YEARS 1802-3-4-5. By JOHN birth of their "august Emperor" with RECOLLECTIONS of PARIS, in the great ceremony and magnificence. Sermons were delivered to the assembled Israelites in French, German, known by various productions, and Italian, and in which we found MR. PINKERTON is an author well more than enough to make us blush though by none perhaps more than for human nature. Such base and by his Geography, a work certainly cringing, such impious flattery was well digested, and with fair allowances never before, surely, offered at the for human imperfection, and the pefootstool of a tyrant: we are sorry to culiar difficulties of the subject, the think that the mind of man, even best that has perhaps appeared in under the most abject circumstances, any country. From the objects tocan be so debased, as to present such wards which Mr. P. has principally specimens of degraded servility. M. directed his attention, we hardly exTama too, the editor of the present pected to find him in the present involume, may claim his full share of stance an accurate or an amusing this infamy. To say nothing of the delineator of men and manners. We common routine of adulatory lan- thought he might present some useguage that is to be found in every ful enquiries and a few general obthing that comes from the French servations upon such topics as must press connected with Bonaparte, we necessarily have forced themselves give the following insulting passage upon his notice during a residence of to our readers without any comment. four years in the country: but we “It (i. e. his Imperial Decree by did rot expect to meet with that faciwhich the Jews were convoked) will lity of language, that quickness of obcarry to the most distant generations servation, and that interesting ar the pleasing conviction, that in our rangement, which we sometimes find times we beheld in our august Empe- in a peculiar manner requisite in a in travellers, and which perhaps, are ror, the living image of the Deity!!" person who would describe the manBesides these wretched effusions, ners and the state of society of the called sermons, we have also some Parisians. But we will not anticipate Ossianic odes composed in Hebrew our judgment; whether we were disby different Jews, which are remark- appointed in our expectations or not, able only for inflated language and the tenor of our remarks will shew. hyperbolical praise. Let the following suffice: His pre If vanity were a prime constituent in the composition of an auHow great thy destiny, O NA- thor, we know no man who posPOLEON! Who can be com- sesses fairer claims to pre-eminence pared with thee among the glory of than Mr. Pinkerton." nations? Who among renowned war- face is replete with it; it lurks in riors, among sage lawgivers, ever many other parts of the work; and raised his fame near to thine, O first blazes forth in meridian splendor in of mortal men?-Bright in days of Chap. xviii. of the second volume, old was the glory of Athens and of which is indeed a disgusting piece of Rome: dim is their light now before egotism. But we were prepared for thee. On thee the eyes of nations this; he who has read Mr. Pinkerton's are fixed; they wonder and bless thy preface to the last edition of the Geography, and observes with what We cannot conclude our review of modest complacency he lays claim to this book without expressing the purity and classical elegance of dic deep interest that we have felt in the tion, and the grounds too, upon which perusal of it: it is certainly an im- he advances this claim, will not be portant work, as connected with an surprised to find him occasionally tresevent that seems to predict such passing against the decencies of feelstrange and remarkable consequences. ing in the present volumes. It deThe translation is executed with con- serves to be remarked that Mr. Pinsiderable judgment and accuracy. kerton considers himself as one of the standard English writers, whose style name." But besides these, and some other trifling grammatical inaccuracies, Mr. Pinkerton, as a self-constituted model of pure and classical composition, presents us with many specimens of the following description: "foreigners" have pronounced to be junctive mood we are guided by what so intelligible, that they translated it we wish to express. very easily; and Mr. Pinkerton moreover declares that they, the "foreigners," are the only adequate judges of the matter, that their testimony in favour of his excellence admits of no contention!! Aware of Mr. Pinkerton's high pretensions in this particu- Many words have been attempt. lar, we paid a particular attention to ed to be introduced by weiters of an the style of the present work, and usurped and meteorie