introduction of a modus, nor protect any of the poor of his parifh aggrieved or oppreffed by the agents of his patron, nor even venture to petition in their behalf, without hazarding the lofs of his own fubfiftence. He is in a fituation worse than that of a ftipendiary curate; excepting indeed that the bishop of his diocefe, by not accepting his refignation in cafe of any flagrant oppreffion, may perhaps fecure him from the enforcement of his bond. Such general bonds feem calculated only to keep the parochial clergy in abfolute fubjection to their patrons;-it is too evident that they will in the end reduce the value of livings in private patronage almoti to nothing;-and there appears no reafon why they thould in any cafe be allowed in future. of the clergy will refufe to fign his tefti- In cafe therefore it fhould be thought "Provided always, that, in cafe of the avoidance of any ecclefiaftical "benefice, it fhall be lawful for the patron of fuch bencfice in his own "private right (not having the right "of prefentation as a bishop, or dean, "or perfon, or body corporate) to "prefent a clerk to fuch benefice on "condition that he fhall refign the fame "to any fon or fons, or to any nephew "or nephews of the patron, which fons "or nephews fhall be born at the time "of fuch avoidance; or to any one "particular friend, or the fon or fous "of any one particular friend, to be "named by the patron, fuch fon or "fons being born at the time of fuch But with refpect to special bonds, under certain cafy and obvious reftrictions, no objections feem to lie against them: On the vacancy of a benefice, the patronage of it is certainly a truf, which the patron is bound to exercife in fuch manner as may promote the pub-" lic good:-but it is alfo a privilege, enabling him to provide for his dependents or connections, fuppofing them properly qualified; and it is always confidered as fuch, as well by bithops and bodies corporate as by private pa trons: fuppofing then that there are many perfons for whom a patron is bound to make provifion, either by natural affection or by the ties of friendfhip, but who are not of age to be admitted to a living at the time it becomes vacant,-what objection can lie to his prefenting another perfon to hold fuch living till the relation or friend for whom he defigns it fhall be properly qualified-The church is in this cafe no way injured:-its duties are as well performed, and its rights as firmly fupported, as they would have been if the perfon prefented had a life-tenure in it:-fuppofing the refignation is to take place to a fpecified perfon or perfons, when they fhall be qualified to take poffeffion, till that time fhall arrive, the incumbent is as independent of his patron as if he had unconditional poffeffion. Neither can it be urged, that this will encourage unworthy fubjects to obtrude themfelves into orders: it will operate no otherwife than the hopes of fucceffion on the death of the incumbent would do. And if the perfon for whom the benefice is intended be notoriously unworthy, he can procure admiffion to it: his neighbours never avoidance; (when fuch fon or fons, It is not unreafonable to confine this ་ MR. URBAN, 08. 18. Yesterday faw the mafons erecting a monument for Mrs. St. John: the infcription contains no additional information, but I took it down, and here it follows: "In memory of Mrs. Elizabeth St. John, daughter of James St. John, Efq. citizen of London, who departed this life Aug. 25, 1783, in the 10zd year of her age." The fexton of the parish told me, that her father (Mrs. St. John's, mean) was buried in that place, with out any memorial, 54 years ago, having been an inhabitant of Laurence, Pountney-lane. The monument is a table monument of Portland ftone. Yours, &c. MR. URBAN, E. HOWEVER trifing the following letters to the late James Weft, Fiq may be thought by the faftidious, -they contain fome particulars not unworthy notice. They are written by men of eminence; and you receive them in their own hand writing. Yours, S. J. "Dear Sir, Pall Mall, Sat. ev. "I am exceedingly obliged to you, on my own and Mr. Harris's behalf, for the fight of the original and mof curious letter which you have been pleafed to fend me. "Inclofed it is returned. "I have copied it with care, and fhall tranfmit the copy on Tuesday to Mr. Harris. "Signor Cipriani has an apartment at a carpenter's in Warwick-ftreet, Golden-fquare, on the right-hand fide near the entrance of it from Brewerstreet; and he is there most mornings. "Yours, "SIR, T. HOLLIS." "I think myfelf highly obliged by your kind comunication of the letter relating to Sir Henry Vane, a copy of which I have received from Mr. Hollis. You will be pleafed to accept of my beft thanks for the favour, which I fhall always retain a grateful fenfe of. "Can you, Sir, inform me whether there are any original letters relative to the