principal modern Fops; and Hints for young Students, in the School of Foppery, with an Outline of a Bill, fuggefted to the Legislature, for their better Government and Improvement. By Sir Frederic Foppling, F.F.F. 12mo. 4s. 6d.

This is an attempt facetiously to defcribe the various fpecies of fops, who impertinently moleft fociety; we have the city fop, the clerical fop, the medical fop, the legal fop, the mufical fop, &c. &c. &c. The tract is evidently written by a person who has a familiar knowledge of the metropolis, or at leaft with thofe parts of it, which are connected with Pall Mall and Bond-ftreet. Some anecdotes of well-known characters are interfperfed; and the whole may very well amufe a vacant half hour,

LAW.

ART. 20. Remarks upon a late Decifion in the Court of Arches, on the Question, Whether a Perfon, not baptized by a lawful Minister of the Church of England, be intitled to the Ufe of the Burial Ser. vice of that Church. Dedicated, by Permiffion, to the Right Rev. the Lord Bifhop of Peterborough. By the Rev. George Hutton, D.D Vicar of Sutterton, &c. near Bofton; and fometime Fellow of St. Mary Magdalen College, Oxford. 8vo. 24 PP. IS. Kelfey, Boston; Baldwin, London. 1811.

We stated, in a former number, "that this public difcuffion of a fentence, which is in fact the law of the land, unless reversed by a higher court, or refumed in a new caufe by the fame court, is not a matter that calls for our interference ;" and we therefore con. tented ourselves with reciting the titles of the principal publica. tions on the subject. To these one is here added, which may well be joined with the preceding, by thofe who are attentive to the queftion, and inelined to collect what is written on the subject, But, as long as the decifion, already pronounced, fhall continue unreverfed; we fuppofe that no one will cenfure Parish Minifters, for fubmitting to it; nor yet cenfure any Minifter, who may think himself bound in confcience to bring the queftion again into

court.

POLITICS.

ART. 21. Reviewers reviewed; including an Enquiry into the moral and intellectual Effects of Habits of Criticism, and their Influence on the general Interefts of Literature. To which is fubjoined a brief Hiftory of the periodical Reviews published in England and Scotland. By John Charles O'Reid, Efq. 8vo. 74 PP. 2s. 6d. Oxford, printed. Conder, London. 1811.

That there is much of found reafoning and much alfo of good writing in this tract, we feel no intereft or inclination to deny ;

that

that the author is a favourer of the particular tenets and doctrines of the Eclectic Reviewers is indeed evident; but there is nothing in his book of which any other Reviewers can very justly complain, as either unfair or illiberal. He is more unjuft, perhaps, to Swift (p. 72) than to any other individual *. Seeing fo much to approve in his pamphlet, we shall allow him to characterize it himself.

"My defign is to awaken the attention of the parent, of the man of tafte, of all who feel for the interefts of literature, to a fubject in which they are deeply interested; and to warn those who feck the improvement of their minds, and who are fufceptible of the refined pleasures of intellect, how they facrifice the native fenfibility and the fimplicity of their taste, for vain and artificial habits, and the cant of criticifm. Truth, in its most extensive fenfe, is the only proper object of purfuit, and wifdom the only end worthy of attainment. If literature be merely an employ ment, a pastime, or a trade, it is only not ufelefs. If books be merely reforted to as topics of converfation, or fubjects for the difplay of ingenuity, then novelty is their highest excellence. But let us remember that, in all the exertions of our faculties, our leading object ought to be, to render ourselves happy as individuals, and agreeable, refpectable, and useful members of jociety." P. 73. This is well faid, and well quoted, and with this fpecimen we take our leave of the unknown author.

ART. 22. A Vindication of the Reign of his prefent Majesty King George III. 8vo. 90 pp. 35. 6d. J. J. Stockdale. 1811.

An attempt in a morning paper to throw a general cenfure upon the whole fyftem of policy, purfued in the prefent reign, is said to have given occafion to this pamphlet, which we fhould be ftrangely inconfiftent if we did not commend. It contains, in fact, in al most every inftance, our own views of the tranfactions which are noticed; and in many cafes, though we might not have ufed exactly the fame words, we certainly fhould have written moft completely the fame fentiments. As we are inclined to think that these opinions, notwithstanding the great noife occafionally made by op pofite parties, are now, and have always been, the opinions of the moft refpectable majority of cur countrymen, we hope that, in giving this commendation of the tract before us, we shall have fecured to it many readers. That there are alfo many who, for that very reafon, will prefume it to be worthlefs, we know, and do not much regret. We differ from a certain clafs of politicians with the fame pride which animated Phocion, when, on finding himself unexpectedly applauded by the Athenian affembly, he turn ed round and asked his friends—“What is this?—have I faid any

* We could, if we thought it worth while, prove him more unjust to us, in one particular, than to most other Reviewers.

thing

thing very improper or abfurd?"To those who hate, as we do, the efforts of political quacks, of every rank, class, and defcription, to gain popularity by vilifying their betters, we heartily recommend this tract, in which they will find, as we have found, much to approve, and not a little to admire.

CHEMISTRY.

ART. 23. Rudiments of Chemical Philofophy; in which the fir Principles of that useful and entertaining Science are familiarly explained and illuftrated. By N. Meredith. 12m0. 160 pp. 49.

Hatchard. 1810.

