practice, (for war and hunting appear from the most early period of time to have been the "fole ftudy and occupation of their lives,) and by fome other equally abfurd and unaccountable transitions, have thereby forgotten, and, at this day, have loft every trace thereof.'

Where Mr. Smith rifes above fuch flatnefs, we are difgufted with that fwell which diftinguishes the writings of the untutored, and that propensity to the marvellous, which, befides that it marks the fame ftate of mind, tends in fome measure to detract from the credibility of his narrative. If indeed he underwent fuch hardships, and performed fuch journies, in a state as is alledged, of feverishness and extreme debility, Mr. Smith muft have an iron conftitution. It is evident after all, that his mind is naturally fitted by its fenfibility to obferve, as far as his knowledge, which is not extenfive, will enable him, the moft ftriking appearances, whether of nature or art. The field he has traverfed with fuch immenfe rapidity is moft ample: and he has brought to light many new and interefting facts. He would have been a more agreeable and inftructive traveller, if his defcriptions had been more chafte, and agreeable to the fimplicity of nature. When travellers like Mr. Smith determine to become authors, they ought by all means to put their materials into the hands of fome perfon verfed in compofition. By this, means their works would appear not only in a more agreeaable but in reality in a more refpectable light. We fhould give more credit to the teftimony and pay greater deference to the observations of one who should give proofs of having enjoyed, than to one who fhould appear to be deficient in a learned and liberal education.

ART. XI. The Nature and Extent of the Apoftolical Commiffion. A Sermon preached at the Confecration of the Right Rev. Dr. Samuel Seabury, Bishop of the Epifcopal Church in Connecticut. By a Bishop of the Epifcopal Church of Scotland. 4to. Is. Rivington. London. 1785.

TH

HAT Connecticut should have a bishop fo foon after the late convulfion, and that he fhould be confecrated by members of the non-juring hierarchy of Scotland, may per haps feem extraordinary. The state of the cafe as we are informed, is as follows. Dr. Seabury is a man of address, learning and amiable manners, thefe procured him the affection and efteem of his acquaintance. When the colonies were disjoined from the parent realm, many refpectable perfons in Connecticut, attached to the epifcopal form of church government, wished to preferve it from that extinction they dreaded, by the prefence of a bishop, who should exercife his functions amongst them, and thus give as it were ENG, REY, Vol. V. Ap. 1785. confiftence

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confiftence and vifibility to their church. Dr. Seabury, from what we have already faid, was the general choice. He was difpatched for England to obtain that confecration they fe much defired. Our two archbishops it is reported, declined the office, because they had received no official requifition from the ftate to which he belonged. Whether fuch a requifition had not been applied for, or whether it could not be obtained, is what we are not warranted to fay; but without it there was not much probability of fucceeding in the application to the heads of our church. Difappointed here, Dr. S. caft his eyes towards the almoft forgotten Scottish hierarchy; there, as was to be expected, he met with no repulfe. Happy to be confidered as a ftill exifting church, and eager to give a bishop to the western continent, the northern nonconformifts met him with open arms, and made him, as they faya regular fucceffor of the apoftles.' They exult upon the occafion, and tell us that their church had been preferved without any of the boafted props of civil eftablishment, yea, often depreffed by the hand of infulting power-by its own almighty head--perhaps to afford through God's providence, the means of conveying to others a more liberal fhare of those spiritual bleffings which we enjoy under fome reftraint." And they pray that the difpenfation of the grace and knowledge of the gofpel, by a valid and truly apoftolic miniftry, may-go out from the east to the utmoft boundary of the western world.' The expreffions a regular fucceffor of the apoftles, a valid and truly apoftolic miniftry,' with feveral others which appear in the fermon, fhew that the old leaven still ferments, that liberality of fentiment is by no means a characteristic of the epifcopal church of Scotland. Her affumption of being the only true church, and the anathemas which the confequently pronounces against all diffenters from her immaculate purity inake us rejoice at her enfeebled ftate. How dreadful for the world, were her power equal to the blindness and fury of her zeal !

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ART. XII. Modern Times, or, the Adventures of Gabriel Outcaft Suppofed to be written by Himfelf. In Imitation of Gil Blas, 12mo. 3 Vols. çs. fewed. Murray.

A COARSE daubing after an exquifite original. With

regard to many of the incidents, it is indeed a fervile imitation; Gabriel Outcaft, like Gil Blas, is a fervant, an affociate with banditti, and an adventurer in a variety of ways; intrigues with a ftroling actress, marries, buries his wife, marries a fecond time, &c. &c. But the delicate pencil of Le Sage is no where difcoverable, Inftead of the naiveté

naïveté of the French author, we meet with groffness and rufticity; that admirable detail and felicity of expreffion which almost realize the objects in the original, are totally wanting in the copy, In their ftead we have a flovenlinefs and vulgarity of phrafeology, that ftrongly marks the author's intimate acquaintance with the fcenes of low life which he delineates, while his defcription of the higher orders of men as convincingly informs us, that he is defcribing what he has feen only at a distance, and therefore very imperfectly. In one thing however we must confefs, that Gabriel outdoes his prototype. Gil Blas was fatisfied with being the confident of Prime Minifters, but our Gabriel never refted till he was at the Head of the Treasury"! but, fhould he have been fo explicit as to the era of his premiership? Does he think that fixing the date fo clearly, adds to the probability of his story? Or does he not imagine that it would have been more prudent, (while it would equally have given him an opportunity of painting the characters of the great,) to have placed himfelf in fome fnug, confidential office, which he might have enjoyed without having his right to it called in queftion?

The author, in his advertisement, fays, "It may be neceffary in this age of flander and detraction, for the writer of the following novel to declare, that, in the characters here drawn, he has pointed at no particular perfon." We leave the public to judge, after reading the following extract, whether much credit is to given to this declaration.

