the very worst fpecies of flavery, that of the mines. So that if a lump of fugar holds one drop of human blood, every guinea these advocates for unconftitutional freedom are poffeffed of, muft contain a thousand drops. In fhort, if these friends of univerfal equality are determined to use or enjoy nothing but what is clearly proved to be procured by the exertions of free labourers, they must be content, if they mean to act confiftently, to return to the unpolifhed and uncomfortable state of their favage ancestors. On this occafion it has indeed been fhrewdly fuggefted, that confcience and worldly prudence are for once brought to go hand in hand: fo that the man who in reality grudges his family the expence of fugar, enjoys a fnug opportunity of hiding his parfimony under the fpecious and popular cloak of humanity. But, for my own part, I will continue to fuppofe, that much the greater part of our present philanthropists are actuated by purer motives. Let that, however, be as it may, as their fuperior feelings urge them fo ftrongly to fhake off every convenience of life, which in the flightest degree partakes of the effence of flavery, the Rights of Man most certainly leave them at liberty to follow their own inclinations, not only in leaving off the use of fugar, but likewife in making bonfires of their mahogany chairs and tables, and lighting them up with the cotton paraphernalia of their wives and daughters; and even in emptying their bags of gold and filver into the fea. And, in fact, until thefe tender-hearted Anti-faccharites have brought themfelves to this enviable pitch of felf-denial, they can have no right to expect credit from the world, either for their fincerity or their confiftency.'

This author is an able defender of the Duke of Richmond's plan for the defence of the Weft India islands, and especially now when their quiet is endangered by schemes of reformation in Europe, and by the devaftations carrying on in St. Domingo. We recommend both these publications to those who wish to form mature ideas on this interefting fubject.

N.

POETRY.

Art. 30. An Epifle to William Wilberforce, Efq. Written during the Disturbances in the Weft Indies. Small 8vo. pp. 31. 6d. Darton and Harvey, Gracechurch-street. 1792.

This writer fpeaks of himself with great modefty; and to his modefty rather than to his poetry we very willingly extend our commendation:

If thefe lines be poetry, any body might make himself a poet, ia fpite of Apollo and the tuneful Nine, and of the old adage, Potta nafcitur, non fit.

Mooy.

Art. 31. Admonitory Epiftles, from Harry Homer, to his Brother,
Peter Pindar. No. 1. 4to. pp. 15. 18. Williams. 1792.
It cannot be faid of Peter Pindar, as of Falstaffe, that he is
not only witty himself, but the cause of wit in others;" for, in the
various poetic pieces to which his publications have given birth, we
meet with nothing but dulnefs and wretched writing; of which a
flagrant inftance is furnished by these epiftles ;-burlesqueing the
venerable name of HOMER.

Art. 32. Lord Mayor's Day; or City Pageantry: a Poem. With
Notes, illuftrative and explanatory. By Timothy Touchstone,
Is. 6d. Ridgway. 1792.
Gent. 4to. PP. 30.

The annual festival of the "good men and true, of the city of
London," has long been the butt of our wits and witlings:-but
wherefore? Is it because the SHOW Continues to be exhibited with
fome regard to the old style of pageantry which pleafed in days of
yore, and which may now be deemed out of tafte? or is it because
the faid wits and witlings find it difficult to obtain tickets for the
The latter is, probably, the cafe; and fo the
good dinners?
hungry fcribblers, in revenge, rhyme to the grumbling of their
craving gizzards!-How unfortunate it is, that among the incor-
porated citizens, there is no Poet's Company!

Art. 33. Poems, Mifcellaneous and Humorous, with explanatory Notes
and Obfervations. By Edward Nairne, of Sandwich in Kent.
8vo. pp. 144. 35. 6d. Johnfon. 1791,

In this plentiful country, (happily for its inhabitants!) the Cup-
ply of food for the mind is as copious and various, as in the mar-
kets for bodily fuftenance; there is meat for all mouths, as well as
mouths for all meat. The prefent compofitions may, doubtless, find
admirers in the numerous claffes of thofe, who, though they have
been taught to read at fchool, have never burthened their heads
with dictionary words, or book learning, afterward. With fuch ap-
probation, the writer of thefe humorous poems probably will, or
pofitively muft, be fatisfied.

N.

