"But not to confine God's omniscience within narrower, nor afcribe to it wider bounds than we do to his omnipotence, which all fuppofe to be an ability to do whatever implies not a contradiction; let us dispatch the difficulty in a few words, by laying, that the fore-knowledge of Contingent effects, which proceed from a free principle of acting, does either imply a contradiction, or it does not. If it does imply a contradiction, then fuch effects are not the objects of God's omniscience, nor determined by it, nor rightly fuppofed to be determined at all. But if it does not imply a contradiction, then we actually confefs, that divine prefcience, and human free-will, are not inconfiftent, but that they may ftand together.

"The most decifive argument, however, again the fatalitts, is, the extravagant conclufions to which this gloomy and comfortlefs doctrine leads, and the horrible confequences which are attached to it. If man is a necessary agent, he cannot poffibly be an accountable being; for how prepofterous is the thought, how inconAtent would it be with every principle of justice, to punish any being whatever, or in any degree, for what he could not have avoided? In a theological view, therefore, this doctrine appears to conduct directly to atheiẩm; for we cannot conceive of the Deity in fuch a manner as to fuppofe him wantonly cruel or unjuft. To fay that future punishments are not to be (as the orthodox party conceive) eternal in their duration, does not remove the difficulty; to punith at all for involuntary offences, is cruelty and injuftice. The fyftem of free agency, on the citrary, is confiftent with all the attributes of God, and is highly confolatory and inftru&tive to man. This fyftem refts upon the cleareft bafis of justice. Man is created free; he has good and evil placed before him, with the strongeft and mott conciliating motives in the Chriftian difpenfation to pursue the one, and to avoid

the other. If he perverfely takes the wrong courte, and proves incorrigibly wicked, every principle of reafon and equity fanctions the juftice of his punifhment. Into the nature of that punishment, it is not my present busineis to enquire. It will doubtleis be fuch as to fatisfy infinite justice, yet tempered by the fweet and falutary exercife of infinite mercy.

"If the divine laws are thus outraged by the preposterous hypothesis of a fatal neceflity, human laws, I fear, will not ftand upon a much firmer foundation.. To punish any criminal for an error which he could not avoid, is certainly not only cruel, but wicked in the extreme; and yet fuch must be the cafe, if the doctrine of the fatalifts is true *.

"On the whole, it is the part of true philofophy to avoid equally the dangerous extremes of an arrogant dogmatifm, which profeffes, like the ignorant opponents of Socrates, to know every thing, and of that perplexing fcepticifm which would deprive the human understanding of capacity and intelligence. As finite beings, many facts are neceffarily placed beyond the reach of our refearches. They are neither fuited to our faculties, nor our fituation in this life; and where we have no basis of fact on which to reafon, error will generally be the confequence of our indulging in vifionary fpeculations.

"To confele us for this deficiency, we may still remark, with fatisfaction and gratitude, that if much is concealed, much alfo is known. There is an immenfe fund of practical knowledge per fectly within the grafp of our faculties. Thereisfcarcely any human fcience, which, to know it well, is not fufficient to employ the most protracted existence of man. It will be more confiftent with happiness, as well as with modelty, to acquaint ourfelves with thefe, before we launch into the unfathomable abyfs of metaphyfical fpeculation; nor, indeed, can any thing be more difgufting, than to hear a loqua

cicus

"re

cious difputant, who is unacquainted with the plaineft and most useful branches of knowledge, prefuming to arraign the appointments of omnilcience, to judge his justice," to annihilate the intellectual, and to confufe and disturb the meral world. Much greater is his merit, much founder is his judgment, who fabricates the fimpleft machine, or plans or executes the plaincft undertaking that may be practically useful to mankind. "Yet we may innocently amufe our curiofity; we may innocently gratify our thirft of knowledge; we may innocently exercife our faculties. But let us, in the name of reafon, exercife them on their proper objects; let us feek for knowledge where it is really to be found; let our curiofity employ itself where fact, Experiment, and obfervation, may lead to fome certain conclufion. The book of nature is open to us; the material world is difplayed for our infpection, and for our improvement; the intellectual world is covered with an almoft impenetrable veil. What God has chofen to reveal of himself in the Holy Scriptures, may be cafily comprehended; what he has chofen

for the prefent to keep in referve, no mortal efforts will ever be able to develope. The fimpleft and most unlearned perion who studies with a pure heart, and an andepraved mind, the Sacred Volume, is practically wife; the brightest underftanding, the moft exalted genius, who attempts to go beyond it, becomes inevi- ` tably a fool.”

