Having hit upon feveral new obfervations, which, according to the opinions of the best judges in mufic, whom I could confult, deserved to be communicated to the public; and confidering alfo, that many valuable improvements, lately made in this fcience by foreign authors, and particularly by the French, had not yet made their appearance, in an intelligible form, in our own language, F was irrefiftibly conftrained to attempt this tafk, however unqualified for it.'

As works of this nature are neceffarily illuftrated with many engraved examples, it is not in our power to present our readers with any confiderable extracts; we fhall therefore only briefly mention a few of those points in which the author has either made fome new difcovery, or improved the principles of his predeceffors in the fcience.

In Chap. I. Article 18. the author's rule for finding the place of the femitones, is not only new, but very clear and fatisfactory. His obfervations on the different effects of the feveral degrees of the fcale, Article 21, 22, unfold one of the principal mysteries of mufical expreffion. The rule laid down, Article 23, for distinguishing the difference between the afcending and defcending fourth, is not only new, but of great importance; and leads to the knowledge of feveral ufeful, and hitherto intricate particulars. His fcheme of the formation of the twelve particular fcales from the General Syftem, Art. 48, as alfo his rule for conceiving the tenor cliff, Art. 53, well deferve the attention of the young ftudent.

Our author appears equally ingenious in Art. 50, where he lays down very clear and ufeful rules for afcertaining the place of mi and the key, as also in his manner of conceiving the flat feries, not as introducing a new set of founds peculiar to itfelf, but as proceeding from the natural fcale, which tends greatly to render the principles of mufic more plain and fimple.

In Chap. VI. Art. 153, the author gives a new definition of concord and difcord, which appears to us very clear and conclufive, and entirely fettles all thofe difputes and cavils, which this point has occafioned among former writers on this fubject. Here the reader fhall use his own judgment.

• Two founds are faid to be concord between themselves, when both of them can be referred to one and the fame fundamental perfect chord; and two founds are called difcard, when they cannot both be referred to one perfect chord.

This is the moft fimple, and, as the fame time, the most fatisfactory definition we can give of concord and difcord: for, allowing that the mind naturally chufes to conceive every found in mufic as belonging to fome perfect chord, it is plain, that two founds will feem to unite, when both of them are included

in the idea of one perfect chord; and that they will not unite, but separately distract our attention, when this cannot be done, or when they must neceffarily be referred to two different fundamentals.'

In Chap. VIII. Art. 189, &c. the principles and rules of fundamental progreffions are explained in a more full and diftinct manner than we have before seen; and in this chapter the reader will find some omiffions and errors of Rameau, D'Alembert, and Rouffeau, particularly examined. These few inftances of our author's proficiency in the fcience he has undertaken to illuftrate, will, we doubt not, induce fuch of our readers as are lovers of mufic, attentively to perufe the whole work, which will afford them much information, and much pleasure, That nothing might be wanting to render this Effay complete, the author has fubjoined a Treatife on the Theory of Mufic, in which his abilities are as confpicuous as in the preceding part of his work.

XI. The Birmingham Counterfeit ; a Sentimental Romance. Two Vols. 12mo. 6s. Bladon.

THE HE fubject of these volumes is the adventures of a Birmingham Shilling.

The epithet Jentimental is ufed now fo frequently, that we are at a lofs to guess what idea fome writers have of it. We have here a fentimental Romance What fort of a romance, gentle reader, do you expect this to be ?-Why a romance that has fentiment.-The arch rogue of an author! So then, other romances are deftitute of fentiment-By no means; tho' this may abound with more refined fentiment than othersRem acu tetigifi.-Now you've hit the nail on the head.Well, let's open this volume, and have a tafte of this refined sentiment.-So! what story have we here-Oh! it relates to Ifabella, a young lady, whofe lover not having been permitted by his friends to marry her, fhot himself. She was paling with the duchefs of Dorfet to Ireland, was taken in her paffage by a French privateer, and retaken by an English veffel, the captain of which carried her with him to Carolina.

Juft as they were entering the port, the captain went into Ifabella's apartments: we have now fafely reached our defti nation, faid he; you are, no doubt, overjoyed to have gained the land, while I feel the utmost reluctance at quitting the fea. Alas, captain, replied Ifabella, you furprize me! Can any mariner think fo? Every mariner would think fo, said he, were they to lose a valuable treasure when they quitted the ocean. Ifabella affured him, his converfation was an ænigma,

which the could not comprehend. Ah, faid the captain, it is my misfortune that you will not understand. I cannot conceal my fentiments from you, I muft explain them to you.-I love you, and, have reason to believe you cannot be ignorant of it. I have had the pleasure of your company in my veffel, without fear of a rival; but what have I not to apprehend the moment you shall tread upon land Isabella affured him that her heart was fecured from the arrows of love, and that she had nothing to fear on that account. That is fome fatisfaction, faid he, and though I may not have the pleasure of poffeffing it myself, I fhall not have the mortification of feeing any other enjoy it. But this is not all, and I must tell you the reft: I know not your condition in life, neither do I ask it: I fhall content myself with acquainting you with what I poffefs: It is needlefs to acquaint you with my profeffion, you know that already. I have a fufficiency to live a life of eafe and contentment: the hip which brought you here is my own, as well as a house in London, fo that I have a habitation both by land and sea. Can all these things plead the caufe of a heart, which I offer you, if worthy your acceptance?

