8.. "Tho' favour'd YARMOUTH might be coax'd, Fox was too cunning to be hoax'd MAITLAND a Scot difcreet is; From fuch negotiators fay, How could your bafis flip away, 9. "When PITT's good genius bleff'd the land, Mix'd with his country's duty; ART. 14. Outlines of English Hiftory, in Verfe. By Elizabeth Rowfe. 8vo. Darton and Harvey. 2s. 6d. 1808. A pleafing book for young people, and useful alfo, as rhyme is better calculated than profe to retain facts and dates in the memory. It prefents an epitome of English hiftory from the time of the Britons to the prefent period, and thus loyally concludes: "And oh may heaven on George's honour'd head The choiceft bleffings in abundance shed; And when Britannia muft her King refign, While round his brow the olive wreath fhall twine, Give him a brighter diadem above.” At the end of the volume is an alphabetical lift of nations and places mentioned in the hiftory, which will also be found convenient for young ftudents. ART. 15. Is. 6d. This was written by the author, who appears, if not an exalted poet, at least to be a very amiable man, under the impreffion that Peace was at hand. The metre is not exactly adapted to the ferious fubjects difcuffed, which are thofe of religious, moral, and political truth. A fhort fpecimen will fuffice. "Fashion checked her vagaries, her creft fhall unplume, Licence writhe in the chains 'twas, her vaunt to affume, G BRIT. CRIT, VOL. XXXI. JAN. 1808. Flush Flush of health to difeafe be by Riot inflam'd, Witlefs Mirth of her laughter convulfive afham'd. ART. 16. The Plea for a private Indulgence of Grief, a Poem, by J- D-n, D. D. Addreffed to the Hon. P-1-p B-v-ie, August 1774. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Cadell and Davies. 1806. This is by the fame author as the above, and feelingly laments one of the greatest calamities incident to focial and domeftic life, the lofs of a beloved partner. The occafion itfelf would difarm criticifin, but the compofition is entitled to respect and praife. ART. 17. Palmyra, and other Poems, by T. L. Peacock. 12mo. Richardfon. 75. 1806. This volume confifts of an ode on the fubject of Palmyra, Vifions of Love, and various mifcellaneous Poems. The first ftanza in the book will probably induce the lover of poetry to proceed through the whole. "As the mountain torrent rages, Loud, impetuous, fwift, and ftrong, Rolls with ceafelefs tide along. The nobleft works of human power Olivion's awful ftorms refound, And darkness veils its memory." ART. 18. Gr-ville Agonistes, a Dramatic Poem. 8vo. 24 PP. 15. 6d. Hatchard. 1807. This is not a drama, nor a parody of the dramatic poem to which its name alludes, but a fet of fpeeches in couplet verfe. It wears indeed fomewhat of a dramatic form, yet its whole texture. texture confifts of one foliloquy, one chorus, and one dialogue. The following remonftrance is not ill conceived. "Then for what purpofe, tell me if you can, And chufe (hard choice to make!) or him, or P-ll." P. 17, A good deal of acrimony appears in some other parts of the poem. TRAVELS. ART. 19. Travels in the Year 1806 from Italy to England, through the Tyrol, Styria, Bohemia, Poland, &c. containing the Particulars of the Liberation of Mrs. Spencer Smith from the Hands of the French. Effected and written by the Marquis de Salvo. This is an interesting account of the refcue of an English lady and two children from the hands of the French, by a Sicilian nobleman on his travels through Italy, where he was detained on his way homeward, by the French having got poffeffion of Venice. Mrs. Spencer Smith, a Greek lady, was wife to the brother of our brave Sir Sidney, and on account of her health had been obliged to quit England, and to refide at Venice, receiving at the fame time from the French General Laurifton affurances of protection, and a paffport to enable her to depart whenever she pleafed. She was, however, fuddenly fummoned to appear be fore the police, and declared to be under arreft as a French pri foner. Interceffions were made in her favour to no purpofe; the was condemned to be taken under a strong military efcort to Valenciennes. The confidence which the had placed in the enemy's promife of fecurity was her only fault; no ftain of cul pability appeared even to the French, except her connection with a name fynonymous to patriotic attachment. The fituation of Mrs. Smith, harraffed, fickly, and forlorn, called aloud for the friendly intervention of fome man of feeling and refolution, and fuch a one fhe fortunately found in the Marquis de Salvo; who, deeply affected, determined to refcue her by a fecret flight? from G 2 from the cruel fangs of her enemy; and having engaged her to exert the utmost degree of fortitude to co-operate in the bold attempt, fhe confented, though not without infinite reluctance at the idea of the danger he ran by expofing himself to fo perilous an enterprize on her account. Preliminaries being fettled, he began by faving the children, who, with their preceptor, were fafely conducted to Gratz. He then gained permiffion as a friend to accompany Mrs. Smith, the parting between whom and her fifter, the Countefs of Atems, and