In a fenfible preface, the author informs us that fcarcely three years having elapfed fince he "was totally unacquainted with the feience he now prefumes to recommend, the difficulties that attended his first attempts are fresh in recollection, as are the plea fures naturally refulting from their removal; and as the greatest discouragements are generally felt at first, when names and things are equally novel, he has thought that fome fervice might at leaft be rendered to the younger part of the community, by an attempt to remove or leffen fome of thofe difficulties which invariably prefent themselves to the mind of a young beginner, by fur. nishing him with a fmaller, a cheaper, and, if poffible, an easier book than thofe already published.' In this laudable attempt we think he has fucceeded, and have no hesitation in recommending his treatife to all perfons who wish to become acquainted with the principles and most interesting difcoveries of chemical fcience. The author is himself an encouraging example of the facility with which a competent knowledge of chemistry may be obtained; and he could not have made a more grateful nor honourable return for the gratification it has yielded him, than by rendering its acquifition more eafy to young people.

This book might be introduced with great propriety into schools; the subject is unquestionably more important than the farrago of heathen gods and goddeffes, fo affiduoufly taught in those inftitutions; chemical terms for real substances, are neither more harsh nor difficult to acquire than the names and attributes of fabulous deities, whilft the operations of chemistry are at least as intelligible, and infinitely more useful and interesting, than the actions of fabled heroes, or the metamorphofes of nymphs into trees, or dragon's teeth into men.

We are compelled to point out fome errors in this little volume which we hope will be avoided in a future edition. Of phofphorus the author fays, "it does not appear to have been used in England" (medicinally). It certainly has been employed in medicine, in this country, though not fo much as in France, Germany and Poland, where it seems to have excited confiderable at

tention.

tention. In answer to the question " Is copper at all ufed in medicine," (we should have obferved the book is written by way of question and anfwer) the author fays, "No; all its preparations are of a very poifonous nature." Now, the last edition of the London Pharmacopoeia contains two preparations of this metal, viz. cupri fulphas, and cuprum ammoniatu.n, which are given internally by many practitioners in epilepfy, and fome other complaints.

At p. 70 we obferved an error of a different defeription: "if" fand and water are agitated together never fo violently, they do not at all unite.”

MORALITY.

ART. 24. An Ejay on Morality, and on the Etablishment of the Moral Principle. 12mo. 86 pp. Cadell and Co. 1810.

How it is poffible for an Author to imagine that he is doing any good to himself or the world, by writing and publishing fuch a book as this, we cannot in the leaft conceive. The prin. ciple of morality, according to this teacher of it, is human welfare; and he seems to think that all that is neceffary to make men moral is to lay down this, or, as he calls it, to demonftrate it, and then all men will be moral. But, alas, this has been laid down again and again, without effect. Paley's fundamental prin ciple of morality (of which perhaps he never heard) is expediency, which is furely as comprehenfive as his human welfare; then he arranges the fubjects of morality under fix heads: "Life or livelihood, health, happiness,-reputation,-government or law, and religion," p. 38. His precepts under thefe heads are, if we may use fo barbarous an expreffion, mere twaddle. Thus under the first head he fays that,

"Man, to fupport and maintain life, is to work and labour, and apply his mind and body to obtain thofe things that will fup. port and maintain him; these are food, raiment or clothing, and habitation or dwelling. He is to do this in the beft way he can, and by honeft means; and he is not to kill nor rob others that he may take their eftate and property; neither is he to take the property of another by ftealth, craft, or fraud; nor is he to in. jure the property of another that he may ferve himfelf; nor is he to do wrong to another; nor any other unjust act, to ferve himfelf and gain his livelihood. He fhould be industrious and not idle. He fhould be attentive and not negligent. He should do every thing that would promote, and that would be ferviceable to the fupport and maintenance of life, and he should avoid every thing that would endanger or deftroy life." P. 38.

What a fet of truifms! Can any reader in the world be made

more

more moral by perufing them? Yet this is one entire head of this author's morality, which is no further difcuffed. Religion feems to him to confift only in a man's raifing in himself the ideas of God and eternity, for his welfare. All modifications of religious opinions appear to him totally infignificant. If it was a miferable wafte of time to write fuch a book, it is fo, in fome degree, to write an account of it, and therefore we fay no more; but leave it to that oblivion which gaped for it, when it iffued from the prefs.

MEDICINE.

ART. 25. Some Obfervations upon Difeafes, chiefly as they occur in Sicily By William Irvine, M. D. F. R. S. Ed. of the Royal College of Phyficians of London; and Phyfician to his Majesty's Forces. 8vo. 120 pp. 5s. Murray. 18 ro.

The difeafes treated of in this interefting publication are principally fevers, dyfentery, phthifis, hepatitis, rheumatism. The defcription of their fymptoms, and the method of practice purfued, mark the accurate obferver, and rational practitioner. We regret to ftate that death has snatched him from his well-merited reward, for he could not have continued in the career of practice which he had fo aufpiciously entered, without foon attaining dif.. tinguished eminence in his profeffion, which will even yet derive benefit from his thort-lived but glorious exertions.

DIVINITY.

ART. 26. Abort Diffuafive from a Common Sin, easily avoided with a prefatory Addrefs to the Clergy of the Church of England. 12mo. 12 pp. Rivingtons. 1808.

A fhort Diffuafive from the Common Sin of Swearing, a fin which ought certainly to be checked as much as poffible by every man who has any fenfe of duty towards his great Creator, and more especially by him, who is particularly employed in God's fervice. The author's intentions therefore appear to be good; but we are forry to obferve that he accufes his reverend brethren themselves of violating the divine precept," Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain ;" an accufation not founded on fufficient grounds, as fuch a deviation is in truth very rarely to be met with; and a tract intended for circulation among the lowest claffes of fociety, as a diffuafive from this fin, is not the proper vehicle for conveying reproof to another clafs, who are not likely to be, and are indeed very rarely contaminated by it.

ART