he had feveral returns of the fame afflicting malady. The last took place on the 5th of October, 1802. It deprived him altogether of the power of motion; and in that humiliating fituation, I faw him for the last time in the month of June, 1803.

"He continued to languish in this melancholy condition till nine o'clock in the morning of Thursday the 18th of August, 1803, when it pleafed the Almighty to remove him from this world to a better, in the fixty-eighth year of his age, without any pain or apparent ftruggle. For fome weeks preceding, his remaining ftrength had declined rapidly, and his appetite entirely left him; but he feemed not to fuffer, and at last he expired as if falling asleep." Vol. II. p. 323.

Sir William Forbes clofes his work with a fummary of the character of Dr. Beattie, in which he gives fome particulars, not touched upon, in his narrative, and in our opi nion, although he has given a high, he has yet given an impartial eftimate of his value, as a philofopher, a poet, a critic, and a man. As a philofopher, his merit, if weighed by utility, must be confidered as great; for he only is the true philofopher, whofe principles tend moft directly to facilitate the practice of what is good, by explaining in what the true welfare of man confifls. As a poet, there is not much risk of difference of opinion. As a critic, we fhould be inclined to place him in a higher rank than has yet been allotted to him, and we have the judgment of Cowper on our fide, whofe letters on Dr. Beattie's Effays were communicated to his biographer by Mr. Hayley, and were afterwards publifhed in the Life of Cowper. As a man, Dr. Beattie appears to have had every accomplishment of the fcholar, and to have uniformly practifed thofe Chriftian virtues which form the best commentary on his writings. His manners were unufually gentle and conciliating, and his addrefs among ftrangers was often remarked to have captivations, which are feldom looked for in a scholar, and are not always found in the man of the world. His converfation, without any appearance of obtrufion, was yet ample, in his happier days, and eagerly fought after. Upon the whole, indeed, he must have been an extraordinary and attractive character, who, without any advantages of birth, rank, or wealth, enjoyed the friendthip of fo many perfons of diftinction and learning; and, on the other hand, it was their peculiar felicity, that in him they patronized a man whofe genius was not debafed by any of thofe fingularities, or eccentricities, as they are fometimes called,. in defending which much of our modern biography is become an apology for every thing vicious and contemptible.

We

66

We cannot difmifs this work without adverting to the manner in which Sir William Forbes has performed his talk. He wishes it had fallen to the lot of fome other perfon better qualified to do juftice to the subject," but he has left us very fubftantial reafons for queftioning whether fuch a perfon be now living. Befides an intimacy of forty years with Dr. Beattie, Sir William appears to poffefs all the judgment and taffe which can render biography interefting or defirable; and independently of his narrative, he has made fuch a judicious felection of correfpondence as exhibits a complete portrait of his friend, and will form a noble and a lafting monument to his memory. The whole indeed impreffes us with a high opinion of Sir William, as a learned, pious, and truly amiable man. His concluding paragraph does honour to his fenfibility.

"Here I close my account of the life of Dr. Beattie; throughout the whole of which I am not confcious of having, in any' refpećt, mifrepresented either his actions or his character; and of whom to record the truth is his beft praise.

"On thus reviewing the long period of forty years that have elapfed fince the commencement of our intimacy, it is impoffible for me not be deeply affected, by the reflection, that of the numerous friends with whom he and I were wont to affociate, at the period of our earliest acquaintance, all, I think, except three, havealready paid their debt to nature; and that in no long time (how foon is known only to HIM, the great Difpofer of all events) my gray hairs fhall fink into the grave, and I also shall be numbered with those who have been. May a fituation fo awful make its due impreffion on my mind! and may it be my,earnett endeavour to employ that fhort portion of life which yet remains to me, in fuch a manner, as that when the last dread hour shall come, in which my foul fhall be required of me, I may look forward with trembling hope to a happy immortality, through the merits and mediation of our ever-blessed Redeemer!" Vol. II. P. 342.

At the end of Vol. II. is an Appendix of Notes and Illuftrations, including much contemporary and literary hif tory, but these are not all of equal importance. Fac fimilies are alfo given of Dr. Beattie's hand-writing, and a wellengraved copy of Sir Joshua's portrait of him. We are happy to find an intimation that a new edition of Dr. Beattie's works, in an uniform fize, is in the prefs. Such an undertaking is a refpect due to his rank as an English author, and it is a refpect to which every one who reads the volumes we now difmifs will be defirous to contribute.

ART.

ÁRT. XIII. A genuine and univerfal System of Natural Hiftory; comprising the three Kingdoms of Animals, Vege tables, and Minerals, arranged under their respective Claffes, Orders, Genera, and Species. By the late Sir Charles Linnæus, Profeffor of Phyfic and Botany, &c. &c. at Stockholm. Improved, Corrected, and Enlarged, by I. Frid. Gmelin, M. D. Profeffor of Natural Hiftory in the Royal Society of Gottingen. Faithfully tranflated, and rendered more complete by the Addition of Vaillant's Beautiful Birds of Africa; the Superb Fifh of Mark Eliezer Bloch: the amphibious Animals, Reptiles, Infects, Sc. in the costly Works of Albertus Seba, Merian, Fabricius, Knorr, Sc. the elegant Improvements of the Comte de Buffon, and the more modern Difcoveries of the British Navigators in the South Pacific Ocean, New Holland, New South Wales, China, Cochin-China, &c. Methodically incorporated and arranged by the Editors of the Encyclopædia Londinenfis. 8vo. Seven large Volumes. 51. 7s. Champante and Whitrow.

Not dated.

