The Parfonage Houfe: A Novel. By a Young Lady. In a Series of Letters. 2. Vols. 12mo. bs. ferved. Macgowan.

THIS

HIS Novel is faid to be written by a lady, and, as the informs us, in an Advertisement prefixed, her firft performance. On both thefe accounts, it is doubtlefs entitled to all the candid indulgence which criticifm, confiftent with the rules of juftice, can poffibly afford. Though we fhall not, therefore, fo far strain our complaifance, as to fay that this performance can boaft of that perfect knowlege of the human heart which appears in Clariffa, or Sir C. Grandifon, or the inimitable humour of Tom Jones and Jofeph Andrews, we fhall readily acknowlege that the Parfonage Houfe is poffeffed of no inconfiderable hare of real merit, as it is written in an eafy and unaffected ftyle, abounds in good and virtuous fentiments, and conveys fome useful leffons of inftruation. The incidents, though not numerous, are natural; the characters of the perfons concerned, in general, well fupported ; and the ftory fufficiently interefting to engage the attention, without too deeply affecting the hearts and paffions of its readers.

Without entering into an analyfis of the fable, which the nature of our Review will not give us room or leifure to dif cufs, we fhall, in fupport of our opinion, lay before our readers one of the Letters:

Mifs Whitmore to Mifs Bentley, at Hackerton.

Rosemount.

I arrived here about fix o'clock yesterday evening; you whe know my ufual fpirits and fondness for travelling, will not, when I tell you they did not fail me, imagine I was much fatigued with my hort journey: my dear Caroline and Mr. Hilton received me with every mark of a fincere pleasure. But my happiness was much damped, by obferving on the countenance of the former, what the in vain attempted to thake off: fhe was (contrary to her ufual cuftom), frequently abfent, nor could the attention of her friend, or the fprightly fallies of Godfrey, prevent these reveries from repeatedly occurring.

When we retired to rek I tenderly inquired the cause

"Your fufpicions were juft, my dear Fanny (faid fhe) my too fufceptible heart feels more than I dare exprefs to any one befides yourfelf. About three weeks ago we were invited to a ball, given by Sir William Clair on his return from making the grand tour. The company was very numerous and brilliant and though there were many ladies prefent, much fuperior to me in rank and beauty, Sir William unfortunately fixed his attention on me; and would have engaged me for his partner for the evening, but I had pre-engaged my felf to Godfrey; however, he entreated me to walk a minuet with him, with which requeft I complied. He came the next morning to inquire after my health; and as he is pretty intimate with Godfrey, he called two or three times in the course of that week

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on one pretence or other; his behaviour to me was extremely par ticular; my father obferved his growing attachment with pleasure, but my feelings on the occafion were far different. When one morning, as Godfrey, myfelf, and fome neighbouring gentlemen and ladies, were returning from a review, which had just been exhibited a few miles diftance, I faw Sir W. Clair's carriage driving out of the avenue that leads to our house. My father met us at the door, and with a fmiling countenance told me apart, to follow him to his clofet, for that he had fomething of confequence to communicate to me.

"My fears too faithfully prefaged the unwelcome intelligence, he led me to a feat and then began:

"My dear Caroline, you know with what an anxious tenderness I have watched over your education: and how earnestly I have endeavoured to inftil into your mind the best principles; you have hitherto inftanced your gratitude, by the ftricteft attention to my precepts, and have answered my every expectation. Judge then of the pleasure I received when Sir William Clair came this morning to beg my permiffion to addrefs you, if your affections were unengaged. I thought I could answer for my Caroline, and affured him my will had ever been the guide of your actions, and that in this inftance I could answer for your obedience, fince you could have no reasonable objection to an offer every way to generous and fuitable."

"I was for fome moments flent; the extreme agitation of my mind prevented my reply, at laft I summoned up refolution enough to exclaim:

I am convinced, Sir, that the first wish of your heart is for my happiness, and that you will not, when I tell you Sir William Clair can never be the man of my choice, perfift in defiring me to give my hand where my heart muft ever be an alien." "What objection can you poflibly have to Sir William? Is he not young, handfome, amiable, and of a most unexceptionable character? You know, my dear girl, I readily acquiefced in your determination of difmiffing Lord M-- and the Honourable Mr. R-, because I would not give you room to think I wifhed to facrifice my child where fortune was the only recommendation; but here the cafe is widely dif ferent, and I am perfuaded you will foon think fo: Sir William intends dining here to-morrow, and I hope you will give him such a reception I wish you, and his merits demand. If you do not, I shall think you have fome latent caufe for your obftinacy, and if you have engaged yourself without my confent (continued he, raifing his voice) you know my fentiments on that head, and they are unchangeable."

