Though filent when all creatures fhun And when cool dews from Heaven defcend, And hail the ftar-bright beams of milder light." P. 5. After relating the ravages of Spanish cruelty and fuperftition, the following appropriate lamentation is made. "Then, queen of ifles! no more for thee Their race extinct-'twas then in vain Or that gay birds with beauteous plumes Never fhall harmless Indian more Spread their green honors in the skies, Or where the mightier ceiba grows, Thy fire-fly wonders of the night That watched the meteor beauties fly, Then triumphed war's devouring brood He poured from his fate-guided hand And loud he blew his trump's heart chilling blaft!" P. 14. Few readers can require to be told, that there is much of genuine poetry and originality in thefe ftanzas. The Notes, from Edwards's Hiftory of the Well Indies and other documents, properly illuftrate the Poem. The poems that follow breath an animated ftrain of piety, except that on the Marriage of a Statuary, which has merit of a lighter kind. The ftanzas, concluding each with " My Father", are no bad imitation of Cowper's delightful "My Mary"; but Mr. Whitchurch can do better than imitate. ART. 18. Poems, chiefly Tales. By W. H. Hutton, F. A. S. 8vo. 75. Bickerstaff. 1804. Perhaps, fays the good-humoured author of these Poems, there is no inftance of a man upwards of eighty enlifting among the poets, and for the first time handing to the world a volume of verfe. There is, however, an example of a man's learning Greek at a period of life not lefs advanced; a lefs pleafing, though more arduous, undertaking. Mr. Hutton's Poems are, however, in general very entertaining, and indicate much facetioufnefs and vivacity. Some, indeed, are a little coarfe, and others intimate opinions in direct oppofition to our own; but many of them are entitled to praise; and we will not, by any illhumoured animadverfions, interrupt the complacency which prompted the author thus to conclude his Preface. "Though the work fhould not be fo fortunate as to pay the bookfeller or please the reader, it has paid me, for I confider their fabrication as one of the happiest moments of my life." We would willingly have inserted a fpecimen; but where we were beft fatisfied, the Poems were too long for the purpose. ART. 19. Curfory Hints to Young Actors. Second Edition. 12mo, 27 pp. 15. Fitzpatrick, Dublin. 1805. As to the purport of this fpirited little Poem, the author thus expreffes himfelt it is not my intention minutely to detail the feveral qualifications that may be neceffary to form a finished actor, or to enumerate precifely the various defects that difqualify the theatrical advenThe object of the following criticifm is rather to cenfure and expose the manifest deficiencies of the "poor player", that turer. "Frets and ftruts his night upon the stage, And then is heard no more.' 66 "And could I keep one stage-ftruck apprentice behind his counter, or convince one felf. fufficient young gentleman" of the truth of the following obfervations, I am perfuaded I fhould render the public a fervice, and the individual an act of friendship." The The verfification is particularly fpirited and eafy; and the motives for its publication fo very commendable, that we do not hesitate in awarding to it our particular approbation, DRAMATIC. ART. 20. Matrimony: a Petit Opera, in Two Acts, as performed at the Theatre-Royal, Drury-Lane. Altered from the French. By James Kenney, Author of Raifing the Wind. The Second Edition. 8vo. 46 pp. Is. 6d. Longman and Co. 1804. The ftory of this little drama is perfectly fuited to an afterpiece. An amiable but capricious young couple having, from whim and jealoufy, grown difgufted with each other, make feparate complaints to the uncle of the lady; who being a principal minifter of the King of Pruffia, plans a fcheme for their reconcilement, by fending them to the caftle of one of his friends, as to a prifon, where, being feparated from the reft of the world, they again become attached to each other, and are fet at liberty with a determined refolution to live happily together in future. The fcene between them, when they are reconciled, is well wrought, though more fuitable to the ftage than the clofet. We think the title of Petit Opera affected and needlefs, NOVELS. ART. 21. The Lake of Killarney. A Novel. In Three Volumes. By Anna Maria Porter, Author of Octavia, Walsh Colville, &c. &c. 8vo. 10s. 6d. Longman and Co. 1804. The Preface to this Novel is fo modeft and fhort, and (as we find) fo juft, that we need do little more than extract the greater part of it. "It makes no pretenfions to any praise but that of inoffentiveness: it was written at different times, merely as an amufement for the languid hours which followed long and repeated fits of fickness; and is not, therefore, brought forward now as a candidate for literary honours. I have no hesitation in publishing fuch a production, for this reafon; hundreds of novels are brought out every year, and some have the most pernicious tendency, yet all are eagerly read: there are people who read nothing else; and, if one harmless romance (which, without aiming to inculcate any great moral leffon, ftill endeavours to draw amiable portraits of virtue) can occupy thofe hours which would otherwife have been employed in imbibing the poifon of licentioufuefs or infidelity, furely the writer is not reprehenfible for having printed it?" This is our fourth interview with the fair author; we find her greatly improved fince the laft; and we trust that our acquaintance will foon ripen into a cordial friendship, ART. ART. 22. The Modern Grifelda. 