instruct, but he must not baptise or administer the Lord's supper: but when a congregation is formed, a minister is to be appointed, with proper powers from the bishop. Of this regulation we cannot fail to approve; but we could have wished that a farther security had been given to the church, by providing that no one should be sent as a missionary whose testimonials, signed by two or three clergymen, had not been inspected and confirmed by the bishop of London. Besides the exodus of missionaries, it is an object of the society to translate the Scriptures into the languages of various countries where they are not yet known, and to disperse translations of the Scriptures in those countries where Christianity has not hitherto been acknowledged. These intentions of the society are well inforced by the preacher; and the report, together with the appendixes-the one by Mr. Carlyle recommending an Arabic edition of the Scriptures, the other by Mr. Mosely on printing them in Chinese and circulating them through Asia-deserves the attention of every serious Christian. LAW. ART. 28.-Collectanea Maritima; being a Collection of public Instruments, &c. &c. tending to illustrate the History and Practice of Prize Law. By Chr. Robinson, LL.D. 8vo. 3s. sewed. Butterworth 1801. These documents, which are to be continued, show that the right of search has been acknowledged, and made part of the naval econoiny, of the last three centuries. The present treaty of peace will place this right, most probably, on a better footing than it has hitherto stood; for as to the fling at the trimness of modern theories, we cannot see why men in these days are not as well qualified to understand and settle this subject as the persons who drew up the documents anterior to us. The technical man of law is generally however tied down to musty rolls of parchment, and detests every thing that alters the practice to which he has been accustomed. If a thing happen to have been done a hundred years ago, with him it must be wise, and every modern improvement is folly; yet men will specu late and improve, because the acts of their ancestors, which might in their time have been founded on consummate wisdom, cease in the course of ages to be practical or beneficial. We shall be happy to see the right of search restricted to those warlike stores only which shall be specified between the parties; and if privateering should hereafter be considered as piracy, mankind will be benefited, though Doctors' Commons should suffer by the new theory. ART. 29.-Inquiries into the Nature of Leasehold Property; in which the relative Situations of Leffor and Lessee, Landlord and Tenant, are fairly considered. By a Gentleman of the Temple. 8vo. 15. 6d. Bickerstaff. 1801. The writer wishes that the subject had fallen into better hands, as the importance of it well deserved.' Our wishes coincide with his own. He seems not to be sufficiently aware of the nature of leases. When the property is vested in the landlord, it cannot be doubted that another person has no right to occupy it; and if he will purchase the permission of occupying it, the terms must depend on the proprietor, and the lease is a simple contract, as in the case of any other bargain of hire. The endeavour to give a lessee, in church, or college, or hospital, or corporation, any sort of property-right in the soil, and to limit the proprietor's power in setting the fine of renewal, is too absurd to be admitted for a moment. The lessee, in this species of property, has generally his right in it subjected to the covenants in the lease or contract for twenty-one years, if landforty years, if houses. At the expiration of this term he has no right to complain on dismissal: and this cannot take place by surprise, for at the end of the first seven years he must expect it, if his lease be not renewed; and the renewal of the lease is and ought to be solely in the breast of the landlord or proprietor. ART. 30.-A. of Grace, Sc. explained to a Man of singular Charac ter and Consequence, now a Prisoner in a County Gaol. 8vo. 6d. Parsons. 