Oldalképek
PDF
ePub

by our efforts to evade. We have been long since told by respectable naval authorities, that Cronstadt might have been taken or destroyed by a well conducted attack: and there can be no doubt, but that if a vigorous system had been adopted and adhered to, the weak and heartless man whose very personal character seemed changed by the conferences at Tilsit, and by his dread of Napoleon, would have treated us with equal respect, when compelled to regard us with equal fear. Instead, however, of acting on this decisive plan, and especially instead of sealing up every Russian port, and retorting upon our enemy the privations which his non-importation edicts were designed to inflict upon us; our administration completely played into his hands, gave him every facility for exporting his superfluous produce, and by an indiscriminate and unlimited issue of licences, enriched the continental merchants with English bullion, filled the enemy's ports with sequestered ships, and confiscated produce, and glutted our own warehouses with Baltic merchandise.

It does not very clearly appear by what motives ministers could have been actuated in their adoption of this strange scheme. If revenue were their object, the present writer shews that it could not but fail on a just calculation.

As to the deriving of revenue from Baltic importations, it may be fairly admitted that the amount of the duties arising from them has certainly been considerable. With reference, however, to the magnitude and extent of this branch of our commerce, the revenue which it has produced, forms but a small per centage on the whole amount, as many of these articles subject only to very moderate duties, and others upon which larger duties are imposed, are in great part consumed by the government itself.'

He is, we think equally successful in pointing out the injurious effects of the licence system upon the course of the foreign exchanges, in enhancing the price of bullion, and in its operation upon the prosperity of the Empire.

Art. XIII. A Sketch of the life of Thomas Prior, and a Series of letters written by him, principally addressed to his relatives on the importance of religion. Compiled by I.R. Prior brother of the deceased 12mo. pp. 159. Gale and Curtis. 1811.

ALTHOUGH the subject of this memoir moved in a humble sphere

of life, yet the book itself cannot fail to interest pious readers. It contains a simple, natural, and apparently faithful account of a young man, who, notwithstanding the care and solicitude of religious parents, broke through all the restraints of conscience in the pursuit of pleasure, but who after several relapses, was effectually brought home to the shepherd and bishop of souls, and died at the age of twenty-seven full of hope and peace. The letters, fifty-four in number, and cupying almost the whole of the volume, were written during the last six years of his life; and are chiefly remarkable for a spirit of simple and ardent piety.

[ocr errors]

L

Art. XIV. Patriarchal Times, or the Land of Canaan; a figurate History, in seven books, comprising interesting events, incidents, and characters, founded on the Holy Scriptures. By Miss O'Keeffe. 2 vols. 12mo. price 10s. 6d. Gale and Curtis. London. WE cannot say that we very highly approve the degradation of the Holy Scriptures into the materials of an every day novel. There is a simplicity in the plain and antique histories of the sacred records which cannot but be injured by addition; and a sacredness of truth in their narration which rejects the unhallowed intrusion of foreign ornament. We would object particularly to the intrusion of such ill calculated works into any system of education. The Scriptures, and nothing but the Scriptures; they contain enough of interest to charm the opening mind; and the brief and impressive narrative takes a stronger and more permanent hold upon the memory, than if it were encumbered with decoration, or protracted by minute detail.

With these exceptions, we are not disposed to say any thing in dispraise of these volumes. They contain seven fignrate, as they are quaintly called, histories, founded upon incidents in the lives of Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Esau, Joseph, and Benjamin; and without which any remarkable departure from the original records, are wrought up with considerable discrimination of character, and with occasional felicity of description. At the same time we cannot forbear suggesting to the fair author, (if, as it should appear she be a lady, and young, the expediency, of giving her mind a more decided bias to better pursuits, and of aiming at the production of more useful and lasting compositions.

f

Art. XV. Glenochel, a descriptive Poem. In two volumes. By James Kennedy. 12mo. pp. 308, 408. Price 138. Vernor and Co. 1810.

IF

F we could for a moment, conceive it possible that any one could be weak enough to try a hoax upon the public at his own serious expence, we should strongly suspect Mr. Kennedy of meaning to laugh at his readers. As it is, however, we are compelled to give him credit for having, in sober sadness, and full confidence of the validity of his poetical diploma, obtruded on the world two volumes of as bald and uninteresting versification, attended by as dull a train of notes, as we almost ever remember to have perused.

