dence must be loft to man, and that a due employment of our ta lents is not only confonant with the rules of the Gofpel, but is enjoined as a precept, which is recommended and illustrated by a diftinct parable.

"Men conftitute a State; and by education of the Sons of the State we may ftamp a character on the age, in which they are to live: It was therefore the aim of wife Legiflators, even in the Heathen world, to form plans for a National education; and as fuccefs in war was then deemed the chief fource of prof perity, heroic valour was efteemned the fovereign, and almoft the only virtue. Therefore by athletic exercife, by patience of heat, cold, thirst, hunger, fatigue, watching, and pain, the youthful warrior was admirably trained for his future fanguinary career: With the fame forethought, but under the guidance of a better knowledge, the Promoters of the Reformation devifed a fyftem for an education of the children of the Houfhold of Faith, which fhould partake of the genius of the national character, and tender them useful members of the Commonwealth.”

12.

This paffage; though good, is prepared and fucceeded by others of equal merit, and the whole difcourfe fully fanctions a very fa vourable report.

ART. 33. A Sermon preached on Occasion of the late Nasal Vittory, in the Parish Church of Willington, Salop, November 10, 1805. By the Rev. John Eyton. 8vo. 30 pp. Pr. 15. Houltons, Wellington, Crosby, &c. London. 1805.

A pious and energetic exhortation to rejoice with trem bling, published for the benefit of the orphans and widows of our brave feamen. That the joy of many perfons, on great occafions like this, is lefs expreffive than it ought to be of religious gratitude, we fear must be admitted. But the preacher's remontrances on this point, at p. 15, 16, 17, are too general, and undiftinguishing, However imperfect may be the expreffions of our joy, furely they are not fo on the fcore of charity. Charity more cordial, more univerfal, prompt, and effectual, was never difplayed by any nation, than by our own, at this important juncture, towards the perfons and the relatives of our brave countrymen and defenders: May it have its perfect work, relieving many a want, and cheering many an aching heart!

ART. 34. An Exhortation to the Duty of Catechifing: with Ob fervations on the Excellency of the Church Catechifm. By Edward Pearfon, B. D. Rector of Rempfone, Nottinghamshire. 48 pp. Pr. 6d. Tupman, Nottingham. Hatchard, London. 1805.

12mo.

Mr. Pearfon has here added one more to the many useful tracts, by which he has lately promoted the cause of found religion. By

catechifing,

BRIT, CRIT, VOL. XXVI. DEG, 1805.

catechifing, he means, "the inftruction of youth in the principles of religion." P. 3. On this fubject, he maintains, that there is a great and increafing neglect, especially among the lower or ders of the people. "To trace the caufes of this neglect, and to provide against the deftructive evils, which would naturally refult from its increafe, or continuance, is the defign of the prefent exhortation." P. 5." The only practical remedy I can think of is, that, in imitation of our fellow-countrymen in Scotland, we inftitute schools in every parish, or every district of two or three parishes, and permit the attendance of the children of the poor, for the purpose of their being inructed in the art of reading, and in the first principles of religion, either gratuitously, or for a very fmall pecuniary payment, according as their circumstances in the judgment of appointed perfons fhall feem to require; and further, that fuch attendance be enforced by all motives, which are likely to have influence either on parents or their children, and which it may be thought proper to employ. In many cafes, an attendance for an hour or two in the day would be fufficient to anfwer the defired purpofe; and preferable to that long and irk. fome confinement, which is generally impofed on children, and which excites in them an incurable dislike both to the school, and to the knowledge intended to be acquired in it." P. 11. The prevalence of calvinistic opinions is declared to be one caufe of the neglect of catechifing, efpecially according to the form prefcribed by our church; and it is clearly fhown, that our Ca. techifm contradicts the fundamental principles of Calvinifm. Mr. P. fubmits, in the form of three propofitions, the fubftance of his wifhes, on the fubject of catechifing; and gives a list of useful publications.

2.

AGRICULTURE.