reputation, the first thing we discovered was, which have already been effaced by that he is utterly ignorant of the true the sponge of oblivion!" Vol. 1. p. 45. use of the subjunctive mood in English. For like many other sentimentProfusely scattered through the vo- mongers, dramatic and novelistic." Ib. lumes we find such expressions as p. 110. the following: "Yet though the "In all ages philosophers have apFrench be a most ingenious people"— peared, who, from their eagerness to "Though our opposition be directed storm the castle of fame, &c." Ib. 132. &c." Though it be said that there Speaking of Rousseau, he has the "Even the wildest savages value as they do their own eyes!" Ib. p. 140. By the bye, the statues justly represent, &c." Ib. p. 205. "In this however, he is as sophistic, &c." and a few lines afterwards we are told that an argument is“ sophistic and decious." Ib. p. 159. are rude busts in front of a house." following beautiful metaphor: In all these instances, and in nume- "His admirers fondly saw him dartrous others which we have omitted, ing the thunderbolts of truth amidst Mr. Pinkerton is speaking of eally the most vivid tints of intellectual existing facts, and therefore the sub- lightning and the most sonorous peals junctive mood ought not to have been of eloquence"!! Ib. p. 133. used. He was probably led into this We give this as a precious effusion error by supposing that a conjunc- of nonsense to our curious readers. tion always governs the subjunc- As a specimen of elegant phraseology tive mood: but he might have we select the following: learnt from Lowth, from Priestley, and from other grammarians, that this mood should be used only when some contingency, or some doubt is implied, otherwise the indicative is required. It is astonishing to observe what absurdly glaring instances of bad grammar he has thus accumulated; for it is evident that if conjunc- Sed satis superque. Yet we will tions always governed the subjunctive give one more instance from this selfmood, the following sentence from created classic, wherein he seems even another writer ought to stand thus: to outdo himself. It has been re"Though he . e. our Saviour) marked that our language will not were divinely inspired, and spoke admit of those daring heights of elo therefore as the oracle of God, with quence which we find in Grecian and supreme authority; though he were Roman authors: Burke, who often endued with supernatural powers, braved this idea, by some efforts of and could therefore have confirmed genuine eloquence, has been considerthe truth of what he uttered by mira- ed as too florid by his frigid country. cles; yet in compliance with the men; nay, even Cicero himself was way in which human nature and censured for appealing to the stones reasonable creatures are usually of Rome in one of his orations against wrought upon, he reasoned." Here Verres: but what are all these comthen, according to Mr. Pinkerton's pared to the following climax of plan, we should evidently express all images? this as a doubt, namely, whether our Saviour were divinely inspired or not, &c. This instance may serve to shew, that in the use of the sub This fatal doctrine, which represents equality and inequality as accidental to human nature, instead of necessary and unavoidable, inwoven in our very texture, flowing in our if he had successfully combated the veins,!! harmonizing our nerves, !!! arguments of his antagonist. For strengthening our bones, !!!! anima- instance, in opposing Rousseau's ting every fibre and filament of our opinions on a state of nature, he brains,!!!!! has led, &c." lb. p. 286. takes for granted that the life of a Seriously, it is a phenomenon which savage is uncomfortable, &c. (p. 165.) we are unable to account for, how a without considering that his happiman who has passed the middle age ness is commensurate to his capacity of life can be so miserably deluded as for happiness, and therefore he is as to give himself out for a pure and completely blest as an European petit classical writer, to vaunt himself upon maitre. A savage cannot form a wish his style, and yet suffer such absolute of bliss beyond what he already enabsurdity and vulgarity to escape him. joys; therefore he cannot be unhapWe considered it as our duty to enter py, since the misery of discontent can into these particulars, because such a arise only from a comparison of our glaring instance of vanity has never own state with that of some happier before come under our observation. being. When we consider the life Another objection which we have of a savage, we call it unhappy beto this work is that Mr. Pinkerton is cause we estimate it by our own: too much a Frenchman; every thing but