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afsumed for the purposes of private emolument, is to forget its legitimate object, and to act upon the falfe and pernicious fuppofition, that all men are fools or hypocrites;-a fuppofition that, in the end, muft introduce either anarchy or defpotifm.

The fame mode of reafoning may be extended to ridicule, when applied to the elegant arts. Its objects, in this cafe, are the pretenders to knowledge, or the perverters of it; thofe who affume to themselves an excellence they do not poffefs, or who, endeavouring to excel by unnatural efforts and affected peculiarity, overleap the modefty of nature. But to laugh at the bold conceptions of a comprehenfive and elevated mind, merely because we ourselves are unequal to fuch exertions, argues not only a want of true principles of tafte, but implies alfo a mean and malignant envy, that would bring down others to a level with ourselves.

The empty fashion of the day, to turn every thing serious into jest, has led us into these remarks: and let us add, there is no fashion that brings with it a more unerring and lamentable proof of general depravity.

The prefent Writer, fuiting his compofition to the complexion of the times, has chosen the serious Ode for the butt of his buffoonery; but, unfortunately, the little joke that he intended is loft, as it certainly has no proper object. The attempts of unfuccessful fcribblers are beneath notice, and the few effufions of real genius, that have had the ftamp of public approbation, though obnoxious to parody, are not open to burlesque: defective neither in fenfe nor connexion, and without any incongruous mixture of dignity and meanness, they have no unnaturally prominent features for ridicule to lay hold of. Do they ever introduce a farrago of heterogeneous ideas and quaintneffes of expreffion, that can in any degree be refembled by "Morning's faffron-coloured gown, and her head-drefs of pink and pea-green ribbands, of celestial staircases, and gilt balconies, fruit-trees with vaft white perriwigs, &c."-But enough of this foolery.

Though this Writer cannot boaft the most dexterous method of wielding the weapon he has affumed, that he knows, however, how to write a Dedication, is evident from the following compliment to Lord Carlifle, to whom he addreffes his poem: The very few pieces, fays he, with which you have favoured the Public, are as elegant and beautiful as any in our language. Of the poem itself take the following specimen :

Hail, Liberty, fair goddefs of this ifle!
Deign on my verfes, and on me, to fmile;
Like them unfetter'd by the bonds of fenfe,
Permit us to enjoy life's tranfient dream,
To live, and write, without the least pretence
To method, order, meaning, plan, or scheme;

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And

And fhield us fafe beneath thy guardian wings,

From Law, Religion, Minifters, and Kings.

It is difficult to fay, whether this Writer's political principles are more liberal, or his mind (witnefs the Dedication) more ingenuous, than his literary tafte is claffical and just.

ART. VI. Ruffia: or, a complete hiftorical Account of all the Nations which compofe that Empire. 2. Vols. 8vo. IOS. fewed. Nichols.

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1780.

HIS Work has a very promifing title, and is therefore well fitted to disappoint the expectations of the Reader. Whether it be an original or a tranflation, who is the Author, and on what authority his affertions are built, are particulars concerning which we receive not any information. Yet if this anonymous Writer had intended that his publication fhould acquire any credit with the world, he ought to have been at some little pains to fatisfy the reafonable curiofity of his Readers; but as he has not thought fit to take this trouble, we are obliged to estimate his Work by its own intrinfic merit, and to be contented with such discoveries as may be made by internal evidence alone.

The first volume contains an introduction giving an account of the Siberians, together with what the Author calls a complete hiftory of the Finnish nations. It would not, we apprehend, be very entertaining to enter into any minute detail concerning the Kara-Kitans, Tfongares, Tfcheremiffes, Tfchouwafches, Terptyaireis, and Votiaks, whose manners and customs are described with an appearance of laborious accuracy in this fuperlatively dull and tirefome performance. The Author seems not to us to poffefs any very clear idea of the duties, and requifites, of an hiftorian. He knows not how to felect from the great mass of materials which his subject affords, those particulars which are worthy of being laid before the public. He defcribes with a tedious minutenefs circumftances of the most frivolous nature, and paffes flightly over matters of the highest moment. The events which he relates ftand altogether unconnected with each other, or with any general plan. He enjoys not in any degree the faculty of interefting the Reader in the fubject of his narration; and as to the power of generalifing his ideas, of tracing out their mutual connection or dependence, and thus making the cuftoms and ufages of the different nations which he defcribes throw light on each other, these are matters which lie far beyond his reach, and which he poffeffes neither the means to execute, nor even the capacity to comprehend. We fhould be glad to infert, as a fpecimen, fome paffage that might entertain our Readers: but fuch a paffage we have not

been able to discover in either of the two volumes. We fhall therefore take the liberty of laying before them a chapter relative to the Lettonians, &c. recommended only by its brevity.