ART. 35. The Farmer's Daily Journal, and complete Accomptant, from Michaelmas 1805, to Michaelmas 1806. Containing 1. An Account of the Farm at Michaelmas, with the gross Amount of the Crop in Hand; the grofs Amount of Stock and Implements. Ruled Pages for every Week in the Year, in which an Account is propofed to be kept of every Day's Labour of Horfes, and Labourers, and Servants employed on a Farm, and the Lands - and Work on which they are employed. 3. Blank Leaves for occafional Memorandums or Remarks at the End of every Month, and a general Statement at the Conclufion of the Year, taking int● the Account all the poffible Expences and Outgoings of a Farm, and the Total Amount of the Produce of a Farm; from which a Balance is easily ftruck, and the Profit ar Lefs of a Farm will be

"at

at once apparent. By a Practical Farmer. (To be continued
annually.) 4to. 140 pp. 75. Rivingtons. 1805.

The plan of this work is new, we think; and it is furely good and ufeful; not for farmers only, but alfo for stewards, bailiffs, and gentlemen living at a diftance from their farms, and committing the chief management of them to other perfons.As in all trades book-keeping and accounts are confidered as effential requifites, why fhould they not be fo in farming; where the expences are ufually much greater than the rent? The Journal before us is fo contrived, that a perfon of the humblest abilities may, at a fingle view, fully comprehend the defign of it; and be enabled to keep, at the leaft poffible expence of time and trouble, a most accurate account of every day's tranfactions throughout the whole year; fumming up, at the end of every week and month, and balancing the whole account at the end of the year; when it will be feen at one view, what has been the labour and expence, and what is the profit or lofs of the farm, for the year." We fhall be glad to fee this Journal continued from year to year, with the author's own obfervations on agricultural fubjects, and hints from other publications.

POLITICS.

ART. 36. Letter to a Noble and Learned Lord upon the abfolute
Neceffity of placing the literal Difcuffion of Political Subjects,
(thofe of Members of Parliament only excepted) under an Im-
primatur, and expofing the Profligacy, Temerity, and dangerous
Tendency of that Peft to the English Nation, a profeffed Political
Scribbler. By Diogenes. 8vo.
Price 2s.

ton.

70 PP.

Eger.

1804. ART. 37. An Analytical Review of various Libels, Public, Private, Seditious, and Treasonable, published by Cotin, fince the Publication of thofe of which he was convicted in June last. Selected from his Weekly Pamphlet. By Diogenes. 8vo. 76 pp. Price 25. Egerton. 1805.

Of the two publications before us it cannot be faid that Materiem fuperat spus: for the fcurrility and infolence, the apoftacy and tergiverfation, the falfhood and malignity of the writer alluded to, under the name of Cotin, might undoubtedly have been painted in far more vivid colours than are used by this wellintentioned but not equally fkilful author. That the liberty of the prefs has feldom, if ever, been more fcandaloufly abufed than by the writer here defcribed, we are far from denying; but this by no means proves (nor indeed does the author before us very seriously urge) the neceffity of an Imprimatur. We can hardly fuppofe that any Englishman of fenfe can feriously entertain fo abfurd an opinion. In his firft letter he declaims, in a defultory manner,

against

t

against the conduct and character of the libeller alluded to, introducing various remarks and quotations; fome of which apply not very strongly to his fubject; in one of the firft of thefe, and fin our opinion) moft applicable, is the following fentence from Baffuet:

་ ་་ ་

On a vu, de ces ouvrages periodiques-deftinées en apparence a inftruire, mais compofées en effet pour diffamer; on a vo des auteurs que l'appât du gain et la malignité on transformés en fatiriques mercénaires, et qui ont vendu publiquement leurs fcandales. Il s'eft trouvé reelment des hommes affez perdus d'honneur, pour faire un metier public de ces fcandales, femblables a ces affallins à gages, ou à ces menftres du fiécle passe qui gagnoient leur vie à vendre des poifons." P. 24.

