beggarly account of empty boxes." And yet, Sir, you will remark that this diminution from little nefs (which ferves only to prove the infinite divifibility of matter) was not for want of the tender and officious care (as we fee) of furveyors general, and furveyors particular; of auditors and deputy-auditors; not for want of memorials, and remonftrances, and reports, and commiffions, and conftitutions, and inquifitions, and penfions.

"Probert, thus armed, and accoutred,-and paid, proceeded on his adventure ;-but he was no fooner arrived on the confines of Wales, than all Wales was in arms to meet him. That nation is brave, and full of fpirit. Since the invafion of king Edward, and the maffacre of the bards, there never was fuch a tumult, and alarm, aud uproar, through the region of Prestatyn. Snowden fhook to its bafe; Cader Edris was loofened from its foundations. The fury of litigious war blew her horn on the mountains. The rocks poured down their goatherds, and the deep caverns vomited out their miners. Every thing above ground, and every thing under ground, was in arms.

"In fhort, Sir, to alight from my Welsh Pegasus, and to come to level ground; the Preux Chevalier Probert went to look for revenue, like his mafters upon other occafions; and like his masters, he found rebellion. But we were grown cautious by experience. A civil war of paper might end in a more ferious war; for now remonftrance met remonftrance, and memorial was opposed to memorial. In truth, Sir, the attempt was no lefs an affront upon the understanding of that refpectable people, than it was an attack on their property. The wife Britons thought it more reasonable, that the poor, wafted, decrepit revenue of the principality, should die a natural than a violent death. They chose that their ancient mofss-grown cafties, fhould moulder into decay, under the filent touches of time, and the flow formality of an oblivious and drowfy exchequer, than that they fhould be battered down all at once, by the lively efforts of a penfioned engineer. As it is the fortune of the noble lord to whom the aufpices of this campaign belonged, frequently to provoke refiftance, so it is his rule and his nature to yield to that refiftance in all cafes whatsoever, He was true to himself on this occafion. He fubmitted with spirit to the fpirited remonftrances of the Welth. Mr. Probert gave up his adventure, and keeps his penfion-and fo ends "the famous hiftory of the revenue adventures of the bold Baron North, and the good Knight Probert, upon the mountains of Venodotia."

"In fuch a ftate is the exchequer of Wales at prefent, that upon the report of the treasury itself, its little revenue is greatly diminished; and we fee by the whole of this ftrange tranfaction, that an attempt to improve it, produces refiftance; the refiftance produces fubmiffion; and the whole ends in penfion.

[To be concluded in our next.]

Rhyme

Rhyme and Reafon or, a fresh Stating of the Arguments against an opening through the Wall of Queen's-Square, Westminfter. By a Knight. With the original Arguments at the Bottom of the Page, for the Information of the Inquifitive. Addreffed to the Juftices and Gentry at large, within the City and Liberties of Westminster, and County of Middlefex; and alfo to the Governors of Chrift's-Hofpital, London. 4to. Faulder.

There cannot be a ftronger fympton of a restless and malevolent difpofition, than an avowed and indifcriminate attack upon others for a difference of opinion; where any matter in queftion concerns a common convenience, of which one has as good a right to judge as another. It therefore might reasonably be expected that a perfon hardy and conceited enough to print and difperfe, among his neighbours, a paper fraught with fuch rude and illiberal expreffions, as the original, here faid to be republifhed, appears to be, would not be fuffered to go long unnoticed.

This retort, it must be confeffed, carries with it, a pleafantry and good-humour, that plainly fhew, the author of it, has not been provoked to lofe his temper; for instead of combatting the original with arguments of its own complexion, four and ill-natured, by which a neighbourhood, might have been fet together by the ears, he has treated it with a fpecies of ridicule, which ferves as it were to fnatch the firebrand of the original out of its author's hands, and to throw it into the air, by expofing its futility in the ludicrous manner here attempted; and in which he has fucceeded as well as the nature of the fubject would, admic: '

As a fpecimen of our author's turn for raillery, we shall make a fhort extract from the poetry, together with that part of the original to which it refers:

"Queen-Square and Park-Street, Westminster, from the time of their being originally built, which was about the year 1704, were feparated by a wall, two bricks and a half thick, and thirty feet high. The houses in the former of these places were at first inhabited by perfons of high rank and quality, and even of late years have been occupied by dignitaries in the church, general officers, and others whofe circumftances in life led them to feek for fecurity and repofe. Those in Park-Street were an inferior kind of dwellings, but having lately been pulled down, the enterprizing and liberal fpirit of the proprietor of the ground whereon they flood, has difplayed itself in the erection of thirteen fpaci

ous

ous houses, of which there are seven that, for their convenient and elegant conftruction, and other circumstances arifing from their fituation, and the prospect which they command, are fcarcely to be equalled by any dwelling houfes in Europe.

"Upon the completing thefe houfes the old wall, at the request of the owner of them, and with the confent of the inhabitants of Queen-Square, was taken down and by him rebuilt to the height of five feet; and iron rails five feet high were set thereon, which accommodated the new building with air and fun, without abating the fecurity of either neighbourhood.

"In a fituation like this, remote from the noife, tumult, and hurry of trade and business, the inhabitants have long been happy in the poffeffion and enjoyment of that quiet, and that safety from nocturnal depredations, which they, and fome of them at a very dear rate, have purchased; but the fatisfaction thence arifing, has of late been greatly disturbed, by the infinuations and fuggeftions of a few perfons, that this neighbourhood will be much benefited by an intercommunity between the inhabitants of the above places; and that numberlefs advantages must refult from the levelling that partition between the one and the other of them, which, in point of fecurity and quiet, has long been deemed an inestimable benefit to both.

