fragments of six orations of Cicero, and of eight speeches of Symmachus, -ninety-six Latin epistles to and from Fronto, with two books" de Orationibus," several fragments, and seven epistles written in Greek,-fragments of Plautus, and some commentaries on Terence, the complete oration of Isæus, de hereditate Cleonymi, of which before we possessed about one-third, -an oration of Themistius,-and lastly, an epitome of part of the Antiquitates Romanæ of Dionysius Halicarnessensis, extending from the year of the city 315 to the year 685, which is valuable, inasmuch as this portion of the original work is not known to exist. We may judge of the labour which M. Mai has undergone in his researches, when we are told that all these relics (with the exception of the oration of Isæus) were elicited from what are called palimpsesti, or rescripti, that is, ancient MSS., which, from motives of economy, had been partly effaced, and then used by the Monks, in the middle ages, on which to transcribe the works of a very different description of writers. His discoveries, the Reviewers add, 66 are curious and interesting to the classical antiquary, but they are not of that importance which the learned editor attaches to them; nor do they satisfy the expectations which the first intelligence of them had excited in our minds."-M. Mai is preparing for publication, a facsimile of a very ancient MS., containing about 800 lines of the Iliad, with paintings illustrative of the descriptions of the poem. On one side of the leaf of, this MS., which is of parchment, are the paintings, on the reverse the poetry; but this reverse had been covered with silk paper, on which are written some scholia, and the arguments of some books of the Iliad. M. Mai separated the paper from the parchment; which last he thinks, was written on at least 1400 years ago.

3. Narrative of a residence in Ireland, during the summer of 1814, and that of 1815. By ANNE PLUMPTRE,A work which the Reviewers, apparently forgetful of the nec deus intersit, &c. of a very competent judge in matters of criticism, have thought it worth their while to hold up to scorn and ridicule.

4. Travels in Brazil. By HENRY KOSTER. This is a condensed, though sometimes sufficiently minute, account

of what the book contains. The Reviewers tell us what course the traveller took, what he saw and did, and some of the incidental observations which he made on the appearance of the country, and on the condition of the various races of its population. The most interesting features in the state of society seem to be, the ignorance and superstition of all classesthe feeble administration of the lawsand that hospitality to strangers, which is one of the characteristics of a thinly peopled agricultural country, abounding in the necessaries of life, and uncontaminated by the selfishness and luxuries of the higher classes of civilization and refinement. The inhabitants of the provinces are said to be greatly superior, in their moral character and in their habits, to their Spanish neighbours. Slavery, it would appear, assumes a mild form in Brazil; though the inhumanity with which the Portuguese carry on the slavetrade is well known to have imprinted an indelible stain on the national character. Praise is liberally bestowed on the Jesuits for their efforts in behalf of the Indians, who are said to have now, in many places, relapsed into barbarism.-That which is parti cularly interesting to this country, especially since recent events have promised to effect a very important change in the American possessions of Portugal as well as of Spain, is the growing demand for British manufactures, and the freedom of intercourse which_an enlightened policy may be expected to ensure. Both the author and the Reviewers assures us of this increasing demand for our commodities, several years before the present revolutionary movements began in Portuguese America; and there is sufficient evidence in the account which Koster has given us of his progress through the provinces, for a course of upwards of 1000 miles, that this demand must, for a long period, be limited only by the means which the people have of purchasing. All that refines and embellishes life is wanted in Brazil; but the want will be generally felt, and the means of supplying it extensively diffused, by a liberal and independent government, in a country, the natural resources of which are incalculable.-The Reviewer gives us very little information about Koster himself, except that he resided several

years in the country; and they have displayed a singular degree of forbearance, in abstaining from all those spe culations to which the scenes before them were so well calculated to lead,from all retrospect and anticipation, and, what was less to be expected perhaps from any thing like discussion, either religious or political. For those general readers who have not access to the book itself, this article cannot fail to be a convenient substitute.

5. The Veils, or the triumph of Constancy. A Poem, in Six Books. By MISS PORDEN.-The Reviewers speak very highly of the author's powers of versification, but express their disapprobation of the manner in which she has chosen to exercise them, The poem is intended to display the "different energies of nature, exerted in producing the various changes which take place in the physical world, but personified and changed into the spirits of the Rosicrucian doctrine. A system which, as she observes, was introduced into poetry by Pope, and since used by Darwin in the Botanic Garden." The greater part of the critique is occupied with just animadversions on Darwin's personifications, so different from the tiny playful beings with whom we are so delighted in the " Rape of the

Lock."

