Here we must pause, as our limits will not permit us to give more extracts. It was our intention to have pointed out some faults, which attracted our attention on the perusal of this poem; this part of our task we forego with pleasure; it is always inore pleasing to gather flowers than to seek out for weeds; and as this work, we are given to understand, is the first ef fusion of a young poet, and is the harbinger of a future specimen of his talents, we would rather hold out encouragement under such circumstances, and conceal defects, whenever they are more than counterbalanced by the beauties of a work of genius.

120. Mr. Dumbell's Letter to the Right Hon. Robert Peel, &c. &c. &c. 8vo. pp. 67. Mr. DUMBELL commences his Pamphlet with a censure of the Bank of England, under the presumption that it is the sole arbiter of the currency, and, by inference, of the whole commercial prosperity of Great Britain. The idea is not novel, but to us it is not justified by circumstances.

The Bank of England follows a certain rule, and exercises the natural right of doing what it will with its own. When the Exchanges are in favour of this country, it enlarges its issues in order that the utmost possible wealth may flow into the kingdom-when the Exchanges are against this country, it narrows its issues in order to prevent a ruinous influx of specie, for it is to be recollected that the Bank is a Com

inercial Company trading in specie, represented by paper payable on demand. When the former has an influx, more of the latter may be issued; when it has an efflux less. There are only two alternatives left in the latter case; one to narrow the issues, the other to suspend payment. Now the Bank of England must cut its coat according to its cloth, because it is a capitalist, and must act upon the principle of security.

But trading without capital has however a natural direction towards over-production, because it can get nothing but by production. It cannot trade in goods unless it possesses goods. In substitution of capital bills of exchange are issued. If the return's come in they can be taken up—if not, the consequences must be bankruptcy. The country is nevertheless richer in commodities. Instead of full pocket's Now it is there are full warehouses. utterly impossible that the Bank of England or the Country can stand in the place of customers, can advance the value of these commodities, because then they immediately put themselves into the place of the over-producer, or producer without capital; that is to say, they saddle themselves with his stock of unsaleable goods, while he, the vendor, gains their always available capital. We have no limits for going further into palpable things, of which verbum sat. The issues of the Bank, we repeat, must be limited; trade is often unlimited; but would persons only reflect that when Stocks are high the profits of Commerce are low, they would narrow their stock, and the evil of overproduction would be avoided. Instead of this they estimate vendibility by the cheapness of money, and do not consider that if a man receives less interest for his money he can afford to spend less, and would not put his money out at so low a return if he

Crown 8vo. pp. 394.

could make more of it. Mr. Dumbell 121. Outalissi: a Tale of Dutch Guiasa. next proposes as a substitute for the Bank of England, either a Government Bank, or one in opposition to the Bank of England. The paramount absurdity of a Government, which, in se, is a borrower, and through the unavoidable necessity of funding, never repays principal, turning Banker, is apparent; and as to a Joint Stock Com pany, we should have only two whirl pools for absorbing the currency instead of one-another capital sunk instead of one only, viz. that of the Bank of England.

66

Mr. Dumbell then recommends the cultivation of the potatoe. (P. 37.) The substitution of manual labour for tools and machinery, even to har nessing men to draw gravel on the roads." (P. 44.) And (p. 57.) the extirpation of lawyers, for he says, that as "the country was once priest-ridden, it is now lawyer-ridden."

For our parts we have only to observe, that whatever be the wealth of a country, it is not in the power of man to prevent its expenditure among the population. One mode may have a more moral or more prudent result than another, but the fact itself is indisputable. Whether money be spent in profligacy, or in prudence, or in charity, the sums expended must be dispersed among the several tradesmen who supply the wants of the respective parties. But if it so happens that a fictitious artificial wealth, dependent upon contingency, occasions an extraordinary influx of the population into certain modes of employ, and the contingent returns do not ensue, then of course misery must follow. In all political concerns however, where immediate remedies do not present themselves, the proper rule is, if possible, to gain time, which often produces changes of situation, and furnishes safe modes of action. Though, how ever, we cannot agree with Mr. Dumbell in principle, we are willing to acknowledge that there is energy and ability in his writing, and that some of his measures for the employment of the distressed poor deserve attention, particularly those concerning certain roads, in p. 43. We also agree with him in one leading point, that the claim of the Poor to be employed and maintained is an indefeasible right, growing out of every state of society, where the soil is private property.