We cannot help lamenting that Dr. G. has not comprehended aftronomy in his plan. The general merits of this work are great; it relates experiments and difcoveries, many of which were never before printed, and others have been brought together from a great variety of fources; thefe materials collected from almoft all the departments of science ferve, by the help of a judicious arrangement, mutually to illuftrate each other.

The ftile is every where accurate and perfpicucus, and, in fome parts, elegant and impreffive. The author feems to take a pleasure in inftru&ting; and no perfon, defirous of knowledge, can read the whole of this work without finding fome parts calculated either to improve or amute him.

THIS little work profeffes a great deal, and, what is not very frequent in human concerns, it performs more than it profeffes. To Foreigners, a pocket me which conveys faithful and ready information must be a very valuable companion; and the younger clafs of dents neither require nor delight in a voluminous book. All fuch perfons will find in this minute manual à brief, but fufficiently clear explanation of moft of the words in the English language; and the various founds and effects of all the vowels as inferted in words being placed at the head of every page, the mode of pronouncing adopted by the better educated claffes of natives may be collected with fufficient precifion. To facilitate this object ftill farther, in the Dictionary before us, as in Mr. Sheridan's, to the genuine orthography of each term, is annexed another mode of Spelling it, which reaches exactly, or pproaches very nearly to the true pro

nunciation. In this particular the prefent work may be expected to furpals its predeceffor, both becaufe fashion is making perpetual alterations in the oral delivery of a living language, and because Mr. Sheridan's method of fpeaking is known to have been vitiated by Hibernian fingularities. Of this feveral initances are adduced in Mr. Jones's prefatory Advertisement. He further informs us, in the fame place, that without having multiplied words by inferting derivatives, but by adding merely fuch radicals as could not with any propriety be omitted, the articles new to the prefent edition, compared with the firft, amounts nearly to two thoufand. This last remark is intended to guard the public from a hafty and very imperfect republication of this book by another hand, with all its imperfections on its bead. Mr. Jones is of opinion, that the original compiler merely worked upon Mr. Sheridan's Dictionary, and of courfe exhibits in bis

copy the fame defects. It appears, indeed, that he has made feveral of the fame extraordinary verbal omiffions, and fpells with the fame provincial peculiarity with his prototype.

Of the furreptitious edition Mr. Jones remarks, that feveral errors of the preis in the definitions, as well as other general miftakes, are retained from the original work; he alfo cites numerous examples of negligence in compilation. Thefe are certainly pofitive and undeniable defects; and though an author is not to be implicitly trufted in what he declares in favour of himielf, yet it feems reafonable to fuppole, that a longer time for revifion must have produced a proportionable accuracy and improvement. The advantages of an earlier appearance in the fhop would never have been relinquished, nor would a rival have been thus permitted to enjoy an undivided harvest of purchafers, if the prefent Editor had not fully confided in the fuperiority of his claims with the Public for a complete indemnification.

In this remark, which we have made as Critics, and therefore bound to exact impartiality, though we have not examined the rival work, we have no quef tion of the reader's concurrence.

We have already hinted that this book contains more matter than is fpecified in the title-page. We find, in the firft place, a Protodial Grammar, extracted chiefly from the bulky volumes of Dr. Johníon and Mr. Sheridan. There are alfo Short Rules in the Art of Reading, containing very useful information for thofe who are called upon to speak in public; to thefe are fubjoined fore necellary remarks on Punctuation, and Explanations of the more common Abbreviations of Words. At the end of the book there is a Collection of Worus, fimilar, or nearly fimilar in Sund, but differing in Spelling and Signification. This if, though not very Jong, is made cut with care, and will probably be found by foreigners extremely eful. There is moreover a very conife account of the Heatben Myrbology,

intended, as we suppose, for younger readers; and, what we should not have looked for in a book of this nature, a Lift of the Cities, Boroughs, Market Towns, and remarkable Villages in England and Wales, their difiance from London in measured Miles, and the days on which the Markets are beld. A Traveller from the Continent with this volume in his pocket may poffibly find his account in the few concluding pages which are employed in the detail laft-mentioned, especially if his affairs fhould call him to various parts of this kingdom; but fuch information, however ufeful, could fcarcely have been expected among the labours of aLexicographer.

