Receive the fhatter'd remnants of the ftorm; ‹ Edw. Alas! for pity. Would the western gales Had swift propell'd them to their native shores! How many mothers caft an anxious eye Over the bofom of the treach'rous deep! How many widows prefs within their arms The deareft pledges of their former love! When they, alas! fhall never more behold The duteous fon or the indulgent fire!' Before we take leave of Mr. Gibfon, we beg leave to fuggeft to him, that, in the laft line but one of his work, anathema is fo fituated, that, in reading the line, it must be erroneously accented, anathéma. • An anathema bears more potent thunder,'— P. 79. The Syftematic, or Imaginary Philofopher. A Comedy in Five Acts. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Hookham. 1800. The plot of this comedy is fufficiently fimple. Sir Sober Syftem, who had been once a gay libertine, difgufted with the unfaithfulness of his mistress, and the derangement of his affairs, is represented in a country retirement, railing at mankind, and ftudying philofophy. His fpeculations and mifanthropy are at once diffolved by the first glance of the charms of Eliza Allworthy, a sprightly fair, who arrives in the neighbourhood for the exprefs and declared purpose of captivating him. In the firft fcene of the fifth at Sir Sober becomes greatly intoxicated, and rides aftride upon a beer barrel. In the fecond fcene of the fame act he arrives tolerably compofed in London, where his paffion meets with a kind return from Eliza, who has come up poft to visit her father, then labouring under his old complaint the vertigo. One of the most prominent characters in this comedy is Mrs. Sirloin the cook. This lady is poffeted of a ready wit, as the following comments on our Gallic neighbours will teftify. Sirloin. No, let them cook their trumpery at home, d'ye fee. And they call'd me furly Sue, but what of that? I would not go to Dieppe-no, nor to Havre de Grace, either-I hope I have more grace. No, my lady, faid I, may all the plagues of Egypt, and curfes of Hobadiah be doubled on me, if I do-for, madam, they fay, the Rigines, now, don't comprehend their own language; it is a new dialect; instead of calling April, April; they call it Germinal; and how am I to understand German And November, is Brumaire,—a hair-broom, fay I, to brush away all fuch foolisu, Aimfy ftuff-March, is Venturfe-ay, depend upon it, fuch fellows will venture any thing for their ends; but I wont venture to Dieppe, for all that, or to Callus, or among any fuch callous kingkillers to be fqueezed to death, by a fraternal hug, the first complementary day-pretty compliments, indeed!' P. 50. Were we permitted to borrow phrafeology from fo refpectable a perfonage as Mrs. Sirloin, we fhould re-iterate a hair broom, fay we, to brush away all fuch foolish, flimfy ftuff.' NO V E L S, &c. Douglas; or, the Highlander. A Novel. By Robert Biffet, LL.D. 4 Vols. 12mo. Chapple. 1800. We have feldom perufed a more contemptible production than the prefent, and we are furprifed that any author fhould have ventured to prefix his name and title to pages which would difgrace the dignity of the loweft pecuniary diploma.—As a novel, the plot, characters, and incidents of Douglas are below criticifm; but as a vehicle of coarse flattery, virulent abufe, and moral indelicacy, it is fufficiently oftenfible to deferve reproach. In the progrefs of the ftory, there are fome attempts to introduce political and literary difquifition, the most fuccefsful of thefe attempts, however, only induce us to lament that the germs of good fenfe fhould be deftroyed by the incubation of folly. Myftery, a Novel. By Francis Lathom. 2 Vols. 12mo. Symonds. This romance, for fo it fhould be called, is not deftitute of interest. Margaretta, the fuppofed ruftic, exhibits a pleasing picture of the progress of mental cultivation; and the workings of a diabolical revenge are displayed with ingenious fubtlety in the character of Antonia; there are, however, fome paffages reprehenfible for their indelicacy. For, though profligacy of intention may not be in the leaft imputable, the writer of a novel is furely refponfible for the lafcivious impreffions which may arife from the colouring of the fcenes prefented to the youthful reader. MISCELLANEOUS LIST. The Question of Scarcity plainly flated, and Remedies confidered: with Obfervations on permanent Measures to keep Wheat at a more regular Price. By Arthur Young, Efq. F. R. S. &c. 8vo. 25. Richardfon. 