THE design of this Tale is to ex- ¦ pose the malversation of Colonists, and recommend Sectarian modes of professing Christianity as fittest for the conversion of Slaves. We shall there fore speak of the subject in the view of a Statesman. It is readily admitted with regard to Slavery, that free labour is far better, and the system is in all respects bad, but with regard to sectarian modes being the best, we have far different opinions. The principle of Sectarianism is in no country submissive to authority-it has always a bias antimonarchical, nor do we recollect in the history of Great Britain, any civil good which has resulted from it equal to that of a Church Establishment protected by Government, and acting and teaching with a view to its support; on the contrary Sectaries preach up their own creeds and their own people-they enforce no civil authority, and if a dependant differs from his master upon a point which his minister supports, he will be expected by the latter to side with him. In short, will any reflecting man say, that Sectarianism is favourable to subordination; and, if it be not favourable, is not the introduction of insubordination among our Slave Colonies much like putting a match to a barrel of gunpowder? It matters not that we may be told such Sectarians were good men, had good intentions, and so forth. It is not to the purpose. In our judgment they are as unfit for propagating Christianity among Slaves, as they would be for chaplains of regiments, or ships of war. Their very principles are hostile to authority. Insurrections there have been, and it is idle to say that Mr. Smith was an illused man, because in their views of things, for a man not to have his own way is deemed a civil injury. If God has not all, and Cæsar does not patiently submit to forego his own portion, then (in the vulgar phrase) the fat is in the fire. We repeat, that place a sectarian chapel in the heart of every colonial plantation, you will soon find it necessary to build barracks directly opposite to it, because Sectarianism in its doctrine and principles deems worldly wisdom a thing that ought not to be regarded, perhaps a

sin.

PART 1.]

REVIEW.-On Naval Architecture.—Stuart's Anecdotes.

We know that we are treading on tender ground, and subject ourselves to aspersions. But it is our solemn and decided opinion, that if the Religionists of the present day could execute their wild theories, Religion would be turned into a jest at home, and a mischief abroad. Whatever doctrine (and such a doctrine is Religion) has a tendency to influence the public mind, and yet does not profess to act in subordination to authority, such a doctrine cannot be deemed eligible by us, Episcopalians in religious, and Loyalists in civil Government.

The Author, though we do not approve his principles, has the merit of being a very able sentimentalist.

613

wood sheathing, and have not only proved a perfect protection from worms, when copper has been removed, but saved ships, which, if they had not been covered with this substance, would have foundered.”

"It is a singular circumstance, that the first vessel on which the patent felt was placed by the British Government, was saved by it from shipwreck. The ship Dorothea, sent on the first voyage of discovery to the arctic regions, was crushed between two

fields of ice; the shock was so tremendous that several of the beams which supported the decks were broken, and all on board expected the ship would founder, but to their

surprise no leak was discovered; and hence it was thought that the beams were the only parts damaged. She arrived in England without leaking; but when taken into a dock and stripped for the purpose of examining into her state, it was discovered that

122. Papers on Naval Architecture. No. ninety-six of the timbers under water were

III. 8vo. pp. 336.

THE same praise is due to this as to the preceding numbers.

The first paper is a sketch of the Progress of Naval Architecture. It concludes with observing, that

"The adoption of the Swedish rising floor instead of the French flat floor, and an increase of breadth in proportion to the length, might probably be attended with very considerable advantage in the ships of the Royal Navy of England." P. 265.

The second

refers to the vapaper rious methods for preventing the depredation of sea worms, and highly praises Mr. Bell's invention for rendering wood almost incorruptible, and protecting it against worms.

"It will render every country independent of others for the supply of durable timber; for the wood which now decays almost as soon as it is felled, may be made thereby far more lasting than the most durable timber known. This is not merely speculative, for the specimens have been put during five years to the severest trials known, without undergoing any change." P. 260.

We have a further valuable discovery, and the following account of its almost miraculous service in a situation of extreme danger.

"The question is, how are the bottoms of ships to be protected if any part of the metallic sheathing be accidentally removed? In the first part of this paper the durability of animal hair has been proved, and its protecting the bottoms of ships verified. With in a few years this hair has been manufactured into sheets, by a process called felting; these have been used on many ships under

broken, the plank of the bottom damaged, and that the ship had been saved by the felt.” P. 273.

The remaining papers are of high useful character; but these, with the exception of a Report on the Steam Navigation of America, are studies. Upon the whole there is much judgment exercised in the selection of these papers, and much merit, generally speaking, in the writing of them.

123. The Stuart Anecdotes of Mechanics and Philosophy, (Anecdotes of SteamEngines,) with forty-five Engravings on Steel of Steam Machinery. By Robert Stuart, Civil Engineer. 16mo. published monthly by Wightman and Cramp.

