MR. LANE, actuated by an Anti-Gallican fpirit, repels, with great indignation, the charge of inferiority which has been preferred against his country, in the important art of Farriery. If his ability be equal to his zeal, of which we humbly profefs to be moft incompetent judges, he muft have very good grounds indeed for claiming the fuperiority which he fo loudly afferts. Latin Profody made easy, or Rules and Authorities for the Quantity of final Syllables in general, and of the Increments of Nouns and Verbs, interSperfed with occafional Obfervations and Conjectures on the pronunciation of the ancient Greeks and Romans: to which are added directions for Scanning and compofing different kinds of Verfe, followed by Analytic Remarks on the Harmonious Structure of the Hexameter, together with Synoptic Tables of Quantity for every Declension and Conjugation. By J. Carey. 8vo. Pr. 200. 5s. Robinfons. London. 1800. THE length of the title page precludes the neceflity of explanation, as to the contents of the book. In refpect of the execution we fhall briefly observe, that the author has not promised more than he has performed; and that he has treated his fubject with ability and care. Elements of Reading. Being felett English Leffons in Profe and Verfe, for Young Readers of Both Sexes. By the Rev. J. Adams. I2mo. London. 1801. A NEW edition of an ufeful publication the merits of which had been duly estimated before the commencement of our labours. The Frft Principles of Field-Fortification; containing concife and familiar Precepts for the Conftruction, Attack, and Defence of Field-Works; with a Preliminary Introduction to the Science of Fortification in general. By Charles Auguftus Struenfee. Tranflated from the German, by William Nicolay, Captain- Lieutenant in the Corps of Royal Engineers. 8vo. PP. 232. Plates. 78. 6d. Nicol. London. 1800. THESE First Principles, as they are termed with more modesty than accuracy, include the whole fcience of Field Fortification; and the fimplification of the rules, in which much ability is difplayed, renders them attainable by the humbleft capacity. The military world are highly indebted to the tranflator of this work, which is capable of affording much useful knowledge to officers of all ranks. A Propofal on Behalf of the Married Poor. 8vo. Pr. 52. Is. 6d. Arch. London. 1801. THE object of this tract is to recommend the appointment of fix infpectors in every parish to be inverfed with authority and controul over the overseers; for the purpofe of adminiftering relief to the poor at their own houfes; and making certain allowances to the labourer according to the amount of his earnings and the extent of his family; but this object may be obtained by means more regular, more practicable, and more effectivė. Thoughts Thoughts on Poor-Houfes, with a View to their general Reform, particularly that of Salisbury, conparing it with the more improved ones of Shrewsbury, Ifle of Wight, Hull, Bo'dre, &c. and Deductions drawn, useful to other PoorHoufes. To which is added, an Account of the Population of Salisbury, with Obfervations thereon. By Henry Wanfey, F. A. S. 8vo. PP. 48. Price 18d. Cadell and Davies. London. 1801. MR. WANSEY has evidently bestowed much labour and care on the investigation of the subject; and has, very judicioufly, in the collection of his materials, preferred practice to theory, facts to fpeculations. Of the true end and defign of a workhouse, as explained in an advertisement which he has adopted, he unquestionably entertains a very juft conception, "To train up the children of the poor to habits of induftry, religion, and virtue, in order to make them useful members of fociety; to furnish employment for the poor of all ages, and oblige them to earn their own fupport, as far as their ftrength and ability will enable them; to prevent idlenefs, diffipation, and vice; and to provide a comfortable afylum for old age, difeafe, or infirmity, when thereby disabled from pursuing their usual Occupations." We heartily with that this point was more fully attended to, in which cafe houfes of industry would never be converted into a receptacle for idleness. The author's fuggeftions refpecting the education of children in a work houfe are highly judicious, and indeed all his obfervations on the subject of the poor are entitled to very ferious confideration, The Life, Adventures, and Opinions of Colonel George Hanger. Written by himself. 2 Vols. 8vo. 16s. Debrett. 1801. IF a total abfence of wit, humour, and understanding; of all that can amuse the fancy, or inform the mind; had been the only objection to these ponderous volumes, we should have left them to fink, by their own weight, in the muddy pool of oblivion. Such negative demerits must have, indeed, incurred contempt, but might have been allowed to efcape cenfure.--Not fo the work in which profligacy rifes fuperior to its concomitant dulnefs; in which the moft miferable fneers at religion, and its most virtuous profeffors are exhibited, aptly it must be admitted, as fit companions for eulogies on vice; in which the moft Chriftian, beft-regulated, and beft-governed inftitutions, are vilified and calumniated, moft bafely and falfely, and whole chapters devoted to ftudied panegyrics on proftitution and proftitutes; in which all decency and decorum of language and of fentiment, are utterly difregarded; and of which it is difficult to fay, whether it be most strongly characterized by perverfion of mind or corruption of heart. A fair ftandard for estimating the capacity and the principles of the author is afforded to the reader at the very beginning of the book, in which he tells him, that the character which he was ever moft ambitions to ac quire, and which he regards as "the most defircable and moft enviable of ALL characters," was that of a fine gentleman !