thing of equal merit might have been struck off at the same mint. Mr. Cherry's loss is therefore irretrievable. The latter piece, however, was brought forward at Drury-Lane, with splendid decorations. With a few exceptions, the cast of characters united the best efforts of the corps dramatique, both vocal and rhetorical, On the 18th of July 1805, a comedy in three acts, by Mr. Cherry, called The Village, taken from the French, was performed at the Theatre-Royal in the Hay-merket. It has met with great success, but the plot is at complete variance with the dramatic unities. In private life Mr. Cherry is distinguished by an urbanity of man. ners, and a willingness to oblige, which procure him the unqua lified esteem of those who are so fortunate as to possess his acquaintance. He has an amiable and accomplished partner; and several children, whose precocious talents hold forth a flattering prospect of future excellence. CONTAINING A GENERAL AND RAPID VIEW OF THE STATE AND PROGRESS OF LITERATURE, FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC. For 1805-1806. "Still does the trumpet's brazen throat Pour forth a martial sound, Still do the notes of battle float In warlike clangour round! PYE. THE present appears to be one of those ages, in which the "wreck of Empires, and the fall of States," are to be regarded as every-day events. Since the appearance of our last volume, we have witnessed the annihilation of that time-honoured fabric, the Germanic constitution; we have seen kingdoms, rudely torn, by the depopulating hand of insatiate ambition, from their rightful sovereigns; and we have beheld the crowns of legitimate monarchs placed on the polluted brows of sanguinary upstarts. Yet, amidst the general crash, England is still the pride, the glory, the admiration, the envy of the world! "In arms we breed our youth. To dart from far, England, turning to her suffering neighbours, to her enslaved foes, may exulting proclaim, that she is till "Happy in freedom and laborious swains: Whilst your's, beneath some tree, with mournful eyes, To Britons, too, it must be peculiarly pleasing to perceive, that, notwithstanding the horrors of war, and the weight of taxation under which that evil compels us to labour, in this island, literature and the arts flourish with unprecedented vigour. Never, within our recollection, have so many literary performances met the public eye within a similar period, as during the last eighteen months; and, although death has deprived us of some of our most eminent artists, never did the school of British painting exhibit more numerous, or more interesting productions of the pencil. Between the publication of this, and the preceding volume of the FLOWERS OF LITERATURE, an unusually long interval has unavoidably elapsed; but we flatter ourselves that the delay will be atoned for, by the additional number of works which it enables us to notice. To offer an opinion respecting every individual book which has appeared during the last fifteen or eighteen months, would carry us far beyond the limits of our plan; but none of those performances, which particularly merit the attention of the public, shall be passed over in silence*. From a wish to expedite the publication of the present volume, the Editor has been induced to deviate from his accustomed mode, of referring, specifically, to the "ALPHABE TICAL LIST" at the close of the work: the reader, therefore, when wishing for additional particulars, is requested to turn to the " brief criticisms" contained in that list, agreeably to the initial letter of the title of the work reviewed. Like the florist, ever sedulous in his researches after beauty, and ever anxious to improve his arrangement, we shall this year venture upon a slight transposition of the respective classes of literature, as hitherto noticed in our introductory sketch., Regarding Clio, therefore, as our patroness, we shall, in the first place, offer a few remarks upon HISTORIANS. "Sometimes some fam'd historian's pen It is not the lot of every year, nor of every age, to produce a Hume, a Robertson, or a Gibbon; and we are sorry to observe, that notwithstanding the great number of literary performances in general, which has lately issued from the press, there has been a considerable dearth of history. In general, neither writers nor readers appear to be aware of all the requisites of an historian, nor of the research and labour which it is requisite to bestow upon a work, before it can possess any legitimate claim to the title of historical composition. It is not in the collecting, arranging, or compiling of facts and documents, that the writing of history consists; though many, when they have proceeded thus far in their labours, sit down with the greatest complacency, erroneously considering that they have . performed all which is requisite. But this is only a preparative to history: it is the mere adaptation of materials. The task of the historian, is, to reason, both analytically and synthetically; to trace effects from their causes, and causes in their effects; and, having succeeded in the object of research, to placethe result in simple-and perspicuous, yet elevated and. dignified language. The meanest capacity will suffice for the collection of facts; a superior one is requisite for the arrangement of them; and a still more exalted intellect is necessary for their dis cussion. With these ideas respecting historical composition, we must confess, that we have not lately met with any performance strictly deserving the name of history. Some slighter works of this class, however, demand a cursory notice. To those who wish to acquire a superficial knowledge of Ireland, rather than an intimate acquaintance with that country, Gordon's History will be found serviceable. It is, however, too succinct to satisfy the inquisitive reader; though, perhaps, some what too ponderous for others. Its principles, also, approach too near to those of the partial Plowden, for it to merit unqualified commendation. Barry's History of the Orkney Islands, comprehending an account of their present, as well as of their ancient state, possesses considerable merit; as throughout the work, the author has united instruction with entertainment. Dr. Barry is well acquainted with geology; and possesses taste and powers for describing the beauty, magnificence, and grandeur of nature. His style is natural, perspicuous, and proper, rising into elevation, or becoming more familiar, according to his subject; and as a man, he appears to be a lover of truth and candour, and a cordial friend to his country. Harwood's History and Antiquities of the Church and City of Litchfield, a thick and heavy quarto, is not destitute of information; but certainly does not furnish all that might be expected from the subject. The History and Antiquities of Stratford-upon Avon, "Where his first infant lays sweet Shakespeare sung, Where the last accents faulter'd on his tongue." will not afford much satisfaction to the general reader. The account of the parish church and its monumental records, occupies about eighty pages, whilst the life |