The Lettonians, the Estonians, and Lieffs, inhabit Lieffland, or Livonia; the former make also a part of the inhabitants of Courland. Estonia, or Eftland, and Livonia, bear the name of their inhabitants. They have all an affinity with one another; but make not one nation. The Lettonians are of the fame race with the Lithuanians and the ancient Pruffians; that is to fay, defcended from the Sclavonians and Finns.

At the beginning of the thirteenth century they formed themfelves, by degrees, into a nation, near the mouth of the Vistula, and have fince expanded them felves to a wider compafs. Three parts out of four of their language is compofed of Sclavonian terms, and the rest of Finnish origin. The Eftonians are lefs mixed; and the Lieffs, as well as the inhabitants of the ifle of Efel, are fimply a branch of Finns. Their Finnish dialects differ in the fame degree, and that fo confpicuoufly, that every one of them is at length become a language by itself. Thefe three nations are ufually confounded by the Germans under the name of Undeutsche, which fignifies NonGermans, and comprehends them all. If any one fhould chufe to derive the name Lettonians from the word Lada, or Leide, which fignifies to root up, or break up land, it would not be more deftitute of probability than many hundreds of derivations daily imagined. They have been cultivators of the ground from all antiquity.

• When they left their fituation on the Viftula to fettle in Livonia, about the middle of the thirteenth century, the Finns, who lived chiefly by their flocks, and neglected the culture even of their arable lands, were not at all averfe to the union; for the Lettonians immediately fet about clearing the ground; and, by the preparation of that fort of manure which is made by burning the trunks of trees and bushes in the field, fpread themfelves fo, that they obliged moft of the Finns to retire. But fuch as chofe to remain, adopted a life of agriculture; and this method of manuring is univerfal among them to this day. About the fame period, the Knights of the Teutonic order having completed the conqueft of Courland and Livonia, all the inhabitants of these two countries were converted to Chriftianity, and declared the flaves of this foreign nobility, who took them as their property, and have kept them as fuch ever fince.

In their ftature and whole exterior the Lettonians differ; but, in general, they are very like the Finns. Great numbers of them are of a phlegmatic and melancholy difpofition. Except life itself, and the pleasures of love, every thing in the world is indifferent to them. The oppreffion they groan under, poverty, a hard education, and their general conftitution, have inured them to the feverity of the climate, want, and fubmiffion. They are of a phlegmatic temperament, idle, filthy, and addicted to drunkenness. They are not, however, deftitute of capacity. Their women feel not fo feverely the hand of oppreffion as the men; and are not without a fhare of beauty and vanity.

Their villages are fmall, and their habitations dirty. Their houfes are little huts made of baulks, placed upon one another, and

faftened

fastened together by notches at the corners. This is the common architecture of the people of all thefe parts of the North. A peasant wants nothing but timber and a hatchet to build his houfe * The habitations are fmall, but warm, and faited to the climate, as being eafly heated in the fharpeft winter. Their little villages are diftributed about the eftates of the nobility to whom they belong. Their food and furniture indicate the greatest indigence. Thofe whom their lord does not take into his immediate fervice, have a little field or meadow, with fome cattle to procure a fort of fubfiftence from. The time, however, to look after it must be fubtracted from their fleep, the day being fcarcely fufficient to till the ground of their lord, repair the buildings, fences, and other works, which they do for the most part as a commutation for taxes. The women few, and do other works which they are obliged to carry to the lordship. The Lettonians feldom give themselves any trouble, because their mafters are obliged to maintain them without it. Such of them, however, as live under a mild proprietor, know how to turn the gentleness of their master to their own account, and often get a great deal of money but they commonly defraud the community of it, by burying it in the earth.

The men drefs themfelves like the Finns, excepting that they do not all wear their beard.

