18. Two Letters: one to John Wilkes, Efq; occafioned by his Letter inferted in the Public Papers, giving an Account of the Engagement at Bagfhot, between him and Lord T. The Other to a Friend, on Suicide and Madness. 8vo. Pr. I. S. Nicoll.

These two letters contain very pathetic and well-meant remonftrances against the fashionable crimes of duelling and fuicide. The writer is rather fevere upon Mr. Wilkes in going about fuch an horrid deed as that of fighting lord T. in fo gay a manner, and with fuch an appearance of unconcern; and to reprefent your own courage at leaft (fays the letter-writer to Mr. W.) as a fubject of applaufe, which, when it is exerted on fuch occafions, makes it a thousand times more wicked.' The propriety of addreffing this letter to Mr. W. is the greater, because we have fomewhere or other feen a letter penned in a very pious ftrain, written to the fame gentleman by the learned and pious Mr. Baxter, the author of the celebrated Treatife in Defence of the Soul's Immortality.

19. Letters fent to the Miniftry, &c. concerning a Paper called, a Secret; or Method to give to France the most furprising Shock that can be expected to be given Her for Ages to come; even if it Should be otherwife attempted at the Expence of much Blood and Treafure, &c. &c. 8vo. Pr. 15. Wilkie.

This seems to be the production of fome pragmatical proje&ing quaker—a magno promissor hiatu,- that found means to get access to fome of the minifters of ftate, who probably thinking his schemes impracticable, gave him no encou ragement. We perceive one of his preliminaries was, that hundred thousand pounds be put into the bank in his name, as his property, before he discovered his fecret, which continues a fecret ftill; for no judgment can be formed of it, except that we fhrewdly fufpect this publication to be the iffue of a diftempered brain,

20. Authentic Account of the Proceedings of the Congress held at New-York, in 1765, on the Subject of the American SiampA&t. 8vo. Pr. 15. Bladon.

The fubftance of this pamphlet-having been more than once reviewed by the legislature, it is unneceffary for us to be very diffuse in our remarks upon it; we shall therefore only obferve, that independency and an exemption from taxation are valuabie ingredients in life, and bleflings to which every man naturally. afpires. The pamphlet before us gives a detail of the proseedings of twenty-feven gentlemen, who met together as committees, in June 1765, at New-York, from the houfes of

F F4

repre

reprefentatives or burgeffes of the feveral British colonies on the American continent, to confult upon the manner of removing the difficulties to which they were expofed by the ftamp act. The public is fufficiently apprized of the event of this congrefs; that the members came to many fpirited refolutions; that their grievance was removed; but that the parliament, notwithstanding, thought proper to affert the dependency of the colonies upon the British legislature.

21. The Examination of Dr. Benjamin Franklin, relative to the Repeal of the American Stamp-da. 8vo. Pr. 1s.

Dr. Franklin, in this pamphlet, appears in the light of an advocate as well as evidence for our American colonies; nor could the latter have chofen a perfon more able to represent them in both characters. The Doctor pleads their cause against the ftamp-act. He makes a nervous and fenfible representation of the fervices and conduct of the colonifts towards their mother-country, and recapitulates the vast zeal they fhewed, and the prodigious expence they incurred, during the late war, to oppose our national enemies. The reader muft pardon us, if we give no extracts from this pamphlet, because the name of the publisher not being mentioned, renders its authenticity fomewhat fufpicious. We fhall, however, venture to give a specimen of the Doctor's freedom and manner in his two last answers. Q. What used to be the pride of the Americans?

A. To indulge in the fashions and manufactures of GreatBritain.

Q. What is now their pride?

A. To wear their old cloaths over again, till they can make new ones.'

22. The Profpect of Liberty. Addressed to the Gentlemen of the County of H--n--g--d--n. 4to. Pr. 2s. 6d. Bladon. This performance is addreffed to the gentlemen of the county of Huntingdon, with a view, as it appears, to influence them, at the enfuing election, in the choice of a member to reprefent the county. The writer has fet the character of a noble p-- r and Sir R. B---d in oppofite lights. The former is the object of his keenest fatire; the latter of his warmeft panegyric. His colouring is remarkably bold and striking; but allowances must be made for prejudice and party zeal. He feems to be a young poet, warm and fanguine in the cause he efpoufes. He has imitated Mr. Churchill's manner with fome degree of fuccefs. Speaking of being a fycophant to a man in power, he exclaims with great fpirit,

O, ra

'O, rather place me, Gods, where fun-beams flame Without fociety, without a name !