Art 34. The Owl, the Peacock, and the Dove; a Fable. Addreffed
to the Reverend Dr. Tatham, and the Right Honourable Ed-
mund Burke: with the Fable of the Oxen and the Grasshopper,
addreffed to the Revolution Society, in Illuftration of Mr. Burke's
celebrated Simile. To which is added, The Sorrows of Mr. Ed-
4to. pp. 24. 1s. Johnfon. 1792.
mund Burke.

When the champions in politics engage in ferious contefts, they may be confidered as heavy-armed troops; the poetical auxiliaries, who attend on either fide, act in the capacity of light irregulars, to fkirmish with and harass their opponents, as opportunities faOne of these bufh-fighting partifans has thrown three of his hand-grenades at Mr. Burke, and lies fkulking to watch their effects: he muft, however, be aware, that the execution in all fuch

vour.

instances

inftances depends on the quality of the powder; and, in the prefent inftance, it is not very potent.

N.

Art. 35. An Addrefs humbly prefented to the Rev. Pious, and Learned Dr G****s, on Vol. I. Tome 1. of his excellent Tranflation of the Holy Bible; with Notes. By Abraham Ben-Yiz-aakeer. 4to. IS. Symonds. 1791.

We heard it once remarked, of an amiable and charitable Jew, that he was a very good Chriftian: but we cannot fay of this Chriftian, that he is a very good few. His Judaifm appears only in the title; and his poetry, intended to degrade and ridicule Dr. Geddes's New Tranflation of the Bible, has, without being altogether deftitute of merit, that compofing mediocrity in it, that we finished the Addrefs without being able either to admire the Author, or to laugh at the learned Doctor.

We advife this writer to take the field against Dr. Geddes, as a fcripture critic, in ferious profe, and thus combat what he deems to be errors in his New Tranflation and Notes.

Mooy.

NOVELS.

Art. 36. Dinarbas; a Tale: being a Continuation of Raffelas, Prince of Abyffinia12mo. pp. 336. 3s. Boards. Dilly. 1790. Where any confiderable degree of public applaufe has been excited by a literary production, there is always much hazard in attempting to continue it beyond the limits of the original defign. The author may miftake the ardours raised in his mind, by approbation, for new emotions of genius, and for fresh exuberance of fancy. He may therefore over-rate the merit of his own execution. Should this, however, not be the cafe; fhould his fecond attempt be executed with ability equal to that manifefted in his firft; there is ftill fomething to be dreaded from the expectations already raised by what has been previously done. The public mind is not now in a tone to be fo eafily contented, as when it was firft addreffed. It has been taught to feek for fomething more than common; and if it does not find all that it feeks, it is generally too faftidious to be fatisfied with any thing short of it,-and finks into difguft.

6

It will be readily fuppofed that the danger of miscarriage must be increased where the continuation is by a different hand; and yet, in fpite of all difficulties, we have read the little tale now before us with much pleasure. The author fays, he does not presume to imithe energetic ftyle, ftrong imagery, and profound knowlege,' of Dr. Johnfon. He difcovers, however, a comprehenfive acquaintance with human life, and conveys many valuable precepts for the regulation of it, in eafy and unaffected language; and the general impreffion which the perufal of Dinarbas leaves on the mind, is more pleafing and useful than that which refults from reading Raffelas. The former, by exhibiting the brighter fide of the picture, is calculated to enliven and invigorate hope; while the latter, by balancing fo exactly the good and the evil of life, tends, in fpite of the pleasure derived from the excellence of its compofition, to produce a painful uncertainty, and to excite a cheerlefs fcepticism and indifference. Pear.e.

Art.

* By E. Cornelia Knight, daughter of Lady Knight.

Art. 37. Delineations of the Heart; or the History of Henry Bennet. A Tragi-Comic-Satiric Effay, attempted in the Manner of Fielding. 12mo. 3 Vols. gs. fewed. Hookham. 1791.

The writer of this novel confeffes, in the preface, the difficulty of affuming the character of author: but had he been properly fenfible of the degree of difficulty attending an undertaking of this kind, we cannot fuppofe that he would have hazarded an avowed imitation of the manner of Fielding. He modeftly profeffes, indeed, rather to have attempted Fielding's ftyle of compofition, than the comic nature of the facts with which the works of that eminent writer abound:but what is the manner of Fielding, without his lively delineation of character, his comic humour and wit, and the originality and fhrewdness of his reflections? In all thefe, the prefent work is too deficient, to leave the author any title to the credit of a fuccessful imitation of a writer, who, in the general judgment of the public, fill poffeffes the first place among English novelists.

