NOVEL S.

Memoirs of a Scots Ileirefs, addreffed to the Right Hon. Lady Cathe *. By the Author of Conftance. 3 Vols.

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9s. Hookham. 1791.

12740.

Thefe Memoirs are in many refpects fingular: the author, in almost every step, wanders from the beaten path, occafionally ele vates and furprises, is frequently interefting, and fometimes highly pathetic. The incidents are, nevertheless, often improbable, and the unexpected changes of fortune are, in one or two inftances, difagreeably abrupt. The characters are not always new: Mrs. Dibart is an example of verfatility and inconfiftency, perhaps coloured too highly; and, though not beyond nature, is rather a caricature than a character. Lady Jane Alderney is more correctly delineated: fir Lufon Linfield is, we fufpect, a copy from life, and scarcely overcharged. The heroine herself is not quite unexceptionable, but defends her own conduct so eagerly and so ably, that if fhe is not really writing her own life, she has affumed the character with great ability, The fentiments are well adapted to the fituation, correct and judicious; the incidents frequently interefting the American adventures, with the death of captain Dibart, are well executed, and we have feldom seen a scene of more interesting pathos, than the whole of the adventure on the fand-bank, concluding with the lofs of the paddle.

Vols. 12mo. 6s. From the Literary Prefs.

The Victim of a Vow; or, the Dangers of Duplicity. A Novel. 2 1791. The foundation of a plot appears to us improbable and abfurd; but the fubfequent conduct of the ftory deserves our commendation. The intereft is well kept up, and the artful mazes of Erefby involved with dexterity and managed without confufion. The moral is not a bad one; for artifice, and villainy moft ap. parently fuccessful, bring only diftrefs and unhappiness,

MISCELLANEOUS.

Letter of Monfieur and of M. le Comte D'Artois to the King, their Brother: with the Declaration figned at Pilnitz, August 27, 1791, by the Emperor and the King of Pruffia. 8vo. 1. Debrett,

1791.

The Letter of monfieur and his brother is ardent and spirited: It is the language of men who have their ALL at stake, and are anxious to preferve it, The king's having accepted of the new arrangement changes the whole plan; nor can we think the attempt, in the circumftances in which the Letter was written, fo eafy as is reprefented. We know not whether the engagement, fuppofed to be entered into at Pilnitz, is genuine or authentic: we fhall, however, tranfcribe it,

( Con

• Convention between the Emperor and the King of Pruffia.

His majesty the emperor, and his majefty the king of Pruffia, having heard the wishes and reprefentations of Monfieur (the French king's brother), and the count d'Artois, do jointly declare, that they look upon the actual fituation of his majesty the king of France as an object of common concern to all the fovereigns of Europe. They hope that this concern will, doubtless, be acknowledged by all the powers, from whom affiftance is required; and that, in confequence, they will not refufe employing, in conjunction with their said majesties, the moft efficacious means, relative to their forces, in order to enable the king of France to confolidate, in the most perfect liberty, the bafis of a monarchical government, fuitable both to the rights of fovereigns, and the welfare of the French nation-Then, and in this cafe, their faid majefties the emperor and the king of Pruffia are determined to act speedily, with mutual concord, and `with neceffary forces, to obtain the propofed end in common.

Meanwhile they will give to their troops neceffary orders that they may be ready for putting themselves in a state of activity. Pilnitz, the 27th of Auguft, 1791.'

The words marked in italics are in the original, relativemenț a leurs forces'-words very equivocal, and may mean, the most efficacious means in their power,' When the army is afterwards mentioned, the word troupes is employed.

The Oeconomy of Nature. Tranflated from the Original German, 8vo. 25, ferved. Kearfley. 1790.

A ftrange whimfical rhapsody about nature and natural operations by an honest German, unacquainted with the most common facts.

'The Cohesion of Bodies, and the Center of Force.

It is evident, that there must be fomething, which holds the parts of a body together. A loaf of bread keeps together till it is broken; and to break it requires a certain effort, that is, it refifts.

If a loaf of bread be broken into feveral pieces, each piece will be found to have its particular cohefive force. In fhort, experience teaches us, that the force of cohesion is diffused throughout all nature.

We find also that certain parts of a body cohere together more ftrongly than other parts of this fame body. The rim of a drinking-glafs breaks eafier than its bottom. The point where the cohesion is ftrongest we call the center of force. By confequence the center of force in a drinking-glafs is to be fought for in the bottom.

The earth has its cohefion, which it exerts upon us pretty fenfibly. We cannot try to raise ourselves to the height of fix

inches above it, without being reminded by our own weight, that we are its property; and the effays of thofe that have attempted to fly in the air, have hitherto been punished by the most terrible fracture of their arms and legs,

The earth has probably its center of force, likewife, which perhaps lies in its actual center or near it,

It is no contradiction to affirm that there is more than one center of force in a body. Thus man appears to have a double center of force. In the heart the blood-veffels unite. Here the conflux of the blood is greateft. In the brain, particularly in the pineal gland, unites the nerves, from which all the parts of our body derive their force,'

This is not the chapter full of the groffeft errors, or most striking abfurdities; but the work reminds us of an obfervation that it is neceffary to make. German literature, at prefent, engages much attention; and translations, like the prefent, have been made from works which poffefs not the leaft merit. Where the error lies we know not; but it is as neceffary for the tranflater to be as able to judge of the fubject as the language, and to know the state of the fcience in the country for which he prepares his verfion, left he may leffen the character of his German author, and imprefs the reader with too difadvantageous an opinion of Germar fcience. A man may be regarded as very polite in a country village; but it would be very injudicious, on this account, to introduce him as a model of politenefs at St. James's,

The English Freeholder. 410. 2s. 6d. Stockdale. 1791. In the days of Swift the Letters of the Draper roused a kingdom unanimously to refift an infidious and dangerous attempt. The period is now paffed; and, when a mask is put on, fufpicion fuggefts that there may be fome secret, unavowed defign. The object of the English Freeholder, for this work is a collection of letters to the good people' of England, addreffed to them at different times, is to counteract the prefent revolution-mania; to expofe the defigns of the pretended patriots, as well as to take off the flimfy delufive`veil, which, in fome fpeeches and publications, have covered the proceedings of the French revolutionifts. The defign is good, the language perfpicuous and forcible. In what relates to France, however, the author is lefs correctly informed, or he confiders fome additional colouring only as a pious fraud.

