publication coincides with their own. "His treatife, with respect to the particular point [which] he had in view, ought, in my opinion, to be confidered as decifive, and to fet it at reft for ever." The Hiftory of Canada from its firft Difcovery; comprehending an Account of the original Eftablishment of the Colony of Loufiana. By George Herriot, Efq. Deputy Poftmafter-General of British America. Vol. I. 8vo. PP. 616. 12s. Longman and Rees. 1804. O regular hiftory of Canada having been published in the Englifh language Mr. Herriot propofed to fupply the defideratum. In undertaking fuch a tafk he ought to have confidered by whom an English hiftory of Canada was to be read, and in what view fuch a hiftory could be interefting to English readers. Canada afforded a fubject for an exhibition of favage life, that might have been inftructive to any readers; but the work before us is chiefly a detail of events that are of little importance to readers of this country. It extends only to the year 1731, when Canada continued in, poffeffion of the French; and our author informs us is chiefly compiled from Charlevoix's Hiftory of New. France. It was natural and proper for Charlevoix writing to Frenchmen to enumerate the various contests between his countrymen and the Indians; but an English writer fhould have recollected that Englishmen care very little about the battles which the French fought with the Iroquois, Illionois, or any other favages in the feventeenth century. To our countrymen a history of Canada only begins to be important when the country becomes a fubject of conteft between France and England. An introductory chapter might have fufficed for all the fubject of the whole volumé, and twenty-eight years more, down to the glorious 1759. Canada becomes truly interefting to Britons, when they can contemplate British genius, courage, and fkill, effecting fplendid victory; but, lengthened out to a large volume, the production is very tedious. Having made thefe obfervations on the fubject we shall now proceed to the plan and execution. Then Our author deems it neceffary to inform us that America was difcovered by Chriftopher Columbus, and that the fuccefs of that navigator ftimulated adventurers from other countries to attempt discoveries. Without repeating fuch well known facts, and names, we go on to the actual history. Jacques Cardier effected a fettlement on the banks of the St. Lawrence in 1534, and by an obvious policy joined fome tribes of the natives againft others. In 1540, a ftronger eftablishment was made, but we fee nothing of the operations, fo as to form any idea of the eafe or difficulty; and, confequently, of the qualities that were exerted. That defect is not totally in the fubject, witness Robertfon's exhibition of small tribes of Indians, long before he comes to the great empires of Mexico and Peru. The new eftablishment was destroyed by fome caufe which has never been known. The The civil wars obftructed the attention of the French from navigation for many years. But the Burbon hero having at length triumphed over all ufurpers, tranquillity returned, and France was able to refume maritime enterprize. Champlain, a mariner, fettled a colony, in 1608, at Quebec; concluded alliances with fome Indian tribes, and went to war with the Iroquois, the chief tribe in that quarter.— These contests are narrated with minute particularity; but without inftructiveness or intereft. The contentions even of favages may be rendered both instructive and interefting by a writer who can exhibit in a striking view the qualities of head and heart which they exert : but our author's pictures are not glowing. After the death of Henry IV. the colony was for feveral years neglected; but Richelieu formed a plan for giving it stability; and vested the management in the hands of a company. This corporation received feveral letters of nobility figned by the king, with blanks to be filled by fuch names, as the company fhould think proper. This we conjecture, but not from the hiftory LEARN, was the origin of the Canadian nobleffe: an order of men which British policy has regarded in establishing a conftitution for Canada. A fettlement was now formed at Montreal, in the upper part of that country. The fecond book confifts principally of wars with the Iroquois. The narrative of these hoftilities continues minute but uninteresting: some conferences are lefs infipid, as they difplay Indian manners: peace was at length concluded. Ecclefiaftics now attained a confiderable weight in the new colony; and ufed their authority in the acquifition of wealth and power for their own order, fully as much as in the diffufion of religion. The Jefuits were peculiarly active; and under their management a feminary was established. In the third book we find the company furrendering their charter ;` and the colony included in the jurisdiction of the Weft India Company. The fame book contains an account of wars and fortifications; alfo of the converfion of Indian tribes to Chriftianity. Frontenac arrived as governor in 1672, and being intelligent