DIVINITY. ART. 16. A Charge delivered to the Clergy of the Diocese of Chester, at the primary Vifitation, in the Months of July and Auguft, 1804, and published at their Requeft. By Henry William, Lord Bishop of Chefter. 4to. 32 pp. 15. 6d. Rivingtons, &c. 1804. After an appropriate Introduction, on the antiquity and utility of fuch meetings of the clergy, Bishop Majendie divides the fubject of his Charge into two principal heads; the firft confidering the clergy in a general view, as members of the Church of England, in these particular times; and the fecond relating to their more particular concerns, as parochial minifters, and fpecifically in the diocefe of Chefter. The Bishop first commends the clergy for the ftand which the Church of England pre-eminently has made, in thefe perilous times, against the principles of anarchy and difloyalty, as well as thofe of impiety. He then confiders the late Acts of Parliament on ecclefiaftical affairs, as proofs that the legislature is fenfible of their merits, and attentive to their interests. The Residence Bill he confiders as intended chiefly to protect the beneficed clergy from vexatious profecutions, and penalties obtained under harsh statutes. The Act for the relief of thofe curates who may be difpoffeffed by the Refidence Act, and that for limiting more exactly the age for the admiffion of Deacons, are the other inftances he produces; and he fuggets a hope, that still further benefits may be intended. Under the fecond head of his Charge, the Bishop ftates the clergy of the diocese of Chefter to be engaged in a particularly important calling, as being employed in a commercial and very populous district. He specifies fome cautions refulting from this fituation; and then adverts to a few matters, in which parochial difcipline appears to want improvement. The increafing cufton of baptizing in private houfes, inftead of in the church (an abufe by much too far extended in the metropolis alfo) is firft noticed. The Bishop then dwells with earneftnefs and effect on the neceffity of carechizing. He enforces the important point of attendance on the Holy Communion; and explains at large the advantage and propriety of private vifits and exhortation, from the minifter in his parish. When we add the cbfervation, that these several heads of advice are handled in a judicious and perfuafive manner, our readers cannot fail to be convinced, that the Charge now analyzed is one of thofe in which the true interefts of religion are faithfully confidered; and the circulation of which muft be, therefore, of extenfive benefit to the country. POLITICS. ART. 17. Correspondence, in a Series of Letters, between a Gentleman in Berlin and a Perfon of Diftinction in London, from Auguft, 1803, te June, 1804. 8vo. 190 pp. 5s. Budd. 1803. The fpeculations of intelligent individuals on political events, and their opinions refpecting the views of Princes and the defigns of Cabi nets nets, are indeed peculiarly interefling, but peculiarly fallible in the prefent critical ftate of Europe. It cannot be fuppofed, that any perfon not admitted to the councils of ftatefmen can be accurately informed of their intentions, or penetrate their motives; yet it is fome advantage to know the fentiments of perfons on the spot; and the principal writer of these Letters, though not, in our opinion, an unprejudiced, feems to have been an attentive obferver of the political tranfactions on which he remarks. His chief object, in the first of thefe Letters, is to clear the Cabinet of Berlin from the imputation of a tame or corrupt fubferviency to France, and to justify its acquiefcence in the late invafion of Hanover. In the laft of these attempts we do not think him fuccefsful; but we heartily with his opinion on the first point may be confirmed by the event. In confidering the political interefts of Pruffia, he lays it down as a maxim, that "while Holland continues fubject to France, Pruffia muft continue the dependant ally of the Republic". He therefore recommends that Hol land, whenever it can be reconquered, fhould be given to the Pruffian monarch, in order to fecure his co-operation. In fubfequent Letters, the writer difcuffes (or rather hints at) the caufes which facilitated the reduction of Hanover; condemns the measure, recommended at the commencement of the prefent war, of foliciting the mediation of Ruffia; argues ftrongly against the policy of blockading the Elbe (which always appeared to us to be an act of abfolute neceffity); exalts, we hope juftly, the military ftrength of Denmark, and the wifdom of her councils; ftates the motives which influence the conduct of the Austrian government; and recommends an alliance with Denmark and Auftria, the former of which powers might always, with the support of Great Britain, maintain the freedom of the Baltic, "and peace in the North; and the other could preferve the independence of the Dardanelles, and prevent for ever the co-operation of the powers of France and Ruffia, the only combination of power the world has to dread." He then notices the