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the Critical Review, and the English reader will rejoice in seeing in an English dress those sentiments of religion, which have received the approbation of the National Institute, and excite the most san guine hopes, that the free inquiry of the present times will overcome the deistical and atheistical spirit which had been nourished under the ancient monarchy. The titles of the translations may mislead the reader; and he may imagine, that Mr. Mill has inserted more of the original author than his rival translator; but the fact is, that they are both translated from the same edition, and both contain the same appendix. We think it right particularly to notice this, that an omission in the title-page of one translator may not do him an injury. Mr. Lambert's translation is preceded by a copious life of Luther, which is not to be found in that of Mr. Mill; but on the other hand, the latter translation is enriched with a variety of very useful notes, and shews that its author soared higher than the mere drudgery of his office. The mistakes into which the French author falls, are frequently corrected in these notes, and thejudg ment of his translator is in general very correct. We might instance this particularly in one note, in which the author has very satisfactorily developed the causes of infidelity on the continent and in Ireland, and a considerable degree of intercourse with catholics abroad and at home, enables us to add our suffrage to that of the translator. The catholics may be divided into two classes; the one never using their reason, but bowing implicitly to authority; the other using their reason, but not exercising it judiciously. The former class, from its devotion to the priests, never suffers itself to question their dogmas, and becomes of course superstitious and bigotted, attached to the forms of the church, and fearful of swerv ing from its minutest ordinances. The latter class, having exercised its reason so far as to discover and to be convinced that absurdity is absurdity, and nonsense nonsense, threw off all regard for the church, however it might outwardly comply with its ceremonics, and connecting christianity with popery, held both in equal contempt. Hence they disdained to inquire into the difference between these two opposite systems of religion, and being under the necessity of disguising their sentiments, the arms they used were those of sarcasm and ridicule. Hume and Gibbon passed much of their time abroad with philosophers of this class, and were led away by the same delusion; as there is no longer any necessity of disguising religious sentiments in France, it is not improbable, that in a few years, the country which has been the greatest enemy to christianity, may produce some of its most zealous advocates.

On comparing the reformation in England with that which has lately taken place,jthe similarity in certain points, and disagreement în others, are properly noticed. The effects of the reformation on the political institutions of states, in which the author sometime. indulges too great a latitude, are confined by the solid powers of the English translator within more reasonable limits. On the whole, the work of M. Villers has been very useful already; it is improved

much by the English translations: the question does honour to the French Institute, and we hope that Mr. Mill has sent a copy of his translation to the author, that the original work may be bence fited by the improvements that it has received in this country.

ART. 34.-The Narrative of Captain Wooddard and four Seamen, who lost their Ship, while in a Boat at Sea, and surrendered themselves up to the Malays, in the Island of Celebes: containing an interesting Account of their Sufferings from Hunger, and various Hardships, and their Escape from the Malays after a Captivity of two Years and a Half: also an Account of the Manners and Customs of the Countries, and a Description of the Harbours and Coasts, &c. 8vo. 4s. 2d Edition. Johnson. 1805.

IN few instances have the sufferings of the shipwrecked sailor surpassed the hardships which Captain Wooddard and his unfortunate companions endured among the Malays during a captivity of two years and a half: few narratives have exhibited stronger examples of patience and fortitude than the present, of which we will endeavour to present our readers with the outlines; premising that though the narrative be written in the first person, the author is a Mr. Vaughan, who gives incontrovertible evidence of the authenticity of the facts which he relates.

Captain Wooddard, a native of America, having spent two years in India, sailed as chief-mate in the American ship, the Enterprize, from Batavia, bound to Manilla. Passing through the straits of Macassar, the wind and the current proved unfavourable; for the space of six weeks they made but little progress; when provisions beginning to fail, Captain Hubbard dispatched his chief-mate with three men and two boys, in one of the ship's boats, to a vessel which was seen at the distance of four leagues, to purchase necessaries for the prosecution of the voyage. Having reached the vessel about sun-set, and a heavy rain preventing them from seeing their own ship, they passed the night on board, the object of their commission, however, being unaccomplished, as the captain had only provisions for one month, and was bound for China. On the following morning the Enterprize was out of sight, even from the mast-head, having a fair wind to waft her through the straits. Their reception on board the stranger being but cool, Captain Wooddard and his five companions agreed to quit this ship in search of their own: they were presented by the captain with one bottle of brandy, but no water, or provisions of any sort. An axe, a boat-hook, two pocket-knives, a gun and twelve cartridges, with forty dollars, constituted the whole of their property.

They were now in latitude nine minutes south of the line, and continued their course to the southward for eight days, without any other refreshment than the brandy, which was exhausted on the second day. On the morning of the sixth day, the shore of Celebes was in sight, which they did not reach till evening. Thinking it would be imprudent to land at night, they anxiously waited for the ap

proach of day, which, however, only dawned to increase their distress. The compassion of the natives was not to be excited; these miserable sufferers in vain requested to he supplied by them with a few necessaries, and narrowly escaped with their lives. Proceeding about four miles to the northward, Captain W. with three of his companions landed at a place, where they found abundance of cocoa-trees.~ Fatigue and hunger rendered them unable to climb, and they were obliged to cut them down with their axe. After felling three trees, and being quite exhausted, Miller, one of the three who had landed, returned to the boat, and sent the other two men to the assistance of Captain W. as the boys who were with him were useless. By the time that a fourth tree was cut down, the Malays had seized upon the boat, and barbarously murdered Millar. During the remainder of the day, Captain W. and his companions concealed themselves in the mountains; and, to prevent discovery, they resolved to travel in the night. Taking a star for their guide, they accordingly set out about eight o'clock; but the woods being thick with trees, they soon lost sight of the star, and kept on the side of the mountain, supposing they were going the right course to Macassar, which they intended to reach by short journies. At day-light, however, when they imagined they had walked about fifteen miles, they had the mortification to find themselves within a few roods of the place from whence they had set out the preceding night, having gone round the mountain instead of passing straight over it. This, however, did not discourage Captain W. from making another attempt on the following night, and not trusting to a star, they kept by the sea side for six nights successively, retiring into the woods in the day time for rest and security. They now became very faint, hungry, and weary, having had no provisions since they left the ship, except a little water from the hollows of trees, and a few berries which they accidentally met with.