Except the character of a faithful and able preceptor, which is well sketched in the first part of the ftory, and the introductory chapters of general reflections, placed, after the manner of Fielding, at the head of each book, we find nothing in this novel to diftinguish it from the ordinary run of love tales. The hero is a depraved libertine, whofe hackneyed plans of feduction are the principal fubject of the story,

E.

POLITICS and POLICE.

Art. 38. Another Sketch of the Reign of George III. from the Year
1780, to 1790. Being an Answer to a Sketch, &c. Part the
First. 8vo. pp. 104. 2s. 6d. Ridgway. 1791.
This fketch is diffufively written, great part of it being employed
in the difcuffion of fpeculative abstract pofitions; the principal ob-
ject of which appears to be a vindication of what was termed the
coalition miniftry. The author paffes many fevere cenfures on the
occafion and mode of the diimiffion of this unpopular heterogeneous
affociation; and it is a notable circumftance, that his cenfures are
not limited to Mr. P. nor to any cabal that may be understood to
fupport him, but extend to the great body of the people, who are
reproached with deferting their reprefentatives on that memorable.
occafion :-but it may be juftiy queried, whether fo wide an accu-
fation be not a felo de fe, by amounting to a juftification of the
measure?
N.

A Review of the principal Proceedings of the Parliament of 1784. 8vo. pp. 178. 28. Edwards, Bond-freet. 1792. This is one of the most able vindications of the prefent ministry, from whom the parliament is always underflood to receive its tone and complexion, that has appeared for a long time. The importance of the fubjects difcuffed, will appear from the contents of the fections under which they are treated. These are the India bills, and the impeachment of Mr. Haflings the Irish propofitions, commercial treaty with France, confolidation of the cuf

See Rev. Enlarged, vol. iv. p. 224.

toms,

toms, American trade--commutation act, and other regulations
againft fmuggling, the auditing of public accounts, and application
of the annual million to the public debts--interference in the
affairs of Holland--difpute with Spain--teft and corporation.
acts--the flave-trade--and the regency. All these fubjects
are ftated with good fenfe and liberality, and the arguments urged
on both fides are fairly exhibited, and well contrafted :-but were
a first rate champion of oppofition to undertake a counter review, he
would, perhaps, aftonifh us with his address and plausibility in in-
verting the whole reprefentation!
N.

Art. 40. Letters to the Right Hon. Henry Dundas, on his Inconfift-
ency as the Minister of India. 8vo. pp. 152.
3s. Debrett.

1792.

These letters, under the fignature of Afiaticus, have been attri buted to Major Scott, by an authority which we will not undertake to controvert; and they contain reiterations of those charges against the party addreffed, in which we have no call to interfere. N. Art. 41. Rights for Man: or Analytical Strictures on the Conftitution of Great Britain and Ireland. By Robert Applegarth. 12mo. PP. 45. 1s. 6d. Richardfon. 1792.

With intentions of which we are willing to believe all that is good, Mr. Applegarth here appears in defence of a conftitution which he fays is triune and confequently facred;' and labours to defeat what he calls the wicked attempts that have been made lately to fubvert it.'

·

We have too great a regard for thofe divine fifters, Britannia and Hibernia,' not to hope that there are champions better armed and better skilled in the ufe of their weapons, (though we do not wish, for one of a more valorous and undaunted fpirit,) who are ready to ftep forth in the facred caufe. Otherwife, we should tremble for the fate of these divine and peerless beauties. Wicked villains would certainly have their will of them.

There is a fingularity in this gentleman, that we do not recollect to have before obferved; which is, that he scarcely ever ufes the word too, without printing it in italics. We know not the cause of this, unless it be, that, from the fimilarity between the emphatic found of this word and the difcharge of a musket, he would infinuate that he kills an adverfary whenever he utters the found. If it be fo, whatever we or others may think, he must have a great idea of his own execution. Too; kill 'em-twenty more, kill them-too! Pear.".

Art. 42. A Vindication of the Revolution Society, against the Calumnies of Mr. Burke. By a Member of the Revolution Society. 8vo. pp. 59. Is. 6d. Ridgway. 1792.

Among the various topics into which the controversy between Mr. Burke and his opponents has branched out, the fubordinate concerns of the two focieties, at the expence of which Mr. Burke diverted himself and his readers, feem now to be pretty nearly forgotten by the public: but it appears, from this pamphlet, that the members of thofe focieties have not all forgotten the treatment which they have received. The prefent vindication discovers fuf

ficient