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drab-coloured coat, than decked ridiculoufly in holiday fuit all befpangled with filver, and befringed with gold-lace.

We cannot fpeak in terms fufficiently indignant and contemptuous of Mr. WALKER's Vagabond: this piece of folly, malevolence, and buffoonery, is a profeffed at tack upon what is called the fyftem of new philofophy. Mr. Walker, armed capa-pie, enters the field to deftroy the doctrines of "political juftice:" it would be uncandid to fuppofe that he had never read the work which excites his wrath; but it is certainly most truc, that he does not understand it. Not fatisfied with expofing his ignorance, however, by an indifcriminate attack upon thofe doctrines which are common to "political juftice," and to every fyftem of morality which we have yet feen or heard of, namely, the abfurdity and criminality of duelling, the doctrine of univerfal fincerity, &c. Mr. Walker defcends to characterife the advocate of the modern philofophy as an atheift, a highwayman, an affaffin, and every thing that can be conceived bad. To complete the whole, he has made his work infamous by fome allufions to Mrs. Godwin, of the most indelicate and brutal kind.

The Vidim of Prejudice is a novel in two volumes, by the author of Emma Courteney it is a pathetic and inftructive ftory, difplaying its author's ftrong natural powers, and an unreftricted freedom of thinking, which to fome timid fpirits may give difpleasure. We confefs that with us Mifs HAYS is a favourite author, although, in the prefent volumes, if we had time and room, we could point out feveral parts which are objectionable.

'The powers of KOTZEBUE are not confined to the drama: in our laft Retrofpect we noticed a novel of this author, and fince that time the tranflation of another has appeared, The conflant Lover, or William and Jeannette: it abounds with the most exquifite touches of tenderness and delicacy, and is, in fhort, worthy of the pen of Kotzebue. To thefe volumes is prefixed an account of the literary life of

the author.

material alterations from the original. As is generally the cafe, he has altered for the worfe.

A fpirited and correct tranflation, by Mr. KENDALL, has appeared of ST. PIERRE's very beautiful little tale, The Indian Cottage.

Margarita, a novel in four volumes, has in it a great many romantic and myfterious incidents: it has not, however, those extravagancies and abfurdities which often fill the pages of fuch works; and if the author of the prefent had been content with two volumes inftead of four, his novel would have been better than it is.

A tranflation has appeared from the French, of Letters written from Laufanne they are elegant and interefting in a high degree: in the fecond volume particularly, there are fome instances of affection which fink deep into the heart.

The firft volume of Canterbury Tales was written by Mifs Harriet LEE; a fecond has fince appeared, the production of Mifs Sophia LEE. The ftory of the two Emilys occupies the whole of this volume and does credit to the taste and talents of the fair author. Should this joint work he profecuted, Mifs S. Lee may perhaps pay more attention to correctness and fimplicity in her language: that of the pre fent volume is too florid.

Mr. MOSER, in an oriental romance, entitled, The Hermit of Caucafus, pursues the fame object which has given value to his former productions, namely, the inculcation of moral principles. The prefent work enforces the importance and neceffity of a firm reliance on the wisdom and goodness of Providence.

The Libertine has more of the romance in it than of the novel: it abounds with the most horrible of horrors. The author, however, has a fertile imagination, and gives evident proofs of a capability to write fomething which may do him more credit.

Mrs. WEST's Tale of the Times is an attack upon the new philofophifm. The author of this novel has already diftinguifhed herfelf as a writer; and the preTent work will by no means injure the reputation which the has acquired.

St. Julien is a tranflation from the German of AUGUSTIN LA FONTAINE it. Sketches of Modern Life; or Man as be evinces the author to be a man of ability, ought to be, is fuperior to the ordinary run and is, in many refpects, interefting. of novels: the object of the author is to There is an affectation of fentiment, how-expofe the evils of illegitimacy, which he ever, which difgufts us. does with fuccefs.

The Natural Son has been tranflated from the French of DIDEROT; and the tranflator has taken, what appears to us, the very unwarrantable liberty of making

We have feen a great number of novels which are not worth the trouble of enumeration: our readers must be content with the titles of a few more.

