and commerce, are held forth as greatly injurious to the inferior grades of fociety, and as wholly inadequate for indemnifying the nation in their inattention to agricultural improvements.

But whether the changes, which Mr. Holloway attempts to deplore, have actually happened; or whether his complaints are in any respect reasonable, we fhall not here pretend to decide. Our purpose is merely to point out and confider a few specimens of his poetry.

In the "Peafant's Fate," we perceive a miscellaneous feries of narratives, reflections, and defcriptions of fcenes and manners, which are, in all ages, more or less obfervable in the country. Thefe fubjects, fortuitoufly arranged and loofely combined, are separated into two books; but the reafon of this divifion is not easily discerned, unless the author defigned it as a convenient place for the wearied reader's repofe.-He begins the languifbing frain by invoking his mufe, with the appellation of -"Bleft companion of my happiest hours! Divine directress of my infant powers!"

and immediately attempts thus to celebrate her attributes: "Whofe prefence charm'd me in the wood-land fhade, When autumn's fhivering leaf began to fade,

Or fpring profufely, from her roseate horn,

Difpens'd the flowers that feent the bumid morn."

But here, it will be readily obferved, he foon forgets his object, and wantonly forfakes the control of common fenfe. At length, recollecting his intention for fupplicating a mufe, he thus ex

claims:

"Mufe of my native valley! bafle along!”

Any one may conclude from the "hafte along," that even he himself believed the mufe to be at an incommodious distance, and the conclufion will be ftrengthened by this immediate application to another agent:

"Awake, remembrance, and infpire the fong;
Let fond attachment dwell on pleasures past,
By abfence weakened, nor by time effuc'd."

But in this petition he quickly gives an unlucky affront to grammar, and then peaceably retires to his "woodland shades,” and "autumn's fhivering leaves," in thefe halting fteps of profe:

"But while I mark the changes that appear

In country manners, O, forgive the tear!"

Having thus ftepped forth with his addrefs, he undertakes a defcription of former profpects, in which it appears, that he had

gained but little affiftance from the mufe, and that remembrance. had presented her images under a dark and confufing veil.

"Where yonder thymy down expanded lies,
And fpreads its purple bofom to the skies,
There many a fhepherd-boy was wont to keep
His father's fcanty flock of fcatter'd sheep :"

These lines may pass without animadverfion: but the incongruity of these which follow, is intolerable from any one, who pretends to genius and correct taste.

"I've seen them oft their narrow track pursue,

And wind adorn thofe knolls to pastures new,

Or, group'd beneath the folitary thorn,

That lends new fragrance to the breath of morn,
Lie panting-feeltered from the peflering fly,

The Smothering duft, and day's refulgent eye."

They, who have feen many a fcanty flock of fcattered sheep on a thymy down, winding adown those knolls, ar grouped beneath the folitary thorn, that lends new fragrance to the breath of morn, and that shelters them from the peftering fly, the fmothering duft and day's refulgent eye, can alone defend Mr. Holloway's poetical vifion.-He now proceeds to complete his picture of former times.

"Young Ralph's domain to yonder maple hedge
Extended-Edmund's to the common's edge-

The common, clad with vegetative gold,
Whofe well-dried flones allay the wintry cold;
Whence ev'ry family its portion claims
To fence the hovel, or recruit the flames
From path to path, that winds along the plain,
The cheerful Stephen held his ruftic reign;
While, still obfervant of his due commands,
In act to fart the faithful keeper stands.
Numbers befde, there led their bleating charge,
Enjoyed their pastimes gay, and rov'd at large.”

Such is the dim, uninteresting scene, prefented to this poet by

remembrance;

..

"O, memory, thou fond deceiver !

Still importunate and vain,

To former joys recurring ever,

And turning all the paft to"confufion and nonfenfe!

He next attempts a contraft between thofe times and the prefent, the first line of which, we think, is very appofitely introduced:

"But now no more thefe rural scenes invite."

