6 Ibid. B. That it fhall not be lawful, for any general court of the faid company, at any time between the eighth day of May, 1767, and the beginning of the next feffion of parliament, to declare, or refolve upon, any encreafe of dividend, beyond the rate of tol. per cent, per ann. being the rate at which the dividend for the half year ending the 24th day of June, 1767, is made payable.' Cap. 48. C. That, from and after the tenth day of July, 1767, no declaration of a dividend fhall be made, by any general court, of any of the faid company's, other than one of the half yearly, or quarterly general courts, at the distance of five calender months, at the leaft, from the laft preceding declaration, of a dividend, and that no declaration of more than one half yearly dividend, fhall be made by one general court.' 29. By-law. D. That no alteration be made in the dividend, on the capital stock of this company, without firft giving fix months public notice.' By claufe A, (fays the author) it appears that no dividend can be made, after the 24th of June, without the vote of a general court, (and by clause C, that must be a quarterly court) called for the purpofe of declaring the intended dividend, with feven days previous notice thereof, in writing fixed upon the Royal Exchange.-By the refolution of your court of directors, of the 2zd of May laft, as well as by your uniform practice in making dividends, the half year's dividend of 51. per cent. declared in September laft, and now in courfe of payment, was due the 5th of July laft, and that day, and not the 24th of June, is the day on which this dividend must be understood to be made, in confequence of the September declaration. Now, as this dividend declared to be made on the 5th of July, is made for and in refpe&t of time fubfequent to the 24th of June, and is made not in pursuance of a vote, carried by ballot, in a general quarterly court, fummoned for the - purpose of declaring a dividend, with feven days notice of fuch a meeting, given in writing and fixed upon the Royal Exchange, it is not warranted by the act, but is, according to the plain and obvious conftruction of the act, illegal. Such is the fubftance of our author's caution; but we fhall not tranfcribe the arguments with which he enforces it: many of them are fhrewd, and all are fpecious. 16. A chronological Hiftory of the Ruffian Hiftory, tranflated from the original Ruffian. Written by Michael Lomonoffof, Counsellor of State, and Profeffor of Chymistry at the Academy of Sciences at Petersburg, and continued to the present Time by the Tranflator. 8vo. Pr. 25. Snelling. This abridgment differs in many hiftories of Ruffia we have feen. particulars from the other Though it can afford no great great entertainment to an English reader, yet, to a native of that country it may be interesting, and, on account of its chronology and facts, of great use in a future general hiftory of that empire. 17. Lettres Portugaifes: ou Obfervations: faites par un Portugais voyageant, un autre a Lisbonne, et leur Ami en Hollande. 8. Pr. 15. F. Newbery. These letters relate to the affairs of Portugal; and contain feveral political remarks on the fyftem of government adopted at present in that kingdom. But as we are not fufficiently acquainted with the difpofition of the court of Lisbon, and such a fubject is foreign to our purpofe, we muft leave it to those who live within the fovereignty of Portugal to determine of the tendency or unfitness of the Portuguese adminiftration to the ends of public happiness, and tranquility. In the mean time, we regard with sympathy, a prince, who, perhaps, is misled by a mistaken zeal for the interest of his people, and condole with a nation which groans under the weight of ministerial infolence and oppreffion. 18. Letters written from Liverpoole, Chefter, Corke, the Lake of Killarney, Dublin, Tunbridge-wells, Bath. By Samuel Derrick, Efq; Mafter of the Ceremonies at Bath. Two Vols. 8vo. Pr. 45. Davis and Reymers. Thefe letters owe their production to an epiftolary correfpon dence maintained with feveral eminent perfons fince the year 1760. They afford an entertaining account of a few of the moft noted places in England and Ireland, particularly of Bath, and Tunbridge-wells; and are written with an elegance, politeness, and vivacity, very fuitable to a master of the ceremonies. To this collection of Mr. Derrick's Letters, are added, three from William Ockenden, Efq; defcribing the lake of Killarney, and Mucrufs Gardens. 19. The London Merchant. A Tale. From the French of Mar dame de Gomez. 8vo. Pr. 1s. 6d. Almon. Whether this is a tranflation or an original, it is equally contemptible, and below the regard of criticism. Incidents related in an unaffecting manner, and characters, wholly inconfiftent, form the plan of this weak and inanimate production. We find a wife citizen engaged in a course of sentiments and conduct diametrically oppofite to the plaineft maxims of prudence; and are informed of the greatest infult that could be offered to female modesty, in terms which neither move our compaffion in 1 favour of diftreffed virtue, nor excite our indignation against the person who committed the outrage. We certainly had reafon to expect fome very tender and pathetic effufion, when Mr. Kite, the hero of the tale, is cast into prison, by the rigour of his creditors. Yet this important tranfaction is mentioned without the fmalleft appearance of emotion. However, to conclude the tale happily, the prisoner is at length discharged from confinement, by an act of poetical justice, not to his own, but the virtue of his daughter Amarillis; who, though She had conceived neither pride nor vanity, feems to have been reftrained from hazarding a conception of another kind, more by the confideration of her defcent, than the impulse of a virtuous difpofition. To fum up the merit of this infipid performance : it is a compofition of error, inaccuracy, and contradiction; and however high the author may imagine he has raised the Kites, we can affure him, that it would require a more elevated genius to make them foar in the opinion of the public. 