1801. From this work we learn that a great number of debtors in the Fleet prison have signed a petition to the king, praying that he would exert his royal interference, and induce the other two branches of the legislature to consent to their release.' Every humane man must lament the state of so many of his fellow-creatures who are more severely punished for misfortunes than others for real crimes; yet we would rather see their release effected by a total change in the laws respecting debtor and creditor, which, according to this work, evidently want revision, than by an act of royal favour. The whole question lies in a narrow compass. Is insolvency a crime, or not? If it be a crime, let it be examined by a grand and petit jury, and proper punishment be inflicted on the offender. If it be a misfortune only, what inhumanity as well as folly it is to preclude a man from the use of all his powers, and thus to aggravate his misfortunes! The present system offends against every dictate of sound sense, which prescribes proportion in the punishment of crimes; while in this case no proportion at all is observed. The fraudulent stand the best chance of escape; the honest and unfortunate see no end to their miseries. We recommend this pamphlet to both debtor and creditor. AGRICULTURE, &c. ART. 31.-National Irrigation, or the various Methods of watering Though we do not greatly approve of our author's language, and in some instances doubt of the correctness of his views, yet his general principle deserves our commendation,-particularly his recommendation of uniting canals, with the projects of draining or of irrigation. Our author, too, should have pointed out more di stinctly what lands require irrigation, and what water is advantageous when conducted over lands. Every soil and every spring are by no means suitable. He has however collected much valuable information on the subject from the practice of different counties, particularly from that of Aberdeenshire, where barren heaths are said, by this method, to be converted into fertile fields. The practice of irrigation, though long neglected, was very ancient, and is mentioned by various authors. Mr. Tatham has only given an imperfect sketch of its history. How could he have overlooked this common line? It may serve as a motto for his second edition : Claudite jam rivos, pueri: sat prata biberunt.' ART. 32.-A Letter on the Drainage of the East, West, and Wildmore Fens: addressed to the Proprietors of Rights of Common on these Fens, and to the Proprietors of Estates in the North Marshes, in the -County of Lincoln. By Thomas Stone, Land-Surveyor. 8vo. Is. Cawthorn. We have lately had occasion to say much of Mr. Stone and this county. We have always thought him a man of abilities and judge. ment, and this letter tends rather to confirm than alter our opinion. MEDICINE, &c. ART. 33. Cases of Phthisis Pulmonalis, successfully treated upon the Tonic Plan; with introductory Observations. By Charles Pears, F.M.S. F.L.S. &c. 8vo. 25. 6d. Murray and Highley. 1801. Mr. Pears, evidently a young author, enters the lists with the first practitioners, and even with the experience of successive centuries. Wine, animal food, bitters, and tonics, are his remedies, with little discrimination of situation and circumstances. Like a sturdy Brunonian, he speaks with the utmost complacency of his own plans, and with little reserve of the conduct of others. Our faith and our temper have been lately put to severe trials. We began with doubt; farther inquiries changed those doubts into absolute disbelief; and the evidence on the contrary side became so strong, that, uncharitable as it may seem, we almost suspected that some authors courted popularity by strong assertions which they knew to be false. recollected the strong sarcasm of Voltaire-il ne le croit pas; il l''a seulement écrit, and were led to apply it to authors who publish, as cures, cases which, in the moment even of publication, terminated fatally; who publish other editions, and other cases, without noticing the events which invalidated the former evidence. Such eagerness-we could give it a harsher name-has greatly disgusted us, and must disgust the world, were it once known. Our preseut author does not come under these imputations. He is only sanguine and unexperienced; but he is much too confident; and, though some of · our reflexions may seem severe, they are the milk of human kindness compared with his imputations. We ART. 34.-An Essay on the Plague: also a Sketch of a Plan of internal Police, proposed as a Mean of preventing the spreading of the Plague, should it be introduced (absit tamen) into this Country. By William Falconer, M.D. F.R.S. and Physician to the Bath Hospital. 8v0. 25. Robinsons. 1801. The essay before us contains a very judicious abstract of what has hitherto been written on the plague, and very salutary directions for avoiding infection. We should not add a syllable to a very general and unreserved commendation, were it not in defence of Dr. Cullen. Dr. Falconer observes some little disagreement in diferent parts of Dr. Cullen's directions respecting sweating in the plague and other eruptive fevers; but we know that he neither approved of warm regimen, nor of sweating, in the general acceptation of the term. He meant what Chenot calls diapnoë—a free insensible perspiration. ART. 35.