1800. We learn from this publication that the author has gone over a great deal of English ground, to the extent of nearly nine thoufand miles; that be averages the produce of wheat at twenty-three bufhels, makes divers calculations, and states the defect of the laft crop at 7,25 parts out of 20. To remedy this defect, he recommends the cultivation of potatoes, a prohibition to feed horfes kept for pleasure on oats, better returns of the price of wheat, a general enclosure, land and cows for cottagers, and a very pretty scheme for the East India Company, which deferves to be extracted: Public granaries have been mentioned; the idea has been refuted an hundred times. The only granaries admiffible would be for rice to be fold fo cheap as to promise the gradual introduction of that food: these would not affect the price of wheat when cheap; and, when dear, would be a fource of great importance. Something useful might be done in this way: and the best means of effecting it would be, by inducing the India Company fo to provide themselves, as to render an act feasible which should direct that, as foon as wheat fhall rife on the average of the kingdom to 41. per quarter, and fo long as it remained at or above that price, the Company should fell rice in hundred weights, to all perfons demanding, at 25s. per hundred weight, or any other price which fhall, on an average of years, be adequate.' P. So. After all, the high price of bread is the best proof to us of the deficiency in the preceding harvest; and, if we could perfuade people to live upon oats and potatoes, wheat would be cheaper. The Impolicy of prohibiting the Exportation of Rock-Salt from England to Scotland, to be refined there, illuftrated. By John Gir8vo. Is. 6d. Debrett. vin. We recommend the perufal of this pamphlet to the legiflator, the merchant, the fish-curer, and the manufacturer. Of the impolicy of the prohibition we do not entertain the least doubt; and indeed we deem falt as improper an article for taxation as either bread or meat. That a diftinction should be made between England and Scotland, in this article, is a folecism in politics: its unreasonableness is clearly pointed out in this publication; and an excellent account is given of falt, both in itfelf and as an article of commerce or revenue. Many ufeful experiments are fuggested, of which the manufacturer and the fish-curer may avail themselves to their great advantage; and it may reasonably be expected, that this calm difquifition, founded on good fenfe and an accurate knowledge of the subject, will, if it should not lead to the exemption of this neceffary of life from taxation, convince our legiflature of the impolicy of its prohibition, and conduce to the establishment of the equality between England and Scotland which fubfifts between our own counties. A concife Directory for the profitable Employment of the Chriftian Sabbath. By Samuel Burder. 12mo. 3d. Williams. 1800. Samuel Burder fhould be afked, whether he would be pleafed, and think it right, that the people of St. Alban's thould never deal with any of the members of the "church of Chrift, and the congregation at large affembling for divine worthip in Long-Butt Lane;" yet, according to his own principles, this might be a very laudable step taken by the members of the established church to reclaim the frequenters of his conventicle. His D.rectory for the Sabbath contains this curious remark, which we tranfcribe as a fpecimen of folly that feldom find its way, we hope, among those who are anxious for fpiritual improvement. "One of the moft effectual methods to remedy this prevailing evil, (felling or buying on a Sunday,) would be, to give the preference, in our usual tranfactions of bufinefs, to fuch perfons as pay an external reverence to the Sabbath." If the church of Chrift in Long-Butt Lane fhould obey this precept, we shall expect to hear foon that fome other notable prefcription is devifed by the paftor, till, by degrees, the members of this fpiritual community become as intolerant as Spanish inquifitors. Thoughts on Means of alleviating the Miferies attendant upon common Prostitution. Svo. 15. 