DOMESTIC LITERATURE.

Mr. Wraxall's Hiftory of France, in two Volumes, Quarto, will appear in February.

Mr. White, of Selborne, has left Materials for Two Volumes in Octavo, on Subjects of Natura! Hiftory.

Dr. Gregory's expected Work on the Philofophy of Natural Hiftory, is in great forwardness.

Mr. Bewicke, of Newcastle, who publifhed a popular Hiftory of Beafts, with Engravings on Wood, is employed on a Hiftory of Birds, to correfpond with his former Work.

Mr. Marfh, the Tranflator of Michaelis, has intimated his Intention of anfwering fome pofitions in the laft Edition of Archdeacon Travis's Book.

We are happy to find that Mr. Andrews, whofe Hiftory of England is reviewed in this and the preceding Number, intends to take up the Subject in his fecond Volume, where Dr. Henry concludes. The intermediate Period will be comprised in an Appendix to the firft Volume.

We understand that Mr. Tatterfall's, Improved Pfalmody will foon be ready for the Subfcribers. The Reafons for delaying it will be feen in his Advertisement on our blue Cover.

Two Volumes of Tracts for the Ufe of Students in Divinity, and the younger Clergy, compiled under the Direction of the Society for a Reformation of Principles, will foon be publifhed. Some valuable Productions of the late Bishop Horne, which have never yet appeared, will form a Part of the Collection.

A Volume of Sermons, by Dr. Huntingford, the learned Warden of Winchester, is now in the Prefs.

The Bishop of London's late Charge to his Clergy, is also nearly ready for Publication.

Labruzzi's Via Appia, (noticed in our Third Volume, p. 184) proceeds, we understand, very rapidly, under the Patronage of Sir Richard Hoare.

Mr. Kirwan's Mineralogy, much enlarged, will foon appear in a new Edition.

A very fuperb Edition of the Poems of Goldsmith is to be expected from the Prefs of Mr. Bulmer.

THE

BRITISH CRITIC,

For DECEMBER, 1794.

"Men's principles, notions, and relishes, are fo different, that it is hard to find a book which pleases or displeases all men."

LOCKE.

ART. I. The History of the Origin, Progrefs, and Termination of the American War. By C. Stedman, who ferved under Sir W. Howe, Sir H. Clinton, and the Marquis Corn2 vols. 21. 25. Murray. 1794.

wallis. 4to.

LUCIAN complains that the defeat of Severianus in Armenia, and the fubfequent victories in Parthia, had produced an univerfal rage for writing hiftory, juft, fays he, as the people of Abdera all were feized at once with a fever, in the paroxyfms of which they declaimed the tragic verfes of Euripides. But, alas! adds his commentator, of all this fwarm. of hiftorians not even a name remains, and it is difficult to trace the very wars that fet their pens to work. The prefent age is also a history-writing age, and war, which, as the fame fatirift fays, produces all things, will doubtlefs much increase the number of hiftorians, the greater part of whom, like thofe alluded to by Lucian, will perifh with their works, unless their works fhould be before-hand with them, and die first.Few are they whofe labours will furvive, for the inftruction of future ages, but among thofe few undoubtedly will be numS s bered

PRIT. CRIT, VOL. IV. DEC. 1794.

bered the author of the work before us. The hiftory he now prefents to the world is a well-written and well-digested performance, the ftyle manly and pure, the arrangement clear, The defcriptions of events ftriking, without being overcharged, the judgements paffed upon them temperate, and fuch as we doubt not will, in most instances, be confirmed by impartial pofterity.

The American war, though it has now been concluded a fufficient length of time to enable an hiftorian to investigate the truth, is still a fubject which it requires fome delicacy to handle, in this or that country, Many of the principal actors in those scenes are ftill living, and the author who can equally avoid partial encomium and partial cenfure, has a mind elevated to the real dignity of hiftory. Such has been apparently the difpofition of Mr. Stedman, whofe history never degenerates into panegyric, and who, though he helitates not to cenfure, where palpable misconduct feems to make it neceffary. does it always with a temperance which proves at once his coolness of judgment, and his love of truth. That many parts of his production will, from that very impartiality, be highly offenfive to particular individuals we cannot doubt; but when private feelings and refentments fhall be over, this work will undoubtedly remain, to teftify the boldnefs as well as the inte grity of its author, and to direct pofterity to a right judgement on events of high importance. We would not, however, ourfelves be fufpected of writing a panegyric, and therefore fhall haften to let the work fpeak for itself, first explaining its arrangement, and then selecting fuch paffages as may suffice to exemplify the author's ftyle and hiftorical talents.

The knowledge previoufly neceffary to the right understanding of the hiftory, is conveyed in an introduction of 110 pages; which, after giving a rapid fketch of the geography of North America, and the original fettlement of the Thirteen Colonies, takes up the hiftory of the leading transactions between the Mother Country and these Provinces, from the conclufion of the Peace with France in 1763. This period is well chofen; for the relief of the American Colonies from the apprehenfion of foreign enemies in their neighbourhood, was certainly the first circumftance that put it in their power, even to think of resisting or offending the Mother Country. At p. Io is a remark, which as it holds out a proper warning to all perfons who are violently bigotted to fpeculative theories of Government, we fhall infert, before we proceed to the hif tory.