and inquifitive he was at pains to learn the fituation of the country to the weftward of Canada. From the converfion of Indian tribes, the intercourse increased between them and the Europeans, and miffionaries had a fafe access to the interior parts. Father Marquette, one of these, learned that there was a very great river that had a fouthern courfe. This he fupposed either continued, and reached the Gulph of Mexico, or changed to a western, and proceeded to the Pacific Ocean. He undertook to vifit the river, (the Miffiffippi;) fucceeded, and received certain information of its courfe. La Sale, a mariner, failed down the river to its mouth in the Gulph of Mexico. Military affairs occupy but a fmall part of the fourth book. A confiderable portion is devoted to the fur trade between the Indians and French. Great difputes arofe between the governor and churchmen, in which the former appears blameable: various changes were effected in the courts of law. NO. LXXIV. VOL. XVIII. Bb In In the fifth book the Iroquois renewed the war; and France being now (in 1689) engaged in hoftilities with her chief European neighbours, could not fpare a great body of troops for the protection of her colony in North America; thence the Indians were fuccefsful. The Englifh co-operated with them: and Canada, between the two enemies was greatly diftreffed. Frontenac endeavoured to incline the favages to peace; and, at length, fucceeded. We are now conducted to the operations between the French and English in those regions; but these of course are not new to the readers of the history of their country. In the fixth book we find the Iroquois again hoftile to the French; and the narrative confifts of the fame kind of defultory operations as in the former wars. but am The feventh opens with a negociation for peace, which is told with great prolixity of detail. While it was pending the Count de Frontenac died, (in 1698,) after having been twenty-fix years governor of New France. He was an able, brave, difinterested man; bitious, proud, and imperious. His fucceffor de Callieres was more conciliatory; and his appointment facilitated the conclufion of the treaty with the Indians; the negociation terminated in a peace made at Montreal; he died in 1703. With talents, courage, and integrity, equal to his predeceffor, de Callieres was endowed with much more moderation. The fucceffion war being now begun, the Iroquois were eafily induced to renew hoftilities in conjunction with the Englifh; with these the seventh book is clofed. The eighth goes on with the fame fubject till the peace of Utrecht. The French now proceeded with undivided ftrength against the Iroquois, whom they completely conquered; and here ends the account of Canada. The ninth book proceeds to Louisiana, the name given by the French to the country on the banks of the Miffiffippi. La Sale having, as we have seen, difcovered the mouth of that river, proposed to find it from fea. He failed from France with that intent; arrived at St. Domingo; proceeded, about the gulph, and afcended a river, but found it was not the one he wanted. Making various other attempts he failed in his enterprize. In the tenth Mr. D'Abberville undertook this difcovery. From St. Domingo he took a more eastern course than that in which La Sale had mifcarried, and foon fucceeded in his purpose; and having failed up the river, conftructed a fort in the country of the Natchez, the chief tribe of Louisiana.. The eleventh, which is the laft book, proceeds with fortifications, and other difpofitions for fecuring the fettlement. Thefe include civil regulations. Our author in this book introduces a commercial and political account of Louifiana, and also a view of the manners of the Natchez, and their transactions with the French. They at firft pretended great friendship towards the new comers, but were really meditating their deftruction. They formed a confpiracy for that purpofe, and maffacred two hundred; but they were ftopped in their career, and entirely fubdued. A: As the French advanced along the banks of the Miffiffippi, their progrefs alarmed other India tribes; and among thefe the Chicachees, between whom and them a bloody war commenced, and here the volume closes. From this analyfis our readers will be able to form a judgment of the materials of the work: The arrangement is chronological and clear the language is eafy and perfpicuous. The production is by no means deficient in ufeful facts; but requires to be very much curtailed to be interesting. The Synonymes of the Latin Language, alphabetically arranged, with Critical Differtations upon the force of its Prepofitions, both in a fimple and compounded State. By John Hill, L.L. D. Profeffor of Humanity in the University, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Quarto. PP. 796. 11. 11s. 6d. Longman and Rees, London; Manners and Miller, Edinburgh. 