"A fervant entering to inform him a gentleman waited below to fpeak with him prevented any farther converfation at that time. He had fcarcely left the room ere I faw Edmund Waldgrove cross the court-yard; he bowed to me as I fat at the window, so I could not well be denied ; (especially as we had become pretty intimate by meeting frequently at Mrs. Harland's, where he had been on a vifit for fome time before) he seemed little lefs agitated than myself; he came to take leave of us, as he faid he fhould quit England rather fuddenly. The emotions this intelligence caused in my mind, were too vifible; they burst forth into tears. Some few words efcaped, expreffive of my feelings. He appeared tranfported with joy, his countenance refumed its wonted chearfulness; he threw himself at

my

my feet, confeffed the strongest affection for me, and faid that no thing but the disparity of our fortunes could have prevented him from faing for fome return to a paffion fo violent as that his heart had long felt for me. Oh heavens! Fanny, this foft fcene was too much for my torn heart to bear; the certainty of his loving me with an affection equal to my own was a balfam to its wounds, in fpite of the prudent refolutions I have a thousand times made in his ab. fence: I faid more than on recollection I could reconcile to my own notions of duty. He was preffing to his lips my hands wet with tears, when my father entered the room with a glow of indignation on his

cheeks.

"And it is to your arts, Sir, (faid he, turning to Edmund) I am to impute my daughter's obftinacy in regard to the proposals I this morning laid before her: but know, that though you may have fo far infinuated yourself into the affections of an inexperienced girl, as to make her forgetful of what the owes to her family, you will not find it fo eafy a talk to prevail over the prudence of a parent anxious for the welfare of his child: I will take care that in future you find no expedient to fee or hear from each other."

"Thofe precautions, Sir, (replied the noble youth) are unneceffary; I confefs I have loved your amiable daughter ever fince I became acquainted with her virtues: but mine is a generous, not a weak paffion; it prompts me rather to feek the good of its object than my own gratification; finding it unconquerable, I formed the defign of leaving England, and this week engaged myfelf to attend Lord G on his travels: I thall fet out for London in three days time, and came this morning to take leave of a family whofe civilities I am grateful for, and whofe good opinion I with ever to retain. A heart fraught with too much fenfibility is a misfortune to its poffeffor; to that cause you, Sir, muft impute my conduct this morning, not to art or defign, which my nature abhors."

"You

"My father appeared foftened; he seemed difpofed to pardon us: but it is ftrange that we fhould fometimes take more pains to fupprefs a good inclination than would serve to resist a bad one. are pefectly right, young man, (faid he) abfence and refolution are the only remedies for an ill-placed paffion. You have my best wishes for your fuccefs in life: merit united with good parts feldom fails to make its way." Edmund bowed without fpeaking, and retired, caft ing at me a look of mingled tenderness and forrow. That look, good heavens! it faid more than a thousand words. The moment the door closed I burst into tears. "If a sense of honour can do fo much, faid I, ought not gratitude and duty blended, to do more."

"Yes, Sir, I am yours, difpofe of me as you think beft, I will endeavour to be all you with me." My father wept, pressed my hands, and retired without fpeaking.

"When we met at dinner, I affumed as compofed a countenance as poffible, but my heart and looks were far from correfponding. Sir William came the next day, and I endeavoured to receive him in a manner that should give my father every reason to think I was fincere in the profeffions I made the day before; he feemed much obliged by my compliance, and has ever fince behaved to me with increafing tenderness.”

