One of the most interefting fubjects of which the Author treats, in the Appendix fubjoined to this treatise, is the poffibility, or rather practicability, of a north-east passage. From the facts here brought together it is rendered very probable that fuch a paffage exifts; but it feems to be ftill more decifively proved that it can never be ufefully applied to the purposes of general commerce. At leaft, it feems clear to us, from his reprefentation, that much more would be loft, in time, than could be gained with refpect to space, by attempting a paffage through the Frozen into the Pacific ocean. We fhall recite the principal facts, on which this propofition is founded; extracted from the Author's more full account of the attempts of the Ruffians to ascertain the reality of this passage :-supposing the Reader to have a map of the northern parts of Europe and Afia before him.

The advocates for the north-eaft paffage, the Author ob-. ferves, have divided that navigation into three principal parts; and by endeavouring to fhew that these three parts have been paffed at different times, they conclude from thence that the whole, taken collectively, is practicable.

Thefe three parts are, 1. From Archangel to the river Lena; 2. From the Lena, round Tfchukotfkoi Nofs (or the north-eaftern promontory of Afia), to Kamtchatka; and 3. From Kamtchatka to Japan.

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No one ever afferted that the first part, from Archangel to the Lena, was ever performed in one voyage; but feveral perfons having advanced that this navigation has been made by the Ruffians at different times, the Author gives a fummary view of the voyages that have been made in thefe feas. From this it appears that there is a cape between the rivers Chatanga and Piafida that has never yet been doubled. Accordingly the whole fpace between Archangel and the Lena has never yet been navigated for in going eaft from the Yenifei, the Ruffians could get no farther than the mouth of the Piafida; and in coming weft from the Lena, they were ftopped, according to Gmelin, north of the Plafida; and according to Muller, eaft of the Taimura. This cape, to the eaft of Nova Zembla, and lying north of the river Piafida, is laid down in the Ruffian charts in about 78 degrees latitude.. *~

With refpect to the fecond divifion of the North-east passage, or that from the river Lena to Kamtchatka; it has been affirmed that a paffage has been effected by feveral vessels, which have at different times failed round the north-eaftern extremity of Afia. But from the Ruffian accounts the Author collects that, though frequent expeditions have unquestionably been made from the river Lena to the Kouyma; yet the voyage from the Kovyma,

round

round the north-eaftern promontory of Afia, into the Eaftern ocean, has been performed but once. According to Mr. Muller, this formidable cape was doubled in the year 1648, by one Defhneff; who fet fail with fix other veffels, from the mouth of the Kovyma, in order to penetrate into the Eastern ocean. A particular account of this remarkable expedition is here given; at the close of which we are told that no other naviga tor, fubfequent to Defhneff, has ever pretended to have pafled the north-eastern extremity of Afia; notwithstanding all the attempts that have been made to accomplish this paffage, as well from Kamtchatka, as from the Frozen Ocean. Indeed Beering thought that he had paffed it, on meeting with a deep bay, in about the latitude of 67°, as he was failing northward along the coaft of the Tfchutfki, and which he mistook for the Northern ocean. The coaft which here turns round to the weft, afterwards takes a northerly direction; as he would have found, had he persisted somewhat longer in a northern course.

Of the third, or remaining part of this paffage, no doubt can be entertained. That there is a connection between the feas of Kamtchatka and Japan, first appeared from fome Japanese vesfels, which were wrecked upon the coaft of Kamtchatka, in the beginning of this century; and this communication has been unquestionably proved from feveral voyages made by the Ruffians from Kamtchatka to Japan.-We shall conclude our account of the prefent work, by tranfcribing the Author's obfervations on the whole of the evidence relative to this fubject.