Where the brown Indian, as his mountains, wild,

As the fawn artless, fimple as the child,
Sweats at his bow, unknowing of controul,
Charm'd with his plume, his trinkets, and his bowl:
Or where he (parch'd beneath the fcorching line)
Pants as he tears the bowels from the mine;
In climes unkindly to the cooling breeze,
Where ev'ry blaft fails loaded with disease ;
Where fickness, woeful pale, and fultry death,
Flame-featur'd fever, afthma, whose faint breath
In quick, fhort heavings inftant comes and goes,
"Till the spent spirit from its old shell flows
In the last ling'ring drops, which round the heart
Courfe, fondly laggard, as if loth to part:
Or where to heav'n, in huge fantastick rows,
Ridge above ridge, fwell high th' unthawing fnows;
Where never human form, or foot was seen,
But nature her fweet robe of fober green
Changes for flaunting white: on shores unknown,
Sunlefs, unnoted, helpless and alone,

At earth's extremeft cape, or any where,
So I may live free from the fhocks of fear,
Secure my freedom, all that hated awe
Which fometimes is infpir'd by that vain straw,
A Lord, efcape! For rather than the dupe
Of artifice I'd be, or meanly ftoop

To fuch a thing as ******, I wou'd be
The veriest infect which on earth we fee.
Freely the spider fports along his line;
Out-ftretch'd at liftlefs eafe, the grov'ling swine
Lies pleas'd, and, vacant, flumbers in the fun
As freely, fee, the fleet deer wildly run:
With equal joy, the warblers of the groves
Wing the wide æther with their plumy loves;
The raven croaks enraptur'd on his tree;
And ev❜n the worm enjoys its liberty.
On them no flavifh apprehenfions wait,
The hand that crushes, is their certain fate;
The shot, the ball, the dagger, or the knife,
May quickly rob them of their harmless life:
But while they live fair freedom gives her charms,
No danger terrifies, no dread alarms;
And if inhuman man will make them bleed,
Compulfion only can with thefe fucceed.

8

• And

And fhall the child of reafon fink fo low,
As round his neck the galling chain to throw
With voluntary pride! O! less than worms,
Ye mean beliers of your nobler forms,

Turn, turn, for fhame, and ply the toiling oar, Catch th' inviting gale, and spring to shore, Ere on your heads the gath'ring thunders burst, And fin and ****** make you more than curft.' Though there are feveral rough lines, and fome inaccuracies, there are undoubted marks of genius, in this production, which lead us to think, that hereafter the author may give the public fomething more entertaining and inftructive than this piece of acrimony; which at beft can only be agreeable to those who are acquainted with the fituation of things in the county of Huntingdon, and view the characters he has drawn in the fame point of light.

23. Momus, a Poem; or a Critical Examination into the Merits of the Performers, and comic Pieces, at the Theatre-Royal in the Hay-market. 4to. Pr. 15. Almon.

t

This fungus probably fprings from the fame dramatical dunghill that has been of late fo fruitful of abuse upon players. The publication is chiefly levelled at Mr. Foote and his company; but we think that in point of merit it falls short of many late productions of the fame kind. Having faid thus much, the reader, cannot expect us to give any specimens of so infipid a performance.

24. Partridge-Shooting. An Eclogue. To the Honourable Charles Yorke. By Francis Fawkes, M. A. 4to. Pr 15. Dodsley. We are obliged to confess this partridge-fbooting has afforded us but little amusement. Nevertheless, as the author has given "recent proofs of his ability, this, perhaps, may be owing to our want of taste for this diverfion, or the barrenness of the fubject. It seems as if his patron had thrown out the hint which occafioned this Eclogue, on purpofe to put his ingenuity to the utmost teft; for had he been able to carry the cause of this rural sport against that of fishing or the chace, he must have been as excellent an advocate as the learned gentleman to whom it is infcribed.

25. A Poem on Jofeph and his Brethren, from Jofeph's Birth to the Reconciliation between them after the Funeral of Jacob their Father. By Joseph Brown. 8vo. Pr. Is. 6d. Williams. This poem is written in the ftile of Sternhold and Hopkins, or that of John Bunyan.-A fpecimen.

7

• Alas!

26. A new Syftem of Geography: or a General Defcription of the World. Containing a particular and circumftantial Account of all the Countries, Kingdoms, and States of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. Their Situation, Climate, Mountains, Seas, Rivers, Lakes, &c. The Religion, Manners, Cufloms, Manufac tures, Trade, and Buildings of the Inhabitants. With the Birds, Beafts, Reptiles, Infects, the various Vegetables, and Minerals, found in different Regions. Embellished with a new and accurate Set of Maps, by the best Geographers; and great Variety of Copper Plates, containing Perspective Views of the principal Cities, Structures, Ruins, &c. By D. Fenning, J. Collyer, and Others. Fol. Pr. 31. 35. Crowder.

This is one of the most comprehenfive systems of Geography which is to be found in the English language: whether we confider it with regard to topographical defcription, the natural history of the different climates, or the manners, cuftoms, and government of the inhabitants. Though it contains no important obfervations on foreign countries, which, we believe, are not fupplied by other books; nor has utterly expunged every inaccuracy of former geographers, even in the accounts of our ifland; yet, as it exhibits an ample prospect of the various parts of the univerfe, in the lights the most gratifying to curiofity, and interefting to contemplation; and the whole is compiled from the latest and most approved writers on the fubject, this fyftem may difpute the fuperiority with any other geographical production; and will afford abundant fatiffaction to the reader, whether he perufes it for knowledge or entertainment.

77. An Enquiry into the Caufes of the Extraordinary Excellency of Ancient Greece in the Arts. 8vo. Pr. 1s. 6d. Dixwell. The high degree of perfection to which the literary and polite manual arts were carried in ancient Greece, will for ever remain an object of admiration to the moft civilized nations and the ingenuity of mankind has not been more ex

ercifed