other people to fulfil his vow, which he takes for granted, by purchafing a thoufand copies. 'Tis wonderful, most wonderful! The third author is by much the leaft eccentric of the trio.` He talks fomething like folks of this world,' and his language resembles common fenfe. For instance,

6

Religious duties mark'd his life;
Scarce ever difcompos'd:

Happy must be his virtuous wife!

What must fhe not have los'd!

Poor woman! though, after all, we know not whether it is meant that we should chiefly condole with her on her lofs, or congratulate her on her happiness. The author ought to have known, that los'd is not the preterperfect of to lofe.

The Nofegay; or May-Morning-Free-Will Offering. (A truly extemporaneous Offspring) on Inebriation. Small 4to.

In the above title dele the first parenthefis, and for on read of; as we conceive no man in his fober fenfes could write in fo. ftrange a manner. The fpirit of wine feems to have had as much share in the prefent performance, as that of enthusiasm in the preceding ones: and be it known, gentle reader, this poem likewife originates from the fame inaufpicious quarter with the

others.

At Plimouth I thefe lines indite
Them for yourself to read;
But, as I in my ftudy write,

Conclude you have no need.'

Surely there is fomething epidemic in the air on the western coaft! We heartily recommend thefe unlucky votaries of Apollo to his care and protection; not in his poetical, but medical department. They are entitled to his favour, on account of the cruel treatment they feem to have experienced from his fifter Cynthia, in her nocturnal excurfions: for certainly to opt a whimfical line of Dryden's, which feems by the bye to e been written under the influence of the fame planet,

he

moon has roll'd over their heads and turn'd them.'

DRAMATIC. Ivar. Aagedy. 8vo. 15. 6d. (Printed at Exeter.) Kearsley, We are ex-emely forry to inform the public that the contagion, which, om the preceding articles, we apprehended prevails on the weltern coaft, is extended, if we may judge from the title-page, to he metropolis of these parts. The fcene of this tragedy is laid tear the palace, but what palace we are at a lofs to conjecture. The dramatis perfonæ are Hengift, Alwold, Offa, Handel, Iva and Matilda: but we find no defcriptions of, or allufions te, the old Britons, Saxons, or modern Germans, as Handel, a well-known name at present, might lead us to fuppofe. Iva is reprefented as prime minifter to Hengift, and, like most other prime minifters, we mean

thofe

thofe in tragic writ, a great villain. He rebels against his fovereign, and is thus addreffed by a messenger.

Me. Thus faith the feer who looks into the fates, (By whofe permiffion hither am I come)

The heav'ns are troubled and the gods are angry,
And inftant ruin threatens upon Ivar.
And this withal he gives you in advice;
Let each one to his station strait retire,” ́ ́
And by his penitence atone his crime-
Vanish like mift before the rifing day,
For what fo terrible as gods incens'd!

'Ivar. Stay, take thy reward with thee-bear my mef-
fage-

This fhalt thou give in answer to the feer;
Unless this day fhall put his words to proof,
Before another fun fhall light the world;
Thus fhall my fword do execution on him,
And turn the angry gods against himself.

Mel

[Stabs the Meffenger. I am made fick to death!-O you great gods!

[Exit.'

This fmart exclamation, as Bayes calls it, and indeed the whole paffage, forcibly recall honeft Nat. Lee to our minds, who in his Herculean vein, would probably in a fimilar fituation have made his hero kill the meffenger, and bade his ghost carry back defiance to the gods. But the happy thought of returning a meffage to a living man by making his nuncio a ghost, furpaffes any of Nat's furpaffing ideas, and is truly original,

We have had occafion to commend provincial publications, and we fufpect from the fame city; but, on every occafion of this kind, we must now except the printer before us, We have feldom feen any thing more imperfectly and aukwardly executed.

NOV EL.

The Falfe Friends. A Novel. In a Series of Letters, by the Author of the Ring. 2 Vols. 65. Barker.

We are told in the preface, that the author is young, unexperienced, and a female.' We readily believe it; and only with that he had been more advantageoufly employed. The characters, the language, and the fentiments, if we except a ftri&t morality, are below mediocrity. We endeavour, however, to learn fomething from every book which we read; and we find a lady's idea of a handfome man to confift in black piercing eyes, a brown complexion, and white teeth.' With fine fenfe, great beauty, and a wonderful difpofition to unite all the parties by marriage, added to a defcription of this kind, we have the effence of every novel, written by a young lady.'

The

The Adventures of Alonzo; containing fome Ariking Aneedates of the prefent Prime Minifter of Portugal. 2 Vols. 12mo. 6s. Bew.

These Adventures feem to have been written fome time ago, for the minifter, alluded to in the title, was probably the unfortunate marquis de Pombal. He certainly was unfortunate, perhaps guilty while he curbed the exorbitant power of the church, he added to that of the crown; while he enlarged the minds of his countrymen by encouraging learning, and giving fome scope to liberal enquiry, he is faid to have fettered commerce by an odious monopoly. Yet, on the subject of his ministry, we have not much novelty; nor are the anecdotes numerous.

In other refpects, the Adventures are interefting and agree'able. They are far removed from the common tract, and frequently above it. The language is nervous, but incorrect; in one or two inftances the mifplacing will and hall feems to fhew that the author is not an Englishman; yet his judgment feems to be good, and his knowledge not inconfiderable: a vein of good fenfe pervades and embellishes thefe little volumes.

POLITICA L.

A Candid Review of Mr. Pitt's Twenty Refolutions. Addreffed to the People of Ireland. 8vo. 25. Debrett.

