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device in their power :-fuch as the proclaiming in the Gazette, and other papers, the orders for putting him under arrest, at the firit port he fhould arrive at the special care taken to funder him from Admiral Welt, though equally impeached in the fuperfeding orders, by the moft invidious diftinctions; more efpecially the fpeech put into the mouth of the fovereign judge, which, under the pretence of a compliment to the one, was meant to be fatal to the other.

A recital of hardships and indignities, calumnies and brutalities, exercifed upon, and directed against, the unfortunate prifoner, follows next; after which, the friendly writer, like the good Samaritan, pours balm into the wounds he has opened; fays the handfomeft things in his power of the Admiral, for having fuftained fuch a variety of preffures, with fo much compofure and ferenity;-and concludes his plea as follows, which may ferve as a fample of the whole piece.

• The events of war are uncertain-fo it is faid in his Majefty's moft gracious anfwer to the London addrefs; and fo it has always been faid, ever fince mankind recorded their miferies. But, according to the procedure now carrying on against Admiral B, the commander that cannot convert uncertainties into certainties, muft run his country, or forfeit his head,--minifters are but men, and men are all fallible--- fuch has been the voice of the world till now---but now the world is to learn a new creed---That more or less power beftows more or less infallibility; and confequently, that he who has the most, muft always be moft in the right.

It has hitherto been esteemed a national duty to affert na tional honour, and more efpecially against the open attacks of an open enemy- But now it feems the reverfe is to be the practice; and those who have the lead amongst us, are not only become fo complaifant as to give up the point of honour on the first challenge, but their champion too; or, as the vulgar would exprefs it, whatever M. de la Galiffoniere says, they are ready to wear.

And upon the whole; let every thinking man in Britain afk himself a few fuch questions as thefe: Whether the putting * fuch a change as this upon him is not one of the highest affronts that could be put upon his understanding? Whether in the ⚫ cafe of Admiral B, it has not been put upon the whole community? Whether any pretence of delution, rashness, prejudice, wantonnefs, or even connection and influence can excufe any man for fuffering himself to be made an acceffary to it? And whether it has not a direct tendency to ruin the service ⚫ both by fea and land, by difcouraging men of parts and cha ⚫racter from engaging in it, and thereby throwing it wholly into. ⚫ the hands of fools and madmen; fince none but fuch will ac⚫cept a commiffion on the ignominious terms of ferving with a

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halter about their necks, that a knot of domineering grandees may be exempt, not only from punishment, but imputation ?" With what regard to truth and juftice all this is faid, it is fit every Reader fhould judge for himfelf.-It is but natural for rough ufage to provoke rough returns---and one injury feems to authorize another---But though the parties concerned cannot help placing every object, and qualifying every colour fo, as it fhall appear most to their own advantage, it is our bufiness to see every thing as it really is: and if the public could avail themselves of the detections reciprocally made, and the lapfes committed in all fuch controverted cafes, it would be making the best use in their power of past misfortunes.

XI. A Sixth and Laft Letter, or Address, to the Parliament, as well as to the People of Great Britain. 8vo. 6 d. Kinnerfly.

Some cobler-fcientific, or fcribbling taylor, with not half the literature of John Dove *, endeavours, in this curious document, to convince us, that Great Britain will yet be able to prescribe bounds to the ambitious and lawlefs views of all her enemies, if no unhappy divifions among ourselves do not prevent it.' What the Author means by calling his piece a Sixth Letter, &c. we cannot guefs, unlefs he thought, that his nonfenfe would make a a very proper appendage to Shebbeare's fcurrility.

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Commonly called the Hebrew Taylor.

N. B. The remainder of the Political Pamphlets will be given in

our next.

POETICAL.

XII. Minorca. A Tragedy. In three Acts. Scott.

8vo. Is.

No language can fo juftly fpeak the merits of this piece, as that of the Author himfelf; for which purpose, a very fhort extract, or two, may fuffice. And first, take a fpecimen

Of his POETRY.

