Illuftrations of Shakspeare, and of Ancient Manners, with Differtations on the Clowns of Shakspeare, on the Collection of Popular Tales, entitled Gefta Romanorum, and on the English Morris Dance. By Francis Douce. 2 vols. l. 11s. 6d.

Critical Effays on the Principal Performers of the London Theatres, including General Remarks on the Practice and Genius of the Stage. By the Author of the late Theatrical Criticisms in "The News," now in thofe of the "Examiner." 83.

NOVELS.

Tales of Former Times, altered from Old English Metrical Romances. By A. St. John. 12mo. z vols. gs.

The Myfterious Gentleman Farmer. By J. Corry. 2 vols. Banks of the Wye. By the Author of a Winter in Bath. 4 vols.

Exiles of Erin. By Mifs Gunning. 3 vols.

The Red Tyger. 2 vols.

POLITICS.

A Chronological Regifter of Both Houses of the British Parliament, from the Union in 1708 to the third Parliament of the United Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland in 1807. By Robert Beatfon, L. L. D. 8vo. 3 vols. 1. s. 6d.

The Prefent State of the British Conftitution illuftrated. By Britannicus.

45.

The State of Britain at Home and Abroad, in the eventful Year 1808. 25.

A Sketch of the Politics of the Edinburgh Reviewers, as exhibited in their three firft Numbers for the Year 1807.

2S.

Annals of Great Britain, from the Acceffion of George III. to the Peace of Amiens. 8vo. 3.vols. 11. 78.

A Letter to a Member of the prefent Parliament, on the Articles of Charge against the Marquis Wellefley, which have been laid before the House of Commons. By Laurence Dundas Campbell.

An Hiftorical Fragment for the Year Two Thousand One Hundred.

1S.

Obfervations on the American Treaty. In Eleven Letters. First publishd in the Sun, under the Signature of Decius. 2s. 6d. An Anfwer to the Arguments by which Mr. Spence, Mr. Cob bett, and others, have attempted to prove that Commerce is not a Source of National Wealth. By James Mill, Efq. 48.

Political

Political Thoughts, in Profe and Verfe; or, A Fig for Inva fion. By a Patriotic Englishman. Is.

A Brief Statement of the Syftem of Tythes in Ireland, with a Plan for its Improvement. By James Mafon, Efq. 8vo. 1s. 6d.

A Letter to John Scott Waring, Efq. in Refutation of his Obfervations on the prefent State of the Eaft India Company, &c. Is. 6d.

A Short Addrefs to the Moft Rev. and Hon. William, Lord Primate of Ireland, recommendatory of fome Commutation or Modification of the Tythes of that Country; with a few Remarks on the prefent State of the Irish Church. By the Rev. H. B. Dudley, Chancellor and Prebendary of Ferns, &c.

1s. 6d.

Confiderations on the Caufes, Objects, and Confequences of the prefent War, and on the Expediency or the Danger of Peace with France. By William Rofcoe, Efq.

A Collection of the State Papers which have appeared relative to the Danish and Ruffian Wars, with Prefatory Remarks. 2s. 6d. The Official Papers of the late Negociation, in French and English. 6s.

Military and Political Confiderations, relative to Great Bri tain and her Oriental Colonies. By Major General Sir G. Brath waite Boughton, Efq. 10s. 6d.

A Difcourfe upon the true Character of our late Proceedings in the Baltic, comprifing a few Curfory Remarks upon his Majesty's Declarations of the 25th of September and 18th of December, 1807. 55.

MISCELLANIES.

The Cafe of Mr. Pocock, of the Duke of Cumberland's SharpShooters, whofe Election for a Captaincy was fet afide by the Committee. IS.

Practical and Philofophical Principles of making Malt; in which the Efficacy of the Sprinkling Syftem is contrafted with the Herfordshire Method; alfo an Addrefs to the Honourable Commmillioners of Excife, in Anfwer to Mr. Carr's Report; together with a Recapitulation on the Principles which are eluci dated both in the Treatife and the Addrefs. By John Rey. noldfon. 8vo. 10s. 6d.

The Poll taken at the Election of Two. Kights for the County of Dorset, in May, 1807. By George Frampton. 8vo. 75. The Farmer's Account Book for 1808. 11. 1s.

A Meteorological Journal for the Year 1807, kept in Paternofter-row, London. By William Bent. 8vo.

Is. 6d.

ACKNOW

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TO CORRESPONDENTS,

In juftice to the Compiler of a Select Collection of Epitaphs, we have turned to his Index, where indeed we find the information which ought to have been in the text; but with refpect to Burns's Epitaph, (in p. 105) it belongs fo ресиliarly to his own character, that without reference to that, it lofes half its beauty. With refpect to the heavier charges, we are glad to find them denied, and to acquiefce in the denial; but certainly a very trifling degree of care would have made the Collection more truly felect, and in all respects

better.