-The Anatomist's Vade-Mecum; containing the Anatomy, Physiology, the morbid Appearances, Sc. of the Human Body; the Art of making Preparations, &c. Fourth Edition, corrected and enlarged. By Robert Hooper, M.D. F.L.S. 12mo. 75. Boards. Murray and Highley. 1802. We have noticed the former editions of this work with approba tion, and find it gradually improving. We think it a valuable assistant; but in a future edition would recommend adding the chemical analysis of the different animal fluids. ART. 36.-Experiments and Observations on the Medicinal Waters of Hampstead and Kilburn. By John Bliss. 8vo. 25. sewed. Phil lips. 1802. These experiments are well conducted, and described with great propriety and judgement. The Hampstead water contains a small proportion of iron, and a somewhat larger one of sulphat of lime, with other salts of less importance. It acts as a tonic and a stimu lant, but rather binds than loosens the intestinal discharge. The other, about two miles distant, is a saline and purgative water, and, as Mr. Bliss very properly suggests, will render, in proper proportions, the Hampstead water more efficacious. EDUCATION. ART. 37.-Viridarium Latinum; ou, Récueil des Pensées et Bons-Mots les plus remarquables, tirés des plus illustres Orateurs, Poëtes, et autres Ecrivains, tant Grecs que Latins, traduits en Italien et en François, Article par Article, à Côté des Originaux: auquel on a ajouté une Collection Angloise de Maximes instructives et amusantes, extraites des Auteurs les plus célébres: le tout destiné à l'Avancement des jeunes Personnes qui étudient ces différentes Langues, ainsi qu'à l'Amusement des Personnes d'un Age mûr. Par Gaetano Ravizzotti, Se. 80. 7s. served. Deboffe. 1801, The Latin Parterre; or, a Collection of Sentiments, Bons-Mots, &c. Mr. Ravizzotti has not, in our opinion, presented any thing to the world, in this collection, that will be at all likely to effect either of the purposes which he pretends by it: it will not help forward such young persons as are studying the different languages; nor will it afford much amusement to persons more matured in age and knowledge.' Had a collection of the best bons-mots, happy thoughts, and judicious phrases, been made from different authors, whether Latin, French, or Italian, and presented to the public in the original idiom of each, such a work would have been an amusement for per sons of mature age. Or, had the solecisms and peculiarities of one of these tongues been exemplified by comparisons with the other two, such a work might have afforded help and instruction to students. But neither of these advantages is attained in the volumé before us.— We will present the reader with a couple of examples that he may judge for himself. • CXVI. • Bona existimatio pecuniis præstat. La bonne réputation est préférable aux richesses. • CXVII. Homini est propria veri inquisitio atque investigatio. Both of these Latin sentences are certainly true: but there is not a school-boy of ten years old who has not received the information already; nor is there any sort of dialectic knowledge gained by his reading them in the three versions; for the construction is so simple that he could not mistake it. A volume of old saws exhibited in one language, is, according to the present price of paper, a kind of extravagance; but two literal translations, added to it, render it extreme prodigality. The mode of the work throughout is the same as in the two examples which we have given; and few of the pensées and bons mots are more to the purpose. ART. 38.-Harry and Lucy. In Two Parts. Being the First and Second Parts of Early Lessons. ART. 39.-Rosamond. In Three Parts. Being the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Parts of Early Lessons. ART. 40.-Frank. In Four Parts. and Ninth Parts of Early Lessons. 6d. each Part. Johnson. 1801. Being the Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, We have often lamented that books composed for the use of children are filled with words far beyond their comprehension: it is therefore with much pleasure we notice an attempt to level instruction to capacity. In the first part of these works we rarely met with a word that would cause a child to stop for its explanation; and, in the latter volumes, if hard words do sometimes occur, yet they are by no means so plentiful as in the generality of books of this kind; and fre quently the author is very careful to explain them. The lessons are easy and intelligible; they contain little incidents in common life, calculated to excite the curiosity of children, and to afford them con siderable instruction. A child of nine or ten years old, and under, |