to Land Owners and the Public. By Francis Forbes, Gent. 8vo. 3 s. 6 d. fewed. Conant. The fubjects of this treatise are all of an interefting nature; the Author writes like a man of understanding and due knowledge, and may prove an useful counsellor to thofe country gentlemen, who are attentive to the true interefts of their eftates. N. Art. 39. Confiderations on the Breed and Management of Horfes. Interfperfed with fome Remarks and Calculations on the Exportation and Importation of Corn, and the Importance of an improved Cultivation. Addreffed to the King. 12mo. 2 s. 6d. Davis, in Piccadilly. 1777. Though horfes are the principal objects of this writer's attention, on the breeding and treatment of which he offers fome very good remarks; he extends his views to agriculture, and forms many calculations on fpeculative modes of husbandry, which are feldom or never verified in practice. To these are added moral,' political, and com. mercial hints, fo that although our Author began to write in the character of an intelligent jockey (and a very intelligent one he appears to be), the fertility of his fancy has led him from one thing to another, until he clofes with the herring fishery, and the woollen manufacture!-On the whole, this tract contains a variety of obfervations, which are, we believe, of fufficient importance to merit the attention of the Public. RELI N. |