pamphlet called "The Question Why do we go to War" fhowing the abfurdity of fome of that author's doctrines; but, in his turn, hazarding others, with fome of which we are not prepared to agree. We particularly condemn the affertion, that if Bonaparte had" entered into a mercantile convention with our Board of Trade", there would have been no difficulty about the other points in difpute; that "Malta would have been given up to a garrifon of the Conful's foldiers in Italian uniforms"; &c. &c. We cannot go thefe lengths; but we think the vindictive profcription of British commerce was a very ftrong proof of hoftile difpofition; and we were amufed by the "Extracts from a "Memorial and Project of Peace", written by a French Negociator in London, and tranfmitted to Bonaparte in June, 1801"; which the author ftrongly afferts to be authentic, and which certainly has the appearance of being compofed by an artful enemy of Great Britain; though, on the ftate of our finances, and fome other fubjects, either not well informed himself, or defirous of deceiving his * See Brit. Crit. Vol. xxiii. p. 209. employer. employer. What the writer of this Memorial fays on the effects of peace upon our navy is, however, in a great degree, juft; and will deferve the attention of minifters, whoever they may be, whenever that event fhall take place. In order to diffolve our navy and army, this negociator, it feems, recommended peace upon almost any terms. His project of peace is alfo curious, but our limits will not permit us to extract it. In the Letters written after the renewal of the war are many fpecious, and some juft, obfervations. We differ, indeed, very widely from fome of the opinions hazarded by both these writers; but they certainly are the opinions of fhrewd and inquifitive men; and, though enforced in rather a dogmatical manner, will often intereft by their novelty when they do not convince by their justice. ART. 18. The Official Defence of General Moreau before the Tribunal at Paris, wherein that General's Innocence is most fully established. Tranflated from the original French, which has been fuppreffed in France 8vo. 119 pp. 35. 6d. Longman, &c. 1804. That this Official Defence of Moreau fhould have been fuppreffed in France, cannot afford matter of furprise to those who have perufed it; fince, in our opinion, it not only "eftablishes the innocence" of that diftinguished officer, but fhows, in a very strong point of view, the malicious motive and unfair conduct of the profecution. Most of the counts (as they are here termed) in the charge are not, as it would appear to any reasonable mind, relevant to the real queftion; which is or ought to have been, "whether the accufed was guilty of a confpiracy against the government of his country then eftablished, or againft the life of its chief magiftrate?" Whatever we may think of that government, undoubtedly General Moreau could not object to its legality. But what fhall we say of a court of justice, where fuch charges as thefe could be preferred by an Attorney-General, or endured for a moment by the court? Firft count, "That he was implicated in the year 4 with Pichegru;" which, as is obferved in the defence, is as much as to fay, that the prefent government is to efpouse the cause of all the ephemeral governments which are paft; the last of which was overturned by those who established the prefent. It feems indeed the groffeft abfurdity to fuppofe, that the criminal code of the Confular or Imperial government could apply to offences committed against the Directory. Even from this prepofterous accufation, the defenders of Moreau endeavour, and not without fuccefs, to exculpate their client. The second count, though not quite fo abfurd in itself, is conceived in very loose terms, and feems to have been unfupported by any proof, except that of accomplices, who were probably fpies, and whofe teftimony does not appear to have been corroborated by any other evidence. But, as a fpecimen of French criminal juftice, we infert the third count, and the evidence ftated to have been given in fupport of it. Promifes made by Moreau to reinflate the Princes. Promifes attefted by the Rumours current in London. "The act of accusation states, that Rouffilon had declared that Lajolais had faid in London that Moreau, difcontented with the government of the First Conful, would lend every aid to overturn it. 3 64 Bouvet "Bouvet faid, that Lajolais had confirmed in London, all the expectations that were entertained with refpect to Moreau; that he had agreed to the plan laid by the princes, and had promifed that Moreau fhould prefent the prince to the armies. "Rochelle declared that, in London, they counted on the aid of Moreau, but he did not fay that Lajolais had fpread the reprt. "In fine, Roger, if credit is to be given to four foldiers who guarded him at the Temple, declared that he has heard it faid that Moreau was one of the chiefs of the confpiracy. "Several other accufed perfons have been interrogated before and during the trial, but they have no hearsay evidence to