Principles of Fluxions, is, on the contrary, exprefsly prepared for academical fludents, and is fo prepared, as to form one of the beft elementary works that we have seen. On the Economy of Fuel, Mr. Buchanan † lays down principles, and propofes expedients which promife greatly to enlighten the minds of thofe who are interested in it; nor can it be denied that the public at large is much interested in every thing that tends to abridge the general confumption of that moft neceflary article. Mr. Crossfield's Calendar of Flora ‡, is an excellent manual for fludents in botany, though not exclufively prepared for them, but likely to be generally acceptable to English botanifts. IIISTORY. When we speak of Hiflory, on the prefent occafion, we are confcious that we have no great hiftorical work before us, to which we can call the attention of our readers; we must be content with one or two that are illuftrative. Of this kind are the State Papers of Sir R. Sadler, a ftatefman employed in many offices of truft under Henry the VIIIth. and Elizabeth §.Thefe papers, edited by Mr. Walter Scott, contain many original documents, and are ably illuftrated, when neceffary, by the editor. Cromwelliana, collected chiefly from the newspapers of Cromwell's time, by the editor, Mr. Stace, anfwer the purpose of bringing together many forgotten facts, and will be confulted with pleafure by the curious. Stockdale's Hiftory of Inquifitions, partly compiled from a French work, contains a melancholy picture of human fuffer. ings, and the triumphs of the moft furious bigotry. To read fuch works for warning may be ufeful and even neceffary; for pleafure they cannot be read. One *No. V. p. 486. + No. VI. p. 634. No. III. p. 209, and V. p. 478. I No. III. p. 280. No. I. p. 8o. No. III. p. 302. or or two hiftories lately noticed are almoft entirely military. Such are, the Sketch of the Campaigns in Portugal, by Sir Robert Wilfon*, and the Sketch of the Campaign in Portugal †, a fhort but fenfible pamph let. BIOGRAPHY. The Memoirs of Prince Eugene‡, though clofely connected with the preceding works, belong more properly to the prefent clafs. The warrior relates his adventures with livelinefs; and is probably well worthy of credit, in all that he pofitively afferts. Biography never approaches fo near to history, as when it takes up the life of a great and eminent statesman, whofe acts were thofe of the public, and whofe plans influenced the deftiny of nations. Such was the Life of Mr. Pitt §; and if Mr. Gifford's account of it did not in all refpects meet our ideas of excellence, it is yet too important to be paffed in filence. The Life of Paley would have been more inftructive, had not Mr. Meadley, the author of it, been rather too anxious to make his hero the fupporter of his prepoffeffions. Dr. Beddoes was alfo a man of lively and original genius, and his life, by Dr. Stock, is in many refpects inftructive as well as curious. "That it is in general accurate, and calculated to give a correct view of the fubject, accident enables us to teftify. TRAVELS. In this copious clafs, we have lefs, perhaps, than. ufual, to bring forward, yet much that is meritorious. The remarks on Turkey and Egypt, published by + No. I. p. 79. * No. IV. p. 362. No. I. p. 1. II. p. 110. VI. p. 568. No. III. p. 315. ¶ No. No. IV. p. 321. Mr. Mr. Hamilton, under the title of Egyptiaca, have a ftrong and primary claim to our attention. Of this valuable work, only a first part has yet appeared, but a part much more important than many complete works, and we wait, with earnest expectation, for the continuation of a work, which promifes to throw more light upon the fubject than any which has hitherto appeared, either here or on the continent. The View of Spain, published by Alexander Laborde, and noticed by us in an English tranflation †, may be confidered as an official work, published under the fanction of the French government. The author was evidently fupplied with money and other means for carrying on all neceffary enquiries; and as the object was then to conciliate Spain, it teems not with those mifrepresentations, which, under oppofite circumftances, would probably have difgraced it. The view taken by our countryman, Mr. Jacob, is much lefs extenfive; his Travels confift of letters, written by him during a refidence of fix months in Spain, the matter of which is drawn in part from books, and in part only from personal observation. A fmaller account of the fame country, by Mr. Semple, which he call his Second Journey in Spain §, has liveliness and originality to recommend it, with fome characteristic prints. On the land of Madeira, Dr. Gourlay || writes with the intelligence of a physician and a natu ralift, and has produced an inftructive, though not an extenfive volume. Lord Elgin's thin volume on his Purfuits in Greece ¶ offers little more than a narrative of the means employed by him to obtain his noble. collection of Greek fculpture now in London. The republication of Lord Valentia's interesting volumes **, in a smaller fize, and with fome judicious retrenchments, will be acceptable beyond doubt, to many * No. I. P. 27. No. I. p. 71. ** No. V. p. 523. + No. III. p. 284. || No. VI. p. 558. No. V. p. 514- purchasers. purchasers. Mr. De Luc's Geological Travels*, in the north of Europe, are confined almoft entirely to the philofophical objects of his purfuit, and will be followed before long by more refearches of the same kind. The enlightened zeal of that veteran philofopher for obtaining by obfervation the true natural history of our globe, deferves the highest commendation, and will rank him always among the most accurate and useful obfervers of his time; but his very advanced age keeps us always in fome apprehenfion of an abrupt termination of his labours, which however Providence feems to defer, becaufe to live, and to labour for the best purposes, are with him fynoni mous. TOPOGRAPHY. We can give no more appropriate defignation to Mr. Chatfield's work on Hindoftan, which he calls an Hiftorical Review†. Its objects are fo numerous and fo ably purfued. We fhould not, however, omit to say, that the chief points to which his attention is directed are Commerce, Politics, Morals, and Religion. Among other works lately noticed in this branch of Literature, we must mention particularly the continuation of Magna Britannia by Meffrs. LyJons, containing the topography of Cambridgefhire and Chefhire: and conducted with the fame fagacity and fidelity which have marked their former accounts. This part completes their fecond volume. The local hiftory of Oxford, by Mr. A. Chalmers §, is diftinguished no lefs for elegance than accuracy; and is accompanied by prints which speak no lefs eloquently to the eye than the author to the mind. It is already, as it could not fail to be, a very popular work. A fhort account of the Isle of Man, by Mr. * No. I. p. 43. + No. II. p. 97, and IV. 333. § No. II. p. 127. a G. Woods, G. Woods, is rather a guide for travellers than a regular topography. It may, however, be found ufeful; and of a fimilar defcription is the fhort account of Shrewsbury †, at prefent anonymous, but which we hope to fee hereafter, both enlarged and distinguished by the name of its evidently fagacious compiler.. POLITICS, From the endlefs tracts of this clafs we fhall felect only a very fmall number; and among them, with diftinguished commendation, Mr. Courtenay's View of the State of the Nation . We fay, with pride, that our opinions exactly coincide with thofe of this able writer. A tract entitled, a Regent not a King §, demands attention, though anonymous, and well explains a fubject which has been, in general, but imperfectly confidered. In the Offrandes à Bonaparte, feveral very curious pictures are given, of what may be called the PSEUDOCRACY of France; the novel phænomenon of a government fupported altogether by fyftematic lying. Mr. Faber's tract, which made a confpicuous part of this interefting collection, has fince been published in English ¶, as the others had before. Dr. Duigenan, though always violent, is always worthy of attention on the fubject of the Irish Catholics**; but, what is more extraordinary, Dr. O'Conor, himself a zealous Catholic, has published a collection of tracts, which both perfuafions ought equally to refpe& and confider ††. Admiral Patten, on the fubject of national defence, is able, though by no means impartial. It is, however, extremely advifable, that his views fhould receive a due confideration. |