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Without entering into particulars, which would require much room, and for which, those who are defirous of feeing them will naturally confult the pamphlet; it may fuffice to fhew the principle on which the plan was founded, in the Doctor's own words:

In paying off debts with any given furplus appropriated to that purpose, their bearing a bigb rather than a low intereft is a particular advantage. A million furplus, in the fame time in which it would pay off a bundred millions bearing 3 per cent. intereft, will pay off 133 millions bearing 4 per cent; 178 millions bearing 5 per cent; and 241 millions bearing 6 per cent. — It was therefore proposed, that the 3 per cents. fhould be converted into 4 per cents. and that fu ture loans fhould be conducted on a plan which fhould make them the means of effecting this converfion; and it is very remarkable, that on fuch a plan, independently of its ufe as a preparatory meafure, loans may be conducted wi.h more benefit to the public, and at the fame time with more equity and fairness, than on any other plan.

The truth of this obfervation will appear from the following account of the plan intended.

At the time this fubject was under confideration, the average price of the 3 per cents, was 68, and of the 4 per cents. 86—In these circumstances, it was proposed that, for 104 1. in money, the holders of the three per cent. ftocks should be offered, in exchange for 100 l. of this ftock, 2001. four per cent. ftock; or, in general, that for every capital of col. or more, which the proprietors of the 3 per cents. fhould fubfcribe, double that capital fhould be granted bearing an interest of 4 per cent, provided the fubfcription was followed by a payment in money, at the rate of 104 1. for every 100 l. ftock fubfcribed.

In this cafe the intereft payable by the public would be 41. 168. 2 d. per cent. For an intereft of 5 1. (being the difference between the intereft of 2001. four per cent. and 100l. three per cent. flock) would be paid on 1041. in money; and this is the fame with paying 41. 16s. 2 d. for 100 l. in money.

"It would be neceffary, in order to obtain by fuch a fubfcription TEN MILLIONS in money, that 9,615,3841. in the three per cent. ftocks fhould be fubfcribed; in exchange for which, a double four per cent. ftock would be granted, and, confequently, 19,230,768 1. added to the four per cents. one half of which would be fo much added to the capital of the public debts, and the other half a substitution of one capital for another equal capital.'

In order to obtain the required furplus of one million per annum, the Doctor declares it neceffary that the nett annual revenue of the kingdom fhould be raised to fifteen millions; an amount, which according to the Earl of Stair, would still leave us more than a million deficient! Who shall decide, when Doctors disagree?

Many are the advantages ftated by Dr. Price as refulting from loans of this complexion, employed in discharging public debts; the failure of which he pathetically laments.

Art. 17. A Defence of the Rockingham Party, in their late
Coalition with Lord North. 8vo. 1. 6d. Stockdale. 1783.
A fenfible, temperate enquiry into the characters and views of the
prefent exifting political parties, and the contending chiefs of each;

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directed

directed to establish the following positions: that the Rockingham connexion was the only one by which the country could be well ferved; that they were not by themfelves of fufficient frength to fupport the weight of adminiration; and laftly, that they were not the men whofe fervices were the most likely to be called for by the Sovereign, in the prefent crifis. Mr. Fox is the unrivalled hero of the piece; Mr. Burke enjoys the fecond place; and Lord North is treated with more refpect than could ever have been forefeen from the admirers of the two former gentlemen: but tempora mutantur, et nos mutamur in illis; and time only can fatisfactorily expound the why or wherefore. Some facrifice must be made, to cement unexpected connexions, and no one is ignorant of the victim on the prefent occafion. EAST IN DIE S.

Art. 18. A Vindication of General Richard Smith, Chairman of of Select Committee of the Houfe of Commons, as to his Competency to prefide over and direct an Investigation into the belt Mode of providing an Investment for the Eaft India Company's homeward bound Bengal Ships. To which are added, fome Inftances to prove, that the General is not that proud, infolent, and irafcible Man his Enemies would induce the Public to believe him to be. As alfo, a few ferious Hints to the Select Committee, tending to fhew, that they are wafting their Time in the Minutiae of Afiatic Commerce, while the great Outlines and confequential Branches, are in Danger of being overlooked. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Stockdale, &c. 1783.

The obligations which the General, above referred to, is under to his vindicator, are of a fimilar nature to thofe of the Earl of Shelburne to his defender; and if we can fuppofe both pens to be guided by any regard to juice, it will be difficult to determine which is the moft exalted character of the two! On the other hand, fhould their refpect for truth have been no more, than it evidently is for the gentlemen concerning whom they record fo many curious anecdotes, nothing will be more eafy than to ellimate the characters of fuch writers.

