by himself or his editor. Behold then the picture of the philofopher drawn by himfelf:

"I was very young when I first stepped upon the theatre of the world, and the Court. My temper was lively, reftlefs, and easy to be affected, and my blood warm: the feeds of many violent paffions lay concealed within me; I had been fomewhat spoiled in my first education, and had too great attention paid my little perfon, which induced me to demand too much confideration from thofe around me.-My liveliness caufed me to commit many inconfiftent actions; I was precipitate in every thing, always doing either too much or too little, ever being too late or too foon; becaufe, invariably, I was about to commit a folly or to retrieve one. I generally miffed my aim from omitting to act upon a fimple plan. When firft I appeared at Court, I was too carelefs, too open, and unfufpicious, which did me a great deal of injury. I refolved however to become a complete courtier; my conduct grew artificial, and I loft the confidence of good men; I was too pliant, and this deprived me of external regard, internal dignity, and felf-confiftency. Being diffatisfied with my felf, I grew referved and fingular. This created aflonifhment; my fociety was courted, and my fociability revived again. I renewed my former connections, discarded my fingularities, and the charm which my feclufion from the world had created, and which had attracted the attention of others, difappeared at once. At another period I lafhed the follies of the times with fome degree of wit; I was now dreaded, not beloved; this grieved me; and being defirous to repair this lofs, I proved myself a harmless being, difplayed kind and benevolent fentiments, and showed that I was incapable of hurting and perfecuting others.-But what was the confequence? Every one of thofe I had offended by my former conduct, or who imagined themfelves the object of my farcafms, abufed me on feeing me defend myself only with blunted weapons, which could do no harm. At other times, when my fatirical humour was encouraged by the applaufe of jovial companions, I lafhed great and little fools without mercy; the wits laughed; but those that were wifer fhook their heads, and treated me with coldnefs. Being defirous of thowing that my humour was not tinctured with malice, I ceased ridiculing others, and palliated every folly. This however made me appear to fome a fimpleton, while others fufpected me of hypocrify." P. xxv, &c.

A more complete picture of a weak and frivolous mind than the author here draws, and goes on to finish as his own, we never saw. The precepts of the author are, in our opinion, proportionably frivolous; nor can we think that the English public will feel any gratitude to the tranflator for providing fuch an inftructor for them. We cannot account for the taste of the German public in taking off feveral editions; but we can answer for it, that the experiment will not fucceed in England. We have little notion that a frivolous man cau blunder himself into fuperior wisdom. What will the reader think of thefe fpecimens ?

Old uncles and aunts, particularly fuch as are married, are very apt to fcold, to vent their gouty a .d hysteric honours, at their nephews and nieces." Vol. i, 1. 180.

" When

"When you have long journies to make on foot, a glafs of water on fetting out in the morning, and a difh of coffee, and fome bread and butter after two hours walk, will prove very wholefome and re. freshing." Vol. ii, p. 105.

"It is not advifeable to reft under a tree within a fmall diftance of the high road; for at fuch places beggars are uled to reft and leave vermin." Ibid.

Here are difcoveries!

ART. 44. The Life, Adventures, and Opinions, of Col. George Hanger. Written by Himself. To which is added, Advice to the Prelates and Legislators, how to correct the Immorality and Jacobinism of the prefent Age, and at the fame Time increase the Revenue.-Advice to the lovely Cyprians, and to the Fair-Sex in General, how to pass their Lives in future to their better Satisfaction, and to enjoy with Difcretion the Three Cardinal Virtues.-On Matrimony, Compulfive Wedlock, and on Polygamy-On the Mifery of Female Proflitution. The Hiftory of the lovely Egyptia, the Pamela of Norwood, and Paragon of the Egyptian Race; the Author's Marriage with her, and her cruel Infidelity and Elopement with a Travelling Tinker.-And a Hiftory of the King's Bench Prifon, written by the Author during his Cuftody under the Marfbal of that Prifon, defcriptive of the Mijeries endured by the Prifoners, and the extravagant Expence incident to their Confinement. Two Volumes. 8vo. 14s. Debrett. 1801.

Very foolish, and often very profligate. But the general example, compared with a few of the fentiments of the author, may ferve to fhow, that even fome good qualities, without common prudence, will not fave the circumftances from ruin, or the character from degradation.

ART. 45. 1. Account of a Plan for the better fupplying the City of Edinburgh with Coal; together with an Examination of the Merits of the Two principal Lines, pointed out for the intended Canal between Edinburgh and Glafgow. By Henry Stewart, Efq. LL. D. F. R. and A. S. E. 8vo. 142 pp. Bell and Bradfute, Edinburgh; Robinfons, London. 1800.