The 6 poem' itself, consists of more than a thousand four line stanzas ; a mode of composition most admirably calculated to weary the reader, when extended to any considerable length, by the unvarying recurrence of the same forms and cadences. In the whole of this formidable collection, we have scarcely been able to detect a single verse of genuine poetry; though it would be unjust to Mr. Kennedy not to state, that he has enriched our language with many original combinations and forms of speech. Of his skill in alliteration some judgement may be formed from the following specimens.

Now flits the night-bird, on the wing,
With many a wailful warning sound;
And wild, and waste, and wanton spring
The weed, the windle all around.

Kelry, kenless, plies his clacking kern.
Horrent hurls of watery war.

Frisky fairy featful plays,

Fulgulary flure'-for the flash of gunpowder.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

He frequently displays his powers of invention in words of such exquisite coinage as inumbrating,' 'rillets,' 'wreakful,' rorations,' pangful,' meral,' conchal,' armitremendous,' matinizing,' &c. But in compound epithets he is quite unrivalled. We are charmed with them in every page; and that our readers may partake of our delight, we present them with the following selection, referring them to the poem itself for an inexhaustible store. Rock-hugg'd, crag-incurtained,' throe-rackt,' shade-oblationed,' clover-odoured,' spright-begetting.'

6

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

It is scarcely credible that one who has quoted, with applause, the simple and beautiful strains of Bruce of Lochleven, could mistake this inflated phraseology for either poetry or sense.

Art. XVI. A Letter to Henry Brougham, Esq. M. P. on the subject of Reform in the Representation of the People in Parliament. By William Roscoe, Esq. pp. 16. Printed by Smith, Liverpool. 1811.

MR. ROSCOE's prescription for the diseases of the body politic is

the general sufferage of householders, and the exclusion of placemen and pensioners from the House of Commons. He has the modesty to call this untried experiment, how much more influence the governed ought to have over the governing, a reform,—a restoration of the balance, and to represent all who deem it hazardous, as the patrons of corruption. A real restoration, or rather better adjustment of the balance, is quite a different thing from making the monarchy and aristocracy kick the beam.

Art. XVII. A Letter to Dr. Jones, on the Composition of the Eau Medicinale d'Husson. By James Moore, Member of the Royal College of Surgeons, Director of the National Vaccine Establishment, &c. 8vo. pp. 46. Johnson. 1811.

IN this neat and interesting pamphlet, Mr. Moore (brother of the late lamented general) gives an account of the progress of reasoning and experiment by which, as he conceives, he discovered the composition of the celebrated French remedy for the gout. He supposes it to consist of 3 parts of the Wine Infusion of White Hellebore and 1 part of Liquid Laudanum ; and his evidence for this conclusion appears much too complete and satisfactory, to be resisted by the pretence of M. d'Husson, that the medicine is a mere "wine-infusión of a single plant. There seems reason to believe that the idea of using Hellebore was suggested by a passage in Pliny. We sincerely hope that experience may confirm Mr. M.'s opinion, and that the use of this powerful remedy, under the direction of scientific physicians, may greatly contribute to the relief of the diseased, without hazard to their constitutions.

Art. XVIII. The voice of God to the Churches. A sermon on the death of the Reverend George Cran, Augustus Desgranges, and Jon. Brain. Missionaries in India from the Mis. Soc. Preached at Gosport, March 17, 1811. By David Bogue. 8vo. pp. 35. Price Is. Williams, Baynes, &c. 1811.

A Sermon which contains three biographical memoirs, especially when the subjects of them were pious and able missionaries, must necessarily be very interesting to the Christian reader. It is not merely calculated, however, to gratify the pensive and inquiring solicitude of pious minds, but to inculcate a variety of judicious and important lessons. As we despair of giving a satisfactory abstract, either of the biographical or didactic portions of the discourse, within reasonable limits, and are unwilling to omit the present opportunity of announcing it, we must content ourselves with a hasty but cordial recommendation of it to all who feel for the salvation of the heathen.

Art. XIX. Effect of the Continental Blockade upon the Commerce, Finances, Credit, and Prosperity of the British Islands. By Sir Francis d'Ivernois. London. 1310.