6. Laou-sing-urh, or An heir in his Old Age," a Chinese Drama. Translated from the Original Chinese by J. F. DAVIS, Esq. of Canton.-This drama was written nearly 800 years ago, yet it is considered to be a true picture of Chinese manners and Chinese feelings at the present time. The Reviewers, though very moderate in their estimate of Chinese literature, are well pleased with this performance, of which, and of the theatrical exhibitions of China, this article contains a curious and amusing account. A poem called "London," written by a common Chinese, has been also translated by Mr Davis; and the specimen of it which the Reviewers furnish might have made a very respectable appear, ance among the least extravagant effusions of Gulliver. Nearly half the article is occupied, somewhat incongruously we conceive, with particulars regarding Lord Amherst's embassy, in which, however, we do not find any thing of importance that has not alady appeared in the newspapers. It

has failed indeed, and yet in one sense it has not failed; for the refusal of our ambassador to submit to the degrading ceremonies of Chinese etiquette must give the celestial emperor a very high opinion of the English nation: a most comfortable illustration of the well-known fable of the fox and the grapes.

7. Fragments on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening, &c. By H. REPTON, Esq.-The writer of this article must be deeply skilled in gardens-Italian, French, Spanish, Dutch, German, and Chinese and other Asiatic gardens, as well as with the ancient and modern style of landscape gardening in England; and also with all the writers on parterres and vistas, woods and lawns, and grottos, from the times of Virgil and Juvenal downwards. The book is said to be both interesting and entertaining.

8. Tales of my Landlord.-This and the elder branches of the same family, in spite of the uncouthness of the language of a great portion of them, even to Scotsmen, and the utter inability of the mere English reader to enter into the spirit of many of the most humorous and characteristic representations, immediately upon their appearance acquired, and continue to maintain, a degree of popularity to which probably no other works of the same class, and of the same dimensions, have ever attained. Yet in all these novels there are faults or defects, which every one perceives upon a general survey of their texture, and every one forgets in their perusal. It is one main object of the present article to explain the causes of this popularity, which many of their admirers are at some loss to account for; to shew that the imperfection of the stories, and the want of interest in the principal characters, are more than compensated by the extraordinary attraction which their mys terious author has been able to give to the narrative, by his accurate and animated descriptions, and the truth and fidelity of his portraits. It was never doubted, in this part of the Island, that human beings had actually sat for these portraits, though there has certainly been much difference of opinion about their originals; but it is truly mortifying to find a London Reviewer, even with the acknowledged assistance of his Scottish correspondents, coming forward to correct our

blunders, and dispel the obscurity, by presenting us with the prototypes of several of this author's principal characters. What if this singular person should have the further presumption to try his hand, as a rival, at such a work himself? But though he is fond enough of finding fault, he seems, upon the whole, rather favourably disposed towards this fascinating writer, and, towards the conclusion of the article, endeavours to vindicate "Old Mortality" from some objections, to which our profound veneration for the Sacred Writings, and our respect for the memory of our persecuted ancestors, must find it but too much exposed. We have some doubts of the critic's accuracy, when he tells us, or at least insinuates, that the "indulged" ministers and their adherents formed by far the most numerous body of the Presbyterians of the period to which that tale refers; and we are not quite convinced that the present church of Scotland can, with any degree of propriety, be called the legitimate representative of the indulged clergy of the days of Charles II. But these inaccuracies (if they are so) may be easily excused in a writer belonging to the English church, as this Reviewer, from his residence in the south, most probably is, and of course but imperfectly acquainted with those parts of our church history, to which it did not perhaps fall within the province of his Scottish correspondents to direct his attention. This article is, after all, very curious, shrewd, and entertaining; and from its concluding paragraph, about the "transatlantic confessions," and the mistake of Claverhouse's men in taking the one brother for the other, we cannot help suspecting that the "gifted seers,' whom our mighty minstrel so well commemorates, are not exclusively confined to the north side of the Tweed, and that Johnson might have found the second sight nearer home than the Hebrides.