in this way a peer might argue that is Parisian is charming. The for the infelicity of a private gentlewines, the dinners, the society, all man, and so on through every gradaare exquisite, and we were not a little tion of rank and wealth. surprised to find a grave antiquary. The best chapter in the first volume dilating with such epicurean rapture is that upon Education (Chap. xxxi.) upon the luxuries of Paris, and telling which contains some interesting de us how sadly the wines of France tails, and is upon the whole a valua "excite the amorous passions," and ble piece of information relative to the that hence flows the "salacity of the mode of education in France. French male!! Who would not sup- The chapters which he denomi pose he was talking of a goat or a nates "Fragments," "Small Talk,” ram? But Mr. Pinkerton's gallic &c. &c. are in general vapid and dull, mania goes further than sensual plea- and consist of stale anecdotes, that sures and erotic delights; he seems have already been given to the world to be a constant admirer of all the in various ways: for instance, we have acts of the present ruler of France: the story of the turkey cock and Boithis is unseemly; and though we know leau, which was to be found in Helthat a philosopher aspires to be a cos- vetius, and among others, gentle reamopolite, yet the patriotism that can der, we have the notable story of the applaud and eulogise a professed and grenadier threatening to extinguish rancorous enemy is not that which his Lilliputian officer with his cap! a deserves to be itself applauded. picture of which may be seen in every Notwithstanding the boast of Mr. caricature shop in the metropolis. Pinkerton in his preface, that even As a specimen we extract from the in the most trivial topics of the first volume the following article represent work, "new views are often specting the cemeteries of Paris. introduced," we have not met with "Before the revolution, the half a dozen articles that we should church-yards in Paris were not numedeem worth transcribing. A great rous, the burials being of.en in the part of the first volume is filled with churches themselves. That of the strictures upon different tenets of Innocents was the largest and most reRousseau introduced with as much markable, a predilection for its preprefatory pomp as if he were about to sumed holiness having been adopted confer some signal benefit upon hu- by the devout, In consequence of man nature. In these strictures he this, it was so crowded with bodies, confines himself merely to unquali- as to infect the cellars in the neighfied assertion, and that too in a very bourhood, and to threaten a disgustHippant manner. Often he does ing rupture of the walls. The bodies nothing but dogmatize, and then were therefore removed during sucexults at the end of his chapter as cessive nights, and the whole paved UNIVERSAL MAG. VOL. VIII. S "Towards the right, or eastern part of the church-yard of Mont Martre, and reduced to the level of the streets. The reports on this subject are curious, but severe lessons of humiliation. there is a little deep vale, planted with "Since the salutary law, ordaining weeping willows and shrubs, interthat the dead should not be buried in spersed with neat tombs of stone. This churches, nor even in the city, only part is reserved for those of a superior two church-yards are open in this class; and the epitaphs, in French, populous capital. One of these pub- are sometimes elegantly concise. lic cemeteries is at Clamart, beyond the garden of plants, which serves [To be continued.] for the southern half of the city, in- The New Farmer's Calendar; or cluding the Hotel Dieu; the other, serving for the northern half, though this be arbitrary, is in a small irregular vale, on the southern declivity of Mont Martre. Monthly Remembrancer for all kinds of Country Business; comprehending all the material Improvements in the New Husbandry, with the Management of Live Stock. Inscribed to the Farmers of Great Britain. By a Farmer and Breeder. 