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has received from the "Head, even Chrift," great and effectual powers, not only towards its unity, but towards its growth. The Chriftian body has received from the Head, even Chrift," not only the parts of its internal conftitution, but, also the very law of their movements. 3. Unity in the Chriftian body was of divine defign and appointment. 4. As in the natural body there exifts no power without meaning and without use, so in the Chriftian body, every fingle power that can actuate, was placed in it that it might. If this principle of unity were per mitted to duly actuate the Chriftian body of the land, it would be found, that agreement as to the points of the highest moment, affords better reafons for holding together the Chriftian body, than any difagreement as to matters of external and formal con... cern can ever yield for tearing it afunder. What remains then for those who bear her appointments and minifterial trust, but to let" Charity have her perfect work." This is a truly excellent fermon.

ART. 20. Reflections upon the Chapters of the New Teftament; jelected from the Writings of approved Divines of the Church of England: intended for the Ufe of the Poor, and juch Perfons as may not have the Means of confulting larger Works of this Nature. 8vo. 466 pp. 45. 6d. 45. 6d. Hatchard. 1804.

"The following work is offered to the public, for the ufe of fuch perfons as may not have it in their power to purchase larger, and therefore more expenfive books, nor leifure to read them; it is defigned for the comfort and affiftance of pious and good Chriftians;" p. iii.

We recommend this work as well adapted to the good purpose for which it was intended. The " approved Divines of the Church of England," from whofe writings thefe Reflections are compiled, are Oftervald, Doddridge, Burkitt, Gibson, Gardiner, Stanhope, Porteus, Horne, Lamy, Robinfon, Clarke.

It is obvious, that the title-pige fhould have faid, chiefly from Divines of the Church of England; not including Oftervald and Lamy. Some of Oftervald's works, however, enjoy a dif tinction to which divines may laudably afpire; that of being placed in the lift of books diftributed by The Society for promoting Chriftian Knowledge.

ART. 21. Sermins, altered and adapted to an English Pulpit, from French Writers. By Samuel Partridge, M. A. F. S. A., &c. Second Edition. 8vo. 75. Rivingtons. 1805.

In the account which we gave of the first edition of this work, at p. 251 of our 25th vol. we omitted to make an ob fervation which the occafion would have juftined, that the author appears to have been very attentive to his duty, as Chaplain of a

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BRIT. CRIT, VOL-XXVI, JULY, 1805.

Corps

Corps of Volunteers. Not lefs than five of these fermons were preached before the Boston Loyal Volunteers; to whom they are (in fact) efpecially addreffed; though adapted to the inftruction. of all hearers, in the prefent circumftances of our country. The laft fermon in the volume was preached before the fame corps, on permanent duty at Stamford. We are glad to find the clergy alert on fuch occafions, with their patriotic neighbours; and, in juftice to the corps, we fhall make a fhort extract from this fermon, on 2 Chron. xv. 1, 2. "Let us fear God; let us be with him; and feek him while he may be found of us! With an exhortation to this purpose, I fhall endeavour to leave your minds impreffed. And while I thus exhort you, I fhall alfo cordially with and pray, that you may be as attentive and exemplary in the discharge of your moral and religious, as you are BY AUTHORITY reported to be, in the execution of your military duties!" This is a ftrong teftimony, expreffed in few words, to the good difcipline of the corps; and we are affured, that the fame account might truly be given of the Boston Yeomanry Cavalry, and of the volunteers in general throughout the kingdom.

FINANCE.

ART. 22. A Propofition of a Syftem of Finance, or Plan of general Contribution, which was fubmitted as a Subftitute for the late Income Tax, and is recommended as a general Relief to the prefent Mode of Taxation, with Hints and Obfervations which Circumftances have fuggefted to the Projector. 33 PP. 15. Gower, Kidderminster. Hurft, London. 1804.