ART. 46. 2. Obfervations on the Account of a Plan for the better fupplying the Cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow with Coal. By an old Coal-Mafter. Hill, Edinburgh. 8vo. 63 pp. 1800.

ART. 47. 3. Supplement to an Account of a Plan, for the better fupplying the City of Edinburgh with Coal; comprising an Examination of an anonymous Pamphlet, lately published, under the Signature of an old Coal-Mafter. By Henry Steuart, LL. D. F. R. S. and F. A. S. E. 8vo. 204 pp. Hill, Edinburgh; Longman and Rees, London. It has long been propofed to cut, between Edinburgh and Glasgow, a canal of fuch a depth, as to let goods be tranfported, by water, in light veffels, from the one city to the other. The expence of fuch a canal must be very great; but it appears not to have alarmed our

northern neighbours; for they have actually had the country furveyed, through which it muft pafs, and are now deliberating on the merits of the different lines which the furveyors have pointed out. Their choice indeed feems to be liited to two lines, of which one paffes by a place called the Batten-mofs, and the other by the town of Fal kirk. The object of Dr. Steuart's firft publication is to prove, that the former of thefe is by much the more eligible line for the intended canal; not merely because it is the fhorter, but because it opens a communication by water to one of the richest coal districts in Great Britain, or perhaps in the whole world. Our limits permit us not to give even an abstract of his proofs; but it is our duty to declare, that they fully warrant the author to fum up the general character of the rival lines in the following well-written paragraph:

Suppofing both to hold forth a fund, in which prudence or fpeculation would willingly adventure, like moft rivals, they certainly would attract by very oppofite qualities. In the Batten-Mofs line, coal conftitutes the primary object; in the northern track, it is enumerated at best among the secondary articles of trade. The first enriches an uncultivated region; the last traverses a populous district. Thus, while manufactures are improved by the one, by the other population and manufactures are produced. The merit of the first lies in directnefs, though attended with lockage; that of the laft in expedition, though retarded by circuity. The one vifits only the skirts of the coal diftricts; the other penetrates into the heart of the country. The utility of the northern track terminates in itself; the BattenMofs line would give birth to future navigators." He might have added, as a fair deduction from his own premifes, that the benefits to be derived from the northern line muft for ever be confined to the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, with the track of country immedi ately lying between them; while those which would infallibly flow from a canal in the Batten Mofs line, would inftantly extend to the east coast of England, and very foon fpread over all Europe.

The anonymous Coal-Mafter, whatever may be his own conviction, labours hard to perplex his readers, and by clumfy and petulant wit he diverts their attention from the force of Dr. Steuart's reasoning. He gravely contends, that a ftratum of coal five feet thick is of more value than one of equal extent and of double that thicknefs; that coal lodged fifty fathoms below the furface of the ground can be brought to market at very little more expence to the proprietor than coal lodged at the depth of only ten fathoms; and that the carriage of heavy goods by water, efpecially of coals (which in this writer's apprehenfion have fome my fterious quality inconceivable by us) must be more expenfive than by land, if the distance do not greatly exceed fix miles! We can hardly fay that he reafons in fupport of thefe paradoxes; but he gives a long detail, wrapt in obfcurity by the perpetual ufe of technical language, of the comparative expences of deep and fhallow pits, and of what he calls "meoft below ground." In fupport of his opinion, that coals may be carried at lefs expence by land than by water, he exhorts the coal-mafters in the vicinity of Edinburgh to take this depart ment into their own hands, and lays down, at fome length, a plan, by which he affures them they may retain the trade of that city to them

themfelves, in oppofition to the proprietors of all coal which shall be tranfported to it, by the intended canal! Of the obvioufnefs of his plan, as well as of its fuccefs, he is fo confident, "that it may appear ftrange," he fays, "that it has never been attempted; but when a moderate profit is made, there is as little tempation as neceflity for efforts of this kind; but that does not make their fuccefs the lefs certain, when occafion requires them to be called forth: and it must be a great confolation to the coal-mafters in the vicinity of Edinburgh to know, that by a land-carriage of fix miles they can tranfport their coals to market at a lefs price than the freight duty alone of this boatted Drawcanfir Canal amounts to."

It must indeed appear very frange, that an obvious plan for leffening the price of coals to the confumer, and at the fame time increafing the profits of the coal-mafter, has not long ago been adopted by the proprietors of coal in the vicinity of Edinburgh; and Dr. Steuart, in his fecond publication, by putting the anonymous author's reafoning (if reafoning it can be called) into the mouths of the coal-owners of Mid-Lothian, exhibits them in a very ridiculous point of view.

