TH HE Volume we now prefent to the public, may, we prefume, be'not improperly compar'd to the first effay of a young beginner, who, tho' not completely mafter of his art, yet difcovers fuch marks of knowledge and taste as entitle him to regard, and promife better things, when age and experience fhall have brought his genius to maturity. With this allowance we may venture to fubmit to a candid comparison with the firft Numbers of any performance of the kind that has of late appear'd. When the mind is full of any great defign, every idea, tho' ever fo romantic, is treasured up with care, and nothing is looked upon as unattainable while it remains unattempted. But when the plan that had been thought eafy in fpeculation begins to rife gradually into shape under the hand of the artist, it is then that difficulties interpofe; fome parts on which the fancy had dwelt with pleasure, are with regret rejected as impracticable; others that were dependant upon thefe, now become unneceffary; and thus by the exclufion of fo many parts, the piece affumes a new form; and the. artift, no longer anxious about what his imagination had reprefented as inimitablygreat and excellent, contents himself with exerting his utmoft powers to accommodate his labours to the general tafte, and to finish with elegance and propriety, what his vanity had mifled him to begin with too much precipitancy. The Compilers, on a tranfient glance at the materials that feemed every where to abound in Reviews, Chronicles, Journals, Magazines, Grand Magazines, and other periodical compilations, thought it an eafy talk, from fo many works, all pretending to excellence, to felect one Grand Collection, with which no other could ftand in competition. They imagined, upon no very flender prefumption, that, like the fervant of him who fupplied his table with dainties from the Eagle's Neft, they had nothing to do, but to replace the amputated limbs, or dexterously to conceal the lacerated parts, in order to ferve up an elegant entertainment of the highest flavour, and the most exquifite relifh; but, upon trial, they found that the Purveyors for the fpurious offspring of old Sylvanus, were Kites in comparison, who ranged the foreits of fcience to bring home carrion, and who had no tafte but for the rankeft food, which could not be brought forth a fecond time without offence to thofe to whom it was prefented. The Compilers of this Work, have therefore, enlarged their views; have fet themfelves at liberty to beat the fields of fcience for their own diverfion, and to feize upon the prey of literature wherever they can fairly hunt it down. They are fuficiently fenfible of the Power of Novelty, and they hope and wifh for the favour and affiftance of men of leifure and talents to strike out new difcoveries, and to furnish them with new matter. It is in almoft every Gentleman's power to fupply memoirs of new lives, or to communicate anecdotes to embellish thofe that are already written. This is an effential part of the Work, on which great ftrefs is laid. They have attended carefully to the effects which the characters of books have produced; and have difcern'd that curiofity is foon gratify'd with a bare inspection. This article is therefore fhortened, that others of more importance may be enlarged. The Managers of the Reviews are not, perhaps, incompetent judges, but they are too flovenly or too remifs: too partial or too much interested in the characters they give; too much bigotted, or too free thinkers; too zealous Tories or too rigid Whigs, to judge with candour of the labours of their contemporaries; hence it is, that the characters they give, often stand in contrast to each other. We mean not, however, to dwell upon the faults of others; but chufe rather to point out to our Readers the pieces of real merit that are to be found in our own Volume. In reviewing thefe the Reader cannot fail of entertainment. The firft Number begins with an authentic narrative of the expedition to St. Maloes, under the Duke of Marlborough; this narrative is followed by a remarkable Monitor on a very delicate fubject, for which the Publisher was threatened with a profecution. In the fame number is an authentic account of the traytor Henfey, and very enter The ftory alluded