In turning over the pages of this Dictionary, we have discovered evident marks of industry and exactnefs. Some few errors we have noted; but our Author, being fupported by the authority of Dr. Johnjon, perhaps will be well contented to protect himself under the shield of that Ajax in English Literature. Biangulous is a word inferted from the Folio, we think without any good authority. Cantata is defined generally as a fong, though, in English, recitative is always implied in the idea. Dim is cited as one of the meanings of the word frouzy, though the authority of Swift quoted for it by Dr. Johnson is at bett ambiguous.

The word piracy is fpelt with an s; but this is evidently an error of the prefs. For thefe and fuch like trivial mistakes Mr. Jones makes a modeft and wife apology in his prefatory Advertisement, as well as for the extreme minutenefs of the letter in which the work is printed. This, indeed, was an evil unavoidable, where much matter was to be inclofed in a imali bulk; and fome inconvenience to us fpectacled Critics is, as our Author fuggefts, no material objection to a book, which is rather to be occafionally confulted than regularly perused. R. R.

R. HEARNE, joined by Matonab bee, an Indian Chief of very extraordinary talents, and a very fingular

character, and his gang, fets out again on his third expedition; and, after va rious incidents and adventures, arrives

at

at the Lake of Clowey. These are recorded in Chap. IV. Our limits will not admit of our doing much more for the gratification of our readers, than to lay before them a fummary account of the contents of the remaining Chapters. Chap. V. Tranfactions at Clowey, and on our journey, till our arrival at the Copper-mine River.-" During our tay at Clowey we were joined by upwards of five hundred Indians from different quarters, most of whom built canoes at this place; but as I was under the protection of a principal man, no one offered to moleft me, nor can I fay they were very clamorous for any thing I had. This was undoubtedly owing to Matonabbee's informing them of my true fituation, which was, that I had not, by any means, fufficient neceffaries for myfelf, much lefs to give away. In the night (of the 28th of May, 1771), one of Matonabbee's wives and another woman eloped. It was fuppofed they went off to the Eastward, in order to meet their former husbands, from whom they had been fome time before taken by force. This affair made more noife and battle than I could have fuppofed; and Matonabbee feemed entirely disconcerted, and quite inconfolable for the lofs of his wife. She was certainly by far the handfomeft of all his flock, of a moderate fize, and had a fair complexion; fhe apparently possessed a mild temper, and very engaging manners. In fact, the feemed to have every good quality that could be expected in a Northern Indian woman, and that could render her an agreeable companion to an inhabitant of this part of the world. She had not, however, appeared happy in her late fituation, and chofe rather to be the fole wife of a fprightly young fellow of no note (though very capable of maintaining her), than to have the feventh or eighth fhare of the affection of the greatest man in the country.

"I am forry to mention an incident which happened while we were building the canoes at Clowey, and which by no means does honour to Matonabbee: it is no lefs a crime than that of having actually ftabbed the husband of the above mentioned girl in three places, and, had it not been for timely affiftance, would certainly have murdered him, for no other reason than because the poor man had spoken difrefpectfully of him for having taken away his wife by force. The cool deliberation with which Matonabbee committed this bloody action

convinced me it had been a long premeditated defign; for he no fooner heard of the man's arrival, than he opened one of his wives bundles, and with the greatest compofure took out a new longhandled knife, went into the man's tent, and, without any preface whatever, took him by the collar, and began to execute his horrid defign. The poor man, anticipating his danger, fell on his face, and, called for affiftance, but before any could. be had he received three wounds in the back; fortunately for him, they all happened on the fhoulder-blade, fo that his life was fpared, When Matonabbee returned to his tent, after committing this horrid deed, he fat down as compofedly as if nothing had happened, cailed for water to wash his bloody hands and knife, smoked his pipe as ufual, feemed to be perfectly at eale, and asked if I did not think he had done right ?—It has ever been the custom among those people for the men to wrestle for any woman to whom they are attached, and, of course, the strongest party always carries off the prize: A weak man, unless he be a good hunter, and well-beloved, is feldom permitted to keep a wife that a stronger man thinks worth his notice; for at any time when the wives of those strong wrestlers are heavy-laden either with furs or provifions, they make no fcruple of tearing any other man's wife from his bofom, and make her bear a part of his luggage. This custom prevails throughout all their tribes, and caufes a great fpirit of emulation among their youth, who are upon all occafions, from their childhood, trying their strength and skil in wrestling. This enables them to protect their property, and particularly their wives, from the hands of thofe powerful ravishers, fome of whom make almost a livelihood by taking what they pleafe from the weaker parties, without making them any return. Indeed, it is reprefented as an act of great generosity, if they condescend to make an unequal exchange; as, in general, abuse and infult are the only return for the lofs which is fuftained,