"Dear friends of Edinburgh," they are made to fay, "in whofe happiness and profperity we are fo anxioufly interefted! While our prefent monopoly continues undisturbed, you fhall pay very handsomely for your coals: but should a competition arife, and you think seriously of leaving us for this Drawcanfir Navigation, rather than lofe your bufinefs, we with, as a piece of friendship, to convince you, that we can deter our rivals, by lowering our price"!! This is a very fair view of the conduct of thefe coal-matters, according to the statement of their anonymous advocate; but the statement Dr. Steuart demonftrates to be erroneous. By much patient investigation, much elegant wit, and fome keen farcafm, he points indeed all the weapons of the unknown Obferver against himself and his employers, the coal-owners; while he has completely convinced us, that London itself, as well as every other fea-port on the east coast of England, is almost equally interetted as Edinburgh, in the fuccefs of the purpofed navigation by the Batten-Mofs. Whatever may be the prejudices once entertained in the fouth against the Scotch coal, they are of fuch a nature as very quickly to be done away. Were they much better founded, than by the most competent judges they are now acknowledged to be, the prodigious faving that might be made, by adopting this coal as a fuel, and the great productive capital which could, in confequence, be applied to other objects, would be far more than fufficient to preponderate in the fcale. To perfons unaccustomed to confider the fubject, 36,000!. a-year, which Edinburgh clearly would fave, may perhaps feem, at first fight, an exaggerated statement; yet it is pretty certain, under judicious regulations, that a faving, even fuperior to this, might also be derived to a greater metropolis." Of the truth of this affertion the au thor has convinced us; and we recommend these three pamphlets to our readers, not only as being (the firft and lalt of them) extremely well-written, but as treating with perfpicuity a great national object, of at least as much importance to the fouthern as to the northern inhabitants of this ifland; an object, for the attainment of which, were we poffelled of wealth, we fhould beg leave to be permitted to enrol ourfelves among the fubfcribers.

ART.

ART. 48. Letter to a Member of Parliament on the Character and Writings of Baron Swedenborg, containing full and compleat Refutation of all the Abbé Barruel's Calumnies against the Honourable Author. By J. Clores, M. A. Rector of St. John's Church, Manchefter, and late Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. 8vo. 355 PP. 4s. Clarke, Mancheiter. 1799.

When the prefent is called a fagacious or enlightened age, a large deduction must be made for fanaticifm of various kinds, which, by an unaccountable effect, feems to increase in fome parts as much as infidelity unhappily prevails in others. That two fuch oppofites fhould arite together, may perhaps be in part explained, by confidering them as equal deviations, on different fides, from the middle point of found fenfe. That the reveries of Swedenborg, and his Doctrine of Carref pondences, fhould be defended by the Rector of a Church is very lamentable; but as we cannot hope to cure his diforder by any words that we can use, and as we hope we have no readers who partake the infection, we fhall take no further notice of his 355 pages.

ART. 49. An Appeal to the British Hop-Planters. By S. F. Waddingion. 8vo. 39 pp. 15. Crosby. 1860.

We have, fome of us, good reafon for believing, that the difpuses betwixt the planters and the venders of hops, are not quite fo interefting to the public as is commonly fuppofed, because that commodity enters much lefs into our beverage than moft perfons are aware of. It is in a fair way of being fupplanted, by a plant which Miller thus defcribes: "It hath an indeterminate ftalk, branching out into many fmall fhoots, with fpikes of naked flowers hanging downwards; the leaves are hoary and bitter. Of this plant there are thirty-two fpecies." After this hint (which the porter-brewers will understand) our business is with Mr. W. and his book; which compreffes within a small space much clofer than hops can be packed) a vaft quantity of vulgar egoifm, profane allufion to Scripture, and ignorance of the laws.

ART. 50. The Victim. In Five Letters, to Adolphus. 12mo. 2s. 6d.

Button. 1800.

This little volume contains fome excellent reafoning and arguments, on the fubject of feduction. The name given it is only applicable to the fubject in the abstract, and feems to have nothing to do with any thing which is related. The defign is good, and the execution not undeferving of praise.

ART. 51. La Bruyere the Lefs; or, Characters and Manners of the Children of the prefent Age. Written for the Ufe of Children of Twelve or Thirteen Years of Age, with the Exception of the Ten lat Chapters, which apply to Perfons of more advanced Years. Translated from the French of Madame de Genlis. 8vo. 3s. 6d. Longman

and Rees. 1800.

This author's name has been fufficiently celebrated by volumes of tales, dramas, romances, letters, &c. not to require any preliminary ob

fervations