The prefent vindicator is lively, and appears to be well informed as to eastern trade and politics; he is the warm friend of Mr. Hallings, and makes many very fevere unreferved frictures on the conduct of our great orator Mr. Burke, in reference to that gentleman. But befide thefe perfonal matters, he enters into a ferious inquiry into the commercial interefts of this country, and strongly recommends incouraging the importation of cotton wool from the Ealt Indies for home manufacture: obferving, that though the great. breach made in the empire at the late peace, has deranged the whole of our foreign commerce; our loffes in the Weft may, with due attention, be repaired in the Eaft. The facts he faces, and what he urges on this fubject, will without doubt be duly confidered.

AMERICA.

Art. 19. Remarks on the Letters from an American Farmer; or a Detection of the Errors of Mr. J. Hector St. John; pointing out the pernicious Tendency of thefe Letters to Great Britain. 8vo. 6 d. Fielding. 1783.

It is the opinion of this fenfible Writer, that Mr. St. John's defign,

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in their excurfions. He has therefore confined himself folely to the generic and specific characters of plants, as given in Murray's edition of Linnæus; omitting the fynonymes of other authors, and all other particulars. To perfons well acquainted with the Linnæan fyftem, and fkilled in the investigation of plants, this work will answer its intention, and prove of confiderable utility. Younger botanists will find that they require more helps. The catalogue of British plants is drawn from Hudson and Lightfoot.

HUSBANDRY.

Art. 25. A Practical Effay on the Management of Potatoes; or, a new Method of preventing the Disorder thereof, called Curl'd Tops; containing fhort and plain Directions for the right Management of Potatoes, with refpect to their Prefervation, Setting, Time of Growth, Taking-up, &c. chiefly defigned for the Ufe and Benefit of FARMERS and COUNTRYMEN in general, being adapted to the lowest Capacity. To which is added, an Account of the artificial Manure of Potatoes, with refpect to its Ufe, Effects, &c. &c. By William Raley, Student in Phyfic and Botany, in Barmby on the Moor, near Pocklington in Yorkshire, and Author of the Treatife on the Management of Potatoes. 8vo. I s. Richardson and Urquhart, &c. 1782.

A method to prevent the diforder here spoken of would be a moft invaluable discovery. To thofe who are unacquainted with the extent to which the potatoe is cultivated, a conjecture at the national lofs that is annually fuftained by this hitherto incurable disease, might feem to exceed the utmoft verge of probability. The remedy which Mr. Raley propofes is not a very expenfive one; whether it may be effectual remains to be known. We muft honeftly confefs, we are not greatly difpofed to give credit to noftrums of any kind. Mr. Raley's book, at leaft, is worth purchafing. The potatoe grower will find fome ufeful hints in it.

NOVEL.

Art. 26. The Two Mentors: a modern ftory. By the Author of the Old English Baron. 2 Vols. Small 8vo.

Dilly, 1783.

53. fewed.

A licentious guardian and a virtuous tutor are the two Mentors to the hero of this story. We have here a delineation of the various methods by which the one attempted to make him a gay, and the other a good man. Virtue, however, triumphs in the end; and the ftory concludes with this juft reflection, that there is no reliance but upon the friends of virtue; and that virtue is the only thing certain upon earth.' If ftrict morality can recommend a work, the prefent hath a claim to public attention.

POETICAL.

Art. 27. An Ode to Mr. Lewis Hendrie, &c. &c. &c. Principal Bear-killer in the Metropolis of England, and Comb maker in Ordinary to his Majefty, 4to. 15. Bladon. 1783.

One of those merry fons of the Mufes, who have the talent of extracting mirth from every thing, and every body that comes in their way, has here diverted himself at the expence not only of Mr. Hendrie, an advertising vender of bear's greafe in Shug-lane, but at the

expence

expence of fome other popular characters, who are every day figuring away, if not in more useful and important, at least in more clevated

ftations.

Art. 28. The Theatrical Portrait, a Poem, on the celebrated Mrs. Siddons, in the Characters of Califta, Jane Shore, Belvidera, and Ifabella. 4to. Is. Kearfley. 1785.

The Author's defign in this poem is not only to compliment Mrs. Siddons on her inimitable performance of the feveral characters mentioned in this title-page, but alfo to point out the moral that may be drawn from the refpective dramas to which they belong. The defign is good; the execution indifferent.

Art. 29. The Times. A Satire. To the King; and dedicated to the Emperor of Germany. By T. Browne, Efq. 4to. 2 s. No Publisher's Name.