Though political fubjects of great importance ought always to be treated with the utmost degree of impartiality, there is too much reafon to fufpect, that in enquiries of this nature, the confideration of public utility is often facrificed to the paffions of individuals, and the common interefts of a party. Actuated, however, as we are by no other view than that of examining faithfully the merits of literary productions, we are difpofed to weigh the arguments both of those who have fupported, and of thofe who have oppofed the Irish propofitions, without any de viation to either fide.

In the introduction to the pamphlet before us, we are forry to obferve that the author betrays a defign of exciting the Irish, to oppofe the Refolutions in queftion. It would have appeared much more candid to have delivered his fentiments difpaffionately, and to have left to the good sense of the majority of the Trish nation either to approve or reject them.

The author's obfervation on the Second Refolution is as fol. lows.

This Refolution contains the principle or bafis on which the above regulation is intended to be carried into execution. It is ftated as a conditional bargain; offering on the one hand a full participation of commercial advantages to Ireland, whenever Ireland fhall make a provifion towards defraying the expences of protecting the trade, &c. of the empire, in time of peace. And the twentieth Refolution, which ought to be confidered as a part of the fecond, declares what that provifion is to be, and how it is to be fecured.

This Refolution is founded on an affumption which I pofitively declare to be falfe and inadmiffible, viz. that Ireland enjoys no juft right or claim to the participation of commercial advantages, and must therefore engage to purchase them by a compenfation from Great Britain.-This is not only an inference, but the foundation of the whole plan, and by treating on fuch terms, Ireland would directly acknowledge the exclufive right of Great Britain to deny her that participation, without a compenfation of an annual supply.

That Ireland ought to contribute to the defence of the trade of the empire, I am most ready to admit. And fhe has ever hown an inclination to bear her fhare of the public expence even beyond her abilities.-My objection is to agreeing to pay that contribution as a purchase of what she has a right to claim on other grounds, namely, as a compenfation for a participa tion of fimilar commercial advantages granted by her to Great Britain.-For

The only commercial advantages that are to be communicated to Ireland, by virtue of this act, are a permiffion to fend her manufactures, and the importable produce of foreign ftates, or our own colonies, into Great Britain. It is not material to advert to the regulations to be adopted on this trade.-I only afk if Great Britain does not now enjoy the power of fending fimilar articles, and her manufactures into Ireland; and if the has not ever since the union of the crowns enjoyed this advantage?'

In these remarks, it is obvious that the author endeavours to bend the fubject to his own prejudices; and that he might do this with the greater fuccefs, he very artfully obferves, it is not material to advert to the regulations to be adopted on this trade.' But we muft beg leave to contend, that an attention to the proposed regulations is a matter of the utmost importance; and in fupport of this affertion we may appeal to the conduct of both the houses of the British parliament on the prefent occafion. On what other account than for the purpose of establishing proper regulations, has fo much time been employed in examining the petitions of the various manufacturers ?

The author, in his remarks on the Fourth Refolution, appears likewife to indulge himself in a ftrain of mifreprefentation. He infifts, that were the propofitions adopted, they would directly affect the independence of Ireland; but, by this affertion, he feems to lofe fight of the reciprocity which it is intended that the legislatures of both countries fhould equally exercise with refpect to commercial regulations.

În treating of the Ninth Refolution, the author profeffes a deteftation of the idea that Ireland should be prohibited from a trade with the Eaft Indies. But he ought to reflect, that this is a prohibition not peculiar to Ireland, fince, excepting the capital, all the ports in Great Britain are excluded from enjoy. ing the privileges of the East India Company.

According to this author, the people of Ireland never can be fatisfied without a total rejection of the Second, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, Ninth, and fome parts of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Refolutions. He certainly has done all in his power to inftigate the Irish, particularly the volunteers, to fuch a rejection ; and we cannot, without expreffing the ftrongest difapprobation, behold any writer on a great national fubje&, appeal to the paffions of the uninformed populace, in preference to the legifJature of the country. Such a conduct is evidently dictated by the worst of motives, and deferves to be reprobated by the opponents, as well as the abettors of the Refolutions.

An Addrefs to the King and People of Ireland. 8vo. 15. Debrett.

The author of this address holds, that the fyftem contained in the Twenty Refolutions is inadmiffible; and that the terms of it, on the part of the two contracting parties, viz. the parliament of Great Britain, and the parliament of Ireland, are of neceffity as to the one, or as to the other, a furrender FOR EVER of thofe inherent rights which neither can of right FOR EVER forego.' The author of this pamphlet writes difpaffionately; but his arguments are as inadmiffible, in our opinion, as the fyftem of Refolutions is in his own.

Original Papers. 8vo. 15. Jarvis.

Thefe Papers have fo much the appearance of being genuine, that, with the concurring evidence of fome additional circumstances, we cannot doubt of their authenticity. They confift of a Letter from the late Earl of Hardwicke to a near Relation, on the Subject of a Miniserial Negociation in the Year 1763 and of a Letter from the Hon. Charles Yorke to the Rev. Dr. Birch. The letter from lord Hardwicke is dated Sept. 4, 1763. and contains an account of two conferences which Mr. Pitt had with a great perfonage at the Q's palace, relative to a new administration. At the former of those conferences, which was about ten days before, on a Saturday, every thing feemed to be in a fair train for a new minifterial arrangement; but, lo! at the conference on the fubfequent Monday, this flattering profpect entirely vanished.

Mr. Pitt likewife affirms, fays the writer of the Letter, that if he was examined upon oath, he could not tell upon what this negociation broke off, whether upon any particular point, or upon the general complexion of the whole but that if the **** fhall affign any particular reafon for it, he will never contradict it.'

:

In the beginning of the Letter, we are prefented with an account of the feps which led to the conferences above men'tioned. As this part is ftrongly marked with the characteristics of a political negociation, we hall lay before our readers an extract of it.

• I have