A Plan for the Benefit of the Midshipmen of the Royal Navy. 8vo. IS. Debrett. 1791.

Our author's plan deferves great attention; for midshipmen are the foundation of the naval fuperiority of Great Britain: but the Lords of the Admiralty are the only proper reviewers of this work

A Letter

A Letter to the Meeting at the Crown and Anchor Tavern, on the Fourteenth of July, 1791, for the Purport of celebrating the Anniversary of the Revolution in France. Addreffed to the Patrons and Stewards of that Meeting. By the Rev. Rice Hughes, A. M. 800. 15. 6d. Stockdale. 1791.

Mr. Hughes' eagerness hurries him too far into fome erroneous representations and untenable opinions; but thefe are mixed with juft remarks, expreffed with peculiar boldness and energy. The meeting we believe was originally pregnant with deep defign, perfidy, and danger.' When the first views were defeated, a more tranquil plan was adopted; and the tranquillity, the effect of neceffity, has been fince adduced as a proof of peaceable intentions. The fecret was too carelessly kept to admit of a doubt.

The Parifian Mafter; or, a new and easy Method for acquiring a perfect Knowledge of the French Language in a fhort Time. By Dr. M. Guelfi Borzacchini. 8vo. 2s. 6d. bound. Dilly. 1791. Our author's plan of teaching, as it is detailed in the preface, is judicious and proper. In his Grammar we meet with no very confiderable improvements. Indeed, in fuch a beaten tract, what novelty can be expected?

Curfory Remarks on the Army in general, and the Foot Guards in particular. By Henry Sinclair, late Captain-Lieutenant in the fifty feventh Regiment. 4to. 2s. 6d. Jordan. 1791.

Thefe Remarks deferve much attention: our author recommends that the guards fhould take their tour of duty in the different quarters of the three kingdoms and Gibraltar; that the additional rank of the guards fhould be abolished; and that the pay of the army in general fhould be increased. The laft, he thinks, will not be attended with any increase of the national expenditure, if promotion is allowed to proceed according to the half-pay lift; at leaft till every claimant in that line is provided for. An Introduction to German Grammar. By the Rev. Dr. Wendeborn. 8vo. 55. Boards. Robinsons. 1790.

Several years ago the author publifhed Elements of German Grammar. The favourable reception his publication has met with, made a new edition neceffary, which he has given here in a more improved ftate, under the title of An Introduction to German Grammar. A practical part, which was wanting, is now added, containing Dialogues-an Extract from a German Play of Leffing-an Extract from Gefner's Lectures on Morality-Letters, and cpecimens of German Poetry.

In the Elements the German was printed in Italics; but the author finding, as he informs us in the preface, that it was the with of many to have it printed with the common German types, he has fubmitted to it; and, as it appears to us, to the advantage

of this new edition, and for the benefit of those who wish to learn and to read the German..

A Letter to the Electors of Great Britain. By J. Sutherland, Efq. late Judge of the Admiralty at Minorca. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Jordan. 1791.

The unfortunate cafe of the late Mr. Sutherland: it is a painful fubject, and diftreffing muft be the fituation of minifters, if it can ever become political to neglect fuch representations. If the procrastination happened from the hurry of more important busi nefs, it will be a pleasure to reflect that fome degree of compenfas tion may be yet made to his furviving relatives.

A fhort Compendium of Ancient and Modern Hiftorical Geography, tranflated from the French. By M. de Lanfeguè. 8vo. 8vo. 6s. 6d. Boards. Murray. 1791.

This Compendium is defigned for the ufe of fchools, and is executed, in general, with fkill and perfpicuity. There are, hows ever, numerous little errors, which ought to have been avoided. England, for instance, is faid to produce pewter: the term of city is conftantly mifapplied, and Edinburgh is faid to be the refi-· dence of the ford high commiffioner. In the foreign part, the author is not fometimes fufficiently explicit, and feems occafion ally to have followed travellers of uncertain authority; but, on the whole, the faults are of little importanee; fome of them feem to arife from an imperfect tranflation, and fcarcely any will lead the pupil into effential errors.

CORRESPONDENCE.

MR. Lodge requests that the authors of the Critical Review will do him the favour to inform their readers that he did not intend, in his late publication, to reflect on the authors of the Biographia Britannica (fee Correspondence at the end of the October Review), merely for ufing the affertions in question refpecting the lady Arabella Stuart, but more particularly for the accidental perverfion of the meaning of a paffage in Winwood's Memorials. The cafe is briefly stated in the last Appendix to the Critical Review, p. 553, and Mr. Lodge has this day fent a more particular account of it to the Gentleman's Magazine, to which he begs leave to refer, in order to free himself from a cenfure which is delivered to the public under fo very respectable an authority. If the detection of fuch an error can be properly deemed indifcriminate, and the tracing that error to its origin hafty, Mr. Lodge will be content to plead guilty to Dr. Kippis's charge. College of Arms, Nov. 17, 1791.

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In our laft Review, p. 228, 1. 1. for firft fermon, x, fermo.:.-P. 234, 1. 3. For