Mr.

YOUNG'S

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Mifs MARIA EDGEWORTH is a ready known as the author of fome very fenfible Letters to Literary Ladies, and The Parent's Affiftant: he has now, in conjunction with her father, Mr. RICHARD LOVELL EDGEWORTH, published, in two quarto volumes, a fyftem of Practical Education. It is obviously incompatible with our plan to afford our readers any thing like a sketch of this fyftem, which has nothing in it vifionary and theoretic, but, on the contrary, which has for its foundation a series of experiments made during the course of twenty years: we can only fay, in general terms, that the prefent is one of the moft liberal, fcientific, and practical plans of education that ever came under our notice; and we hold that perfon to be utterly inexcufable, who fhall undertake the conduct and education of youth without making himself acquainted with thefe volumes. In fpeaking with this unreferved commendation of Mifs Edgeworth's performance, however, it must not be understood that we affent individually to every principle and opinion laid down in it: we do not by any means; there are feveral against which objections may be fairly urged, and there are some from which we entirely diffent. Verum ubi plura nitent, baud ego paucis offendar maculis. The chapter on Servants ftrikes us as being by far the most exceptionable of any in the work: Mifs E. trembling that all the care and instruction which the bestows in order to rear up her children with ftrict religious notions of honour, integrity, and truth, fhould be counteracted by their communication with a fet of perfons in whofe breafts thefe notions, thefe delicate fenfibilities, are not very folicitoufly cultivated, propofes, not that cautious and reftricted intercourfe which, indeed, we all of us acknowledge to be neceffary between fervants and children, but the propofes a total feparation between the two, as being the only certain way of avoiding contamination. What! are not children fufficiently quick in difcerning and in, exercifing their fuperiority over fervants without any affiftance on our parts? And are not fervants fufficiently fenfible of

their inferior stations in life, without any ungenerous mementos from us? Muft we bow them down ftill nearer to the earth, and from the characters of fervants reduce them to that of flaves? What evils can arife from the intercourse, we do not fay the familiarity, between fervants and child ren, in any degree comparable to thofe which muft obviously and almoft inevitably refult from fuch a fupercilious leffon of ariftocracy as this is? May we be allowed to tranfcribe a paffage from Mr, Godwin's Enquirer? it is admirably adapted to the prefent question: "We are afraid of the improper leffons which our children should learn from our fervants; what fort of lef fon is it that we teach them, when we hold to them fuch language as this? It is a leffon of the moft infufferable infolence and magifterial ariftocracy, that it is poffible for any language to convey. We teach them, that they are themselves a precious fpecies of creatures, that must not be touched too rudely, and that they are fenced round and defended from the common accidents of nature. We show them other buman creatures, upon whose forehead the fyftem of the univerfe has writ ten the appellation of man, whofe limbs outwardly feem to be formed in the fame mould, but upon whom we think proper to fix a brand, and attach a label with this infcription, Come not near me! In the ex, uberance of our humanity, perhaps, we inform our children, that thefe creatures are to be tenderly treated, that we mu neither fcratch nor bite them, and that, poisonous and degraded as they are, we muft rather foothe than aggravate their calamity. We may fhake our heads in ar rogant compaffion of their lot; but we muft think of them as of the puppy-dog in the hall, who is not to be touched, be caufe he has got the mange." Whatever faults, however, there may be in Miss Edgeworth's fyftem, there are fo many excellencies in it, that, we repeat, no one who undertakes the education of youth thould be unacquainted with its general principles.

Mils HANNAH MORE's Stri&tures on the modern Syftem of female Education, is a work written with great powers of language, and abounding in admirable remarks on the vitiated manners and fentiments of the times, especially among those of higher ranks, to whom it is peculiarly addreffed. That the females in this clafs require a monitrefs of the fevere and rigorous caft of the lady who here takes them in hand, we are not difpofed to deny. To humble their vanity by rid cule, and break 4 A 2

their

their fpirits to fubmiffion by aufterity of principle, may be a very useful task. We hope, however, there are many other females who may be entrusted to form their characters by reafon and knowledge without the use of fo tight a curb. It is proper to observe, that the foundation and ef fence of Mifs H. M.'s ideas of female excellence, and the teft by which he tries every practice adopted in modern education, is the Chriftian religion as laid down in the articles of the church of England, out of the pale of which the feems to think that no genuine virtue can poffibly fubAft.