9. Santini's Appeal,-Montholon's Letter to Sir Hudson Lowe,-Barnes' Tour through St Helena,-and Manuscrit venu de St Hélene. The principal contents of this article are, a severe censure of the treaty of Fontainbleau, by which Buonaparte was sent to Elba,- -an examination of Montholon's letter, with notices of Lord Bathurst's speech on Lord Hol

land's late motion,some strictures on Santini's appeal,-and a few remarks on the Manuscrit, which, as is now very generally believed, is pronounced to be obviously a fabrication. The Reviewers are of opinion, that the public execution of Buonaparte, when he fell into the power of his conquerors after the battle of Waterloo, would have been a great and useful act of justice; but, that better and juster course being rejected, they strongly recommend that his allowance should be diminished,-£4000 a-year they seem to think sufficient, and that further restrictions should be imposed, with a view to the more safe custody of his person.

After

10. Report of the Secret Committee: On the Present State of Public Affairs : and A Proposal for putting Reform to the Vote throughout the Kingdom; by the Hermit of Marlow.-The object of this article is to trace the Rise and Progress of popular disaffection. a very appropriate introduction, the writer fixes upon the reign of Henry VIII. as the period "when religious disputes divided the nation, and produc ed a long train of consequences, which are acting at this hour, and the end of which no human foresight can discern." He then proceeds to give a general view of the various parties, religious and political, down to the present time,descending to greater minuteness from the accession of his present majesty,

and concludes with poignant animadversions on several of our present political writers.-The main source of popular disaffection must be sought in religious toleration (if we rightly understand the tendency of the rea soning), of which so many different bodies of dissenters have availed themselves to separate from the Church of England; for certain it is," says the reviewer, "that monarchy and episcopacy, the throne and the altar, are much more nearly connected than writers of bad faith, or little reflection, have sought to persuade mankind." This article may be considered no slight auxiliary to the well known letter of Lord Sidmouth, so unjustly censured by those whose motives this profound writer has developed in a very masterly style. We are indebted, as he well observes, to the English Bishops for the revolution in 1688, and for all the blessings which we now enjoy.

THE EDINBURGH REVIEW, No 55.

1. Minutes of the Evidence taken before the Committee appointed by the House of Commons to inquire into the State of Mendicity and Vagrancy in the Metropolis and its neighbourhood, -This is an essay on the "Causes and Cure of Pauperism." The boldness, originality, and independence of sentiment, for which this celebrated journal has been always remarkable,-to say nothing of the acknowledged talent, good taste, and profound speculation, by which it has been so peculiarly distinguished,-induced us to enter upon the perusal of this article with very sanguine hopes of finding that which is at present of such incalculable interest-a clear exposition of the causes of the rapid increase of pauperism, with some definite, enlightened, and practicable proposal for checking, at least, if not for eradicating, this most alarming evil. In these hopes we have been most grievously disappointed. The writer proposes to make our southern neighbours acquainted with the benefits of the original parochial system of Scotland, deeply deplores the introduction of legal assess ments for the poor in a few counties, and points out the measures by which he thinks these hitherto very moderate contributions may be withdrawn, and the purposes to which, in that event, they may be advantageously applied. Now this "original parochial system," this "material mechanism of our parishes," and so on, may be described in one word, as being no system at all,-nothing more than a practice, now by no means universal, of making a collection before divine service at the church doors, or within the church itself before the dismissal of the congregation, out of which the minister and elders of a parish distribute small sums occasionally among the poor, according to their own discretion. As similar collections are made in the meeting-houses of the numerous bodies of dissenters which are to be found in every part of Scotland, of which a large portion is avowedly applied to other purposes than the relief of the poor, this practice can hardly, with any propriety, be called a parochial system. Even in the churches of the establishment, it is usual to adopt this mode of raising funds for

several other pious and charitable purposes, besides the relief of the parochial poor. The practice is indeed of long standing; but even in those parishes where there are no legal assess→ ments, the amount of these voluntary contributions is, from causes which it is unnecessary to inquire into in this place, gradually diminishing. That our southern neighours may have some idea of this mysterious" system," of which they have lately heard so much, we must beg leave to tell them, that for several years that we resided in the immediate vicinity of three country parish churches, this collection did not amount, on an average, in each of them, to the sum of sixpence sterling weekly; and what became of this trifle we never heard, nor thought it worth while to inquire. -As to the legal assessments, in so far as they have been deemed expedient, chiefly owing to the non-residence of the principal proprietors, there is little danger that they can ever either become considerable in amount, at least in country parishes, or be bestowed on improper objects. These are the points most interesting to our brethren in the south, though the Reviewer says not a word of either. In the comparatively few parishes where a poorrate is imposed, the heritors of the parish, or their agents, along with the minister, hold regular meetings, at which the assessment is imposed equally on themselves and their tenants, according to the real or valued rent of each farm, after a careful examination of the cases of the applicants for relief, who are required to attend the meeting, and except in case of sickness or infirmity, usually do attend and answer the questions which the minister or other members of the meeting are in the practice of proposing to them. The money is collected by their clerk, who is commonly scholmaster of the parish; the allowance to each pauper, as fixed by the heritors, paid by him; and his accounts audited at their next meeting. How different all this is from the practice of England, none of our readers need be told; but it is material to remark, that as those who impose the assessment pay a moiety of it themselves, and have thus an evident interest in limiting its amount, the rates levied for the poor eve. in the parishes of Berwickshire nearest to the conta