In reviewing the feveral accounts of the Ruffian voyages in the Frozen sea, as far as they relate to a North-east passage, we may obferve, that the cape which ftretches to the north of the Piafida has never been doubled; and that the existence of a paffage round Tfchukotskoi-Nofs refts upon the fingle authority of Defhneff. Admitting however a practicable navigation round these two promontories, yet when we confider the difficulties and dangers which the Ruffians encountered, in thofe parts of the Frozen fea, which they have unquestionably failed through; how much time they employed in making an inconfiderable progrefs, and how often their attempts were unsuccessful when we reflect at the fame time that these voyages can only be performed in the midst of a short fummer, and even then only. when particular winds drive the ice into the fea, and leave the fhores lefs obftructed; we fhall reafonably conclude that a navigation, pursued along the coafts in the Frozen ocean, would probably be useless for commercial purposes.

A navigation therefore in the Frozen ocean, calculated to answer any end of general utility, muft (if poffible) be made in an higher latitude, at fome diftance from the fhores of Nova Zembla and Siberia. And should we even grant the poffibility

of

of failing N. E. and Eaft of Nova Zembla, without meeting with any infurmountable obstacles from land or ice; yet the final completion of a N. E. voyage muft depend upon the existence of a free paffage between the coaft of the Tschutski and the continent of America.' I have faid a free paffage, [the Author adds in a note] because if we conclude from the narrative of Defhneff's voyage, that there really does exist fuch a paffage; yet if that paffage is only occafionally navigable (and the Ruffians do not pretend to have paffed it more than once), it can never be of any general and commercial utility.'

ART. II. A new Hiftory of Gloucestershire. Comprifing the Topography, Antiquities, Curiofities, Produce, Trade and Manufactures of that County; the Foundation-charters and Endowments of Abbeys, and other religious Houfes; the Foundation of the Bishopric, &c. with a fhort biographical Account of the Bishops and Deans; the Names of the Patrons and Incumbents, and the ancient and present Value of all the ecclefiaftical Benefices; Charters of Incorporation, and Civil Government of the feveral Bo. roughs; Defcriptions of the principal Seats; Defcent of the Manors; Genealogies of Families, with their Arms, Monumental Infcriptions, &c. Alfo, the Ecclefiaftical, Civil, and Military Hiftory of the City of Gloucefter, from its first Foundation to the prefent Time. With a Copy of Domefday-book for Gloucefter, hire, now firft printed in the Language, and after the Manner of the Original. Illuftrated with a Map of the County, Views of Gentlemen's Seats, &c. &c. Folio. 31. 3 s. Boards. Ciren. cefter, printed by Samuel Rudder. 1779. Sold by Crowder in London.

THE

HE ancient and prefent State of Gloucestershire was published by Sir Robert Atkyns in 1712. That edition becoming fcarce, and dear, gave rife to the prefent performance; but foon after the proposals for this New Hiftory were delivered out, fome perfon republished Sir Robert's book, without the least addition or improvement, This, fays Mr. Rudder, is a fact very neceffary to be stated, but it wants neither comment nor remark.'

Sir Robert Atkyns's work is undoubtedly the foundation of this, and the Editor, accordingly, acknowledges, that he has adopted that gentleman's method of alphabetical arrangement, and availed himself of whatever was ufeful: but he has made many additions and improvements. We fhall give a few extracts from Mr. Rudder's Preface, for the information of our Readers.

The preliminary and introductory part, we are told, is drawn from various fources. The monaftic hiftory is chiefly taken from Stevens's Supplement to Dugdale's Monafticon, and Dr. Burnet's Hiftory of the Reformation, The other introductory materials are felected from Camden, Selden, Lord Lyt

telton,

telton, and various writers on the ancient ftate of affairs in Britain. This introduction gives a brief but very proper account of abbeys, priories, colleges, guilds, &c. of religious orders; of the alterations introduced by the Reformation; of advowfons, patronages, prefentations, tithes, first-fruits, &c. and of the names of places, perfons, titles and dignities ;and acquaintance with which will naturally be expected in a publication of this kind. Some of our Readers may perhaps be entertained in perufing the following account of a popish miracle, which we find in this introductory part.