The drefs of the women is very pretty, and has some resemblancé to that of the Sclavonian women. They wear stockings, fhoes or flippers, white shifts with fleeves very full towards the fhoulder, but clofe at the wrist. They wear the common gown of females, with Jong aprons, and a kind of boddice which comes down no lower than the petticoat. They wear a necklace of glafs beads, which falls down likewife on their breast; and, being compofed of a number of rows, ferves as a tucker. The fides of the fleeves are worked or pinked, and the boddice is made of a party-coloured stuff, or of linen worked with various colours. The bottom of the petticoat and apron is adorned with a border five inches wide, made of another stuff, or of a different colour from that of the petticoat. Sometimes there are many borders all alike, except in fize, round the petticoat. They have a girdle likewise prettily worked, and fastened above the hips.

• Married women are diftinguished from maidens only by the headdrefs. The former wear little caps to the shape of the head, of feveral colours, and ornamented with gold or filver lace. They fix to thefe caps behind a cockade, from which defcend a number of ribbons and ftrings of various colours, which wave upon their fhoulders: Maidens do not wear the little under-cap, but have a ftiffened circlet on the top of the forehead, covered with gold lace, raised in front, and tied behind with cockades of different colours, the ends of which, being about ux inches in length, fall upon their loofe hair, like the ribbons of the married women.

Thefe people were first converted to the Chriftianity of the Church of Rome: but force had more influence than conviction their converfion. About the middle of the fixteenth cenon

Except mofs, with which he crams the interftices against the cold.

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tory they were converted from Popery to the profeffion of the Lutheran faith. Some merchants of Bremen laid the first foundations of Chriftianity among them; the Knights of the Sword contributed to it rather by their arms than their arguments; and thofe of the Teutonic Order brought it to perfection. When their Pagan religion was at its height, the documents of it were only preferved by oral tradition it is therefore no wonder, that, after fo long an abrogation of its tenets, we fhould now be fo much in the dark about them. However, befides the ignorance with which they hold the dogmas of Chriftianity, fuch a fuperftition predominates among them, that the veftiges of Paganifm are eafily traced. It was, without doubt, exactly that of the Finns and Laplanders. With the latter, they named the Great First Cause, Joumala, and Thor; believing that the properties of the divinity, as well as the phænomena of nature, were fabject to him as fo many inferior powers. They called the devil Vels; and ghofts or damons, Raggana. Grieva was the title of their high priest, who was at the fame time their temporal fovereign.'

The above fpecimen fufficiently proves that, correfponding with the other imperfections of this work, the ftyle is low, vulgar, inaccurate, exhibiting in many parts the appearance of a bad tranflation written by a foreigner, or of a pen long unpractifed in its native language *.

* From the year 1732 to 1776 several Ruffian academicians were commiffioned to travel through the remote provinces of this extenfive empire; fome of whom published their journals; particularly Meffrs. Pallas and Gmelin. Of these journals an abridgment was made in the Ruffian language, of which, we are told, the present work is a literal tranflation. But as we have not ourselves feen this abridgment, we have avoided to mention it in the text.

ART. VII. Letters on Iceland: containing Obfervations on the Civil, Literary, Ecclefiaftical, and Natural History; Antiquities, Volcanos, Bafaltes, Hot Springs; Cuftoms, Dress, Manners of the Inhabitants, &c. &c. Made during a Voyage undertaken in the Year 1772 by Jofeph Banks, Efq; F. R. S. affifted by Dr. Solander, F. R. S. Dr. J. Lind, F. R. S. Dr. Uno Von Troil, and feveral other literary and ingenious Gentlemen. Written by Uno Von Troil, D. D. First Chaplain to his Swedish Majefty, Almoner of the Swedish Orders of Knighthood, and Member of the Academy of Sciences at Stockholm. To which are added, the Letters of Dr. Ihre and Dr. Bach to the Author concerning the Edda and the Elephantiafis of Iceland: Alfo Profeffor Bergman's curious Obfervations and chemical Examination of the Lava and other Substances produced on the Ifland. With a new Map of the Ifland, and a Reprefentation of the remarkable Boiling Fountain, called by the Inhabitants Geyfer. 8vo. 5 s. fewed. Robfon, &c. 1780.

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HIS very curious ifland, which, within a small and almost inconfiderable space, freezes with the utmost rigour, and 5

burns

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