proud and more haught hinted, that he is by n ance, either by his bir it is, of confequence, m bis rank, or renders him this fondne's for externa genious man; and for him, when these things

:. In the first place, it equipage are fure figns of percilious behaviour, it b But this is not always the equipage or a table, are, fancy, as the confequence our equals. Whoever thi muft confine the expreffio gination may find its acco worldly homage, and confi

In the warmth of friend times prompted to go farth tune only that give a perfon it may be conferred by other is acknowleged to have a fha

I have fometimes urged great degree of merit in lea reafonable authority for a fpl are commonly prefumed to more perfonal in this kind of tune, will not be denied: an proportion obferved betwixt The propenfity of rich and w fplendour upon all occafions, fhop-keeper, who gilds his bo of pitch or tobacco. It is no theatres-royal, where you fee

a crown.

I have generally confidered are able to fupport the characte incapable of fnining, but by dr that the contrast betwixt them much to their difadvantage. It times observed with pleature, fo tune, to dress exceedingly plain.

If drefs. be only allowable to be confidered as a fort of family

may, with equal juftice, pride himself upon the gaudy wardrobe his Mafter gives him. Nay more-For a Gentleman, before he hire a fervant, will require fome teftimony of his merit; whereas the Mafter challenges his own right to fplendour, tho' poffeffed of no merit at all.

• Upon my present scheme of drefs, it may seem to answer fome very good purposes. It is then eftablifhed on the fame foundation, as the Judge's robe, and the Prelate's lawn. If drefs were only authorized in men of ingenuity, we should find many aiming at the previous merit, in hopes of the subsequent diftinction. The finery of an empty fellow, would render him as ridiculous, as a ftar and garter would one never knighted: and men would ufe as commendable a diligence to qualify themfelves for a brocaded waftecoat, or a gold fnuff-box, as they now do to procure themfelves a right of investing their limbs in lawn or ermine. We fhould not efteem a man a coxcomb for his dress, till, by frequent converfation, we difcovered a flaw in his title. If he was incapable of uttering a bon mot, the gold upon his coat would feem foreign to his circumftances. A man should not wear a French dress, till he could give an account of the best French Authors; and fhould be verfed in all the oriental languages, before he fhould prefume to wear a diamond.

It may be urged, that men of the greatest merit may not be able to fhew it in their drefs, on account or their flender income. But here it fhould be confidered, that another part of the world would find their equipage fo much reduced by a fumptuary law of this nature, that a very moderate degree of fplendour would diftinguifh them more than a greater does at prefent.

What I propofe, however, upon the whole is, that men of merit fhould be allowed to drefs in proportion to it; but this with the privilege of appearing plain, whenever they found an expediency in fo doing: as a Nobleman lays afide his garter, when he fees no valuable confequence in the difcovery of his quality.'

To thefe volumes Mr. Dodfley has added a defcription of the Leafowes*, which is very entertaining, and not altogether ufelefs; as it may ferve for a Comment on the more local parts of our Author's poetry.

The delightful Seat of the late Mr. Shenftone, in the parish of Hales Owen, in shropshire.

An

An Efay on the Trade of the Northern Colonies of Great Britain in North-America. Printed at Philadelphia. London re-printed for Becket, &c. 8vo. Is.

C

THE

HE fubject of this Effay is of a very interesting nature, and treated in a masterly and judicious manner, by one who appears to be perfectly well acquainted with it.

The Commerce of the British Northern Colonies in America, is fo peculiarly circumftanced, the Author obferves, and from permanent causes, fo perplexed and embarraffed, that it is a bufinefs of great difficulty to investigate it, and put it in any tolerable point of light, fo that it may be understood.They are obliged by neceffity to take great quantities of goods from the mother country, tho' nature has denied most of them the means of returning any thing directly thither to pay for those goods.— The commodities fhipped off by them, are generally of fuch a nature, that they must be confumed in the country where first fold, and will not bear to be re-shipped from thence to any other; from hence it happens, that no one market will take off any great quantity; this obliges the inhabitants to look out for markets in every part of the world within their reach, where they can fell their goods for any tolerable price; and procure fuch things in return, as may ferve immediately, or by feveral commercial exchanges, to make a remittance home.

Our Author gives a very brief but impartial view of the prin cipal branches carried on by the Northern British Colonies; and then enquires, whether this commerce, taken together, or any branch of it, be detrimental to the true interefts of Great Britain, or in any degree injurious to the British Sugar Colonies. He acknowleges, that whatever business or commerce in any of the Northern Colonies interferes with, or is any way detrimental to the true intereft, manufactories, trade, or commerce of Great Britain, ought totally to be prohibited. A certain illicit commerce, practifed by fome of the Colonies, directly with Holland and Hamburgh, he confeffes to be of this kind. A like confeffion is due, he fays, with refpect to thofe fhips that carry on the fish trade to Spain, Italy, and Portugal; fo far as they are concerned in importing any of the manufactories of thefe countries directly into the Colonies; though this, he fupposes, is very little, if at all, practifed: but in bringing raisins, lemons, and other perishable fruits, directly from thofe countries into the colonies, they cannot be liable, he thinks, to the fame cenfure. For the inhabitants of the Colonies must be wholly deprived of these refreshments, if they are not received in this way, their perishable nature not admitting of the roundabout

about transportation, firft to Great Britain, and from thence to the Colonies; although thefe are articles of little confequence - in themselves, yet, as confiderable profit is made by them, from a very finall ftock, this greatly encourages, and confequently increases the whole fifh trade, which is a bufinefs of the utmost importance to all parts of the nation.