20. Atys, or a Letter to Momus, en his late Defcent among Mortals, or rather to the mistaken illiberal Mortal, whose lucrative Views have engaged him to wear that Mask, to cover Falfhood, Ingratitude, Malevolence, and the whole Train of Vices which are engendered in his Heart. 4to. Pr. Is. Moran. The title-page is fufficient to give the reader an idea of this poor attempt against as contemptible an antagonist. 21. Comparative Obfervations on two of the Poems which were honoured with Prizes in a late Certamen at Ch. Ch. By a Gentleman of the University. 8vo. Pr. Is. Bladon. The author of this performance has given us a comparative view of two poetical pieces, written by two competitors for Dr. Lee's annual prizes, on the arrival of the Prince and Princess of Brunswick in England. The poem which is first in this publication, was preferred before the latter, by the cenfors of Ch. Ch. But this academic, diffatisfied with their determination, appeals to the public, and very freely cenfures the tafte and difcernment of thofe who were the judges of this certamen. 22. Fables and Tales for the World, and Mifcellanies for the Country. Patricia's Addrefs. Being fit to be read in all Churches and Chapels throughout England; but not at Berwick upon Tweed, nor in Bedfordshire 8vo. Pr. 2s. 6d. P. Stevens. This work was printed in 1750, and, at that time, entitled "Fables and Tales for the Ladies." The author has now at 8 tempted tempted to revive the fale, by prefixing a new title. But it is a performance which no artifice can recommend. 23. The Ninth Satire of Horace, Book the first, imitated. By Dr. Swinney. 410. Pr. 1s. 6d. DodЛle. Claffical readers may form a judgment of this Imitation by the following lines: As I was fauntring in the park of late, The author has given us the original and his imitation in oppofite pages, and fome fhort notes at the conclufion. In the dedication we ar told that numberless and various are the poetical productions which have laid [lain] almoft twice nine years in his moth-eaten cheft.' This is a piece of fingular prudence, and we would advise the author not to disturb their repose. 24. The Primate, an Ode, written in Sweden. By George Marriott. 4to. Pr. 1s. Flexney. This ode is not an inelegant compofition, though it does not abound with any remarkable beauties. It contains fome encomiums on the arch-bishop of York. 25. Epiftola Critica ad celeberrimum Virum Gulielmum Epifcopum Gloceftrienfem. 8vo. Pr. 35. Nourse. Mr. Toup, the author of this epiftle, has already diftinguished himfelt as a critic by his Emendationes in Suidam, pubfifhed in three feparate parts, in 1760, 1764, and 1766. This performance is written upon the fame plan. But the author does not confine his obfervations to Suidas: he takes occafion to correct and illuftrate many paffages in other ancient, especially Greek, writers; and by his remarks and emendations appears to be a very learned and able critic. 26. The Evidence from Miracles ftated, and vindicated from fome late Objections: A Sermon preached at the Vifitation of the Rev. Dr. Mis, Archdeacon of Colchester, (now Lord Bishop of St. David's) at St. Peter's Colchester, May 20, 1765. And before the Univerfity of Oxford, May 24, 1767. By Nothaniel Forter, M. A. 8vo. Pr. is. Fletcher. This difcourfe has two objects in view. Firft, to fix the authority of revelation on the firm and impregnable bafis of mo rality and natural religion. And fecondly, to vindicate the evidence from miracles (the only decifive evidence of a divine revelation) against fome of the most material objections. Under the former head, the author does not pretend to have advanced any thing new. Under the latter, he endeavours to fhew, that any doctrine, or fyftem of doctrines, not contrary to truth or prejudicial to virtue, when attefted and supported by the clear authority of miracles, has a real and just title to the divine original which it claims. In answer to Mr. Hume on the fubject of miracles, he. obferves, that the argument which first afferts an eftablished courfe of nature, and from thence proves every deviation from it to be incredible, evidently begs the question, and takes that for granted which it fhould prove; namely, that there really is fuch an established order and course of nature as neceffarily excludes all exception, and all poflibility of excep tion. There are fome ingenious obfervations in this difcourfe, but we do not fuppofe that what the author has advanced concerning the evidence of miracles, will be thought decifive. 27. Sermons, dedicated to Her Royal Highness Princess Amelia. Thefe difcourfes, fix in number, were not originally intended for the prefs. They are pious and practical, and fuited to the capacities of a country audience.They are printed for the benefit of the author's widow. 28. By Way of Prevention, a Sleepy Sermon, calculated for the DogDays, with an Addrefs to the Clergy, and another to the Laity, of the City of London, &c. By the Rev. James Penn. 8vo. Pr. 6d. Almon. Mr. Penn's discourse against sleeping in the church is, at this feafon of the year, certainly very proper; and contains several arguments againft it which are indifputable. His addreffes are humorous and fatirical, and no bad compofitions. But the propriety of their appearance under the cover of a fermon is a matter which his grave readers will probably call in question, ៩៩៦ |