courage the economical administration of it, and thereby doubly to augment the population, are far more fubftantial and efficacious caufes of national aggrandizement, much more deferving of the civic crown, and the applauses of future generations, than the acquifition of diftant territories at an enormous expence of blood and treafures. The powers of the community will be more energetic, in proportion as they are condenfed. And to ftrengthen the attachment of the increafing population to their government and native foil, by promoting a more general diftribution of the national domain, and diffufing in ftreams of comfort the confolidated maffes, which have been accumulated by gradually fubtracting from the wages of inceffant labour every furplus above a bare fubfiftence, is a fource of defence and profperity much more to be confided in, than the poffeffion of diftant colonies, which will watch every opportunity of renouncing the authority of their political fuperior. How much greater muft be the quantity of happiness, when the means of enjoyment are diffeminated in equal portions through the mafs of the community, than if they are collected in the hands of an inconfiderable proportion, that poffefs the exclufive privilege, if fo it may be called, of uninterrupted indolence, and the means of commanding every gratification of a luxurious and vitiated fancy; a species of profperity, in appearance, infulting over the diftreffes of their inferiors, though, in reality, deftitute of substantial and permanent enjoyment.' P. 95,

A Journal of Occurrences at the Temple, during the Confinement of Louis XVI. King of France. By M. Cléry, the King's Valetde-Chambre, Tranflated from the original Manufcript by R. C. Dallas, Efq. Author of Mifcellaneous Writings, &c. 8vo. 6s. Sold by the Author. 1798.

There can be no reafon to queftion the authenticity of this jour nal. It is an interefting account which only excites unmingled pain in the reader, by giving a minute detail of circumstances which, for the honour of human nature, he would wish to forget. M. Cléry has written with affectionate zeal, but has not attempted to excite the paffions of his readers by his own comments. The Source of Virtue and Vice; or, a few Remarks as well on the Impropriety of great Part of the Bishop of Landaff's Reasoning, in his Apology for the Bible, as in Favour of "The Age of RedJon." By John Michaël Baloudoufroutkou. 8vo. Is. Crosby.

1797.

One quotation will prove the abfurdity of this pamphlet.

One of my chief occupations for thefe nine years' (fays the author) has been to explore the means, how to give ourselves virtuous, and how to avoid vicious inclinations, and, by thousandfold experiments, I have found that the eating and drinking of certain things with a few other circumstances in the way of living,

are the only causes of virtuous and vicious inclinations within us.'

P. 20.

Amazing difcovery! but ftill dark to unenlightened man; for the writer does not produce one of his thousand-fold experiments on virtuous and vicious diet, throws no light on the inclinations within us which arise-from fifh, flesh, or fowl, fays not a word of the integrity which vegetables give, and omits the other circumstances in the way of living,' to which our good and bad deeds are to be traced. We hope that Mr. Baloudoufroutkou will immediately publifh the refult of his thousand experiments, by way of commentary on Mrs. Glaffe's cookery, and point out to persons of all defcriptions what they are to eat and drink in order to be saved.' The Turkish Refugee: being a Narrative of the Life, Sufferings, Deliverances, and Converfion, of Ishmael Bafhaw, à Mahometan Merchant, from Conftantinople, who was taken Prifoner by the Spaniards, and made a wonderful Escape to England. Where, having become a Convert to the Chriftian Faith, he was publicly baptized, with the Approbation of the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Lincoln. 12mo. IS. Conder.

This narrative (the preface informs us) was taken, unfolicited, from the lips of the unhappy ftranger to whom it relates; and it is printed with no other view than to his benefit, and that of his diftreffed family. Under thefe circumftances, we cannot confider it' as an object of criticismm; but it has a fufficient variety to render it interefting, and purchafers will have the fatisfaction of gratifying a reasonable curiofity, and affifting the indigent, at a very fmall expenfe.

We

The Red Bafil Bock, or, Parish Register of Arrears, for the Maintenance of the unfortunate Offspring of illicit Amours; with a farther, Developement of most shameful and unprecedented Acts of Abufe in the Town of Manchefter. Part the Firft. By Thomas Battye. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Hopper and Son, Manchester. The title of this work fufficiently explains its contents. shall not dwell upon local difputes; but, if any readers should with to enter into the fubject, he will find, on wading through many pages of a list of bastards, and a series of illuftrations, that Manchefter is not a place of the pureft morals, and that there are many very worthy men in office, who find the laws of chastity more profitable in the breach than the observance.'

Religious and Philanthropic Tracts, &c. By James Cowe, M. A. Vicar of Sunbury, Middlefex. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Robson. - 1797.

Some judicious hints on the state of the poor are contained in this work. We fhall extract one, which, from our knowledge of its utility, we can recommend to our readers. The plan is adopted in feveral provincial towns,

• A fufficient quantity of linen is purchased, and lent to each poor married woman during her lying-in; and about half a guinea is given towards defraying her expences. The fund, by which this' inftitution is fupported, is raised by a subscription of 6s. 6d. per quarter; on admiffion, each subscriber pays 7s. for the purchase of linen, and one quarter in advance; and any poor inhabitant becomes an object of relief, whether a parishioner or not. So that a lying-in charity of this fort may be eafily established in any parish, and folicits the attention of the benevolent.' P. 89.

