whole drama, and to record them for pofterity, and for repetition and practice, as well as common language is recorded; if confidered merely as an acceffion to the means of communicating our ideas by writing, may not be deemed unworthy of attention; and, to all concerned in public fpeaking, that is, to all men of liberal education, may poffibly be efteemed ufeful. An attempt at fuch a language is here prefented to the public. But although it is the refult of confiderable labour, it is readily acknowledged to be imperfect and it will claim indulgence more perhaps for the intention than for the execution. To bring it to perfection will require the united labours and ingenuity of many; yet even in the prefent ftate it is hoped it may prove not altogether uninterefting+‡.” For "Farther on, the learned Abbé mentions an invention of a Monf. Feuillée, which approaches nearer to this here prefented to the public, than any thing antiquity has left us. I have never seen the work of Monf. Feuillée; it is named Chorégraphie, being on the art of dancing, p. 150. . . . . La décla. mation notée ne feroit autre chofe que les tons et les mouvemens de la pronounciation écrites en notes. Quant au moyen d'écrire en notes la déclamation, il ne fçauroit être auffi difficile. . . qu'il l'étoit de trouver l'art d'écrire en notes les pas et les figures d'une entrée de ballet danfée par huit perfonnes ... Cependant, Feuillée eft venu à bout de trouver cet art, et fa note enfeigne même aux danfeurs comment ils doivent porter leurs bras. Sa Corégraphie a été publié en 16o6. "In another place, Abbé Dubos mentions his difficulties in conceiving the manner in which the ancients expreffed the various geftures by notation, but the obfervation implies that he understood, that they were supposed to have had a method of fuch expreffion. "Comment, dira-t-on, les anciens avoient-ils pu venir à bout de rédiger ces méthodes par écrit, et de trouver des notes et des caractères qui exprimaffent toutes les attitudes et tous les mouvemens du corps ? je n'en fçai rien, mais la Corégraphie de Feuillée, dont j'ai déjà parlé, montre fuffiffamment que la chofe étoit poffible. Il n'eft pas plus difficile d'apprendre par des notes quels geftes il faut faire'que d'apprendre par des notes quels pas, quelles figures, il faut, former. C'eft qu'enfeigne très-bien le livre de Feuillée." "The learned Abbé Barthelémi, in the notes of his Voyage of Anacharfis, chap. 70, denies with much appearance of reafon, that the whole of the ancient drama was accompanied by mufic: and feems to have had no idea of what the Abbé Dubos ima. gines as to notation of gefture. "Monf. For the plan and arrangement of these fymbols, their application, their graphic illuftrations, and the examples from paffages from our moft admired authors, noted by indicatory abbreviations, we must reluctantly refer our readers to the original work. Our tafk as critics terminates here, not through any indolent with to fhrink from the most laboured detail of the plan, but from the utter impoffibility of fatiffying ourselves, or our readers, with any abridged or mutilated account, which after all, muft be totally unintelligible, without having the engravings before us, to which reference is neceffarily and perpetually made. Those engravings exhibit the different pofitions in which the human body is thrown, by the paffions and energies of the mind, and do moft forcibly apply themfelves to the understanding and the feelings of the reader. Some of the fketches have very confiderable merit, particularly thofe executed by a young lady of exquifite tafle in Ireland, from her recollection, on quitting the theatre, of the geftures and attitudes of Mrs. Siddons in fome of her most admired characters. In the Appendix, among other very curious pieces, is contained an interefting poem in Latin hexameters, on gefture, written in 1749, at Paris, by a Jefuit (Joannes Lucas) fome parts of which may be claffed among the happiest effufions of modern didactic poetry; we can only copy the exordium. "Qui nondum jufto moderari corpora motu, Addrefs to Advocates and Preachers, and Importance of Action. "Monf. Duclos confiders the notation of declamation to have been the writing by mufical notes of the inflexions of the voice, and the variety of its expreffion. Academie des Infcriptions et de Belles Lettres, Tom. XXI. p. 199. A little farther on, he gives an account of the attempt to adjust to musical notes the inHexions of the voice of the Chinefe man Arcadio Hoang, who was at Paris, p. 202. This has been most ingeniously and per fectly done by Mr. Steele in his Profodia Rationalis, who has accomplished, it appears to me, the most difficult of problems, fi wis fimilem pingere, pinge fonum." Spero Spero equidem, quâ fe tollit facundia voce, Et quantum eft primis quod partibus atque fecundis Ni Graiæ ac Latiæ fallunt oracula linguæ." P. 563. Here then we put an end to our remarks, with an earnest defire that the learned, accomplished, and ingenious author may reap the reward moft congenial to his tafte and feeling, in the applaufe and approbation of his countrymen.-To this applaufe, whatever diverfity of opinion may be entertained refpecting the practicability of his plan, he is juftly and legitimately entitled. The rules which he has laid down, if duly and attentively obferved, would in many inftances wage fuccefsful war againft abfurd and vicious gefticulation, and would fubftitute grace for awkwardness, and elegance for deformity. But much is yet to be left to the genius and abilities of the pupil. He may perhaps very fafely adopt the whole of Mr. Auftin's elementary principles, but he muft confider them only as princi ples; he must go on to greater and nobler things. If he would attain to the highest pitch of an orator's glory, he must leave at a distance thofe mechanical rules, which although to a certain point explicit and even neceffary, will not accompany him into his more fublime and elevated fphere-What rules of artificial measurement can take the altitude of a thought, or note the