"DR. Pompofo was formerly a political writer, violent against "the ministry; and as he wrote with a keennefs and feverity, that "would have placed fome men in the pillory; to stop his mouth, "the minifter, who was a Scotchman, thought proper to penfion "him: but this did not abate his animofity to the Scottish nation, to " which he was an avowed enemy. A friend of his has fince told me, that he accompanied him once to receive his penfion." Our converfation,' fays he, all the way, was on the iniquity of employing Scotchmen in affairs of ftate; and Pompofo was fo warm upon the fubject, that he kept it up all the way we went; nay, he ⚫ continued it even whilft he was counting his money.' • One, two,-five,ten, twenty.-The North Briton,' fays he, has been, however, of fome ufe:Twenty-five,-twenty-eight-it has turned one d-mn'd Scotchman out of place: (this was the man that penfioned him)- Thirty,-thirty-five, forty,-fortyfive. Thefe rafcals, I fear will be the ruin of this country at • laft.' "And at this rate did he proceed, railing at, and abufing "the people, to whom he was most indebted. He had once been "in the pay of the bookfellers, but being fingle man, whofe 46 wants were but few, he foon determined that a hireling writer "is at best but a prostitute, and when they would employ him no "longer, he dropped the profeffion."

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This writer feems to feel exceedingly fore on the subject of Booksellers and Reviewers. How much he has suffered under their hands we pretend not to fay; but Reviewers we know, must ever be obnoxious to unfuccessful authors, who are ready to attribute their failure to any thing but their own want of merit. He informs us that "bookfellers are too timid adventurers to 'rifk much money on any one publication," yet, though he means this as a reproach, he, in the fame fentence, has furnished them with the moft ample apology for their conduct. "The misfortune is," fays he, manufcript never announces its fuccefs." Would he have a bookfeller, or any fenfible merchant to risk his money in an adventure of which the fuccefs is very doubtful? Would he himself have acted wifely had he intrufted the publication of his work to a Bookfeller, who, according to the city phrafe, was not confidered as a good man? A little farther on he acknowledges that "great fums of money have occafionally been given for copy right, but this has been upon the reputation of the author;" a convincing proof that these men are not fuch timid adventurers; indeed they are, in that cafe, so much the contrary, that we believe the warehoufes of moft of them will evince rather too much confidence in auctorial reputation. The "bookfelling tribe," is likewife accused of depreciating thofe works in which the trade is not concerned." Works of real merit they can never ftifle, and as to thofe of a different complexion, their fate is of no importance. Many writers have united the character of bookfeller with that of author, without having their works crushed by the overbearing combination of the bookfelling tribe. Of this the late Judge Blackstone is a confpicuous inftance. Doctors Cullen, Leake, and Simmons have pursued the fame plan with a fimilar fuccefs; and the very miscellaneous and volumnious productions of Dr. Trufler, have been ufhered into the world in the fame way, not unprofitable to himself, as we are given to understand.

We cannot take our leave of this publication, without observing that, in point of style, it is much inferior to many of the indifferent novels which every day appear. We every where meet with vulgarifms and incorrect expreffions, a few of which we fhall lay before the reader. "I and the pedlar might lay together."" If I could difpenfe with laying at the top of the houfe."--" make free with my purfe, which laid in my breeches pocket."--" by a little extra attention to thofe boys, as were the children of wealthy parents.' "--" by having him before a magiftrate."-" unkindly as he may have acted by me."--" to do a handfome thing by my friend the vicar."--The prime minifter faid, "of all

things,

things, he fhould be happy if I would accept the secretary. fhip to the treatury," &c.

Amidit the roughnefs and inelegance of this performance, there is a degree of entertainment, and fomething like a talent for ftrong though homely delineation of character, We mean the author a compliment, when we call him the Hemfkirk of novellifts,

ART. XIII. The Natural Son: A Comedy, Performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury-lane. By Richard Cumberland, Efq. 8vo, 1s. 6d. Dilly. 1785.

WE

E had lately the misfortune, for fuch we are difpofed to account it, of being called upon by our office of critics, to treat the author of this performance with fome degree of harfhnefs and feverity. We feel ourselves therefore peculiarly happy in this opportunity of returning upon our steps, and compenfating unwilling cenfure with merited applaufe, We are happy in the opportunity afforded us of paying the tribute fo jufly due to manly fenfe and genuine invention; but which we offer with double alacrity, where thefe qualities unite themfelves with blamelefs manners and a benevolent heart.

The title of this drama is the fame with that of a comedy of M. Diderot, which met with confiderable fuccefs in France. But it has no farther refemblance to the piece we have mentioned, than what the title implies. Diderot's play is of the fpecies of the comédie larmoyante, and has not an atom of mirth or gaiety, in its compofition. In that of Mr. Cumberland, though the principal story be ferious, the comic are the prominent features. We will purfue the parallel no farther, than to deliver our opinion, that the English play is in no refpect whatever inferior to that of our neigh bours.

The hero of the piece before us refides at the villa of an old-fashioned baronet, who, unknown to Mr. Blushenly, is the brother of his mother. The rest of Sir Jeffery's family confifts of a maiden fifter, and an only daughter, the widow of lord Paragon. In this fituation Blufhenly is extremely diftreffed by a growing attachment he feels for the amiable daughter of his patron. To create however a mutual and spontaneous paffion in their breafts had been the immediate purpose of Sir Jeffery. Having effected this, he removes every difficulty by difclofing to the young man the fecret of his birth.

The heroine of the comic divifion of the drama is Mrs. Phoebe Latimer, the maiden fifter of the baronet. She is moft furiously

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