other friends, wholly uncertain of the fate that might await her, was affecting in the highest degree. After encountering delays, infults, and difappointments through every town they paffed, they reached Brefcia, where her hero determined to put his plans of liberation into effect, it being the nearest place to a neutral territory. He ran to examine the windows of the inn, in which a room was appointed for Mrs. Smith fifty feet from the ground; the gens d'armes taking the room adjoining to her's. He next got a paffport figned for the Tyrol, and provided a light carriage and horfes, and a man's drefs for the difguife of Mrs. Smith. On producing these to her she was at once forcibly ftruck with the dangers that were to be encountered, but which the defire of obtaining her liberty at length overcame. The next difficulty to encounter was how to get her out of the apartment thus carefully guarded. To leap from the window at fo great a height was impoffible; but as neceffity prompts us to exertion, the Marquis was not long in fecretly completing a ladder of ropes, which, being faftened to the iron of her window, enabled her to reach the ground without receiving any material injury. With trepidation and delight they now began their flight. They reached Salô, and at length gained the Tyrolefe frontier. Encountering innumerable difficulties, they at length reached the banks of the Danube, and arrived at Lintz. It was to meet her mother, fifter, and rejoin her children, that Mrs. Smith had been induced to go through Germany, when he was ordered to depart from the states of a power whofe neutrality precluded any further ftay. The attainment of her delires being thus denied, fhe travelled without pleasure, though her captivity was at an end, and received orders" to repair to Prague, whence fhe was to take the road to Saxony or Ruffia. Here the Marquis left her to proceed to Gratz, where he had the fatisfaction of finding her mother and fifter, and announcing to them her fafety, the difficulties that had attended their efcape, and witneffing their joy at finding they had at length overcome fo many obftacles. He next proceeded with them to Prague, where they had all the fupreme happiness of again being reunited to Mrs. Smith. Nothing further feemed requifite to render them happy, but the cautious government could not allow the mother and children to remain united before their arrival on the confines of Ruffian Poland, when they again met at Riga, and after waiting there a fhort time they procured a paffage paffage for England, arrived at Copenhagen, and on the 26th September fafely landed on our happy fhores. AGRICULTURE. ART. 20, The English Practice of Agriculture, exemplified in the Management of a Farm in Ireland, belonging to the Earl of Conyugham, at Slane, in the County of Meath. With an Appendix; containing, firft, A Comparative Eftimate of the Irish and English Mode of Culture, as to Profit and Lofs; and fecondly, A Regular Rotation of Crops, for a Period of Six Years. By Richard Parkinson, Author of The Experienced Farmer,' and other Works of Agriculture. 8vo. 338 pp. 9s. Longman. 1806. Readers, who have much time on their hands, and who like an inftructor the better, the more pages he can fill with a given quantity of matter, muft be highly gratified by a perufal of this voJume. The author has been a farmer many years in England; two in America; and laftly, two in Ireland, as partner with the Earl of Conyngham in 500 acres, pafture and tillage. His confeffion, at p. 226, begins and proceeds ingenuoufly, but ends fomewhat confidently: Though I have written much, and reflected deeply, on agriculture; I ftill confider myself as wandering in a labyrinth, as to improvements in it. The advantages I have enjoyed have certainly been uncommon;-yet I cannot fay that, fatisfactorily to my own mind, I have formed a complete and infallible fyftem. All the fchemes I have ftarted are good in themselves, for the prefent; and as fully explained, as I am able to explain them: but I would not have the reader fuppofe, that I have for a moment indulged the conceit that I have arrived at perfection. I ftill with, and shall always wifb, to continue my enquiry. [Oh, when will there be an end to our reading!] Though I am in the habit of reading works on agriculture for the improvement of my own practice, I never give the public my opinion on their merits, till I have tried them by the teft of experiment; and I can fay without vanity, that I do not know a fingle obfervation of any agricultural author, that in practice I have not improved upon." We ftrongly recommend the author's example, in one point, to all agricultural. writers: After quoting lefs than a page, he fays, This is the only quotation I have ever given in my publica. tions." P. 234. What a mafs, what mountains of paper would have been faved, if this had been a general practice!--Page 240 tempts us to wish for an introduction to the company there fpoken of; but to what part of England must we refort for it? At a market-town, an English ordinary is a valuable fchool for a young farmer; for he will generally find fome refpectable gentle G 3 man |