angle of incidence of an eye-glance? What fymbol, however ingenious, can pourtray the ardent look which darts into the receffes of the foulthe impaffioned gefture which knows not the trammels of art-the untaught and unteachable elegance, the indefcribable expreffion, the abnormis gratia, which fcorns didactic precept, and triumphs over cold definition ? man While therefore we admit the propriety of laying down fuch rules as are contained in the work before us, we ftill look forward to confummate excellence in fplendid deviations from thofe rules; otherwife monotony and * nerifm would take place of spirit and of tafte-at the bar, in the pulpit, and in the fenate, would be found a tribe of faultlefs, but infipid automata-orators of line, of rule, of machinery; we fhould have more of precifion, but we fhould have lefs of perfection. There is a Scoundrelifm about that fellow, Sir, (Bofwell) Sir, faid Dr. Johnson, that is a very good ifm. Tt ERIT. CRIT, VOL. XXXI, JUNE, 1808. ART. ART. V. A Refutation of the Charge brought against the Marquis Wellesley, on Account of his Conduct to the Nabob of Oude. From authentic Documents. By J. Brand, Cl. M. A. &c. &c. 8vo. 250 pp. befides an Appendix. Ss. Cadell and Co. &c. 1807. IN N our account of the pamphlet intitled "Remarks on the Oude Question *," we expreffed our belief that "the friends of the noble Lord, whofe conduct is therein impeached, would be able to place the tranfactions in question in a very different point of view." This prediction appears to be verified by the able and elaborate work before us; to which the author has very properly prefixed two "Preliminary Differtations," in order, at the outfet, to ascertain thofe general principles, the application of which may decide the controverfy. The firft of thefe differtations is, "On the Rights and Duties of a Power establishing a Prince, and continuing, of neceffity, to fupport him on a throne against foreign and domeftic enemies.' The fecond is, "On the queftion, Whether Nabobs are of right,denominated Princes, and fo confidered or not ?" It is evident that on thefe two points the merits of the Oude Controverfy muft, in a great degree, depend. Under the first head, this author very clearly fhows that, in the cafe fuppofed by him, the prince fo eftablished and fupported, "has not the power of making war vefted in him;"" that when the two ftates are engaged in a war jointly againft a third, fuch a prince muft not defert his ally," and "therefore cannot make peace for himfelf;" that "he cannot make a defenfive alliance with fuch a ftate, as may draw the protecting power into a war, or become of neceffity nuga tory." The author illuftrates and confirms these principles by general reafonings, and by citations from the moft eminent writers, and proceeds to confider the rights and duties of both powers arifing from the internal fituation of the beneficiary, prefuming him (according to the original cafe put) "to be unable to maintain himfelf in his government at home, without the conftant fupport of his protector." In this cafe, he infers, "the defect being internal, the power of the protecting ftate must be brought to operate internally in the government of the inferior." This reafening is purfued at length, and applied to various circumstances in the interior concerns of fuch a government; which, it is 9 * See Pritish Critic, Vol. xxix. p. 559. shown, fhown, may require the interpofition of the protecting power. On the fecond queftion (namely, whether Nabobs are of right denominated Princes), the author very clearly and dif tinctly states the conftitution of the Mogul Empire; fhowing that the Nabobs were originally the mere deputies, or governors of provinces, under the Soubahs or viceroys (if they may be fo called) to the Great Mogul; that they were frequently changed, to prevent the formation of any dangerous connexion with their fuperior; and, what is very ma terial, that all hereditary titles or nobility are utterly repugnant to the great fundamental principle of the conftitution of Hindoftan." Thele Nabobs, it is fhown, always had, or pretended to have, a firmaun or grant from the Mogul Emperor. The forgeries of fuch titles were frequent, and the inveftitures, which took place in confe quence of real or fictitious grants, were attended with great pomp and ceremony. Thefe circumftances undoubtedly prove that the Nabobs, although, from the weakness and decay of the Mogul empire, they had become in a great measure independent of their fovereign, ftill acknowledged themselves his vicegerents. The author proceeds to fhow," that neither these Nabobs nor their immediate descendants can claim a prescriptive right to their poffeffions, fince they were generally held on the condition of a certain yearly payment, which payment they had failed to make, and confequently forfeited all title to their respective estates. 66 This," he adds, "was the only right which the individual whom we call the Nabob of Oude could poffefs, when we placed him on the mufnud; and the only rights which he poffeffed with respect to us, were defined by our compacts with him." The laft proof given by the author, that 'Nabobs "are not princes and independent, but imperial lieutenants,' arifes from the circumstance, that although the English Eaft India Company has never confulted the Mogul, whom they fhould elevate to the mufnud, yet it has been an object "to legitimate the elevation of their beneficiary as foon as poffible." Accordingly they folicited and obtained an imperial appointment for him; he is therefore legally an imperial lieutenant. But, Mr. Brand obferves, "in the functions of his office, he is limited very much by the Bengal government; he is therefore neither prince nor independent." It is then flated, that not only had thefe provincial lieutenants withheld their ftipulated tributes, and caft off their obedience to their fovereign, but out of the immenfe revenues of which they yearly defrauded him, they did not fend enough to keep him above the want of phyfical neceffaries. The Tt 2 wretched |