8vo. 58. Longman and Co. 1805. Thinking the fubject which is in this Novel fo folemnly difcuffed a matter beyond our abilities and experience, we applied to a grave and venerable matron of the blue-ftocking fifterhood to pronounce decifion on its merits. She obferved, with great good humour, and without taking off her fpectacles, that much might be faid on both fides; that it is always a delicate and difficult matter to interpofe between man and wife; that, to be sure, husbands were fometimes most exceedingly provoking, and married ladies fometimes inclined to be perverfe. We could induce her to fay no more; fo, having perused the volume carefully ourselves, we recommend to our friends who are already married, or who are about to take the yoke of matrimony upon them, to let the dear creatures have their way; never, on any account, to keep them waiting for dinner; each to be fatisfied that he has, without exception, the very beft wife that ever lived; and, finally, to eat his pudding, and to hold his tongue. MEDICINE. ART. 23. An improved Method of treating Strictures in the Urethra. By Thomas Whately, Member of the Royal College of Surgeons in London. 8vo. 230 pp. 5s. Johnfon. 1804. It is fruitless for an author to prefix a complimentary title-page to his work. In fpite of felf commendation, the public will determine whether a new treatment is, in fact, an improved method, or the re verfe. It is our duty to examine this question candidly. Soon after Mr. Home published an account of his, or Mr. Hunter's, invention of arming bougies with lunar cauftic, to corrode ftrictures, Mr. Whately printed fevere animadverfions upon that plan. He advifed covering the end of the bougie with powdered lunar cauftic mixed with glue; and related many fuccefsful cafes, to prove the fuperiority of this method. We now, however, find that this gentleman bas, in a great meafure, relinquifhed his first improved method, though according to his facts it was perfect. He has fubitituted others, adding harfher remarks upon Mr. Home's practice, and sweeter encomiums upon his own. It appears that he next tried the furrounding the end of the bougie with a paste of lunar cauftic and gum arabic. This was found likewife to fucceed admirably, and may be confidered as Mr. Whately's fecond improved method. The patients were all cured, fo quickly, fo fafely, and fo agreeably, that we cannot conceive why he ever ventured to alter fo pleasant a treatment. But we find that a third improved method is now actually adopted; which confifts in making a fmall hole in the point of a bougie, and fixing there a little bit of cauftic, exactly in the place, and nearly in the manner, which was taught us by Mr. Home. The imitation here is pretty apparent, but the method is ftill different; for Mr. Whately rejects the lunar cauftic, and employs the kali purum. We are at a lofs to follow the train of ideas which have occafioned thefe changes. Mr. Whately first thought it best to use the fame cauftic; but to fix it on the bougie in a different place from Mr. Home. He now prefers Mr, Home's place; but makes choice of a different cauftic. If future experience fhould show that kali purum is preferable to lunar cauftic, we cannot help thinking that it would have been becoming in an improver, inftead of pouring out farcafms, to have bowed with refpect to the inventor, as the mafter who first taught a safe method of arming a bougie with an efcharotic. The motives affigned for preferring the pure kali to the lunar cauftic, left we should not be believed, must be given in the author's own words. "In fome very irritable habits, I found that this cauftic (the lunar) though only an eighteenth part of a grain was used, gave more pain at the time of applying it, and that the pain continued longer, than might have been expected from fo fmall a quantity; these last circumftances induced me to turn my thoughts to the kali purum, as a fubftitute for it." P. 85. As every furgeon knows, that the lunar cauftic is the mildeft, and the kali purum the most violent in the pharmacopeia, this paffage could not but aftonifh us; and our furprife was not diminished by finding, that instead of the eighteenth part of a grain of lunar cauftic which was too much for irritable habits, he rendered his bougie foothing, by fometimes applying the twelfth part of a grain of kali purum. This fingular expedient alarmed us exceedingly for the fate of those who were fubjected to it. But when we read the details, we refumed our tranquillity. A piece of pure kali is directed to be broken into fragments, not larger than the smallest pin's head. These are to be kept in a phial with a ground ftopper. A hole is then to be made in the point of a bougie, and one of the particles of kali to be inferted and funk into the hole of the bougie a little below the margin, So much caution is employed, that it is recommended to select usually a particle of the cauftic, as fmall as one of the dots which form the periods of a sentence; and "to prevent the kali from coming out, the hole fhould then be contracted a little with the finger, and the remaining vacancy in it to be filled up with hog's lard." Whoever is acquainted even with the elements of chemistry must be convinced, that before a bougie can be dreffed up in this manner, and applied to a ftricture, the particle of pure kali will be no longer very formidable. For the abforption of carbonic acid gas, with the addition of hog's lard, must in fact convert it into foap. It is poffible that a very flight degree of corrofive power might be retained by the first bougie; but there cannot be a doubt, that the opening the phial, fhaking out, and selecting the particles of cauftic each time, with the fubfequent operations, rep dered all the other bougies fufficiently mild. This will explain to Mr. Whately, why this powerful cauftic occafioned little or no pain; caufed no floughs, nor hæmorrhages. For, in fact, though contrary to his intention, he only fmeared the strictures of his patients with foap; and whatever benefit refulted, must have been produced by the mecha pical action of the bougie. Mr. |