Mr. GILLET's Pleasures of Reafon, or the hundred Thoughts of a fenfible young Lady, in French and English, is a collec tion of aphorifms, containing many truths important to be impreffed on the young mind.

A new Introduction to Geography, in a Series of Leffons for Youth, is just published, which is one of the best elementary treatifes that we remember to have feen.

Mrs. ANN MURRAY has written A Sequel to Mentoria, &c. In this work are introduced lectures on aftronomy and natural philofophy. When the author zells us, that her volume is principally intended to enlarge the ideas, and infpire juft conceptions of the Deity from contempla tion of the general system of the universe, we are afraid that it is not in our power to applaud the execution as we do the intention: indeed there is fo much obfcurity, inaccuracy, and affected language in this work, that it is far from being calculated for the inftruction and improvement of children.

The Reader or Reciter, is a little work, by the affiftance of which a perfon may, in fome measure, teach himself what tones and paufes are proper in the reading or recitation of English profe: a few inftructions are added for reading plays, "on a plan never before attempted."

Mr. BRIDEL's Introduction to English Grammar is a very useful and judicious publication; it is intended, and feems well adapted to answer the intention, to affist young perfons in the ftudy of other languages, and to remove many of the difficulties which impede their progrefs in learning.

Mrs. LOVECHILD's Infant's Friend is a little work in two volumes, which the inftructor may ufe with advantage: her Parfing Leons for young Children alfo will be found particularly useful in facilitating the acquifition of a knowledge of the principles of grammar.

Dr. MAVOR's British Nepos, or Youth's Biographical Mirror: being felett Lives of illuftrious Britons who bave been diftinguished by their Virtues, Talents, &c. is a well planned work, purposely written for the ufe of fchools, where it cannot fail to become popular.

Mrs. PILKINGTON, whofe indefatigable pen has produced many useful works for children, has published two tales, calculated to improve the mind and morals of youth, Henry, or the Foundling, and The prejudiced Parent, or the virtuous Daughter.

A fecond edition has appeared, revised and confiderably enlarged,' of A Dictionary of Quotations in most frequent Ufe, &c.

The Sparrow is an amufing little book, by the author of Keeper's Travels; the object is to discourage children from teasing and ill-treating animals.

Mr. COLLARD's Praxis of Logic is a very useful work, and difplays a great deal of acutenefs and difcrimination: it ought not, indeed, by any means to fuperfede the ftudy of Watts or Duncan; but it is well worth being placed on the fame shelf with them.

Mr. ARMSTRONG's Elements of the Latin Tongue may be usefully put into the hands of young students: all the rules are in English.

We are now come to the laft divifion of our Retrofpect; and we cannot more properly arrange, than under the head of MISCELLANIES,

The Works of the late John Maclaurin, Efquire, of Dregborn. Lord Dreghorn was the eldest son of Colin Maclaurin, the celebrated mathematician: he was left by his father in very moderate circumftances, and betook himself to the law, in which profeffion he rofe, till in 1788 he took his feat as fenator of the college of juftice. A confiderable portion of thefe volumes, as would naturally be expected, is occupied in juridical fubjects: it may perhaps excite furprise, that a grave fenator should amufe himself with writing verfes: his Lordship, however, found a precedent in chief justice Blackftone; and such an authority may be followed without danger. In what degree of eminence Lord Dreghorn ftands as a lawyer, we acknowledge our incompetence to judge; as a poet, we may venture to hope that his reputation will not be lasting:`poetry, however, was his amufement, and does not feem to have been his ftudy: his pretenfions are humble, and we have no right to claim from a man more than he profeffes. In one very portant refpect the character of Lord

im

Dreghorn

Dreghorn ftands high in our estimation, namely, as a lover of liberty, as a man who acted on independent principles himfelf, and was zealous for the independence of others. We have already extended this article to an unusual length, or we should have stated fomewhat more at large the contents of these volumes; we muft fatisfy ourselves with faying, that the topics which are difcuffed are various, and most of them interefting.