The fix following lines, which are of a piece with the reft, will answer the end of any critique that could poffibly have been made on this incomprehenfible effufion of nonfenfe:

Whatever man uforp 'gainit Providence,
'Tis religion's ever the pretence;
Hypocrify, dull miftrefs of the mob,
Her tyrant head in heaven, rules the globe;
But now the wife, t'avoid bigotted bent,
Believe and pray by act of parliament.'

Art. 30. The Blazing Star; or, Veftina, the gigantic, rofy
Goddefs of Health: being a complete Defence of the Fair Sex.
Delivered by the High Prieftefs of the Temple, as written by the
Dr. himself. 4to. I s. 6d. Bladon. 1783.

Contrary to what might have been expected from the infinuation in the title page, this defence is, in more fenfes than one, a decent declamation in praise of women.

Art. 31. The Opera Rumpus; or, the Ladies in the wrong Box. A ferio-comic-operatic burlefque Poem. With Explanatory Notes, by the ablest Commentators. 4to. 2 S. Baldwin. 1783.

The poetry of this piece is at leaft worthy of its fubject-a fquabble about a box at the opera house,

Art. 32. An Address from the Members of the Conftitutional Body on the Change of the Ministry. By an AmeriI S. Bladon.

to their S

can Loyalift. 4to. A feeble attempt at obfcene allegory. The very fmall feafoning of wit that it contains is ftolen from a poem long fince defervedly forgotten.

GEOGRAPHY.

Art. 33. A New Defeription of Europe, in various Columns, whereby is exhibited in one View, all its Empires, Kingdoms, Republics, and States, &c. (in an Enumeration too long to copy, but ujual in all Geographical Compendiums). The whole, being Multum in Parve, is compofed, calculated, and compiled, from the best Authors, by J. S. Charrier, Teacher of Geography, the Ufe of the Globes, the French Language, &c. Auther of the Chorographical Defcription of England and Wales, the geographical Tables of noted Cities, Improver and Editot of Dr. Nugent's Pocket Dictionary,

tionary, French and English, &c. Long 8vo. 2s. 6d. Sold by the Author only, who may always be heard of at Mr. Dilly's, No. 22, Poultry.

Method may be ftudied and rendered fo complicated as to end in confufion; and for the Author's fake, who appears to be a careful, well-meaning man, we with this publication may not prove an inftance; for it must have been formed with no little labour and attention. The Author's tafte extends also to poetry; for fome friend has furnished him with geographical definitions in verse, at the beginning of the book; at the end we have verfes on gratitude, in which the Author celebrates all his friends: among whom, however fingular the fact may appear, in this iron age, he actually includes his Bookfeller!

And thou, O Dilly! I fhall ne'er forget,

So kind, fo civil, fo compaflionate;

So gentle, bounteous, and fo well difpos'd,

Thy perfonal worth should ever be disclos'd.'

It has been fo common with poets to afcribe different attributes to the difpenfers of their compofitions, that we think this rare exception an extraordinary evidence in favour of both the Author and the Bookfeller.

MISCELLANEOUS.

Art. 34. A Letter to the late Rector of Bourton on the Water, in the County of Gloucester, in Bebalf of the prefent One; in Anfwer tơ a Letter lately addressed to the Bishop of Chester. 8vo. I s. 6d. Brett. 1782.

The perfon addreffed in this Letter is called upon, in an ironical way, to ftand forward, like a grateful and generous man, in defence of his patron's fon, after the virulent and perfonal attack that had lately been made upon him by the author of a pamphlet, entituled, • Obfervations on the Decline of the Clerical Credit and Character, addreffed to the Bishop of Chefter.' In that pamphlet it was afferted, with an acrimony that kept no measure with candour or ceremony, that the prefent Rector of Bourton was totally unworthy of the honour which was conferred upon him by ordination; yea, that the inftitution itfelf was difgraced by the object to which it was applied. The principal charges brought againit him were, his want of learning, and the bafenefs and fervility of his former employment. His want of learning, indeed, is rather fuppofed than proved: but, even al lowing this part of the charge to have been true, the defect, fo unfeelingly expofed, fo wantonly infulted, with all the airs of the most fupercilious contempt, will be thought by many to be amply com penfated by a character at the fame time uniformly and fingularly good. Two teftimonials are produced in behalf of the prefent Rec tor; one figned by the most refpectable noblemen and gentlemen in the county of Chefter-and the other by the clergy, whofe teftimony is confeffed by their diocefan to be worthy of credit. With respect to the other charge, alleged in a manner equally contemptuous and infulting against this Rector, viz. that he had been in the low occupation of a waiter at at inn, and from being a ferver of ale,' had been promoted to ferve at the altar,' we are informed that there is a fmall flaw in this matter; it wants truth, Mine hoft did fel

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