---It is not furprifing that à man who fhould fo think, thould fo write. He affures us that he was an adept at Latin, but that he never understood Greek; which ftruck us, we confess, as fomewhat ftrange, when we looked at the plate in the first volume, where a figure is exhibited on the gallows, which it is impoffible for any man who was in the habit of palling the obelifk in St. George's-fields two years ago, or has been more recently accustomed to walk through Pall-mall and and the adjacent streets, to miftake;-for we certainly were difpofed to think that there was one individual in the world, at least, to whom he did juftice, and that he had successfully studied the old Greek admonition Averse as we are from the infliction of general cenfure, without the adduction of fome paffage to justify our fentence; we cannot, in this inftance, fubmit to difgrace our pages by a fingle quotation; but when we affure our readers that the author carries his profligacy fo far as not only to ftigmatize our marriage ceremony as an artifice of popery; and earnestly to recommend polygamy; but even to direct the public proftitute in the choice of her paramours, and that in language the most obfcene, they will not, we are perfuaded, be led to accufe us of injuftice, when we pronounce such a publication to be infamous. For our part, who are not fine gentlemen but plain Chriftians, we thould regard any man who could write and publish a book of this defcription, with the fame abhorrence as the wretch who should frequent a place of worship for a purpose of infamy; and who fhould ure the victim of feduction from the boufe of penitence and prayer, to plunge ber once more, into the gulpb of mifery and fin! REVIEWERS REVIEWED. Thoughts on the English Government. Letter 4th. Reflections on the Political and Moral State of Society at the Close of the 18th Century. By John Bowles, Efq. Political Effays on Popular Subje&s, Tference between the conduct of Jacobin and that of Anti-Jacobin ReTHE public have, we doubt not, frequently obferved a very striking dif viewers. That fuch a difference exifts, we are very proud; we confider it as honourable to ourselves, and, what is ftill more important, as affording the best pledge of our utility. The greater it is, the greater, we are convinced, will be our fervices to our country and to fociety at large. And we request all perfons who are friendly to our interefts to notice it whenever they may have occafion. To enumerate all the circumftances in which this difference confifts would be a moft voluminous tafk; for it amounts in all refpects, in which principle can be concerned, to a perfect contratt. With Jacobins, we truft, we differ toto calo. At prefent we will point out two very prominent marks of distinction between us and our antagonists. In the first place with regard to all publications which relate to fubjects of a religious, moral, or political nature, our opinion and that of the Jacobin critics are always diametrically oppofite to each other. Whenever, in fuch cafes, we extol, they are fure to condemn ; and vice verfâ; fo that with regard to general character, it would be fufficient for any reader to perufe either of us, in order to know, with absolute certainty, the fentiments of the other. The ground of this difference, whoever has paid the finalleft attention to our refpective principles will find to be, that all works which have for their object to promote the caufe of religion, virtue and focial order, invariably attract their unqualified cenfure, while we not only applaud fuch works, in proportion as we find them calculated to promote their important object, but endeavour, to the utmost of our power, by caufing caufing them to be univerfally known and read, to affift them in making the falutary impreffions they are calculated to produce. On the other hand, if a publication have a tendency to corrupt the public principles, to damp the public fpirit, to affift the views of the enemies of the country, and to promote the caufe of infidelity, treafon, univerfal difturbance and anarchy, or, in one word, of Jacobinifm, it never fails to call forth the commendation of a Jacobin Reviewer, while we feel it our duty to expofe, with due severity, its mifchievous nature, and to counteract its malignant defign. Another difference, equally marked, between us and the Jacobin Re viewers, confifts in the manner in which we treat the works which we ref pectively condemn; for as to thofe which we approve no fuch difference is per. ceptible. With regard to the former our readers will do us the juftice to remember that it is our practice to be very explicit in ftating the grounds of our difapprobation, and to produce evidence from the works theinfelves to prove that our cenfure is juft-in fhort, to enable our readers to judge for themselves, refpecting the merits of fuch works. The conduct of our critical adverfaries is the very reverfe of this. Their cenfure confifts in vague, general, indifcriminate abufe. They labour to excite a prejudice againft a work; but they take care not to furnish their readers with any materials, by which to judge of the juftnefs of their reprehenfion. Wishing to confign it, if poffible, to oblivion, they aim only to prevent it, from being read and examined. ftead of inveftigating its contents, controverting its principles, difproving its facts, and refuting its reafoning, (which is the course we think ourselves bound to