The name of Dr. FERRIAR is well known in the Manchester Philofophical Tranfactions Dr. F. wrote a few Remarks on Sterne, which, fince the publication of thofe volumes, he has fo much enlarged as, with the affiftance of a few other effays, to have formed fufficient materials for a volume. We cannot but acknow ledge that we have been fo much delighted with the beauties and whimsicalities of Sterne, that, when we first read Dr. Ferriar's Remarks, we fcarcely felt difpofed to thank him for lowering in our eftimation a writer whom we regarded with the partiality of an old and familiar friend. It was time, however, that the daw fhould be ftripped of his borrowed plumes; and Dr. Ferriar is unquestionably entitled to much praise for the pains he has taken in reftoring the feathers to their feveral owners. Dr. F. conceives, that the ludicrous writings of Sterne may be traced to his early acquaintance with the French writers who flourished under the laft princes of the race of Valois, and the firft of Bourbon; it may even be fufpected, that by the influence of thefe writers, he was drawn afide," fays Dr. F. " from his natural bias to the pathetic; for in the ferious parts of his work, he feems to have depended on his own force, and to have found in his own mind whatever he wished to produce: but in the ludicrous he is generally a copyift, and fometimes follows his original fo clofely, that he forgets the changes of manners which gave an appearance of extravagance to what was once correct ridicule." Those who have not read Dr. Ferriar's very ingenious work, will be furprised to hear that he has detected Sterne in pilfering from the following, among other authors: Berfalde, D'Aubigné, Bouchet, Brufcambille, Scarron, Rabciais, Burton, Bacon, Blount, Montaigne, Bithop Hall, Donne, Swift, Burnet, &c. &c.

In our laft Retrospect we noticed with fatisfaction a work in vindication of the rights of woman: two publications have lately come before us on the fame fubject: Alcuin is a tranfatlantic production; we

know not the author, but he enforces his argument with great acuteness and ingenuity.

Mifs RANDALL'S Letter to the Women of England on the Injustice of mental Subordination, difplays a ftrong understanding, but difplays alfo too much the fpirit of an Amazon to please us.

An author who figns himself ' A Friend of Truth,' has published An Investigation into our prefent received Chronology, wherein it is propofed clearly to point out and prove feveral effential Errors, of very confiderable Magnitude, contained in the Period of Time comprehended between the Birth of Abram and the Birth of Chrift; the whole indisputably proved from Scripture. We are not competent to give an opinion of this work; but it is curious to remark, how the author rifes in his demands of confidence: his title-page begins with telling us, that in the inveftigation which follows, it is propofed to point out feveral effential errors, &c. it ends with telling us, that the whole is indifputably proved from fcripture.

An eye-witnefs, who has lived many years in the chief kingdoms of the Abyffine empire, has given us A bort Relation of the River Nile: of its Source and Current: of its overflowing the Champagnies of Egypt till it runs into the Mediterranean: and of other Curiofities. This relation was first published by the royal fociety in the year 1688, having been translated from the Portuguefe language by Sir Peter Wyche: nothing can be more feasonable than the prefent republication of this very interesting little work.

An authentic Narrative of the Proceedings of his Majefty's Squadron under the Command of Rear Admiral, Sir Horatio Nelfon, from its failing from Gibraltar to the Conclufion of the glorious Battle of the Nile, has been drawn up from the minutes of an officer of rank in the fquadron, and prefented to the public.

Mr. JOHN WILSON has published a very ufeful and comprehenfive work, entitled, Tables for accurately aftertaining, by Weight and Meafure,the Strength of fpirituous Liquors, from 30° to 85° of Temperature: with an Introduction, defcribing the Principles of the Tables, by a Variety of Examples. The author has taken for the foundation of his work the tables contained in the 82d volume of the Philofophical Tranfactions, to which he has made material improvements: he has alfo given large extracts from Sir Charles Blagden's Reports, which accompany thofe tables in the 80th and 82d volume of that work.