"The first settlements in the provinces of North and South Carolina, originally comprised in the fame grant, under the general name of Carolina, were begun a few years after the restoration of king Charles the Second*. A grant of them was made to feveral noblemen and perfons of rank, who employed the celebrated Mr. Locke to form a fyftem of government and code of laws for their new colony. But, however wife in theory thofe inftitutions might have been, it is nevertheless certain, that the fettlement did not thrive under them, although fupported by the wealth and influence of its rich and powerful proprietors: Nor did it even begin to profper until government, many years afterwards, refumed the grants, took the colony under its own immediate protection, laid aside the inftitutions of Mr. Locke, and gave the inhabitants a conftitution fimilar to that of Virginia';t and from that period its advances in improvement were as rapid as they had been before flow and unpromising. So complicated are human affairs, and fo intricate the chain that unites the caufe with the effect, that it is very unfafe, in the formation of political fyftems, to go far beyond the line of experience. The more exalted and refined our ideas of liberty and government, the wider they are apt to lead us aftray; if, in oppofition to facts and circumstances, we obftinately perfevere in endeavouring to reduce them to practice." P. 10. Vol. i.

Should any perfon doubt the accuracy of this statement, though a fact well known, he will find it fully confirmed in Morfe's American Geography, p. 549, under South Carolina. It is true Mr. Morfe ftates that this government was ariftocratical; but it was doubtlefs fuch as Mr. Locke thought likely to produce political happiness and profperity, in both which points, great as his talents were, he was utterly mistaken.

The fummary of tranfactions, contained in this introduction, is fuch as in general exculpates the Mother Country, and throws the blame of the difagreement which arose, on the republican spirit fermenting in the Colonies, and the encouragement which fuch difpofitions met with from this fide of the Atlantic, yet the author does not hesitate to declare the errors of our Administration on fome of the leading points of conteft. On the repeal of the Stamp-act he thus expreffes himself:

"The principle of the repeal, and the policy of the miniftry in proceeding thus haftily upon it, have been much queftioned, and not without a strong appearance of reafon. If the objections of the colonial affemblies were deemed of no force or validity, it was the duty of the British parliament, for the prefervation of their own authority, instead of repealing, to have taken measures for inforcing the execu tion of the ftamp act: On the other hand, if these objections were unanswerable and irrefiftible, it would have been wife, it would

have been magnanimous, and worthy of the representatives of a great nation, not only to have repealed the stamp act, but by an open declaration to have renounced for ever the exercife of fuch an unconftitutional authority; and at the fame time to have devised some other expedient for accomplishing the end propofed by the ftamp act by lefs exceptionable means. Such a declaration would have quieted the minds of the colonists, and removed all future apprehenfions. But the British parliament pursued neither of these courfes. It is true they repealed the ftamp act, but they at the fame time paffed the declaratory act, more arbitrary and more alarming than the other; and by this prepofterous policy kept alive the jealoufy which the ftamp act had excited, whilst they abandoned all the benefits which it was defigned to produce." P. 46. Vol. I.

Thus alfo the revival of the statute of the 35th Henry VIII. for trying Americans in England who had been guilty of treafon, is ftrongly reprobated; and on the refervation of the duty on tea, Mr. Stedman thus judiciously expreffes himself:

"By the act of the laft feffion of parliament for repealing the American duties, introduced by the British minifter, and carried through by his influence, it must be confeffed that he went a great way to meet the wishes of the colonial inhabitants: But if entire reconciliation was the object, he did not go far enough. The reservation of the infignificant duty on tea was fufficient to give a fair pretence to the patriotic party in the colonies to urge, that although the British parliament had now been twice foiled in its attempts to tax the colo nies, it ftill made pretenfions to the right, and only waited for a more convenient opportunity to accomplish this favourite object, the duty on tea being referved for the fole purpose of eftablif.ing a precedent for the exercise of that right." P.78. Vol. I.

The hiftory commences in December 1774, with the infurrections that took place in Rhode Island and New Hampshire, on the arrival of the King's proclamation against exporting warlike ftores. The first volume, in twenty chapters, continues the hiftory to the departure of Sir William Howe, and the appointment of Sir H. Clinton to the command in 1778. This volume concludes with reflections on the effect of party in fupporting the difplaced General after his return, which fully prove how fenfible the writer is of the dignity of his province as an hiftorian, and how well able to fupport that dignity.

"In the decline of free governments we ever observe the influence of faction to predominate over ideas of patriotifm. juftice, and duty, on which alone liberty is founded; and a propenfity in the citizens to range themselves under the banners of a Marius or a Sylla, a Pompey

Perhaps by this time it might be called the republican party.