reign of Charles II. in the British Mufcum? You fec I am giving you fresh trouble; but the opinion I have * See Dr. Harris's Life of Charles II. vol. II. p. 34. EDIT. entertained, from the teftimony of fome of my best friends, of your humanity and generofity, muft be my apology. "Yours, &c. WILL. HARRIS." Honiton, Feb. 21, 1763. "SIR, Pall Mall, June 28, 1763. that I had requefied too much. Now, I was fearful, after writing to you, do honour, for once, to my own judgment, and thank you unfeignedly and abundantly for one of the kindeft, politeft, and most acceptable letters that I ever received in my whole life-time, "Mr. Harris will make you his best acknowledgements foon, and affure YOU, WITH REGRET, of his ftrictest compliance to your injunction. "A new edition of "A. Sydney on Government" having lately appeared, with the addition of his letters, trial, and many notes; I have taken the liberty to fend a copy of it to your houfe, and requeft it may take protection there. "An excurfion into Bedfordshire prevented me from writing earlier. "I am, with deepest gratitude, "Yours, T. HOLLIS." "SIR, "MR. Hollis has been fo good as to tranfmit a copy of the very important and curious letter you lately fent him. You will be pleafed to accept of my best thanks for the favor, as you are highly entitled to them. "The public will thank me, I am fure, for its publication, though you may depend on the most inviolable fe crecy with regard to the communicator. Confcious of being animated alone with the love of truth and liberty, I devote myself to the public; and if their votaries in any measure approve my labours, it will be deemed an abundant reward, by, "Yours, &c. WILL. HARRIS." Honiton, July 3, 1763. but the animals that eat them are not directed by the eye. 1 took twenty grains of each fort at feveral different times, and weighed them against each other, and found the difference in favour of the Poland Oats, in the pro portion of twenty-one to twenty; that is, twenty grains of Poland Oats were as heavy as twenty-one of the Tartarian; but, obferving the fkin of the former to be much thicker than that of the latter, I thought I should come nearer to the real value of the different grains, as a nutritive food, if I divefted each of its husk, and weighed the naked grains against each other: Putting, therefore, twenty grains thus ftripped into the fcales, I found that the twenty Tartarians much outweighed the twenty Poland. I own I was at first a little furprised at this difcovery; but I think it of great confequence to be known; becaufe appearances are against the cultivation of this useful grain, whilft, in reality, it has the following recommendations: ift, That it will grow to good ad vantage on ftiff land, which does not at all fuit the common Oat. 2dly, That, from the peculiar ftructure of the ear, which, inftead of diftin&t feeds on every fide of the ftalk, confits of feeds clofely joining to the ftalk, all on one fide of it, like the teeth of a comb, it yields to the wind, and is much lefs liable to fcatter when it is ripe. 3dly, That, from the strength and fize of the ftraw, it is lefs liable to be lodged. 4thly, That its produce is as fixty. four to forty buffels per acre. This, when the equal, and even fuperior weight of the farinaceous fubftance is given into the account, gives the Tartarian Oat fuch a preference, as renders it highly worthy of the hufbandman's attention. If you, from thefe confiderations, think it worthy of your useful Magazine pray communicate it; if not, excufe the trouble given you by, Yours, &c. RUSTICUS. The great objection to Tartarian Oats is, that their firaw, being reedy, is unfit for winter fodder for cattle. EDIT. MR. URBAN, Chefterfield, O. 6. I Cordially with the hints, your correfpondent T. N. p. 666 gives our bishops and clergy, were toufly attended to by them, and that fome effectual method was taken to "ftop the fatal torrent of vice" ere it is too late. Reforming Societies would doubté lefs be of great utility, if they were eftablished upon proper principles and vigorously fupported. However, it must be admitted on all hands that fomething fhould be done for this purpose, and done immediately; though it feems best that the peculiar mode of doing it should be fubmitted to the prudence and wifdom of our governours civil and ecclefiaftical. The following extract of an excellent Circular Letter from the Bi fhop of Canada to his diocefe, when that province was invaded by our troops, 1759, is not altogether un worthy of the notice and imitation of our Diocefans. If a Circular Letter to the fame effect were now published, and the inferior clergy and church-wardens reminded and required to do their utmoft in their respective parishes towards fuppreffing vice and prophanenefs, a very furprifing and happy reformation would fpeedily take place. We profefs to hold a purer and