In the fecond Letter, or Analytical Review, the author comes more clofely to the point, and produces many extracts from the works of this political writer, which do no great credit to his head, and certainly how much malignity in his heart. But we with not to dwell on fuch a topic. The opinion of all impartial men, refpecting the writer alluded to, is, we believe, firmly fixed. His unprovoked and grofsly falfe, as well as perfonal attacks on us at first, occafioned fome furprife to us; but his fubfequent conduct has made us perfectly careless of his praise or cenfure. We fhall never regret the hoftility of those who are hoftile to aimot every great and good character in the country.

BIOGRAPHY.

38. Memoirs of a Picture, containing the Adventures of many confpicuous Charaters, and interfperfed with a variety of amufing Anecdotes of feveral very extraordinary Perfonages connected with the Arts, including a genuine Biographical Sketch of that celebrated, original, and excentric Genius the late Mr. George In Morland, drawn from the tolerably uuthentic Source of more than twenty Years intimate Acquaintance with him, kis Family, and "Connections. To which is added, a copious Appendix, embracing every interesting Subject relative to our justly admired Englib Painter and his mist valuable Works. By William Collins. 3 vols. 12mo. 15s. Symonds. 1805.

This feems the oddest farrago that was ever put together. The fit volume outdoes Baron Munchaufen in its improbability, and has no more to do with Morland than with Bonaparte. The whole is very poor ftuff indeed.

ART. 39. Memoirs of Charles Lee Lewis, containing Anecdotes, bytorical and biographical, of the English and Scottish Stages,

2

during

during a Period of forty Years. Written by himself. In 4 vols. 16s. Philips. 1805.

.12mo.

The frequenters of the theatre, and they whofe connections are theatrical, will probably derive amufement from these volumes, and a class of readers, fufficiently numerous, will there be found to exhaust an impreffion, and perhaps more, of this publication; otherwife it poffeffes but little recommendation to the general reader, being not very remarkable for its vivacity or intereft.

f

ASTRONOMY.

ART. 40, Aftronomical and Nautical Tables, with Precepts for finding the Longitude and Latitude of Places by Lunar Distances, Double Altitudes, &c. and for folving other the most useful Preblems in Practical Aftronomy, connected with the Use of the Naw tical Almanac, on Principles for the moft Part entirely new, frilly accurate, and very easy to be applied in Practice. By James Andrew, A. M. Afperne, Cornhill, &c. 1805.

The importance of the problem which teaches accurately to clear obferved lunar distances of the effects of parallax and refraction, is well known to those who are at all verfed in nautical aftronomy. And the avowed defign of Mr. A. is to fimplify the computation by means of a table of natural femi-chords, founded on a method, which he had before given in Nicholfon's Journal, and the idea of which is obvious enough from a perufal of chap. 18. of Cagnoli's Trigonometry. Thefe tables, befides, are made applicable to the folution of fuch other problems as would admit of a folution with their help and that the book might be complete, in Mr. A.'s apprehenfion, for the purpofe of the navigator, fuch other auxiliary tables are added as he judged neceflary. The book confifts of the following tables ;

1. The Refractions of the Heavenly Bodies in Altitude." 2. Depreffion or Dip of the Horizon of the Sea. 3. The Sun's Parallax in Altitude. 4. Augmentation of the Moon's Semidiameter, 5. Dip of the Sea at different Distances from the Obferver. 6. Correction of the Moon's apparent Altitude. 7. Complemental Logarithms. 8. Correction (to Table 7.) for the Sun's Altitude, 9, Correction (to Table 7.) for the Star's Altitude. 10. The right Afcenfions, &c. of nine principal fixed Stars. 11. Corrections (to Table ro.) for Nutation. 12. rections (to Table 10.) for Preceffion and Aberration. 13. Squares of Natural Semi-Chords. 14. Proportional Logarithms. 15. For reducing the Sun's right Afcenfion in Time, as given in the Nautical Almanac for Noon at Greenwich, to any other Time ander that Meridian; or to Noon under any other Meridian, 16, For reducing the Moon's Declination, as given in the Nau.

273

tical