We have here a reverie of a man apparently very honeft, and well meaning; but who is fully poffeffed with the vulgar error, that the lower and middle ranks pay more to the taxes in proportion to their income, than the rich and opulent. He admits his inability to judge of a project of the magnitude of his own, and it is too apparent in his tract: his fubftitute for an income tax, is another income tax; the fault he finds in the old one is, that it was a plan of percentage," and in the page following this cenfure upon it, he gives a table for payments on his own plan, claffing the contributors according to their incomes; and charging permanent income at £5, and precarious income at £24 per cent. By precarious income, he means profits of trade, and wages of labour: his project exempts none from the general contribution, "but the poor labourer, or thofe perfons not in the receipt of £10 per annum," as a precarious income. Here the indulgence of "the projector" does not extend far; for every labourer whose weekly earnings amount to 3s. 10d. is excluded from it, and is made a contributor of 5s. a year. Such is the fubftance of what we must understand to have been a communication to fome great perfon; the writer feems to have made a

fecond

fecond to the fame perfon, inforcing the project contained in the firft; which he gives us under the title of Hints and Obfervations on the Subject, fuggefted April 1803; and a third in the month of July of the fame year, entitled, Further Obfervations; and his third fupplemental piece informs the public of the motives inducing him to publish this plan.

MILITARY.

ART. 23. Suggeftions for the Improvement of the Military Force of the British Empire. By the Hon. Brigadier General Stuarts M. P. 8vo. 5. Pp. Egerton. 1805.

To folve the difficult queftion," what is the beft mode of providing and maintaining a force, adequate to the defence of the country, and the fupport of its influence in Europe?" requires the union of great military experience, with uncommon political fagacity. But, after all, it will perhaps be impoffible to reconcile the jarring opinion of ftatefmen on this momentous fubject. Yet the rank, character, and fervices of the author before us, claim, at all events, an attentive confideration to any plan propofed by him; and it is manifeft, from the prefent work, that he has beftowed much pains in devifing the fchemes and regulations which he fuggefts, for the improvement of our military Lyftem.

Two plans are here prefented, for the choice of the govern ment and nation: "the one that there fhould be only two de"fcriptions of land force, and that both should be recruited for "by government; the firft for general fervice, and the second "for home fervice; and that the whole of the present additional "force, the militia, and the volunteer infantry, fhould pro"greffively be done away."

The other, That, as there are many who may be willing "to enlift for a limited service, and others again who will not "be inclined to go to any distance from home, thefe inclinations "should be taken advantage of, and, with a reference to them, "be formed, firft a regular army, which fhall be difpofable "every where, and which fhall be recruited for by govern"ment; fecondly, a home army, which fhall be furnished by "counties, and be difpofable throughout the home dominions; " and thirdly, a ftationary militia, procured by ballot, and in "which perfonal fervice fhall be required."

In difcuffing the first of these plans, the author concurs in opinion with those who condemn the enliftment for life, and the feverity, or rather frequency of corporal punishments." He confiders thefe as "the principal impediments to our fuccefs "in recruiting for the line," and propofes, in confequence, to "divide enlistments into the regular fervice, into three diftinct " voluntary periods, which, when united, fhould compleat a 66 space

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"

fpace of twenty-four years." To the enrolment for each of thefe periods, or at least of the two firft, he attaches bounties, and half-pay for life, to all who fhall have completed the laft by uninterrupted fervice.

Various other fuggeftions (fome of which appear to us highly expedient) are connected with this plan; by which the Hon. General propofes a regular army, confifting of 120 battalions. of Infantry, 30 of Cavalry, and 10 of Artillery, not including the Guards, Foreign Corps, Staff, Artillery drivers, Veteran battalions, or waggon corps. The whole of the force for ge. neral fervice, will, according to this fcheme, amount to rather more than two hundred thousand men. The force for home fervice, or National Army, would, by this plan, confift of fomewhat above one hundred thousand men, raifed by lower bounties, and defigned as a nursery for the moft difpofable force.