to is that of a French Nobleman, who having an Eagle's neft near his feat, caufed the offal of his kitchen to be every day exchanged for the pheafants, partridges, quails, otrerlains, and other delicious birds, which the parent Eagles ufed to bring from the forefts to feel their young. An English Gentleman upon his travels, happening to dine at this Nobleman's, could not Lelp commending the flavour of his game, at the fame time obferving how flovenly it was killed. The Nobleman reply'd, that he paid no game-keeper and therefore had no right to complain; but that his Purveyor was a fellow of an admirable taste, but fuch a brute, that he generally tore off a lump for his own eating. in entertaining life of William of Wykeham, founder of Winchefter-School and New. College in Oxford; there is alfo an affecting itory of an American prifoner; fome curious enquiries concerning the original of our ideas of virtue; and a very terefting difcuffion of the rights of Englishmen with respect to their Habeas Corpus. Thefe are all capital articles; but what renders this Number ftill more valuable, is a fuccinct History of the prefent war, from its commencement to the time when this little Hiftory was written. Number II. begins with the Life of Baron Montefquieu, Author of the Spirit of Laws, written by the ingenious M. d'Alembert; the parliamentary proceedings relpecting Milford Haven, with a moft accurate plan of the harbour, next follow and among a variety of other particulars of lefs moment, there are added a journal of the fiege of Louisbourgh, with a view of the harbour and fortifications; a relation of the unfuccefsful attempt of the American forces upon Ticonderoga; fome curious pieces of Natural Hiftory, and an Effay on Tafte, originally written by the great Montefquieu. In Number III. the Life of Sir Hans Sloane begins the Work; and in the fame Number will be found an authentic account of the origin of thofe barbarous nations of Coffacks and Calmucks now fo much talked of, their manners and cuftoms; Lord Chesterfield's character of the King of Pruffia; a young Lady's recital of her own History; a botannical defcription of a Stone that by watering produces Mushrooms; with the proceedings in the British Parliment. Number IV. begins with the Life of Lord Whitworth, in which is interfperfed a geographical defcription of the Ruffian Empire; and a character of the Czar Peter the Great; it likewife includes the fequel to the Ellay on Tafte; a natural history of the Mermaid; Enquiries concerning the peopling of Europe; an account of a voyage to America to measure a degree near the Pole; Rules for preferving health in hot climates; Travels of a Savage thro' the American Continent; Proceedings in Farliament; Eflay on the Philofophy of the antient Etrufcans, &c. Number V. contains the Life of that great modern Architect Sir Chriftopher Wien, who rebuilt the Cathedral of St. Paul; plain directions for raiting Madder in England; a comparison between the antient Celtic language and the prefent Irish; a moit curious Letter of Maupertius.jo the King of Pruffia, on the improvement of the fciences, and on new difcoveries; a remarkable Letter from Gen. B-gh to Mr. Secretary P---tt; an authentic journal of the Summer's campaign on the coaft of France; Dr. Jortin's Life of Erafinus; the Hiftory of the Marchionefs Pompadour, mistress to the French King; Mr. Viner's new inftitution of a profefforthip of the common law at Oxford; the Hiftory of Health, and the manner of improving it; Proceedings in Parliament; new regulations refpecting infolvent Debtors; Narrative of the expe.. dition to Africa, &c. In Number VI. the Life of Sir Chriftopher Wren is continued, in which many curious anecdotes refpecting the building of St. Paul's Cathedral, are interfperfed; and among other articles, of ufe and curiofity, there are in this Number projects for laying open the pyramids of Egypt; erecting a College for foreign fciences; building a Latin city; and improving aftronomy ;---a difcourfe on the imation of the Antients; confiderations on the exchange of prifoners; fcheme for promoting the planting of Trees; new contrivance to prevent drowning, Story of the revival of the Old English March by K. Charles I. with notes for the drum, as