Thirteen days having elapsed since the loss of their ship, the calls of hunger and necessity compelled them to surrender themselves prisoners to the Malays from whom they suffered all those hardships which the unenlightened mind of barbarism frequently delights to inflict. Providence, however, raised up a friend for these unfortunate captives in the person of Tuan Hadjee, a Mahometan priest, by whose benevolence, their hardships were considerably alleviated.--The hour of escape at length arrived, a favourable opportunity presenting itself for seizing a canoe, they availed themselves of a moon-light evening, and again committed themselves, harassed as they were, to the mercy of the waves; again they were captured by the Malays, and carried to Pamboon, to the house of the Rajah, who, after detaining them a few days, permitted them to continue their voyage to Macassar, where the friendly reception of the governor and inhabitants obliterated all their former distresses. From Macassar they proceeded to Batavia, where Captain W. recognized an old acquaintance, the commander of a country ship bound for Bengal, of which he appointed him chief mate. Arriving at Bengal, he found Captain Hubbard, with whom he had sailed

three years before in the Enterprize, and whom he now accompanied to the Mauritius, where he succeeded him in the command of the vessel, in which he arrived at the Isle of Wight on the 29th July, 1796.

Mr. Vaughan, whose object, in the work before us, is the wish to be serviceable to the whole body of seamen, suggested a plan in the year 1791, for the formation of a society under professional and public spirited men for collecting information from the most remarkable shipwrecks and accidents that have occurred at sea, with the schemes and inventions which have been adopted for the preservation of lives and property, in order that they might serve, when pro perly selected and circulated, as an Introductory Seaman's Guide, under all his contingencies; and to teach him that in the midst of the greatest dangers, he should never despond. The outlines of this plan may be seen in P. 217, of this Appendix. We shall close our account of this performance with observing that it appears excellently adapted for the purpose which the author designed; the language is plain and simple, ornament indeed has not been studied so much as a wish to communicate in diction clear and intelligible, facts which may be of service to the common sailor; yet the perusal of this narrative will amply repay the leisure even of more fastidious readers.

ART. 35. The Manchester Guide; a brief Historical Description of the Towns of Manchester and Salford, the public Buildings, and the charitable and literary Institutions; illustrated by a Map, exhibiting the Improvements and Additions made since the Year 1770. 8vo. 45. Bickerstaff. 1804.

MANCHESTER,whether it be considered in a commercial, or (as far as contribution to the public revenue may be deemed a criterion) in a political point of view, is certainly the second town in the kingdom; and to the number of strangers who are constantly settling in this place, as well as to the occasional visitor, this little volume will prove an acceptable and agreeable guid. It briefly describes the public buildings, &c. which are most deserving of notice, and affords. the outlines of the history of a place which has become of so much national consequence.

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CORRESPONDENCE.

The letter from Amicus,' is received. Highly as we admire his motive for remonstrating, we cannot applaud that sagacity which failed to comprehend the remarks on Shore's Essay on Brewing,' in our last Number, P. 356. If Amicus' will take the trouble to peruse that article a second time, he will doubtless perceive that our observations relate, and can only relate, to the price of the work in question, which we still assert to be exorbitant.

ERRATA, in our last Number.

Page 258, l. 4, for fine read fair..-P. 258, 1. 35, for regulation read rele gation.-P. 310, l. 9, for insignificant read significant.- -P. 313, l. 16, for theologian read logician.-P. 315, l. 9, for ingenious read injurious.-P. 315, 1. 20, for enumerative read enunciative.-P. 323, l. 13, for notices read motives.

N. B. The Appendix to the fifth Volume of the third Series of the Critical Review will be published on the 1st of October.

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ART. I.-Examen critique des anciens Historiens d'Alexandre le grand.

A critical Examination of the ancient Historians of Alexander the Great. Second Edition. 4to. Paris. 1805. Imported by Deconchy.

THE work before us is one among the numerous examples which might be adduced of the happy effects upon literature, particularly in its classical department, arising from the proposal of public premiums. When the young student is just starting in the career of fame, well stored with the apparatus of science, but unpractised as yet in its application, these prizes offer him a double advantage. They stimulate his ambition at the same time that they point out a field for its exertion. They accelerate while they confine his course. The satirist's complaint, that knowledge is accounted as nothing-worth, the possession of which is not made known to others, is rather plausible than philosophical. The truth is, that the mere abstract pleasure arising from the acquisition of knowledge, or exertion of intellect, though great as a reward, will rarely operate sufficiently as a stimulus. It is when the prospect of distinction is superadded, and when to that ambition a particular route is marked out, such as the investigation of a select portion of history, or the solution of an abstruse problem, that the powers of the mind are collected to a focus: and, if no great light be thrown upon the subject proposed, at least a habit of close investigation is begun which may afterwards be turned to account. In the APP. Vol. 5.

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