"The way in which they tear the women and other property from one ano ther, though it has the appearance of the greatelt brutality, can scarcely be called fighting: I never knew any of them receive the leaft hurt in thefe ren contres; the whole bufinefs confifts in handling each other about by the hair of the head; they are feldom known either to strike or kick one another. It is not

uncommon

uncommon for one of them to cut off his hair, and to greafe his ears, immediately before the conteft begins. This, however, is done privately; and it is fome times truly laughable to fee one of the parties ftrutting about with an air of importance, and calling out, "Where is he? why does he not come out?" when the other will bolt out with a clean-fhorned head and greafed ears, rufh on his antagonist, feize him by the hair, and, though perhaps a much weaker man, foon drag him to the ground, while the ftronger is not able to lay hold on him. It is very frequent on thoie occafions for each party to have spies, to watch the other's motions, which puts them more on a footing of equality. For want of hair to pull, they feize each other about the wait, with legs wide extended, and try their strength, by endeavouring to vie who can firit throw the other down."

BAD QUALITIES OF THE NORTHERN

INDIANS.

"Their difpofitions are in general morofe and covetous, and they feem to be entirely unacquainted even with the name of gratitude. They are forever pleading poverty, even among themfelves, and when they vifit the factory, there is not one of them that has not a thoufand wants. When any real diftreffed objects prefent themselves at the Company's factory, they are always relieved with victuals, cloaths, medicines, and every other neceflary, gratis; and, in return, they instruct every one of their countrymen how to behave in order to obtain the fame charity. Thus, it is very common to fee both men and women come to the fort half naked, when either the fevere cold in winter, or the extreme troublefomeness of the flies in fummer, make it neceffary for every part to be covered. On thofe occafions they are feldom at a lofs for a plaufible ftory, which they relate as the occafion of their diftrefs (whether real or pretended), and never fail to interlard their history with plenty of fighs, tears, and groans, fometimes affesting to be lame, and even blind, in order to excite pity. Indeed, I know of no people that have more command of their paffions en fuch occafions; and in this repeat the women exceed the men, as I can affirm with truth: I have feen fome of them with one fide of the face barked in tears, while the other has exhibited a Significant fmile. Falle pretences for obtaining charity are to cummon among those people, and so often

detected, that the Governor is frequently obliged to turn a deaf ear to many who apply for relief; for if he did not, he might give away the whole of the Company's goods, and by degrees all the Northern tribe would make a trade of begging, instead of bringing furs to purchale what they want. It may be truly faid, that they poffeis a confiderable degree of deceit, and are very complete adepts in the art of flattery, which they never fpare as long as they find it conduces to their intereft, but not a moment longer. They take care always to feem attached to a new Governor, and flatter his pride by telling him that they look up to him as the father of their tribe, on whom they can fafely place their dependance; and they never fail to depreciate the generosity of his predeceffor, however extenfive that might have been, however humane or difinterefted his conduct; and if afperfing the old, and flattering the new Governor, has not the defired effect in a reasonable time, they represent him as the worst of characters, and tell him to his face that he is the moft cruel of men; that he has no feeling for the diftrefles of their tribe, and that many have perithed for want of proper affiftance (which, if it be true, is only the want of humanity among themfelves); and then they boast of having received ten times the favours and prefents from his predeceffor. It is remarkable, that thofe are most lavith in their praifes, who have never either deferved or received any favours from him. In time, however, this language alfo ccafes, and they are perfectly reconciled to the man whom they would willingly have made a fool, and say," he is no child, and not to be deceived by them."

"They differ fo much from the rest of mankind, that harsh uncourteous ufage feems to agree better with the generality of them, particularly the lower clafs, than mild treatment; for if the least refpect be fhewn them, it makes them intolerably infolent; and though fome of their leaders may be exempt from this imputation, yet there are few even of them who have fente enough to fet a proper valué on the favours and indulgences which are granted to them while they remain at the Company's factories, or elfewhere within their territories. perience has convinced me, that by keeping a Northern Indian at a diftance, he may be made ferviceable both to himself and the Company; but by giving hin the least indulgence at the factory, he

Ex