now beat by his Majefty's Foot-guards; Arguments in favour of triennial Parliaments; Proceedings in Parliament; Narrative of the Pruffian campaign; Sufferings of the inhabitants of Cuftrin; Also an Ode by the late Ld. Bolingbroke, of which only a few copies were printed in his life-time, and difperfed among his friends. Thefe are the leading articles in the first Volume of the Magazine of Magazines; and they are fuch as will hereafter be read with pleasure. We have faid nothing of the Maps, and other curious Copper plate reprefentations with which it is illuftrated and embellished. They are fuch, we hope, as will recommend the Work to the attention of those who make the wonders of Nature any part of their ftudy. The rare Birds, Beafts, and Fishes, which are here broug! together, are fuch as never appeared before in a collection; and if the Proprietors meet with encouragement, the collection will be enlarged in fuch a manner as to excite admiration. We have only to thank the Public for the kind reception the work has met with,, and to entreat the continuance of their favour. Dick Linger, his hiftory, 141. Diverfions, publick, common motives for fre- Dreams, denote health or fickness, 290. Drotuning, new contrivance to prevent, 326, Du Quefne fort in America, action there, 313, account of the establishment of the fort, 361. Armers and Manufacturers, arguments in Farms, the effects of engroffing them, 340 Arrick and Woodward in the character of Henfey, Dr. memoirs of his life, 20. Hive, fome wonderful particularities discovered Hoch-kirchen, battle of, 248, 311. tion of, 92. the bafon and harbour destroyed Jamaica, the effects of the fearcity of money by the English forces, 123, 4. inscription on the pier, 124. Christian Religion, the truth of it afferted, 291. Clare, John Holles, Earl of, his character, 330: Cleone, a tragedy, account of, 333. Continental Connections, fatal to England, 81, 2. Coral, natural hiftory of, 155. Cornwall, natural hiftory of, 103. Country, effects of gentlemens non-refidence in, Cruelty of the French and Indians, authentick in- Cafrin, battle of, 181. intercepted Ruffian rela- Laws, obfolete, on the repeal of, 207. Louisbourg, journal of the fiege of, 84. different Lymphatic velfels in animals, obfervations on, in Madder, Adder, method of cultivating it in Eng- Madrigal and Trulletta, a mock tragedy, fcene Malos, Narrative of the firft enterprize againft, 1, Repulfe of the English troops at, 176. March, the old English, warrant of Charles I, for Marine, British, review of, 39. Maupertuis, his letter to the King of Pruffia on Rigion, on the choice of 22. the progrefs of the fciences, 268. 337. Memorial, prefented by the Swedish minifter to Refeript fent by Count Caunitz to the Au- Reygonico, Cardinal, elected Pope, 60. Rio Effequebo, a Dutch fettlement on the conti- wick minifter occafioned by the proceedings of Son inand, defcription of, 247. the Aulic council, 374. Militiaman, his pay, privileges, and duty, 135, Miles arrived at the Hot-Wells, Bristol, 102. Montreal, the importance of, 336. Morals, review of the queftions in, 33. Mofes, his divine legation, 36. Natural Hiftory, embellished with plates, 144, 160, 201, 263, 272, 328. Navigation, inland, fcheme for, 353. Peace, the nature of that which England ought Pays, Remarks on Romeo and Juliet, 215 Re- cruiting Officer, 216. Meature for Meafure, 220. Love for Love, 221. The Wonder: a Seamen, prifoners of war, on the exchange of, Sea ports, importance of fortifying them, 91. Senate of Rome, on the manner of admiffion Service military, obligations to, 44. Shebbeare, Dr. receives fentence for writing the Somers, John Lord, character of, 330. Strate, weight of the truffes of, abftract of the Stuarts, their reigns characterifed, 236. Tea fhrub, on the cultivation of, in our colonies, Temple of peace, a vifion, 147. Temple, the right one, cure of a wound at, which Things, as they are, 172. fet in a proper light, Ticonderoga, unfuccessful attempt againft, 96. Account of it published at Paris, 250. Trees. a fcheme for promoting the planting of, Tumours on the head, extraordinary ones. 136. Turkey trade with French cloths carried on by Tancred and Sigifmunda, 225 Twin Rivale, WA, a fuccinét history of the prefent one, |