Page 2. You call me fuperftitious, and for why?

Because I believe in dreams, and believe I will
Or this, p. 28. (Blakeney lamenting the lofs of Minorca,
There once I thought

To have spent my future days, and dy'd well pleas'd
In ferving of my country, and my King-

Of his SENTIMENTS.

France, do your worst,

I fear you not, and though by force compell'd,

Will never yield*.

In this last cited paffage, our Poet feems to have carefully kept in view the General's native country..

* Incredible as it may seem to our poetical Readers, we can affure them, that thefe paffages are copied from a fecond edition of this miferable performance.

After

After the foregoing fpecimens, we fancy our Readers will readily pardon our not troubling them with any more of, or faying anything further concerning, this difmal tragedy.

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XIII. Poems, by the celebrated Tranflator of Virgil's Eneid. Together with the Jordan, a poem; in imitation of Spencer; by Efq; 4to. Is. Cooper. To this collection the following advertisement is prefixed: The Editor hereof hopes to find his excufe with the Public, for publifhing the following poems, wrote by the celebrated tranflator of Virgil's Eneid, efteeming them not unworthy fo great an Author; he therefore claims to himself fome merit in this his defign of faving the fame from being buried in oblivion: and can affure them, that the imitation of Spencer was wrote * by a Gentleman who hath favoured the world with many admired compofitions."

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However difpofed we may be to excufe this Editor, he has no great claim to our thanks, as he has bere treated us only with a ftale difh, or poetical hafh, confifting [the little piece called the Jordan excepted] of fcraps culled from a work entitled, The Student, and other collections; and now warmed up again, for the entertainment of the Public. Wherein, then, confills the merit of his defign? Or, where lay the danger of oblivion, which he talks of?

The celebrated tranflator above mentioned, is the late Mr. Pitt; the writings of that ingenious Gentleman here reprinted, are, an Imitation of the feventh Satire of the fecond Book of Horace :The tenth and nineteenth Epiftle of his first book:-Fragments of a Rhapfody on the Art of Preaching, in imitation of fome parts of the Ars Poetica:-Verfes on a Flowered Carpet :--And an Epigram on Mr. Pitt's House, at Encomb.

If these pieces have not the merit of novelty to recommend them to the Public, they are, however, poffeffed of intrinfic merit enough to please any reader who has a true talte for poetry, notwithstanding they feem not to have received the finifhing touches of that eminent artift, whofe production they are faid to be, and, doubtlefs, are. Correctnefs was not Mr. Pitt's talent; yet, as he poffeffed much of that philofophical gaiety of mind, and unadorned eafe of expreffion, which characterife the fermones of Horace; fo is he peculiarly happy in many of his imitations of that pleasing Satirilt.

The poem by Blank, Efq; is a droll imitation of Spencer's verfification, and in the tafte of Pope's Alley: it is not without merit, in its way; but the fubject is rather too indelicate to be enlarged upon here.

MISCELLANEOUS.

XIV. An Effay on weighing of Gold, &c. Wherein is thewn, an effectual method for difcovering and detecting of Mm 3

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counterfeit pieces of money (be they ever fo artfully disguised) which will be of great ufe, to prevent perfons from being impofed upon by any of thofe bafe and adulterated pieces of gold coin, which are too common at this time. This is performed by a pair of common fcales, and a fet of gold weights, with the hydroftatical inftrument herein described, which may be had at a very finall expence. By this method, not only gold coins, &c. but alfo all forts of gold and filver plate may be weighed, and their intrinfic value afcertained to the greatest nicety. By William Symons, Author of the Practical Gauger. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Hodges.

The only certain method of detecting bafe coin, is by the hydrostatical balance; of which there are several forts, but that invented by the learned f'Gravefande is the most accurate, and far furpatles the inftrument described by Mr. Symons. The latter is however fufficient for common ufe, the method of finding the fpecific gravity of bodies, and, confequently, of discovering the bafcnefs of any coin, being laid down by our Author in a very plain and intelligible manner.