1

mination of the English system, and where assessinents have been established for many years, do not, in ordinary seasons, amount to fourpence in the pound of rent.-Another striking and most important difference between the English and Scottish poor laws, as now administered, is, that no relief is given in Scotland to those who are able to work; and the absence of the cruel and most injudicious laws of set tlement established in England, leaves every one at perfect liberty to carry his labour to the best market.-We have no room to offer any remarks on the measures proposed here for putting an end to pauperism; but the substance of them is, the multiplication of parishes with schools and churches, and a more intimate intercourse between the minister and his parishioners.-It has now become the fashion, because the poor laws of England are actually a disgrace, as well as an intolerable burden, to the nation, to cry out against all legal provision for the relief of even the most helpless and desperate cases. In this part of the Island, too far north as we are to write very learnedly on the subject, we have been forward enough to join in this clamour, and to supply the want of local knowledge and dear-bought experience, by what we call general views, and of close and perspicuous argument by elaborate declamation.

2. Lettres écrites d'Italie en 1812 et 1813, à Mr Charles Pictet, l'un des Rédacteurs de la Bibliothéque Britannique. Par FREDERIC SULLIN de Chateauvieux.-The object of this book is to explain the rural economy of Italy; and the title of the article is, "Agriculture and Statistics of Italy." The most interesting part of the critique, perhaps, is the account of Maremma, which forms the third division of the Italian territory. This singular tract extends along the shore of the Mediterranean, from Leghorn to Terracina, and reaches inland as far as the first chain of the Appennines. Its length is 192 geographical miles; and in the Agro Romana, where it is greatest, the breadth is between 30 and 40 of these miles. It is unfortunately distinguished by the character of Mal' Aria, an unhealthy constitu*tion of the atmosphere, or of the soil, during the summer season; and is inhabited only during the winter, and chiefly by a race of wandering shepVOL. I.

herds, who rear great numbers of sheep, horses, cows, and goats. The cause of the insalubrity of this country is a mystery into which science has not yet been able to penetrate." It seems undeniable," says the Reviewer, "that whatever be the cause of this evil, its effects have increased, and are increasing, at this moment.' Rome itself suffers under the increased action of the Mal' Aria; and the extraordinary diminution of its inhabitants within twenty-one years, from 1791 to 1813, from 166,000 to 100,000, is partly ascribed to this cause.

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3. Speech of the Right Honourable George Canning in the House of Commons, on Wednesday, January 29th, 1817, on the Motion for an Address to his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, on his most gracious Speech from the Throne.-The title of this article is,

History of the Alarms." The object of the Reviewer is to shew, that there was no good cause for the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act, and that it had not been suspended in times more alarming than the present.

4. Aus Meinem Leben. VON GOETHE. This is a continuation of Goethe's Memoirs, containing recollections of his travels in Italy. This volume, the Reviewer says, will be judged by most readers to be almost as doting as the preceding ones, without being equally entertaining; but, however that may be, the article itself is entertaining in no ordinary degree. Goethe and his adventures are the subject of much good-humoured ridicule.

5. Interesting Facts relating to the Fall and Death of Joachim Murat, King of Naples, &c. By FRANCIS MACIRONE.-The "Foreign Policy of England" stands at the top of the pages of this Critique; but the Reviewers confine their attention to the affairs of Italy. The Congress of Vienna, and particularly the representatives of this country at that memorable assembly, are freely censured at the outset; and the transactions regarding Genoa and Ragusa, in 1813 and 1814, brought in proof of the misconduct of our government. The Reviewers cannot too much recommend this book to the reader's attention, whether he look for entertainment, or for information with respect to the views and conduct of the legitimates. An account is then given of the abominable treatment which Macirone had experienced from the 3 Q