THIS THIS work is ftill in progreffion, and it is not faid to what extent it is to be carried. Of the prefent feven, volume 1. is dedicated to the fubject of MAN. Vol. 11. describes the APE and MONKEY kinds. Vol. 111. QUADRUPEDS, volumes 4, 5, 6 and 7. treat of BIRDS.

The plates to thefe volumes are taken, in general, from the best authorities, and executed at once with delicacy and fpirit. The defcriptions are not confined to the fhort and compreffed accounts of the Syftema Natura, as might perhaps be fuppofed, but are enlarged from Buffon, and other naturalifts; and from various travellers mentioned in the title. ́

The compilers have not given their names, but only fuch a defcription as may perhaps make them known to perfons admitted into the fecrets of the trade. Whoever they may be, we cannot but fay to them that, in our opinion, they have amplified their firft volume, on man, by many dif cuffions, not only fuperfluous, but, in a work intended for general information, very objectionable. They are fit enough for the eye of the anatomical philofopher, but by no means for the contemplation of the cafual reader. In the fame mode of confideration, one or two of the plates in the first volume are liable to cenfure; and, indeed, if a very large part of that introductory part were removed, we cannot but think, that the work would be much amended.

Y

BRIT, CRIT, VOL, XXVIlI, SEPT. 1866.

To form a book of this kind, by felecting materials from preceding authors is a tafk fo plain and direct, that we cannot fufpect much error in it, and, therefore, have not minutely examined the prefent, as to that point. It is a very different cafe, where a Naturalift, like Dr. Shaw, ftands on the footing of an original author; and adds to the information of others, from the ftores of his own knowledge and obfervation. The prefent work may be occafionally confulted; but it is the General Zoology which will be quoted by future writers on Natural History.

BRITISH CATALOGUE.

POETRY.

ART. 14. Nuga Poetica. Confifting of a Serio-Comic Poem, on the Purfuits of Mankind: with feveral small original Pieces on varions Subjects. By W. A. Hails, Writing-Mafter and Teacher of various Branches of the Mathematics. 8vo. 88 pp. 35. Longman and Co. 1806.

In a preface to thefe poems the author informs us of the almoft ipfuperable difficulties which have obftructed his progrefs in the acquifition of learning; to which, it seems, he discovered a propenfity at a very early age. Having received fome inftructions in writing and arithmetic from his father, a fhipwright, and paffed about fix years at a common fchool, he was, at the age of fixteen, bound to his father's trade, and continued to follow it for fixteen years. Yet fuch has been his thirst of knowledge, that during this period (if we understand him rightly) he has, befides other reading, made himfelf acquainted with feveral branches of natural philofophy and the mathematics, and gained (as indeed appears in the works before us) fome proficiency in the Latin and Hebrew tongues. He has now obtained an employment more fuitable to his talents; but feems to have encountered some very illiberal prejudices in the purfuit of it.

Of the performances now before us every reader of taste will agree with us, that the first (On the Purfuits of Mankind) gives no great indication of a poetical genius in the author. The. thoughts in this poem are, in general, trite, the language inelegant, and the metre irregular and unharmonious. It was indeed. compofed when the author was a mechanic; and fuch perfons, when they devote themselves to literature, often acquire a large portion of knowledge without making a proportionate advance.

meat

ment in tafte. The next poem (A Paraphrafe on the Song of Moses) has fomewhat more of poetical spirit; and the notes fubjoined to it, fhow not only a confiderable progress in Hebrew learning, but (what is far better) fincere piety. Of the shorter poems the Elegiac Verfes on Lord Nelfon's Funeral please us the beft. Upon the whole, thefe performances of an untutored, though not wholly unlettered, poet have fufficient merit to encourage him in further attempts, and to a more diligent cultivation of his poetical talents.

ART. 15. London Cries; or, Pictures of Tumult and Diftrefs: a Poem. To which is added, the Hall of Pedantry. With Notes. 12mo. 75 PP. 4s. Murray. 1805.

Though the title is of a ludicrous caft, and is faid in the preface to be borrowed from that of a popular defcriptive tract of the fame name, published by Mr. Newbery for the ufe of baby literati, yet it contains much well pointed fatire and good ferious writing. London Cries, according to this poet, may be claffed under three heads: " ft. The Cries of Bufinefs. 2dly. The Cries of Folly and Brutality. 3dly. The Cries of Vice and Mifery." The firft head has been treated in Mr. Newbery's publication, the two latter are ably touched in this. The following lines are part of a vigorous defcription of the confufion of London.

"Here, with Salmonean din and defp'rate force,.
Contending chariots urge their thund'ring courfe :.
Dull pride of birth, reclin'd in brilliant coach,
Pines at the vulgar hackney's bold approach;
The sturdy ruler of the batter'd car

Joys painted Fashion's glitt'ring pomp to mar.
Here Death's dull waggon moves in black parade
The plumy pageantry of Mourning's trade:

There fqualid heaps, the market's gorge, are wheel'd,
To rot and mingle with their native field;

And rumbling carts, with wealth exotic ftor'd,
Bear Pelions piled of vegetable hoard;

And dragg'd in creaking chains, the foreft's pride t,
Enormous trunks the car-borne ranks divide."

P. 18.

"Feftinat calidus mulis gerulifque redemptor, Torquet nunc lapidem nunc ingens machina tignum, Triftia robuftis luctantur funera plauftris."

Modo longa corufcat

Hor. Ep. 2. L. 2.

Sarraco veniente abies, atque altera pinum

Plauftra vehunt, nutant altæ populoque minantur.”

Juv. S. 3.