Where we have been acquainted with the inftitution, about twelve ladies conducted the charity, affifted by the fubfcriptions of .feveral gentlemen. Each object requiring affiftance was put under the care of one of the ladies, whofe bufinefs it was to vifit her two or three times a week, and to give her that comfort by friendly calls, which the poor valued almost as much as the real affiftance from linen or money. Thus a connection, which was highly advantageous to both parties, was gradually formed in the town between the rich and the poor.

A Letter to the Society of Proteftant Diffenters, at the Old Meeting, Yarmouth, from Thomas Martin, on his Refignation of the Office of Minifter among them. 8vo. 15. Johnfon. 1797.

It appears from this letter, that the writer had entertained, with regard to such notions as his hearers disapproved, fome speculative points in divinity, and that it became neceffary for him to break off a connection which ceafed to be mutually agreeable, and confequently ceafed to be conducive to edification. In this letter, he explains the nature of their differences, and is of opinion that they were not such as ought to have created a difunion of interefts. The truth is, however, that the doctrine of the Trinity is not confidered by many perfons as a fpeculative point, but as affecting the terms of falvation; and if this, as we have reason to think, was the cafe with Mr. Martin's congregation, a connection with him could not have been maintained without polemic animofity, which he has wifely avoided by his refignation.

AWord of Remembrance and Caution to the Rich. By John Woolman, late of New-Jersey. 18mo. 6d. Darton and Harvey.

This pamphlet contains common thoughts on the abufe of riches, in the course of which the author feems to lean to the fide of equality in the distribution of wealth. If he were permitted to trace back the poffeffion of great portions of landed property, he would not show much refpect to charters and deeds of conveyance.

Infant Inftitutes, Part the Firft. Or, a Nurferical Effay on the Poetry, Lyric and Allegorical, of the earlier Ages. With an Apjendix. 8vo. 15. 6d. Rivingtons. 1797.

This pamphlet contains fome learning, little wit, and less libe

rality. A fhort extract will fhow the kind of wit in which the author indulges himself.

Our faid ancestors indeed, in merry Old England, feem to have been as well acquainted as Horace himself was, with the true value of the " defipere in loco;" and, were it not that fome perfons might fuppofe I was only founding my own trumpet, I would this moment undertake to demonftrate the vaft fuperiority of real genuine nonfenfe, over many of thofe things pretending to be fenfe, with which the public is fo continually peftered. As this fubject is curious in itself, and may be ranked amongst the arcana of literature, it will not, I prefume, be unentertaining to my reader, if I produce, as a fample of this kind of writing, the two first ftanzas of a non-fequitur, which chufes to call itfelf

An Elegy on the Battle of Landen.

O that my lungs were made of butter'd peas!
And eke with fcratching get the itch;

To be as mangy as the Irish feas,

Ingend'ring wind-mills, and a melted witch!" P. 48.

ANSWER TO A CORRESPONDENT.

FROM Mr. Wilkinson (the author of Effays Phyfiological and Philofophical *) we have received a letter, in which we obferve fome objections to our critique on his performance: but his remarks are unimportant and unfatisfactory, Among the contents of his epistle we also perceive an intimation of the advantages attending the use of his inftruments in distortions or curvatures of the fpine. Of the diftinct effay which he promises on this fubject, and of his Effay on Electricity, we fhall give, in due courfe, our unbiaffed fentiments.

ERRATA. In our laft volume, p. 466, line 23, for their literary compofitions,' read the literary compofitions of the French;? and, in p. 542, line 20, for Elinrich, read Hinrich.

* See our laft Volume, p. 457.

THE

CRITICAL REVIEW.

остовBER, 1798.

The View of Hindooftan. 2 Vols: 4to. 21. 12s. 6d. Boards. White. 1798.

A Confiderable part of Mr. Pennant's life has, we underftand, been employed in preparing a work, which he has entitled Outlines of the Globe. His object has been to describe different countries in the courfe of imaginary travels-to coaft along the regions of the earth, trace the outlines of their form, examine their natural and civil history, antiquities, &c. It was intended that no part of the work should appear before his death; but many of his admirers, impatient of the delay, requested a part of it; and, in compliance with their wishes, the View of Hindooftan,' which forms the fourteenth and fifteenth volumes of the great work, is now published. The firft difficulty being furmounted, fome other portion, perhaps, may follow, even in the author's life.

From a careful examination of the volumes before us, we have reason to be fatisfied with the execution of the plan. The work is profeffedly a compilation; but the best geographers and narrators of travels have been confulted, and many private communications of confiderable value have been added. An elegant and correct map is prefixed; and engravings of different perfons and scenes contribute to the embellishment and elucidation of the defcriptions. But we must not pafs over a work of this kind with general commendations. We muft follow more clofely our accurate and entertaining author.

The bold adventurer Kouli Khan annexed the province of Sind to the Perfian empire; and the Indus confequently became the western boundary of Hindooftan. The Sind (for that is the ancient appellation of the river) flows to the fea from the north, without receiving, for a long fpace, any tributary ftreams; but, about 29° of northern latitude, the acceffory rivers from the east and weft divaricate confiderably; and five of these include the territory known by the name of CRIT. REV. VOL. XXIV. Oct. 1798.

K