Here the dear girl ceafed fpeaking, and now permit me to lay afide my pen, as I have performed the promife I made when I left Hackerton, of writing to you letters of the fame length, and in the fame prolix ftyle with those I used to fend my dear Caroline, when I

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was deprived of her loved fociety. I will continue to relate to you every minute circumftance that attends the fate of our sweet fuffering friend, as I know how much your feeling heart fympathifes with her; and that you are, from thefe letters of her's I have fhewn you, pretty well acquainted with the amiable Waldgrove family, Godfrey, &c. but apropos of Godfrey, I think I ought not to let him pafs by unnoticed and I now tell you that he exceeds, in point of perfon, the defcription Caroline gave me of him, and his talents in converfa. tion do justice to her encomiums, we laugh, fing, and chat together by the hour. He has claimed my promile of friendship, and was it not for the gloom I fometimes fee fhade the face of Caroline, I think we should be as happy a little circle, as any I know. Sir William Clair comes every day, as you will naturally fuppofe without my telling you. In my opinion, he is handfome, and very agreeable, Caroline efteems, but I fear will never love him: a cold word that, efeem, Kate, to tye people together for life: may that never be my matrimonial chain, Caroline has defired me not to mention the fracas between Edmund and Mr. Hilton to Mr. Godfrey. I bave promifed, and will keep my word inviolably.

On a review of what I have written, I perceive that I took my leave of you on the other fide of the paper. You will fay that my letters, like my visits to you, are generally long ones, and yet I ufually turn back, after having bade you adieu, for fomething or other I happen to forget. Remember my duty, refpects, &c. where due, and believe that I am ever your affectionate coufin,

FRANCES WHITMORE.

This fpecimen may give our readers an idea of the author's ftyle and manner, and will probably induce them to give the whole a kind and impartial perufal.

Patriotic and Military Inftructions. Addreffed to the People of Enga land, with a View to enable them to defeat the Purposes of an Enemy, in Cafe of an Invafion of any of the Possessions of his Majefty.

A

T firft fight of this book, we were in hopes that fome of our good patriotic generals had deigned, by this method, to communicate to the nation, fome information relative to a few of the neceffary points of this now important fubject, of national or felf-defence; as we have heard was lately done; or attempted, by an officer of great reputation and abilities, but that the work was fuppreffed in its birth for reafons unknown We are forry that any reasons should be found against informing the people in a fubject fo effential as that of defending themfelves against all enemies, whether external or internal; and regret that this is not the work of a great general, nor well calculated to fupply the lofs above mentioned, nor to be of any confiderable utility, efpecially as the author, (who feems to be a foreigner,) did not get fome friend to render it into intelligible English.

to us.

We

We are, however, able to understand, that this author wishes, very properly, that the country gentlemen and people might be inftru&ted, not only in the ufe of arms, but in the bufinefs of forming and throwing up field-works for defence, as well as in defending fuch places as have antecedently been made for other porpofes in ordinary life. In the profecution of his plan, this author gives a general defcription of a field-fort, remarks on the advantages of that conftruction, with obfervations on a proper fituation, and how to defend it properly. He then attempts to defcribe a whimfical kind of catapult for throwing ftones, with the advantages, as he thinks, to be derived from it. He next delivers general inftructions for repulfing an enemy, in cafe of an invasion, After these three chapters, he enters into the particulars and minutie of the nature and properties of places, fituations, and defences; fuch as abatis, fingle intrenchments, on tracing the lines, on flanks, on defiles, fafcines, wells, and palifades. And lastly, he delivers a general application of the inftructions particularifed in the preceding chapter; as the method of oppofing an enemy, in cafe he effects a landing on the coaft; the method of fortifying and defending a plain country, all kinds of narrow paffages, caftles, houses, villages, and small towns; on ambufcades, and fome ftratagems. All thefe inftructions, fuch as they are, our author prefaces with a long differtation on the neceffity of fuch works, and defences, by the people at large.

It is, perhaps, to be lamented, that, in modern times, the ufe of arms and military knowlege has been fo much neglected, or abandoned to thofe of the profeffion: this is confidered as a neceffary confequence of the advancement and divifion of arts and labour; for as foon as men found, or were perfuaded, that it was more convenient to pay for their defence than to defend themfelves, they gradually became unfit for it, lofing all military habits and knowlege, no mode or establishment remaining fufficient for keeping up the military spirit among the people, though in that probably confifts the greatest strength of a nation. Some of this author's ideas may be good, as his parapet, circular curtain, &c, though not originally his own, nor yet fufficiently confirmed by experience; indeed fome material objections lie against his parapet, although it obviates some that hold against the one in ordinary use, conftructed with banquette, &c. And though we have fome reafon to doubt our author's being a man of any confiderable military reputation, or even a military man by profeffion; yet every thing that contributes to diffufe military knowlege through a nation where it is wanted, inay be of fome benefit, were it only by exciting others to improve upon fuch beginnings.

FO