1 vol. 8vo. 1806. HE number of editions which This work has gone through, "The latter repository is not only in a picturesque situation, but variegated by the unevenness of the ground; it is surrounded with a wall of moulded clay, capped with flat tiles, to protect it from the being no less than five in a short weather, and supported by so many space of time, is a striking proof of its buttresses, that probably a stone wall merits and utility. It contains upcould have been erected at an equal wards of six hundred closely printed expense. The sexton lives at some pages at the moderate price of halfdistance, but it is seldom necessary a-guinea. It will be found eminently to wait five minutes, before one of advantageous to all persons concerned the numerous dead arrives, when the in rural affairs; the views of agricul gate is opened. On entering, you see tural subjects which it contains, are to the left a sandy elevation of the na- marked by strong judgment and prac tural soil, declining towards the west. tical good sense, and without devi, The coffin is let down on the edge ating into the paths of fanciful theory, of this declivity, to a shelf at a small it aims at discarding some useless predepth, and covered with a few shovels judices that still exist relatively to the full of sand. A husband, wife, or re- subjects treated in it. lation, gives a parting look, sheds a few tears, and turns away. If the body come from an hospital, it is only inclosed in a sack, and borne by two men on a hand bier, over which two half hoops support a linen cloth. Aware of the indecency of this slight inhumation, the sexton will not permit you to go so far as to command a view of the declivity, interspersed with coffins and sacks. But the smell is offended at the distance of forty or fifty yards, if the wind blow from the cemetery. Respect is due to the dead, and greater decency would be commendable. The rapidity with which the burials are hastened, also deserves reprobation, the bodies never being kept above twenty-four hours, so that the death can scarcely be ascertained; the bodies are, however, exposed in the gateway of the hotel, with tapers and holy water, which is sprinkled over the coffin by the de. yout visitants, The Golden Centenary, or Sequel to the Sketch of the Denominations of the Christian World; being One Hundred Testimonies in Behalf of Candour, Peace, and Unanimity, by Divines of the Church of Eng land, of the Kirk of Scotland, and among the Protestant Dissenters. To which are prefixed two Essays, the one on the right of Private Judgment in matters of Religion, the other on the Dignity and Importance of the New Commandment. With an Appendix, containing pieces of Poetry, illustrative of the Genius of Christianity. By John Evans, M. A. 1 vol. 8vo. 18o6. TH HIS ample title-page fully expresses the contents of this volume, the object of which is to serve as a supplement to a popular Jittle work by the same author. It is orpamented with a frontispiece con taining the portraits of Blair, Robert son, Tillotson, Clarke, and other and it is executed with such merit, eminent divines. The two Essays that we cannot help thanking Mr. which are prefixed are written with Evans for so useful and interesting neatness and judgment; and the en- present to the Christian world. tire object of the work is so laudable, Mr. PROSSER'S, for various Improvements upon Smoke or Air Jacks. THE first improvement consists in the chain or chains run, tags and holes, thereby effectually preventing the chains from slipping. making the box, case, or body of The improved box, case, or body in the single smoke or air jack, to extend a different form and way, is called the to the whole length from or near the compound and skeleton air-jack; becentre of the inside of the chimney to cause it contains various wheels, pithe outside or breast thereof inclosing nions, or cranks, connected with the the spindle, and terminating at or near first worm-wheel, or the axle thereof, the chain-wheel. The second improve- and continued any length, as the situmeut consists in raising the said spindle ation of the chimney, flue, or place and chain-wheel, in a slanting direc- in which it may be fixed, may require. tion, above the centre of the worm; It is called skeleton, because the body by which the oil flows above the top- may be inade nearly as small as two carriage of the worm without the assist- inches wide; from four to eight or ance of pipes or tubes, the box, case, twelve inches deep; it is called an airor body being one entire piece (except jack, because, like the others, the air the top, which is screwed or fastened on is more the first moving power than to remove at pleasure), continued from the smoke. The advantages of this or near the centre of the flue to the form of the box are many and great. outside of the breast of the chimney, All the other boxes, cases, or bodies, and by which the oil put in the box, one excepted, are shewn with their case, or body near the chain-wheel tops uncovered; but each of them are runs round and encloses the whole supplied with plate covers, and fastenwork. The third improvement con- ed by screws; and each cover has a sists in making the chain-wheel of small hinge, at or near the chainbrass or iron, instead of wood, and of wheels on the outside of the breast of placing in the groove or space in which the chimney, by which oil or any sub |