LITERARY INTELLIGENCE.

Mr. Blair is printing A Letter to Dr. Jenner, in Reply to Mr. Birch, refpecting the fuppofed Failures of Vaccination at Ringwood, in Hampshire.

Mrs. Hall has nearly ready for publication, A Manual of Botany and Vegetable Phyfiology, intended for the Inftruction of the Female Sex.

We hear, with great pleasure, of the plan of reprinting an exact and literal copy of the firft folio of Shakspeare's Plays, now ufually fold at fo enormous a price. If executed with the fidelity, which there is reafon to expect, it will be a very valuable acquifition.

The Epiftolary Correfpondence between the late Mrs. Carter and Mifs Talbot, and a Series of Letters from Mrs. Carter to Mrs. Vefey, are printing in two quarto volumes, and will appear in the Spring.

The Paftoral Cave; a Didactic Poem, in Three Parts, by the Rev. J. Grant, M. A. is now in the prefs.

A Third Edition of the Complete Grazier is nearly ready for publication.

The Index to Vol. xxx. will be given in our next.

THE

BRITISH CRITIC,

For FEBRUARY, 1808.

'Tis great delight to laugh at fome men's ways, But a much greater to give merit praise.

BUCKINGHAM.

ART. I. The Ancient Cathedral of Cornwall hiftorically furveyed. By John Whitaker, D.D. Rector of Ruan-Lany horne, Cornwall. In 2 vols. 4to. p. 348. p. 434. Stockdale. 1804.

THIS book may afford a complete example of the vexa

tious difappointments to which reviewers are fubject. Having the fincereft regard for the learning, talents, and various worth of the excellent author, we early committed his work to a perfon, whom we thought qualified to do juftice to it. From time to time the return of it was folicited, and

expectations frequently raifed. At intervals indeed, as muft happen amidft multifarious objects of attention, it was not recollected: but at length, after a delay of two or three years, the work was restored to us, without a single step taken towards giving an account of it: and our task was to be recommenced. We truft, however, that we shall now, at length, give fuch an analysis of it as will be fatis factory, protesting against any cenfure for a delay, which has been

*We believe, however, that, though the title bears the date of 1804, the publication did not take place fo foon.

I

BRIT. CRIT, VOL. XXXI. FEB. 1808.

more

more painful to us than it could be to any other perfon, not excepting the author.

The prefent work difplays all the peculiar talents which have marked Mr. Whitaker's other productions; the fame affiduity of research, the fame indefatigable zeal for his fubject, and the fame excurfivenefs of fancy. The ancient cathedral of Cornwall, like his Manchefter, is but the central point of his furvey. He extends his enquiries on every fide to a great variety of interefting fubjects, fome of which are intimately connected with the profeffed object of his refearch, and others are but remotely allied to it. But he is every where ardent in his purfuit and ingenious in his reafonings.

We cannot give a clearer account of the general topics attached to the main fubject of his work, than by inferting its concluding paragraph.

"In tracing this current, I have been enabled to lay before my reader many a fine object upon the banks, important in itself and in its confequences, important to Cornwall in particular, important to the inland in general. I have difplayed that period of the Cornish history, in the full light of historical radiance; which has hitherto been buried in the clouds and mifts of ignorance, yet concerns the very faints, male or female, that almost every parifh acknowledges in its name, that almost every town honours in its wake, and that form a neceffary link in the chain of Cornifh hiftory. But I have not confined myfe!f, like a limitary intelli gencer, to this peculiar orb. I have ranged over the island, held up the origin of Gothic and of inodern architecture within it, the origin of chefs, the origin of free-mafons, the origin of armorial bearings; pointed out the period at which all the grander parts of our large churches, the chancel, the nave, or the aile, the bell-tower, the lantern, the fpire, or the chapel, were added to them, or at which thofe peculiar decorations of our cathedrals, the mitre, the crofier, or the throne, appeared within them; and exhibiting feveral churches in Britain, as built by the very Romans themselves, yet exiftent ftill in part or in whole among us. I have fhewn the abbey-church of St. Alban's, in direct contradiction to its own hiftorian, to be one of the number. In doing all this, I flatter myfelf I have been ufefully employed, have added fomething to the stock of antiquarian knowledge, have enlarged fomewhat the bounds of historical certainty, and have broke open fome new fountains of intelligence, hiftorical or antiquarian, for the benefit of the public." Vol. II. p. 362.

We will now prefent to our readers an analyfis of the work. As we are anxious to make amends for. the unintentional delay of our review, by not permitting that delay to continue any longer, our analyfis may not be fo complete as we could