give." P. 63. This hearsay evidence is, however, examined and refuted by Moreau's counsel. The fourth count (which alledges certain interviews with Pichegru, and other accufed perfons and propofitions inade and received) has fomewhat more the appearance of a precife and legal accufation; but the fuppofed aflent of Moreau (even if proved) appears to have been too general and indefinite, to form what we should call an overt act of treafon; and it is attempted to be proved only by witneffes of the fufpicious, or rather infamous, kind which we have defcribed. The laft charge is, that the accufed General knew of the supposed confpiracy, and concealed it. This, by the law of England, would have amounted only to a mifprifion. The defenders of Moreau argue, apparently with great reafon, that he had not fufficient knowledge of a confpiracy to warrant him (according to the French phrafe) in denouncing it; but they also show that, by the code of laws now eftablished in France," the knowing of a crime and not revealing it" is not an offence. Such is, in fubftance, this accufation and defence of a celebrated General, and (by all accounts) a refpectable man in his private life. The defence, though in fome parts fpirited, is neceffarily cramped. and rendered lefs forcible, by the manifeft fear of offending the tyrannical ufurper; who, in feveral paffages, is complimented in terms of the groffeft flattery. The effect is alfo manifeftly injured by a bald and too literal tranflation. It is however valuable, even in i's prefent drefs; as it unequivocally fhows the prefent ba'e fyftem of the French government, expofes the arts by which they have fabricated to many falfe accufations against individuals in their own country, and agamft the envoys of Great Britain to neutral itates; and, by placing in a ftriking light the iniquity of criminal courts in France, tends the more to endear the impartial laws and unbiassed adminiftration of jultice, which are the glory of Britain. ART. 19. Obfervations on the late and prefent State of Ireland, in Confiderations on the Correfpondence of Lords Redefdale and Fingal, and on the Remonftrance of the Reverend Peter O'Neil, Parish Pruft of Ballymaroda. 8vo. Zs. Stockdale. 1805. The author of this pamphlet has given a copious review of the flate of Ireland for above two hundred years paft, and has mentioned fome Atriking and interefting occurrences in the hiftory of that ifland, ac, companied companied with acute obfervations, which we have not seen in any other writer. He has difcuffed, with confiderable ability, the queftion of Gatholic emancipation, which has fo much of late engaged the public attention, and which it is fuppofed will be foon brought before Parliament. As the public have been moft egregiously deceived and misled, on this important matter, by various publications, evidently calculated to mifreprefent it, we recommend to our readers the perufal of this traët, as the remarks contained in it are deduced from well-established histo ric facts. It also mentions fome interefting events which occurred in the rebellion of 1798, and in the progrefs of the confpiracy which preceded it, with pertinent obfervations thereon, which have not appeared before. MISCELLANIES. ART. 20. The Ladies' Diary and the Gentleman's Diary, for 1805. We at prefent notice thefe periodical works, which tend to make more mathematicians in this fland than all the mathematical publications befides, to express our extreme disapprobation of the manner ia which they are this year prefented to the public. Inftead of the paper being fo difpofed for the impreffion, that the poetical and mathematical parts may be bound feparately, as it always was difpofed before, from their commencement, it is now, from motives of parfimony it thould feem, fo folded, that those who have been in the habit of binding the parts in diftinét volumes can no longer continue that practice, without great trouble to the binder, proportionably additional expence, and entirely fpoiling the appearance of the book.. We therefore moft carneftly recommend it to the Company of Stationers to refume the ufual mode of printing thofe very agreeable and ufeful publications. ART. 21. The public are already under many obligations to Mifs Edgeworth for numerous instructive and entertaining publications; and though in this inftance, the romantic reader may not be fo ftrongly intereked, or the facetious perufer to highly entertained, yet we do not fcruple to fay, that for excellence of moral, and juítness of observation, the prefent work will certainly claim an equal portion of merit, with any of the author's earlier productions. We are exprefsly informed in the Preface that these stories are adapted to different ages, fexes, and fituations in life," and no fmall degree of kill is evinced in the adoption of various fentiments and opinions; we forbear making any extracts, as to infert a portion of any one of thefe tales, would be only to excite the curiofity of our readers, which our prescribed limits will not allow us altogether to fatisfy. ART. |