6d. Cadell and Davies. The evils of proflitution, which every night's walk in this metropolis fo forcibly points out to the least attentive obferver, call aloud for reform; and we fhall gladly encourage every thing which may tend either to meliorate the fituation of the unfortunate women fubject to fo much mifery, or to prevent an acceffion of wretchedness from the deluded victims of paffion. The writer deferves credit for the manner in which he has defcribed the evil; and the remedy which he propofes deferves a trial. He folicits the opulent to form themselves into a fociety, each member contributing an annual fubfcription; and, by means of committees, to afford relief to the prostitute in various ftages or distress, so as to recover her from her deplorable condition, and to take away from her the neceffity of relapfing into the fame state to procure a sustenance. Much may certainly be done in this way; and, as foon as a very fmall fociety is known to be formed, we doubt not that its number will be increased, and much diftrefs will be alleviated. A brief Account of the Soup-Society inftituted in Clerkenwell; with a Ground-Plan of the Soup-Houfe. 8vo. 3d. Darton and Harvey. 1800. A poor man made the following obfervations to us refpecting the foup houfe in the parifh to which he belonged. "My wife gets a quart of excellent foup for one penny; but he is the whole morning getting it. She thus lofes the time which fhould have been employed in her own houfe; and, the weather being cold, and a number of goffips being affembled, the requires a glafs of gin to keep up her ipirits. Thus, on calculating the lofs and the gain, I found that my foup really coft three-pence the quart, befides the lofs of my wife's time; fo that I gave up the foup-fcheme."-There is fome truth in these remarks, which struck us the more forcibly in examining the long labyrinth through which, according to the plate in this work, every poor perfon must pass before he gets to his foup. This defect we mention, that it may be attended to in all foup-inftitutions before the next winter, that the poor may not be rendered indolent by an inftitution intended for their benefit. The reafon for having the foup-kitchen only in the winter does not ftrike us as fatisfactory: it feems to us to be peculiarly adapted to the fummer, when the poor, by fuch a kitchen, would be entirely relieved from the neceffity of having a fire at home to dress their victuals. In the winter they must have a fire for warmth; and the fame fuel ferves for their cookery. One inconvenience has alfo attended thefe kitchens,-the purchafing of all the coarfer parts of meat; by which means that clafs of fociety which ufed to confume hem is fubjected to confiderable inconvenience. Extract of a Journal of a Second Tour from London through the Highlands of Scotland, and the North-Western Parts of England. With Obfervations and Remarks. By Rowland Hill, A. M. &c. 8vo. bd. Williams. 1800. The character of the author of this Tour is well known to the public; and, notwithstanding differences of doctrinal opinion, every perfon muft applaud the zealous folicitude of Mr. Rowland Hill to inculcate the principles of the Chriftian religion. Our worthy preacher is an enemy to bigotry of every defcription. 'I paffed,' (he observes in the prefent tour) through GretnaGreen, where many a thoughtless pair have gone from England to make themselves miferable; and at noon arrived at Annan, where I defigned not to have preached, but a certain minifter of the non-defcript kind arrested me, fent the bell through the town, and people were collected. Had I rode blindfold into Scotland, I fhould have known where I was by the following circumftance: the worthy minifter had a child, who could walk alone, and, contrary to the good man's wish, it had remained unbaptized, becaufe none of the numerous fects would baptize it, but as it was to be baptized in that fect. Having but just left my own country, with my free, eafy English confcience, I baptized the child, without enforcing any thing further on the parents, than that they were bounden by that ordinance to dedicate their child to the protection of God; to teach it repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jefus Chrift, without cramming its head with the ufelefs decifions of the different fects of the day.' P. 6. The deftructive reformations of John Knox have been justly execrated by the great and pious Johnson; and the following remark on the ruins of the cathedral of Elgin is creditable to the taste and the liberal piety of Mr. Hill. 'Never did I fo regret the mischief done by the barbarous hand of our rude but well-meaning reformers, as was exhibited in the demolition of Elgin cathedral. Enough remains of it in ruins to determine that its architectural beauties were ftrikingly magnificent.' F. 20. The reverend traveller introduces fome appropriate remarks on the fcenery of the Highlands, to the grandeur of which, in the midst of his evangelical duties, he was not inattentive. As a writer, his manner is eccentric, but it is the vehicle of many fhrewd and fenfible remarks. |