more apoftolic faith than the papifts; certainly then we should demonftrate the fincerity of our profethion by fuitable works, and by a truly primitive zeal against every fpecies of impiety. The Bishop, after mentioning the preparations which were made for invading the province, and the danger which the Canadians were thereby expofed to, goes on: "What "may yet create farther fear in us are "the prophane diverfions to which we' "are addicted with greater attach ment than ever; the infufferable ex"ceffes of the games of chance; the "impious hypocrify in derifion, or "rather in contempt of religion; the "various crimes againft heaven, that "have been multiplied in the courfe of "this winter; all thefe, my brethren, "ought to make us dread every thing, "and oblige me to declare to you, that "God is himself enraged, that his arm "is prepared to chaftife us, and in fact "that we deferve it. Yea, my friends, we tell it in the face of the altars, "and in the bit:ernefs of ourheart, that "it is not the number of the enemy, "northeir utmost efforts that affright us, "and make us reflect on the impending 66 66 "difafters both on the ftate and on re"ligion, but our manifold fins and "wickedness Eighteen years have now elapfed fince the Lord called us, "though unworthy, to watch over "this extenfive diocefe: we have fre. "quently feen you fuffer by famine, "by difeafes, and almoft continual war; nevertheless this year appears "to us in ali refpects the most af"flictive and deplorable, because in "reality we are most criminal. Were "there ever fuch open robberies, fo "many heinous acts of injustice, fuch "fhameful rapes heard of? Who "has not feen, in this colony, families "devoted publicly, if I may fay fo, "to crimes of the most odious nature? "Who ever beheld fo many abomina"tions? In almost all ranks the con"tagion is nearly univerfal! However, "my brethren, matters are not yet "remedilefs, neither are our misfor"tunes irretrievable. The Chriftian faith teaches us, that a true and fin"cere converfion can stop the aveng"ing hand of divine juftice, and that "it hath frequently ftayed it. It is "trve the difcafe is great, but the remedy is in your own power. Ob "faithless Fe ufalem, return to your "God; and God according to his promife quill deign to relent! Atone, my dear "brethren, I fay, atone fpeedily for "the past, by the tears of a fincere re"pentance, they will be acceptable to "the merciful heart of God, who never punishes his creatures but with "regiet. Dear children, be diligent "therein, fympathize with the mi"nifters of the altar, in weeping, wail"ing, and prayer. Implore the Lord "with fervency to enlighten finners "with the mifery of their fouls, that "he will affect and convert them: we "mean thole of our brethren who run "to their own deftruction, dread left ye find yourselves involved in their "calamities. And yo, O finners! we "belcech you, in the name of Jefus "Chrift, at least be no hindrance to "the blethings we afk for you; come "rather, we conjure you, by all that is capable of affecting you; come "and folicit them of your own accord “with a spirit full of meeknefs and "contrition." The remainder of this excellent addrefs only contains directions for per forming the various fervices according to the ceremonies of the Romish church, and therefore need not be tranfèribed; but I am perfuaded that all the ferious part of your readers will be highly pleafed with the pathetic ftyle and ge nuine chriftian picty contained in the above extract, and will join in wishing that our Bishops, many of whom are ornaments to their profeffion, would go and do likerife. I A PROTESTANT CHRISTIAN. MR. URBAN, SHOULD be glad to know if the Monthly Reviewers have given you any particular offence, that you should be ready to admit into your Magazine any trifling remarks or filly witticisms on their well-received Journal, which fpite or petulance can throw out in a moment of mortification or difappointment, of unmeaning levity and wantonnefs? Or, convinced, as I think you must have been, how contemptible they were, how void of judgment, how totally deftitute of wit and humour, did you only infert them from a motive of refpect to that work, and as a tribute of gratitude for the obligations that you owe it? There is an abufe which confers honour, juft as there is a poifon that carries its own antidote with it. It corrects its own malignity; and the only injury that it doth is felt by him who adminifters it. Did you not think, at the time that you gave the letter figned E. Harnwood, and its tail-piece figned Cantab. to the compofitor, that the poor devils would only damn themfelves? Was you not, in a merry mood, ready to exclaim with Shakspeare, It is iport to fee the engineer hoift with his own petar? However, to be ferious, for I would not make a jeft of mifery, though Perfius fays, that he would not give a