33. An Enquiry into the Means of preferving and improving the public Roads of this Kingdom. With Obfervations on the probable Confequences of the prefent Plan. By Henry Homer, M. A. Rector of Birdingbury in Warwickshire; and Chaplain to the right honourable the Lord Leigh. 8vo. Pr. Is. Fletcher.

Though the Reviewers do not profefs themselves judges of the fubject of this pamphlet, yet they can eafily perceive that the author is an adept in the fcience he treats of.

We know few fubjects which ought to be more interesting to the public than that upon which this reverend and ingenious gentleman has employed his pen. It is certain that good roads thorten the time employed in journies; and that faving time and faving money, to people of bufinefs, is the fame.

34. Confiderations upon the intended navigable Communication between the Friths of Forth and Clyde. 'In a Letter to the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Prefes of the General Convention of the Royal Boroughs of Scotland, from a Member of the Convention. 410. Pr 6d. Becket. Every wellwither to his majefty's government must be pleafed 'with the revival of the commercial fpirit in Scotland. We call it revival, because it is certain, that before the reign of James V. the Scotch carried on a vast foreign trade; and the revenues of feveral of their kings, David I particularly, were equal, if not fuperior, to what the kings of England drew from their English dominions. The project treated of in this pamphlet is of a much older ftanding than is generally imagined; and as it is univerfally allowed to be of great importance, we heartily recommend the confideration of it to the public.

The author feems to advise extending the propofed canal into a work of more national utility than the canal which was first proposed to be navigable only by lighters, and to join the Clyde at Glasgow; he likewife thinks that the public fhould contribute forty or fifty thousand pounds towards to valuable and national a fcheme.

35. An Effay on perfecting the fine Arts in Great Britain and in Ireland. 8vo. Pr. rs. Newbery.

Though this author is not abfolutely a literary grub, yet he has not acquired wings to raise himself above mediocrity. Half of his pamphlet (the whole of which is calculated for the meridian of Ireland) is employed in a queftion almost as interesting to the literary world as the purfuit of the philofopher's stone, we mean, what is the cause of genius; and he leaves his reader jult as wife as he found him. He tells us in a note, that Corinth was not only the richeft town in the world, but it was

allo

alfo the mart of the finer arts :- -Non cuivis homini contingit adire Corinthum,was proverbial.This is a fpecimen of our author's claffical abilities; for we always understood, before this wonderful difcovery, that the proverb he quotes did not allude to an inanimate bit of marble, but to a warm piece of flesh and blood, commonly called a Lais.

As to the execution of the pamphlet itself, it is fuch as might be expected from a ftone-mafon's apprentice of two years standing, who has read himself into as much knowledge as en-' ables him to discover his ignorance of the fine arts.

36. Hibernia Curiofa. A Letter from a Gentleman in Dublin, to his Friend at Dover in Kent. Giving a general View of the Manners, Customs, Difpofitions, &c. of the Inhabitants of Ireland. With occafional Obfervations on the State of Trade and Agriculture in that Kingdom. And including an Account of Some of its most remarkable Natural Curiofities, fuch as Salmon-Leaps, Water-falls, Cafcades, Glynns, Lakes, &c. With a more particular Defcription of the Giant's-Causeway in the North; and of the celebrated Lake of Kilarny, in the South of Ireland ;' taken from an attentive Survey and Examination of the Originals. Collected in a Tour through the Kingdom in the Year 1764. And ornamented with Plans of the principal Originals, engraved from Drawings taken on the Spot. 8vo. Pr. 35. Flexney.

An inhabitant of England, by confulting the hiftories of the late wars in America and the Eaft Indies, may become better acquainted with thofe countries than with his majesty's domninions. Even the geography of Scotland. was not fettled till after the fuppreffion of the late rebellion, and a British fubje& knows no more of the inland parts of Ireland than of Africa. Some English counties, to the honour of their inhabitants, have given encouragement to naturalifts and learned men to defcribe them; and their accounts form a most pleasing part of national history. Several counties, however, are deftitute of that advantage; and therefore the public greedily perufes every defcription of the foffils, antiquities, buildings, and cuftoms of particular places.

The publication before us is a well meant attempt to do juftice to our fifter-ifland; and we freely confess that we have received more information from it as to the natural curiofities of Ireland, the customs of the inhabitants, and other matters, than we ever met with before. Our author's description of the waterfall of Leixlip, feven miles from Dublin, is curious and entertaining; as is likewife his account of that in the demefné of lord Powerscourt in the county of Wicklow, about fourteen miles from Dublin; which, from the peculiarity of its fituation, its

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pro

prodigious height, and fingular beauty, may be justly deemed one of the greatest beauties of its kind in the world. According to this description, the view exhibits one of those sublime fcenes of nature which fills the mind with delight and aftonithment, but is too long to be inferted here.

Next follows a plan and description of the lake of Kilarny, in the county of Kerry. This is another natural wonder; and, according to our author's account, well might the late bishop of Cloyne exclaim, that Lewis of France might build another palace of Versailles, but nature only could produce a lake of Kilarny.

To conclude: we have attended our honeft Hibernian through all his rambles, defcriptions, and digreffions, with, great pleasure, and a very confiderable degree of information.

37. Hiflorical Memoirs of the Irish Rebellion, in the Year 1641. Extracted from Parliamentary Journals, State-Acts, and the most eminent Proteftant Hiftorians. Together with an Appendix, containing feveral authentic Papers relating to this Rebellion, not referred to in thefe Memoirs. In a Letter to Walter Harris, Efq; 12mo. Pr. 2s. 6d. Williams.