Only two numbers of this instructive little work have appeared, but these show that the proposed History of Steam Engines is constructed upon scientific and elaborate principles, and is also very entertaining. The first idea of Steam, as capable of being made a mechanical power, seems to have been due to Nero of Alexandria, who flourished under the Ptolemies; and our Authors say,

"A sagacity little short of prescience could alone have enabled him to anticipate the grandeur of that creation that was to arise from these beautiful but comparatively insignificant begiunings.”

It would be impossible for us to go through the contents of these numbers; we can only say, that they are full of information, and very low in price.

124. An Account of the Proceedings at a Public Meeting held at the City of York, on the nineteenth January, 1827, to take into consideration the expediency of petitioning Parliament on the subject of the Immolation of Hindoo Wadows in British India, with an Appendix, 4to. pp. 28. THE sanction of murder under any pretence strikes at the very root of cívilized well-being, because it introduces a form of committing it, which lessens the horror of it, and least of all should that form be connected with Religion. It appears from the authorities quoted in the Appendix, that the barbarous practice reprobated may be suppressed without danger of mutiny or rebellion; and if such blessed results can be secured by measures of only common prudence, why are not such measures put in execution? We' hope that public attention will be drawn to the subject, by several excellent articles which have appeared in this Miscellany.

125. The Timid Christian encouraged to come to the Holy Communion, a Sermon preached in the Chapel of the Asylum for Female Orphans, Lambeth, on Sunday, Sept. 3, 1826. By the Rev. Edward Bowman Varder, LL.B. Chaplain to the Asylum. 8vo. pp. 39.

OUR Author, speaking of the dread entertained of taking the Sacrament, lest condemnation should be incurred, says concerning this point,

"Think ye, that He [Christ] would be fie his own prophecy, and contradict his gracious errand, by laying snares for his people? Think ye, that He would ever bid us do one single act by which we could risk the forfeiture of his redeeming love? Think ye, that He would ever take delight in the ap pointment of an ordinance which he knew could not be performed acceptably unto God, and which he knew would prove the means of separating man from all interest in the happiness of Heaven, and consigning him to endless lamentation, and mourning and woe?" P. 36.

The fact is, that the encouragement given to the tenets of certain Religionists by the fanatical party of our own Church has elated them into a conceit that they are oracles; and in their favourite prosess of obtruding their quack medicine into theology, they have diseased its vital organs, and occasioned a necessity for such sound and judicious counter-agents as are furnished in this scriptural and rational discourse,

126: Religious Controversy decided by Scrip ture and Antiquity, or the Tree kinon by its Fruit. A Treatise on the Divinity of Jesus, a Refutation of Papal Errors, &c By the Rev. Joseph Taylor, A. M. Vion of Snitterfield, and Head Master of the Royal Free Grammar School, Stourbridg 8vo. pp. 332.

IT is certainly troublesome that when a Ghost has been once laid in the Red Sea or a horse-pond, he should disturb a peaceable neighbourhood again by midnight walks. Now Popery is such a Ghost, which has been laid many years ago, and requires to be again exorcised. Mr. Taylor appears as one of the exorcists; and the following is a favourable specimen of good ratiocination upon a subject

not easy.

"He whose understanding is infinite cannot know that now, which he did not always know. In him there is nothing past, nothing to come, but all is present. Eternity itself can add no improvement to the knowledge of that all-wise, all-comprehending mind, to whom all futurity is open, and from whom no secrets are hid. Satap neither stole nor forced his way into paradise. He neither escaped the notice nur conquered the power of him whose presence filled heaven and earth. Omniscience cannot be deceived-- Omnipresence cannot be eluded-Omnipotence cannot be

overcome.

Man in his original state had a freedom of will, and a liberty of action to obey or disobey, for where there is no

choice there can be no virtue; the foreknowledge of the Deity therefore did not produce natural and moral evil, for can we believe that God forbade the fall, which by an antecedent decree he had rendered inevi table?" P. 57.

127. Hints on the Impressment of Seamen. 8vo. pp. 61.

WE have never read or heard that in any country, at any time, the soldiers or sailors were voluntary agents; and we are very sure that if a nation is to remain in peace and comfort some must be sufferers. It is certainly unjust that one should be so more than another, but political necessity and moral equity are not always capable of harmonious action; but so it is with Providence itself. Agues attach to the innocent inhabitants of marshy situations, not to those of hilly grounds. Of course it is desirable that the former should be drained and rendered healthy-it is also desirable that impressment should not