SIR Francis d'Ivernois is the unfortunate author of various pamphlets which have had for their object to prove the incurable ruin of France, from the undeniable ruin of her finances. Unintimidated by the failure of former predictions, he now comes forward to prove that the resources of England are uninjured, and her vital strength unimpaired, by all the measures which Napoleon has taken for the destruction of her commerce. We confess that our fears of the success of our enemy in this his favourite plan, are not in the least abated by the statements and reasonings of Sir Francis. Indeed it rather increases our dismay that a gentleman whose auguries have been constantly and most uncourteously contradicted by subseqnent events, should have again ascended his tripod-the prophet of success to us, of discomfiture to the enemy.

Art. XX. A Letter upon the mischievous influence of the Spanish Inquisition, as it actually exists in the Provinces under the Spanish Government. 8vo. pp. 31. Price 1s. 6d. Johnson and Co. 18M. THE object of this letter, originally written in Spanish, and published in

El Espanol, (a monthly Spanish Journal, printed in London) is to shew that the Inquisition, even though deprived, in a great measure, of its judicial terrors, still exerts a most hateful and pernicious influence over the minds of the Spanish people. The writer asserts, that its laws, forms, and principles, remain unchanged; and that they are only prevented from bursting into action, by an improvement in the state of society: and he adduces in proof the story of a female devotee burnt, within his recollection, at Seville. The principal injury, however, which, in his apprehension, results from this institution, is the restraint which it imposes on mental freedom, by prohibiting its excursions into some of the most interesting and

enobling subjects of inquiry; the expurgatory list, he says,' being an index of all the excellent books, that ever appeared in the republic of letters, including even, till very lately, the bible.' He then exposes the futility of the argument, that the Inquisition tends to counteract the prevalence of French revolutionary principles: and on the supposition that after all that can be urged, it will continue to exist for a time, he concludes, by proposing some regulations to limit the extent of its interference. The pamphlet is sensibly written, and apparently by a person whose oppo.tunities for observation have been considerable. A fair specimen of the reasoning, will be found in the following paragraph.

'I see you would urge my own words against me, and will tell me, that at any rate, the best prohibited books were to be found in Spain.-Yes, Sir; -but do you account as nothing, the great inconveniences attending this underhand study? the remorse and hesitation of the youth, who for the first time, opens a prohibited book? Either he must at once break through all the principles of religion, which support his moral ideas, or he must suppose that he has committed an enormous crime a crime which spiritually sepa rates him from his church. An Exconmunication! converts even his religious acts into crimes he cannot wipe it off without delivering up his books without accusing the friend through whom he procured them, and betraying the confidence which was placed in him. Oh! I do not speak by hearsay. I can remember the bitterness it occasioned me in my early youth; when full of ardour for learning, and combating between my religious timidity, and the feelings of an honest heart, between the call of reason and the precepts of a confessor, to whom I was taught to listen as to an organ of Heaven, I preferred what I firmly believed my condemnation to betraying my friend. He must know very little of morality, and be ignorant indeed of the heart of man, who doubts of the mischievous effects of a remorse for crimes which actually are not so, but which are made to consist in actions difficult to be avoided. They harden the heart and prepare it for real crimes. Can there then be any thing more barbarous than to oblige the studious youth of a nation to combat between immorality and ignorance?' pp. 20-21.

:

Art. XXI. Elements of Rhetoric, or the Principles of Oratory delineated in which all the branches of that noble art are considered, and illustrated by examples, of disposition, exordium, narration, proposition, confirmation, refutation, conclusion, tropes and figures, drawn from those sacred fountains of knowledge and wisdom, the Holy Scriptures. By John Luxton. A Layman of the Church of England. 8vo. pp. 100. Price 3s. 6d. Hatchard. 1811.

THIS is one of the numerous works, in which there is little to

commend but the good intention of the writer. To know how to name the tools of rhetoric, is no very important acquisition; nor is it of any great consequence to ascertain that they were unconsciously used by the sacred writers, long before they were named. The book, however, will not be wholly useless, to hose who are unacquainted with Cicero, Quintilian, Ward, Fenelon, Gibbons, and Blair.

« ElőzőTovább »