'At Hayles, in Gloucefterfhire, the pretended blood of Chrift was fhewed in a phial, and it was taught, that none could fee it who were in mortal fin. But good prefents being made, the deluded pilgrims went away well fatisfied with the fight of it. This was the blood of a duck, renewed every week, put into a phial, very thick on one fide, and thin on the other; and either fide turned toward the pilgrim, as the priests were fatisfied with their oblations.'-This is only one among numerous inftances of Popish prieftcraft on the one hand, and ignorant credulity (which is the very basis of Popery) on the other. But we return to the Preface, in which we are farther informed, that

The hiftory of the county, in the three grand divifions of Cotefwold, Vale, and Foreft, with the account of its trade, is new; and that part of Domesday which relates to Gloucesterfhire, and concludes the general hiftory, is now first printed in the language, and after the contracted manner, of the original, fo far as with common printing types could be effected.-The hiftory of the city and diocefe of Gloucefter, making together 129 pages, is newly drawn up from materials collected by the late Rev. Mr. Furney, archdeacon of Surrey, and communicated by Mr. Rogers of Gloucefter. The parochial history follows next in order; and the Editor, to be correct, and note every thing obfervable, has vifited the feveral parishes, and made diligent enquiries. He has given an account of their antiquities and natural curiofities, and has attempted alfo to add the etymology of the names of places, agreeing with or diffenting from Sir Robert Atkyns occafionally.

In this part of his work he defcribes the market towns and most remarkable places where the former hiftory was defective; though, he obferves, to defcend to a minute description of every little village would have been ridiculous.

The defcent of manors is attended to with great care; to which are added, in each parish, the account of ecclefiaftical benefices, names of patrons, value of livings, fome monuments and infcriptions in churches, benefactions to the poor, the rate of the public taxes, and the comparative ftate of population in

each

each parish, between the time when Sir Robert Atkyns made his collections and the prefent..

In respect of the latter article, we find the following remarks: The alarm lately fpread of the nation's depopulating, induced the Editor to compare the average of births and burials about feventy years ago, with thofe of the prefent time, taking the authority of the registers in both inftances.-The refult of the comparison is, that the inhabitants of Gloucestershire are very confiderably increafed during that period, but not uniformly fo. In fome places their numbers are more than doubled, while in others they continue nearly the fame. This is owing to different caufes the growth of trade, and improvements in agriculture, encourage population, and the decline of manufactures produces a contrary effect. During the before-mentioned period, agriculture has been much improved, particularly in the Hill country; and in the clothing and manufacturing parts, trade has equally increased; but in the Vale most of those inclofures that in the former part of this period were corn-fields, have fince been laid down to pafture, which very fenfibly affected population; and though even fome of thofe places where that has happened, are more populous than they were before, yet the alteration has prevented them from increafing fo much as they would have done; for dairy and grazing farms furnish lefs employment than tillage, and many of the younger people have migrated to the Hill country or to market-towns.'

Another impediment to population has crept in, during the latter part of this period, which is, the laying of two or three farms into one. The little parifh of Afton Subedge is chiefly in tillage, and Sir Robert Atkyns reports it to have confifted of 24 houses, and 104 inhabitants. By an exact account taken in 1773, the householders were 20, and the inhabitants only 63; and on inquiry into the caufe of this ftrange declenfion, it was given for a reason, that the parish had just then been inclofed, and seven farms, of which it confifted before, being laid into four, the occupiers of three little farms, with their families, had left the place. There are two or three other inftances in the county, befides this, of a like decreafe."

• Here fome notice fhould be taken of a practice prevailing in fome places, left it become more general, and produce a train of evil confequences to the community. It is faid, that in fome parishes the lords of manors, and the principal landholders, confidering it as a piece of refined policy, have pulled down their cottage-houses, or fuffered them to fall, on purpose to drive away the poor miferable inhabitants, and to prevent the younger fort from marrying and fettling in their own parishes. Miferable indeed! to be deferted and abandoned by those whofe

lands