We believe this is a truth, that will be pretty generally acknowl edged. He then continues:

"Far different objects meet the aching fight;
In all the pomp of fanguinary war,

I fee the military bands, afar,

Extend their glittering lines, or, wheeling wide,

In parallel divide and subdivide,

While, through the opening ranks, loud martial strains
Progreffive, roll along the dufty plains."

When the reader's curiofity and attention have in this manner
been called to the "military bands," that scene is fuddenly clof-
ed for the exhibition of this vexatious fpecimen of bathos.
"Which yield no pasture to the fleecy kind,
That distant range their juicy meal to find."

Again the profpect opens, and we here fee for what purpose the armies were so pompously displayed on the field. "Scar'd from her haunts the twitt'ring linnet flies, The quivering lark afcends the smould'ring skies, And finches, that on downy thistles feed,

Spread their gilt wings and feek the filent mead."

If Mr. Holloway had made himself acquainted with the precept of Horace ;

"Nec Deus interfit, nifi dignus vindice nodus ;”

in its full meaning, he might have avoided the trouble of raising the bands of fanguinary war merely for the idle task of scaring away a few harmless birds.

Thus far have we particularly noticed the former part of this poem, and think it is now time to defist from any farther quotation. In perufing it to the conclufion, we find it generally a dull, unanimated performance, without method, without elegance of diction, diftinctness of imagery, or harmony of numbers. If we muft acknowledge, that there are glimmerings of genius fometimes difcernible, even candour will allow, that they are,

"Like angel vifits, few and far between."

The Miscellaneous Poems may juftly hold the rank of mediocrity among modern compofitions of the kind. That entitled, "Radipole" has given us no fmall pleasure in its perufal; its two first stanzas deserve the praise of poetical merit.

Obi; or the Hiflory of Threefingered Jack: in a series of Letters from a Refident in Jamaica to his Friend in England. I vol. 12mo. Publifhed in London, 1800—in Boston, by B. & J. HOMANS, 1804.

IN this lively and interefting little history are related the exploits of that wonderful adventurer, "who," as the writer obferves, "had he been fituated in a higher rank of life, would have proved as bright a luminary, as ever graced the Roman annals, or ever boldly afferted the rights of a Briton." For the gratification of thofe readers, who are unacquainted with the fio

ry of Threefingered Jack, we give this abstract, on the authority of Dr. Mofely.*

In 1780, this terror of Jamaica, who was by nature reftiff to bondage, and defirous of facrificing his life for the emancipation of his fellow flaves, had fled to Mount Lebanus for the purpose of carrying on a perpetual war against the unnatural men of prey. His Obi and horn, two guns and a keen fabre were all his armament; with which and his courage in defcending into the plains, and plundering to fupply his wants, and his skill in retreating into difficult faftneffes, where none dared to follow him, he terrified the inhabitants, and fet the civil power and the neighbouring militia of that ifland at defiance, for nearly two years. He had neither accomplice, nor affociate. There were a few run away negroes, in the woods near the mountain; but he had croffed their foreheads with fome of the magic in his horn, and they could not betray him. But he trusted no one. He fcorned affiftance. He afcended above Spartacus. He robbed alone, fought all his battles alone, and always killed his purfuers. By his magic he was not only the dread of the negroes; but there were many white people, who believed he poffeffed fome fupernatural power. Allured by the rewards offered by Governor Dalling, in proclamations, dated the 12th of December, 1780, and 13th of January, 1781; and by a refolution of the house of Affembly, which followed the firft proclamation; two negroes, named Quafhee and Sam with a party of their townfmen went in fearch of him. Quafhee, before he fet out on the expedition, was christened and changed his name to James Reeder. The expedition commenced; and the whole party had been creeping about in the woods, for three weeks, to blockade the deepest receffes of the most inacceffible part of the Island, where Jack, far remote from all human society, resided; but their undertaking was all in vain. Reeder and Sam, tired with this mode of war, refolved on proceeding in fearch of his retreat, and taking him by storming it. or perishing in the attempt. They took with them a little boy, a proper spirit, and a good shot, and left the rest of the party. These three had not been long separated from their companions, before their cunning eyes difcovered by impreffions among the weeds and bushes, that fome perfon must have lately been that way. They feftly followed these impressions, and presently they faw a smoke. They prepared for war; and came upon Jack, before he perceived them. He was roafting plantains by a little fire on the ground, at the mouth of his cave. This was a scene: not where ordinary actors had a common part to play. Jack's looks were fierce and terrible. He told them he would kill them. Reeder, inftead of fhooting, replied that his Obi had no power to hurt him; for he was christened and his name was no longer Quafhee. Jack knew Reeder, and, as if paralyzed, he let his two guns remain on the ground, and took up his cutlafs. These two had a fevere engagement, feveral years before, in the woods; in which conflict Jack loft his two fingers, which was the origin of his present name; but Jack then beat Reeder, and almost killed him with feveral others, that aflifted him. To do THREEFINGERED Jack juftice, he would now have killed both Reeder and Sam; for at firft fight they were frightened at the fight of him, and the dreadful tone of his voice-and well they might: They had no retreat, and were to grapple with the strongest and bravest man in the world. But Jack was cowed; for he had prophefied, that white Obi would get the better of him; and from experience he knew, that the charm would lofe none of its ftrength in the hands of Reeder. Without farther parley, Jack with his cutlafs in his hand threw himself down a precipice at the back of his cave. Reeder's gun miffed fire; but Sam fhot him in the shoulder. Reeder, like a bull-dog, never