1804. THIS HIS is a very elaborate work, on a subject attended with peculiar difficulties. To apprehend, with accuracy, the nice fhades of meaning which diftinguish those words denominated SYNONYMOUS is, even in the cafe of our native tongue, no eafy task: to explain them intelligibly and happily to others is more difficult ftill. To fucceed in fuch difcuffions requires not only the most perfect knowledge of a language, but fuch delicacy of difcrimination, and fuch correctness of thinking, as fall to the fhare comparatively of but few. In all these respects the SYNONYMES FRANÇOIS of the Abbe Girard is deferving of the highest praife. It is, indeed, a work of fingular merit, to which we know nothing, in any language, that deferves to be compared, and which, we think, will hardly ever be excelled. But he who undertakes to explain the fynonymous words of a dead language has obftacles to encounter of a moft formidable kind. 66 Quod in vernaculâ linguâ," fays another ingenious Frenchman, M. Gardin Dumefnil, "feliciter executus eft Scriptor Gallicus, id in Latinâ si tentarem, operæ pretium effe me facturum exiftimavi. Neque fefellit meum inter et illius incoeptum quantum intereffet. Singularem enim Clariffimi viri perfpicaciam non parum adjuvit nativi fermonis, quotidiana et commoda tractatio, vivos appellandi copia, et crebræ cum doctiffimis et acutiffimis viris de verborum, fenfu difceptationes. Mihi vero, præter quam quod ab illâ fagacitate longe abfum, haud ita familiaris et obvia fuit in linguâ veteri verborum proprietas, et multiplex locutionum ufus. Mortuos interroganti non refpondent manes dubitanti non licuit cum Livii et Ciceronis æqualibus confabulari. At ifta," continues the fame learned writer, "me non deterruit operis difficultas. Spirat adhuc in egregiis antiquorum lucubrationibus ipforum mens, quæ pene tota in legentium et affidue meditantium animos transfunditur. Occulta non femper fugiunt inveftigantem. Similia vix fallunt ab omni parte comparantem. Neque adeo pauca fuperfunt Latinorum fcripta, ut non fatis ampla fuppetat conferendi inter fe, et opponendi materia, nec poffit obfcuris quidquam alicande lucis afferri. Verum qui Bb 2 plurimum plurimum in hifce videat, cum non modo, perfpicacem, fed etiam in antiquorum lectione fic opportet effe verfatum, ut optimi cujufque Scriptoris ingenium penitus quali combiberit, et ad verborum omnium vim et collocationem attenderit.' Whether even the moft accomplished modern scholars have thus thoroughly imbibed the spirit of the ancient languages, may, we think, be very reasonably doubted. The lover of claffical learning, it is true, is, by no means, deftitute of much valuable affiftance for a certaining the precife import of terms. In the Latin language, the great Roman orator and philofopher himself, than whom no man ever more thoroughly understood his native tongue, has left, on this subject, a great variety of obfervations, of which the utility cannot be too highly prized. Many mafterly notices of the fame kind are communicated by Varro, Quinctilian, and Seneca. From Afcopius Pedianus, Nonius Marcellus, Fellus, Donatus, and Servius, abundant information of this nature may be derived; nor ought other names of a later date to be paffed in filence. By the ardent admirer of claffical literature thofe of Ifidere of Seville, Scioppius, Vavaffeur, Sealiger, Henry Stevens, Gefner, and others, will never be mentioned but with gratitude and respect. Such writers have been called "the pioneers of literature;" and many have affected to speak of them with contempt. This defpicable pedantry (for of pedantry there are various and even oppofite kinds) owes no small part of its reputation to the peevish and fplenetic petulance of Pope, who, having failed moft egregioufly in attempting to fettle the text of Shakespeare, (an undertaking for which he had no qualifications,) declared open war against all verbal critics and criticifm. His authority was high, and, on many accounts, deferved to be fo. It was, therefore, eagerly laid hold of by those who thought that the most effectual way to fcreen their own ignorance of ancient learning was to depreciate the ftudies of men who had laboured, with indefatigable application, and with aftonishing success, to explain the lefs obvious elegancies of the languages in which that learning is contained. But however frequently we may be entertained by eloquent declamations on the dulnefs and dryness of verbal criticifin, we may lay it down as univerfally true, that the authors of these declamations are either deftitute of folid fenfe and of correct tafte, or that, funk in habits of confirmed idleness, they want the courage to encounter fuch difficulties as must be furmounted in order to acquire a competent acquaintance with the precious remains of the ancient claffics. No maxim was ever better founded than that of Lord Coke: "Nomina fi nefcis, perit cognitio rerum." The induftrious, ftudent, therefore, will carefully perufe and digest the information conveyed in the writ ings of fuch men as we have mentioned. We think with the very ingenious. Beauzée, who republifhed, and confiderably augmented the SYNONYMES FRANÇOIS of Girard, that a very useful volume might be compiled from the lucubrations of these eminent scholars, espe |