In forming his fecond plan, the author has accommodated his meafures more nearly to the exifting ftate of things, and the fuppofed temper and feelings of the nation. Accordingly the regular and difpofable force propofed, is lefs, by twenty thousand men, than that in his firft fcheme; and the Army of Referve for home fervice, (to be levied by the counties), confifts of only eighty thousand men, but the National Militia is to be two hundred thousand, with a Supplementary Militia of half that number. This laft body, being confined in point of service to the refpective counties, is avowedly defigned to answer the pofe of the prefent Volunteers.

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It is certainly a recommendation of both the above plans, that they admit of no fervice by fubftitute; the high premiums given to Militia fubftitutes, being undoubtedly one great impediment to the recruiting fervice. But whether the removal of that competition, together with the adoption of the author's proposals for meliorating the condition of foldiers, would rapidly complete the two regular armies which he would establish, (for foreign war, and for home defence) we will not take upon ourfelves to determine. In juftice, however, to this gallant officer, and public-fpirited author, we must declare that the work before us, fhews an intelligent and active mind, and will deserve the attention of Government, whenever it fhall be deemed expedient to revife, and new model our military regulations.

NATURAL HISTORY.

ART. 24. A Series of Effays introductory to the Study of Natural Hiftory. By Fenwick Skrimfire, M. D. lately Prefident of. the Natural History Society of Edinburgh,, Author of a Series of Popular Chymical Effays. 2 vols, 12mo. 75. Johnfon, 1805. The Chemical Effays of this author, reviewed by us, vol. xxii. p. 231. appeared to us not only popular, as they were termed

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termed, but rather fuperficial; and the fame character evidently belongs to these. The materials, the doctor informs us, were originally collected with a view of delivering a course of lectures on Chemistry, and Natural Hiftory, but not being fo employed, in confequence of profeffional engagements, are refpectfully offered to the public in the form of Effays.

The author may here be faid to give the general heads of every department of Natural Hiftory, following the arrangement of Linnæus. But though his book may very ufefully be employed to infufe into young or inexperienced readers, a taste for thefe improving ftudies, he is not always careful to accommodate his language to the purposes of inftruction. How many of his readers will comprehend what he means, when he tells them, that the bee" furnishes man with a delicious condiment, and an exhilarating drink?" If they fhould difcover that the drink. means mead, they will hardly unravel that extraordinary word condiment, which exifts almoft exclufively in dictionaries. He fhould also have been more careful of his facts, than to tell them, that the Cartefian Philofopher teaches, that the formation of natural objects proceeds from the fortuitous concourfe of atoms. This is quite a new accufation. The book; however, has merit as a mere introduction.

AGRICULTURE.

ART. 25. Two Tracts. First, Thoughts concerning the Ufes of Clay Marl, as Manure: Second, Thoughts, or Queries, concerning the Ufes of Agricultural Salts, in the Manufacture of Manures; and alfo concerning the proper Modes of decompounding Pit-Coal, Wood, Peat, Sods, and Weeds, to increase the future Means of making Manure. Alfo, An Appendix; containing, Firft, Thoughts concerning puncturing Wood for its Prefervation; and, Secondly, Concerning the Erection of Kilns at New Malton, in Yorkshire, to extract Tar from Pit-Coal, and ufe the Coke in the Calcination of Limestone. By the Hon. and Rev. James Cochrane, Vicar of Manfield, in the County of York, and formerly Chaplain to the Eighty-fecond Regiment of Foot. 8vo. 65 PP.

Mawman, &c. 1805.

25.

The title-page being very ample, we fhall be fatisfied with recommending this work to the notice of improvers of agriculture; and with expreffing our hope, that "thoughts" of this kind (extended as they are) do not interfere with the thoughts which fhould principally occupy the mind of a fpiritual incumbent. The author is not (we prefume) a Magiftrate; for fuch a one would not propofe that his tenant fhould" prove upon oath, at the Quarter Seffions, that certain experiments upon his farm have been completely fuccefsful." P. 24. There is not (we hope) a Bench of Juftices in England, that would administer an path fo extra-judicial and illegal. TRAVELS.

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