follow, when we express our disapprobation) they condemn it in the lump, and confine themselves to general defcription, and knowing pretty well the bent of their readers difpofitions, they take care to make that defcription of fuch a nature as fhall preclude all wish to perufe the publications fo described. Thus are many perfons confirmed in the most mifchievous errors by fuffering the ipfe dixit of a reviewer to prevent them from reading, what would flafh conviction upon their minds, induce them to abjure the systems, they have been artfully led to adopt, and to embrace, as effential to the welfare of fociety, the principles, which they have been taught to confider as injurious to its best interests. And In proportion as the tendency of a publication is beneficial, thefe infidious reviewers are cautious to refrain from any inveftigation of its contents. when it is of the higher clafs of utility nothing can be more fuperficial than their criticism, nothing more indefinite than their invective. Fearing to make their partiality and injuftice confpicuous, they do not venture to trust their readers with a fingle extract from productions which are highly extolled by perfons, who are diftinguished both for the foundness of their principles and the extent of their literature. A curious fpecimen of this mode of Jacobin criticism is to be found in the notice taken by the Critical Review, for February laft, of the three publications specified at the head of this article. We fhall feverally bring forward thefe critiques in order to enable our readers to judge whether the foregoing obfervations may not be justly applied to the Critical Reviewers. 1. Thoughts on the English Government. See Critical Review, for February last. P. 215. A CONSIDERABLE part of this work confits of animadverfions on the first volume of Blackstone's Commentaries. The author's cenfures are are principally directed to the arrangement adopted by the Commentator in unfolding the conftitution of our government; an arrangement which, in the opinion of Mr. R. is "the origin of all the mifconception and prejudice, now prevailing with regard to the form and nature of our conftitution." P. 6. In other refpects Mr. Reeves pays a high tribute of applaufe to the Commentaries, which, he fays, he holds in very high eftimation." " have" (obferves he) a feeling for the name of this great lawyer and writer, which is compofed of gratitude for affiftance in my ftudies, and conviction of the real value of his labour: fince I have been able to judge for myself, I believe it to be the best introduction there ever was, to any fyftem of law; he has extended a knowledge of the law beyond the profeffors of it, making jurifprudence a part of the literature of the country, and therefore within the circle of every gentleman's ftudies. Since the publication of Blackftone's Commentaries, every Englishman who reads, feels a temptation to acquire a general idea of the law he lives under, which too he now likes the better, fince he is not wholly without fome knowledge of its principles and application." This is not the language of a prejudiced man, or of an unfair judge, and it affords prefumptive evidence, that the writer who employed it would not, without good grounds, take upon himself to cenfure any part of the Commentaries. At all events the true question is whether his cenfures be well or ill founded? and with all the refpect we bear a work which we confider as the most elaborate and elegant, of an inftitutional kind, which has ever appeared upon any fcience, we think the animadverfions made by Mr. Reeves perfectly juft. Indeed, their juftness is so apparent that it is matter of wonder, that they should have efcaped any perfon, of tolerable difcernment, who had perused the first volume of the Commentaries; a circumstance to be attributed only to the dazzling authority of the learned author. We will notice the first of Mr. Reeves's remarks that the reader may form fome idea of their propriety. The Commentator thus enumerates thofe auxiliary fubordinate rights of Englishmen, which "ferve principally as barriers to protect and maintain inviolate the three great and primary rights of perfonal fecurity, perfonal liberty, and private property." Ift. The Parliament; 2d. the limitation of the King's prerogative; 3d. right of action in courts; 4th. right of petitiening; 5th. right of having arms for defence. On this arrangement Mr. Reeves very properly obferves, that it does not feem to accord even with the Commentator's own diftribution-Firft, the right of petitioning. To the method of this arrangement, which evidently contains a moft defective analyfis, Mr. R. properly objects that the right of petitioning fhould be placed as one article, and the Parliament, which is one of the objects of such petitioning, as another; and that the prerogative, which is another object of petitioning, fhould not be mentioned at all, but only the limitation of that prerogative; alfo that, in an inftitutional work, the limitation of a certain power fhould be mentioned as one of the best securities of the fubject, before any account is given of the extent or nature of that power. Finally, that what is a mere negative, the limitation of the King's authority, fhould be mentioned as an entity in the law. In point of principle he complains with equal propriety, that the Parliament fhould be mentioned as a pofitive good, and the royal authority a pofitive evil, which it muft be, if, as ftated by the Vinerian profeffor, it be only to be rendered a good by its diminution, and by a continual watch upon it. Such statements, befides being incorrect, tend |