This author is a profeffed advocate in extenuation, if not vindication, of the Irish rebellion. He is very properly pitted with Walter Harris, Efq; to whom he addreffes his performance; for we find in his work abundance of false reasoning, inconclufive arguments, and intemperate zeal, but nothing which reflects any new light upon the subject. The authorities he writes from lie on every ftall, or, at least, are to be found in every bookfeller's fhop; and therefore our readers might think we were abufing their patience, fhould we give any extracts from a performance fo palpably partial.

38. Great Events from little Caufes, or, a Selection of Interesting and Entertaining Stories, drawn from the Hiftories of different Nations, wherein certain Circumftances, feemingly inconfiderable, are difcovered to have been apparently productive of very extraordinary Incidents. Tranflated from the French of Monfieur A. Richer, by whom it was dedicated, by Permiffion, to her moft Serene Highnefs the late Duchefs of Orleans. Izmo. Pr. 2s. 6d. F. Newbery. Though this is a very indifferent compilation of commonplace ftories, as well as very injudicioufly executed, yet it contains nothing offenfive to decency, and may serve to carry an uninformed reader through a tedious winter's night.

39. Modern

39. Modern Gallantry display'd; or, the Courtezan delineated; in the authentic Memoirs of feveral celebrated Ladies of bigh Tafie, who are equally diftinguished for their Beauties and Blemishes; interSperfed with Variety of real Characters drawn from the Life, and now exifting in this Metropolis. By the Author of the Midnight Spy. 12mo. Pr. 35. Cooke.

The compofition of fome theatrical pimp about a certain Garden, equally void of wit, probability, and decency. We hall in this Review be always proud to adopt the moral line of the fatirift;

Nil dictu fædum vifuve, hæc limina tangat.

Juv.

40. The Cries of Blood, or Juryman's Monitor. Being an authentic and faithful Narrative of the Lives and melancholy Deaths of feveral unhappy Perfons, who have been tried, convicted, and executed for Robberies and Murders, of which they were intirely innocent. Together with a brief Relation of the Means in which the faid Crimes were difcovered after the Deaths of the feverai Unfor tunate Perfons herein related. 8vo. Pr. Is. 6d. Cooke.

This is a moft wretched collection of wretched stories, intended as a frightful exhibition to fuch jurymen as are to pass their verdicts in capital cafes. What still renders it more cenfurable, we have the strongest reafon to believe fome of the cafes, particularly that of William Shaw, who was hanged at Edinburgh, for the murder of his daughter Catherine Shaw, in the year 1721, are mifreprefented.

41. Proceedings of a General Court Martial, held at Rochefter, May, 1764, upon the Trial of Captain William Douglas, and the Captains Cockburn, Perkins, and Hayes, of his Majefty's Marine Forces. Together with the Measures taken against Captain Douglas, immediately after he was acquitted with Honour; alfo the Letters, his Memorial, and other Papers annexed. 8-20 Pr. 2s. 6d. Millan.

After having carefully perufed the proceedings of this court martial, truth obliges us to declare, that we think captain Douglas has met with most unmerited treatment. Upon his arrival in England in May, 1763, after having been conftantly employed in service abroad, in the marine forces, during the whole war, he found his health fo greatly impaired, that the lords of the admiralty, upon his application, gave him four months leave of abfence. Before that time was expired, he was confined often to his bed, and always to the house; and was fo far from finding his health mended, that he was obliged to apply for a prolongation of his leave. In the mean time, three

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three captains of marines, we fuppofe of the fame regiment, fent to the lords of the admiralty a rernonftrance, in which they fuggefted, that captain Douglas's illness was counterfeited, to throw upon them that duty which he ought to perform. It would not be very edifying for the reader to trace all the epiftolary correfpondence, as well as the partial complection of fome of the captain's fuperiors to his prejudice. It is fufficient to fay, that he was ordered to quarters, notwithstanding his indifpofition. In his own defence, he tranfinitted a certificate, from his phyfician and furgeon-apothecary, to the commanding officer at quarters; but no leave of abfence being granted, he was reduced to the neceflity of remaining abfent, under the protection of his faid certificate.

March 8, 1764, captain Douglas received an order from the commanding officer (in confequence of the fecretary of the admiralty's letter of the 3d) to go paflenger to the West-Indies, to be put on board a ship stationed at Jamaica; which he could not but think a particular hardfhip, as the ordinary courfe of duty would have led him to expect orders to embark with a detachment from Chatham: captain Douglas's letter, of the 9th of March, is the anfwer to that order; and, without having any notice taken of his faid letter, he found himself attacked, by the unprecedented remonftrance of the captains Cockburn, Perkins, and Hayes, with whom he had no acquaintance, and fome of whom he had never feen. It afterwards appeared, that on the 11th of the fame month, the faid remonftrance was tranfmitted to their lordships, with captain Douglas's letter of the 9th, by lieut. col. Mackenzie, then commanding officer, who had alfo tranfmitted captain Douglas's letter of the 17th of November, 1763, and his certificate, to the admiralty and it farther appeared on the trial, that from the time of the certificate, until the ft of April following, captain Douglas was returned, abfent from quarters without leave, without giving in the returns, the reafon of his abfence.

The aforefaid remonttrance reduced captain Douglas to a neceflity of demanding a general court martial, of which the following fheets are the proceedings; together with the meafures taken against captain Douglas, immediately after he was acquitted with Honour; alfo the letters, his memorial, and other authentick papers.'

During the courfe of the trials, not only of captain Douglas, but of the three captains who had remonstrated against him, it appeared by the evidence of Dr. Knox, phyfician to his majefty's hofpitals for the army, a gentleman of the greatest experience in diseases attending military fatigues, as well as of the moft irreproachable character in private life, and Mr. Ro

bert