This free confeffion made fuch rapid progrefs in her heart, that the was in a manner forced to receive his addresses. You fpeak to me, faid Ifabella, with so much seeming fincerity, that I cannot doubt your veracity: I should esteem myfelf the most happy woman in the universe, could I be affured that these sentiments in my favour would never alter. I conFefs to you, that I have loved you out of gratitude, and I will one day give you my hand and my heart; but I cannot conclude any thing till you fhall have carried me back to London. However, to prevent your alarms, I will give you my promise in writing, provided I receive the fame from you. The captain was content, and they fealed their mutual promife with a kifs. He took genteel lodgings for Ifabella in Charles-Town, and watched every opportunity to give her frefh marks of his delicate love and conftant esteem.'

Is not this exquifitely fentimental? The lover tells the lady how much he poffeffes, which makes fuch a rapid progress in her heart, that, tho' overwhelmed with melancholy for the death of her former lover, the is fo charmed, that the is forced to receive his addreffes, and promises he fhall be the happy man, as soon as he carries her home. They then write down the agreement, to prevent mistakes, and feal the bargain with a kifs, and the captain continues to give her proofs of that delicate love, with which he had been charmed. On fecond thoughts, however, we do not cenfure the lady for fo foon forgetting her former lover, and accepting the captain's offer,

in which there is certainly fomething very fentimental. A live dog, you know, reader, is better than a dead lion.

As our author profeffes to paint from nature, we are forry we have not room to exhibit one of his moft excellent portraits, where he defcribes his meeting a company of English gentlemen on the banks of the Seine, who were returning from fishing, and finging in full chorus a fong, which he quotes with approbation. This delectable compofition confifts of fourteen ftanzas, to each of which is added the following elegant chorus,

And a angling we will go, will go, will go,

And a angling we will go."

We apprehend this alfo, could we but relish it, to be highly fentimental.

MONTHLY CATALOGUE.
NOVEL S.

12. Virtue in Diftrefs; or the Hiftory of Mifs Sally Pruen, and Mifs Laura Spencer. By a Farmer's Daughter in Gloucefterfhire. 12mo. 35. Fuller.

WHE

THEN a farmer's daughter fits down to read a novel, fhe certainly mifpends her time, becaufe fhe may employ it in fuch a manner as to be of real service to her family: when The fits down to write one, her friends can have no hopes of her. The ruftic authorefs of this volume before us, having her head overheated by the perufal of some of Mr. Richardfon's intoxicating stories, has totally mistaken the use of her hands: we have never feen her hands indeed, but we will venture to fay, that he may turn them to a better account by making butter, than by making books.

13. Memoirs of Francis Dillon, Efq. in a Series of Letters, writ➡ ten by himself. Tavo Vols. 6s. Rofon.

The memorialist, whofe letters are at prefent under our confideration, is, in point of literary merit, though a 'Squire, very little, if at all fuperior to the Farmer's Daughter,' mentioned in the foregoing article. The characters he introduces are feebly drawn, and they are engaged in no business fufficiently important to intereft the reader in their affairs. There is nothing ftriking in the defcriptive, or fentimental parts; but every reader of taste will be shocked with the poverty of the language in general, and with the vulgarity of the style. There may be 'Squires, indeed, who are unable to write in a better ftyle, and in better language than Francis Dillon, but no Gentleman-Author, we think, would fend Memoirs to the prefs written like those which we have now reviewed.

POETRY.

14. Killarney: a Poem. By John Leflie, A. M. 4to. 65. Robinfon.

Though local fcenes are in general more happily painted by the pencil than the pen, we muft acknowlege that we have perufed this descriptive poem with much fatisfaction. The natural beauties which form the author's subject, are- -delineated in the liveliest colouring of poetry, at the fame time that they are intermixed with agreeable fables and episodes. 15. Poems on various Subjects. By a Young Lady Eighteen Years of Age. 4to. 55. Cadell.

We

The age, as well as the fex, of this author demands indulgence; and we are forry that, confiftently with our duty to the public, we cannot dismiss these Poems without cenfure. cannot difcern in them fuch traces of genius as are likely to produce much better performances hereafter, and the prefent are deficient in every branch of poetical merit. We therefore wifh this lady may, for her own fake, refign her pretenfions to poetry, as he may probably be exceedingly well qualified for fome other laudable employments, with which her application to this may interfere, but will never repay her for the lofs of her time.

16. Two Odes: to Fortitude, and an Easy Chair.· 4to. Is. Folingfby.

Thefe odes, we are told, were compofed on reading fome publications in favour of Indifference. As the author has contrafted them, without any obvious preference, we shall plead the privilege of his own example in acknowledging, that whether we confider their merit feparately or comparatively, they leave us likewife in a state of indifference. 17. Alonzo; or, The Youthful Solitaire. A Tale. 410. 1s. 6d.

Robfon.

This tale, which bears a great fimilarity to feveral other poetical productions, is related in the measure of the old Eng lish ballads, and poffeffes no inconfiderable fhare of the beautiful fimplicity.

18. Aracyntha: an Elegy. By Henry Norris, of Taunton. 410. 15. Caflon.

This Elegy in general is not deficient in poetical merit. 19. The Epocha, or the Review. MDCCLXXII. 40. 15. 6d. Bladon.

This poem is a fatyrical reprefentation of the manners of the times, which are drawn fometimes with juftness, fometimes with vivacity, and generally in fmooth verfification.

2

20. The