"In the year when our forces feiz'd hold of Gibraltar,
Was built a great wall, which 'twas wicked to alter;
Full thirty feet high was this rampart egregious,

Two bricks and an half were it's thicknefs-Prodigious!
It was built to diffever (important affair)

The Blacks of Park-ftreet, from the Beaux of Queen-fquare.
In fhort it was built for the use it supplied,

Which wit, lefs than mine, wou'd have never defcry'd,
And should therefore have stood, as found logic will fhew,
Tho' the cause of it's buildings has ceas'd long ago;
But a wonderful Builder, whofe name fhall be nameless,
Has remov'd this vile neighbourhood, fhabby and fhameless,
Has built dwelling houfes furpaffing Versailles,
And changed the old wall for fome fmart iron rails.
Which change, to my wonder and utter amazement,
Lets in fun and air like a door or a cafement.
But mark his contrivance; his rails have no door,

So the place is as ftrong as it had been before.
Thrice wonderful Builder! whofe art cou'd contrive,
With air and with fun-fhine, to make us alive;
And yet without magic or art fupernatural,

Keep paffengers out your choice pavements that fpatter all,
And carriages too in your ears that wou'd clatter all.
Thus once did I fee, on the shore lying wet,
A wonderful thing, Fishers call it a Net,
Being only an angler, I cou'd not divine
How to fish with a thing fo unlike to a line;

}

So,

So, thirty for knowledge, I afk'd the poor fouls
Why their nets were constructed fo brimful of holes.
The Fishermen anfwered me- Can you guess what?
What I ne'er hear'd before, and yet ne'er have forgot,
"That the water might pafs, but the fishes might not.'
My boy, ftanding by me, his pen and ink took,
And wrote down the anfwer, to pop, in my book.

Poems on various Subjects. By Eliza Reeves. Dedicated (by permiffion) to the Duke of Manchester, 10s. 6d. 4to. Dilly.

In this lady's poems we find the characteristical marks of the female pen-a softness of sentiments and expreffion, a tolerable melody of numbers, and an aptitude in the rhymes. So far fhe deferves our commendation. But for novelty of fentiment, or flight of idea, we perceive nothing that we can, with propriety felect for our reader's entertainment. Indeed the following has fome plea for novelty as well as propriety; we therefore transcribe it.

"On Wit and Wisdom.

"As the fair rose exceeds its prickly fhell,
So Wisdom's flow'rs the briars of Wit excel.
Learn then betimes her facred laws to prize,
And rightly judge of witty men and wife."

The following poems addressed to Altamont, from the ardour of its wishes we fhould fuppofe him deferving the favourable fentiments which flow from her enthufiaftic muse. We indeed think such enthusiasm should be more chastised than to be fuffered to dictate what borders almoft on indecency. We mean the couplet printed in Italics.

"To Altamont on his Birth Day.

"Hail to the morn which fill'd the parent breast
With joy compleat, and gave thee to the light;
In all the charms of infant beauty dreft,
To fill a noble lineage with delight.

In guiltless joys thy fpring of life was past,
Nor clouds of ill o'er-caft thy playful eye;
Joys pure as thofe, may riper reafon tafte,
And all your days on wings of pleasure fly.
By Virtue rul'd, may'st thou be ever blest
With ev'ry joy indulgent heav'n can give;

May

May ev'ry forrow fly from thy lov'd breast,

Nor leave one pang that friendship can't relieve.
To point out Vice where e'er the fpeeds her way,
Virtue a talk to all her fons has giv❜n:
But pow'rs immortal fhould the Mufe difplay,
Who means to paint the nobleft work of heav'n.
Soar high, ye Nine, pierce yonder lucid fphere!
And from his native skies your numbers bring;
Tune all your golden harps with facred care,
And teach my grateful Mufe his worth to fing.

If to be gen'rous as the Sun's wide

ray
With care to nourish Honour's facred flame;
If with fome friendly deed to mark each day,
If to be great. you claim immortal fame!
If to fupprefs the widow's rifing figh,

And with thy Orphan friend to drop a tear;
If facts like thefe, to heav'ns tribunal fly,
To God and man thou wilt be ever dear.
Thy gen'rous bofom feels another's woes,
And pity reigns majestic on thy cheek;
And when thy foul with foft compaffion glows,
Thine eyes expreffive of its dictates speak.
Call not this flatt'ry, the earth-born dame
Dares not the paths of love and friendship tread;
From heav'n the facred, Sifter-bleffings came,
At who's approach each fordid inmate fled.
While round thy brow unnumbered graces move,
Each look, each act, thy faultless mind displays;
Thy life's whole tenor all thy virtue's prove,

Ánd call forth wonder, love, esteem, and praise.
Then let my raptur'd foul confefs thy pow'r,
And paint the force of all thy matchless worth ;
Thy mental charms has made my foul adore,
And gave my gratitude and friendship birth.
Guard then thy facred charge with watchful care,
And give thy foul untainted to its heav'n :
Ah! let not vice, by treach'rous arts impair
Thofe bleffings which thy fmiling fate has giv'n.
May chafte defires your youthful bofom warm
Nor lawless wishes warp your guiltless foul;
May Virtue, with her train of beauties charm,
And each fucceffive year on bleffings roll.
Unbid by Avrice, may fome gentle heart,
Pour all its love and duty on thy breaft,
Where you delighted may each joy impart,
Or thy full bofom figh itself to reft.

Swift from thy fide may pain for ever fly,

And on thy cheek the rofe its bloom renew;

May