See his Treatise on Sugar,

looked; but with his cutlafs plunged headlong down after Jack. The defcent was about ninety feet, and almost perpendicular. Both of them had preferved their cutlaffes in the fall. Here was the stage, on which two of the ftouteft hearts, that were ever hooped with ribs, began their bloody ftruggle. The little boy, who was ordered to keep back, now reached the top of the precipice, and, during the fight, fhot Jack in the belly. Sam was crafty, and coolly took a round-about way to come to the field of action. When he arrived at the spot, where it began, Jack and Reeder had closed and tumbled together down another precipice, in which fall they both loft their weapons. Sam defcended after them. Though without weapons, they were not idle; and luckily for Reeder, Jack's wounds were deep and defperate, and he was in great agony. Sam came up juft in time to fave Reeder; for Jack had caught him by the throat with his giant's grafp. Reeder was then with his right hand almoft cut off, and Jack, ftreaming with blood from his fhoulder and belly; both were covered with gore and gashes. In this ftate Sam was umpire, and decided the fate of the battle. He knocked Jack down with a piece of rock. When the lion fell, the two tygers got upon him, and beat his brains out with ftones. The little boy foon after found his way to them. He had a cutlafs, with which they cut off Jack's head and three-fingered hand, and took them in triumph to Morant Bay. There they put their trophies into a pail of rum; and, followed by a vaft concourfe of negroes, now no longer afraid of Jack's Obi, blowing their fhells and horns, and firing guns in their rude method, they carried them to Kingston and Spanish Town, and claimed the rewards offered by the king's proclamation and house of affembly.

The volume, now under confideration, circumftantially relates thefe facts, together with preceding adventures. Though written in epiftles, it has much of the form and manner of a drama. The ftory of Makro and Amri, the parents of Jack, is told with fingular felicity; and reprefents for indignation and odium the abominable cruelty, which is practifed by the flave-merchant in Africa. There are a few poetical pieces interfperfed, which however are not the best part of the work. But the interesting method of the narrative, the vigorous fpirit, that enlivens it, and the humane fentiments, that abundantly enrich it, cannot fail, we think, of giving a high degree of pleasure to readers of almost every description.

The Beauties of Church Mufic; and the Sure Guide to the Art of Singing, &c.-By WILLIAM COOPER.-Publifhed by MANNING and LORING, Boften, 1804.

FOR feveral years paft, numerous works of this kind have been introduced to the public, each of which, containing nearly the fame materials of the others, has brought no claim to preference by any interefting improvement. The principal merit, that each compiler can reasonably pretend, confifts in his inferting a small number of new tunes, and in arranging and varying, or mutilating others, which have long before been published in