When he comes to take a view of the Commerce of the Northern Colonies, as it relates to, or is any way connected with, the British Sugar Colonies, he takes it for granted, that every branch of bufinefs and commerce in the Northern Colonies, which is beneficial to them, although it may, in a lefs degree, be injurious to the Sugar Colonies, ought, notwithstanding that, to be countenanced and encouraged. This is a fubject which he enters into pretty warmly, and cannot forbear expreffing himself with fome degree of feverity.-What is chiefly complained of, is a trade carried on by the Northern Colonies, with the French and Dutch Sugar Colonies, and this, it is faid, is injurious to the British Settlements.

After fhewing that there is no weight in this complaint, he gees on thus Upon the whole, how very unkind and unge nerous must it be, in the rich, proud, and over-bearing Planters of the Weft-Indies, to make ufe of all their weight and inAuence to limit and distress the trade, and thereby to cramp and impoverish the poorer Northern Colonies; when yet this conduct brings no real advantage to themselves, but only ferves to fbew forth a wanton difplay of the opulence and influence of a very few over-grown Weft-India eftates.

From fuch a conduct, we might almoft draw this untoward conclufion, That as thefe people are used to an arbitrary and cruel government over flaves, and have fo long tafted the fweets of oppreffing their fellow-creatures, they can hardly forbear efteeming two millions of free and loyal British fubjects, inhabitants of the Northern Colonies, in the fame light; and perfuading themselves, that they are only to be confidered as placed there for their own use, advantage, and emolument.'

The laft point our Author confiders, is the confequences that maft follow upon the limitation, reftriction, or abfolute prohibition of this northern commerce. And here he tells us, that Thould an act of parliament be obtained, for putting a total ftop to all trade between the Northern Colonies and the Spanish, French, Dutch, and Danifh fettlements, in America, fuch an act must be abfolutely ruinous to thofe Colonies; at least for a great while, until time and neceffity fhall teach the people to make a thorough alteration in their whole domeftic oeconomy. And, if to this be added, a rigorous execution of thofe acts REV. June, 1764€

Hh

pafled

paffed long ago, (though hitherto wifely winked at) by which the fifh-fhips are prohibited to bring any thing but falt from Spain, Portugal, and Italy; both these measures taken together, muft put an effectual end to the Fishery.-What he farther advances on this head, and, indeed, his whole Essay, well deferves the candid Reader's attentive perufal.

Effays. 1. On the Populoufness of Africa. 2. On the Trade at the Forts on the Gold Coast. 3. On the Neceffity of erecting a Fort at Cape Apollonia. Illuftrated with a new Map of Africa, from Cape Blanco to the Kingdom of Angola. 8vo. Lownds.

Is. 6d.

N the first of thefe Effays, Mr. Hippefley endeavours to de

I monftrate, that we need not fear wanting, a fufficient fupply

of flaves from Africa, even though the demands of our Colonies fhould become vaftly greater than they are at prefent. He confiders the very different circumftances of Europe and Africa, with regard to the advantages and difadvantages attending the propagation of the fpecies, and obferves, that in Europe, many men abstain from marriage, from humour, a contemplative and philofophic turn, love of retirement, an indolent or pleasurable difpofition-many women from coldnefs, caprice, coquetry, and the not being afked.That the increase of luxury has always been a hindrance to marriage-that the inconveniencies from indigent circumftances, and the certainty of multiplying them by having children, prevent vaft numbers of both fexes from entering into wedlock, and many others till very late in life. That the long abfence of hufbands from their wives, on the account of trade, to fay nothing of war, prevents the latter from breeding as often as they otherwife would-and that religion, in the Roman Catholic countries, is a great hinderance to propagation.

If we take a view of Africa, he fays, we fhall there find defire unchecked by the dread of want; we fhall behold nature unaffected by humour, caprice, or coquetry, taking its full fcope. He obferves, that a folitary genius, a turn to fpeculation and abflracted ftudies, refolutions of chastity from disappointed love, unmarried fervants, long voyages, and religious vows, are all utterly unknown there. That luxury in drefs, building, furniture, or equipage, has not yet been introduced that the means of living in fo vaft, and, in general, fo fruitful a country, being very eafy, no man can be afraid of not having it in his power to provide for a family-that coquetry, platonifm, inappetency,

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