Mr.

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Mr. CONDER has formed An Arrangement of Provincial Coins, Tokens, and Medalets iffued in Great Britain, Ireland, and the Colonies, within the laft 20 Years, from the Farthing to the Penny Size. This work, which will undoubtedly be ufeful to future hiftorians, is introduced by a very fenfible preface, written by the late James Wright, Efq; of Dundee, who remarks, that if, from the two thousand varieties which are defcribed in it, a large deduction be made of thofe which are contemptible in point of workmanship or defign, or both, one third probably will remain, which the judicious medallift will not think unworthy of his attention: thefe he arranges under fix heads; namely, views of remarkable, buildings; reprefentations of great commercial and public works; triking emblems of the induftry and geius of the country; portraits of illuftrious

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men; hiftorical events and characteristics of political parties; and, laftly, reprefentations of animals, landscapes, &c. Mr.W. fuggefts the formation of a " Medallic Society of Britain," and urges in its favour, that fuch a fociety may afford honourable patronage to poor and industrious artifts, who, by rendering permanent the most important characteristics of the prefent age, are preparing inftruction and delight for the ages which fucceed.

We cannot more properly conclude a Retrospect of Literature, than with announcing, that the Society for the Eftablishment of a Literary Fund has published, " An Account of the Inflitution;" from which it appears that its refources are flourishing; that it is conducted with great judgment and impartiality; and that it fully anfwers the benevolent purposes for which it was established,

Retrofpect of French Literature.

HISTORY.

HISTOIRE SECRETE, &c.

Secret Hiftory of the French Revolution, from the Convocation of the Notables to the Capitulation of Malta, the Ceffation of the Conferences at Seltz, &c. by FRANCIS PAGES, three volumes 8vo. The third volume of this work, which has just appeared, contains, among other interefting matter, a detail of the campaigns of BUONAPARTE in Italy, the campaigns in Switzerland and Germany, a geographical sketch of the French republic, including the ceflion of the left bank of the Rhine, the new denomination of weights and meafures, all the treaties of peace concluded fince the revolution, &c. &c.

Annales Maritimes et Coloniales, &c. Maritime and Colonial Annals, containing Difcuffions concerning the Navy, Navigation, Conftruction of Ships, &c. Voyages into Afia, Africa, and America; memorable Actions of French Seamen; Laws and Decrees relative to maritime and colonial Adminiftration; Analyses of new Works on 'thefe Topics; Lift of Prizes, &c. A leading object of this work is to regenerate and render flourishing the French navy; for which purpofe the author dwells upon its importance, and has collected many inftances, to prove that the French failors are not inferior in courage to the English. They feem, however, hitthe difpofed to put their equality to the proof.

Campagnes, &c. Campaigns of the French during the Revolution; by A. LI

GER, vol. ii. 8vo. This volume contains the military events of 1793, the campaigns of Dumourier and Cuftines, &c.

Efai fur l'Hiftoire, &c. de Sardaigne. Efay on the geographical, political, and natural Hiftory of the Kingdom of Sardinia; by DOMINIC ALBERT AZUNI. The author of this work, who is a native of Sardinia, has furnished the public with an interefting detail of the most remarkable circumstances relative to this island, which appeared to be almoft forgotten in the modern defcriptions of Europe. He' points out many defects in its administration, which have impeded the profperity to which its natural advantages might raife it, and fhows himself equally a good patriot, and an accurate and well-informed obferver.

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Mémoires Politiques et Militaires, Political and military Memoirs relative to the fecret Hiftory of the French Revolution, taken from the MSS. of various Ge nerals, Commanders of Places, Spies and fecret Agents, as well in France as abroad; 2 vols. 8vo. This is an amufing collection; but many of the facts related are of equivocal authority.

Annales de la République Française, &c. Annals of the French Republic from the Establishment of the Constitution of the Year 3; containing its civil, political, military, maritime, colonial, commercial, titerary, fcientific, &c. Annals, with the Memorials, Notes, Meffages, Proclamations, Treaties, &c. &c. proper for the fundamental Knowledge of each Object; large vols. 8vo. This work, when

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