XV. A full Account of the Siege of Minorca, by the French, in 1756; with all the circumftanees relating thereto. 8vo. Is. Corbet.

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This feems to be a mere compilation from the News-papers. XVI. An Appendix to Bartlet's Farriery. 12mo. 6 d.

Nourse.

For our character of Mr. Bartlett's book, fee Review, Vol. VIII p. 146. No one poffefled of that useful book, ought to be without this Appendix.

XVII. A large new Catalogue of the Bishops of the feveral Sees within the kingdom of Scotland, down to the year 1688. 4to. 6s. 6d. fewed. Edinburgh, printed by Ruddimans, and fold by Owen in London,

This is a very laborious, very accurate, and very dry performance. There are, however, it is certain, fome people, to whom fuch compilations may afford entertainment, and others, to whom they may prove, occafionally, ufeful. The Author has a preface concerning the first planting of Chriftianity in Scotland, and the flate of that church in the earlier ages; but neither here, nor in the body of the work, do we meet with any thing that we can venture to recommend to the generality of our Readers, on this fide the Tweed, especially.

XVIII. Memoirs of the noted Buckhorfe; wherein that celebrated hero is carried into high life. 12mo. 2 vols, 6 s, Crowder.

Buck orfe is a poor wretch, formerly an under-boxer at Broughton's; but of late, as we hear, he earns what fubfiftence he can,

by

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by plying with a link, or hawking little matters about the streets. On the name of this perfon, and fome traits of his character, is founded the prefent novel; which feems intended as a general fatire upon most orders and ranks of people, of the prefent age: and as Gentlemen, and even fome of the Nobility, have been known to countenance, and, we had almost faid, affociate with, fellows of the Buckhorfian clafs, there was certainly room for a good fatire, on this hint. And pity it is, that the plan did not fall into better hands; for it is not, by any means, fo happily executed as we could have wifhed, by this writer; whose work is fuch a ftrange compound of fenfe and nonfense, humour and abfurdity, vivacity and dulnefs, indecency and morality,that it is difficult to determine, whether we ought to look upon him as a forry fcribbler, or a smart fellow. One thing, how ever, may be faid, with tolerable certainty, that his production bears the plaineft marks of being very haftily manufactured. There is not the least smell of the lamp about it. On the contrary, like a watch-movement, before it has paffed through the hands of the finisher, it wants a great deal of filing, and polishing, and adjufting of the feveral parts to each other, fo as to form a regular, connected, and harmonious whole. Probably, it never coft the Author an hour's revifal; fo that what there is in it to commend, may be confidered as the result of genius; and what is bad, as the effect of neceffity:-the urgent neceffity, of filling a given number of sheets, in a given time.

XIX. The Hiftory of two Orphans. By W. Toldervy. 12mo. 4 vols. 12 s. Owen.

Four things only are wanting to render this Writer tolerable, viz. learning, wit, humour, and common fenfe; could he but attain to thefe, he might produce fomething that a difcerning Reader would bear to perufe: but, as matters are with him at prefent, we must confefs, that those who can fairly go through his four volumes, are blessed with more patience and perfeverance than we can boaft: and yet, believe us, gentle Reader, we have feen enough of his Orphans to fatisfy our own curiofity, and to enable us to give thee an honeft hint of what thou art to expect from a more intimate acquaintance with them.

XX. The filts; or, Female Fortune-Hunters. 3 vols. 9s. Noble.

1 2mo

If it be poffible for any fcribbler to go greater lengths in dulnefs than the writer of the Orphans has gone, the author of the Jilts is the man. The following paffage is a fpecimen of the ftile in which he makes two plotting females, in low life, converse together.

I have been confidering, my Dear,' fays Kitty to Dolly, taking it for granted, that you would confent to a marriage with Mr. W- -d, upon every PREVIOUS ftep that muft, or

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