farthing to the defigning beggar who whines out his tale of woe in the cant of hypocrify, and in his affliction forgets that he is a man, or only fhews that he was a man It is with me a very strong prefumption of the merit of a work, when those who are moft interefted in decrying it, after the moft keen and anxious fearch for fomething that might wear the face of an objection, are incapable of producing any thing but a trifling inaccu Surely our motives for inferting Dr. Harwood's letter (fee p. 691) were fufficient to have ob.iated this question. We readily, however, admit this fpirited defence; and hue let the controverfy be elofed. EDIT. racy, racy, or perhaps a typographical error, fuch as a wife man, even when difpofed to find fault, would difdain to notice; but fuch as the spleen of a fool, like a teafing gad-fly, muft fix on, because it is the only fore place he can find. The mistake that this Mr. E. Harwood attempts to bring forward was a mere error of the prefs, and was declared to be fuch long ago by the Reviewer of Mr. Madan's Thelyphthora. He accounted for the error: and I believe every perfon but Mr. Madan was ready to admit the reafon he gave as the true one. That ia fhould be printed for laule by a compofitor that did not understand Greek (and I fuppofe every compofitor is not an accurate grammarian) is not a very unlikely circumftance; but the error (like that of writing fyftam instead of sislam) was such as it is not very probable a critic of the Reviewer's real erudition would have fallen into, because it is fuch an error as a fchool-boy not out of his grammar could fcarcely have committed. Surely that writer, whoever he is, for I pretend not to guefs, (all the Review hath told us is, that he lives in a very remote part of the kingdom, at a great diftance from the capital) hath given too many proofs of his fubftantial erudition to leave it doubtful for a moment that he fhould not know that laule hath no nominative cafe, and that fyftam ought to have been fpelt with an i; and none but contemptible and malicious cavillers would have produced fuch exceptions as thefe to difcredit the learning of the critic. Let his learning be brought to a more fevere teft than the quibbles of Word catchers that live on fyllables." Let it be examined on liberal principles; let his remarks on the opinions of ancient writers be fcrutinized, hath he mistaken the paffages he hath quoted? doth any error appear in the construction he hath put on the numerous quotations he hath made from the Greek fathers? The fame Reviewer (I suppose it is the fame) hath of late entered the lifts with Dr. Priestley, and given ample fcope to his enemies to find fault with his Greck erudition if they can. If he doth not understand the language, he is a moft adventurous critic! he hath run fuch a rifque as I fhould have thought would have deterred the most daring fpirit. He writes, however, like a man who appears, at least, to know what he is about; he seems to have no dread of provoking the most rigid fcrutiny that the eye of envy or jealoufy can make. He must be confcious that he is moft keenly watched; but he appears to be perfectly calm and eafy, like a man who knows his guard, and is not afraid to meet his adverfary. If his confidence arifeth from his ignorance, let his enemies thew it fairly; let them not lurk behind a printer's blunder, and then fpring forward with ridiculous alertnefs, "playing fantaftic tricks" with him for another's mistake. They aim to raife a laugh, and a laugh they will raife; but let them take care who be comes the object of it. Who Mr. E. Harwood is, I know not; I never faw his perfon, and fcarcely ever heard of his name. It is impoffible for me to have the leaft ill-will against the man. The principal thing I infer from his letter is, that the Reviewer did not think fo highly of his merit as he himfelf did. But authors are not to be their own critics; and if he be a Chriflian divine and write a book on Contentment, I do not fee any great harm done in the Reviewer's telling him, that it was fomething extraordinary that, amidst the examples of the virtue he recommends, he thould omit the example of Jefus Chrift. he omit it?-This is not denied. Why did he omit it? This is not told. Did As for Mr. Cantab, he is too contemptible for any notice; I will, how ever, wage my goun against Mr. E. Harwood's cloke (provided he hath one and hath not worn it to rags, fo that it may be feen thro') that Cantab was never at a University in his life. Whe ther he be a principal or a fecond in the caufe, I know not; and it is no fort of confequence whether he uses his fquirt for the fake of another, or for the lake of himself. Conjecture would be very idly employed on fo worthlefs a subject; and even certainty itfelf would give no fatisfaction. If, however, Mr. Harwood and Cantab be two, they feem to be two in one. |