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ception to this rule. Priefts and phyficians fhave the whole head, by which they are diftinguished from all other ranks; and interpreters retain all their hair till the beard begins to appear. Women, except fuch as happen to be separated from their hufbands, fhave no part of their head. Such a perfon I had occafion to fee at Jeddo. She was wandering about the country, and, with her bald head, looked particularly ill. ther women turn their hair upwards with oil and viscid sub : arences, fometimes quite clofe to the head, and at others fpread out at the fides in the form of wings. The unmarried are frequently distinguished by thefe wings. Before the knot is placed a broad comb, which, among the lower fort, is of japanned wood; but, among the higher, of tortoife-fhell. Some wear flowers in their hair; but vanity has not yet led them to load their ears with ornaments.

IS

The head is never covered with hat or bonnet in winter or in fummer, except when they are on a journey; and then they ufe a conical hat, made of a fort of grafs, and fixed with a ribband. I have feen fuch a hat worn by fishermen. Some travelling women, who are met with on the roads, have a bonnet like a fhaving-bafon inverted, on the head, which is made of cloth, in which gold is interwoven. On other occafions, their naked heads are preferved, both from rain and the fun, by umbrellas. Travellers, moreover, have a fort of riding-coat, made of thick paper oiled. They are worn by the upper fervants of princes, and the fuite of other travellers. I and my fellow-travellers, during our journey to court, were obliged to provide fuch for our attendants, when we paffed through the place where they are made.

A Japanese always has his arms painted on one or more of his garments, especially on the long and fhort gowns, on the fleeves, or between the fhoulders; fo that nobody can steal; which otherwife might eafily happen in a country where the clothes are fo much alike in stuff, shape, and fize.

The houses are, in general, of wood and plaster, whitewafhed on the outside, fo as perfectly to resemble a house built of stone. The beams are all perpendicular and horizontal; none go in an oblique direction, as elfewhere is ufual in houfes conftructed of fuch materials. Between the pieces of wood, which are fquare, and but thin, bamboos are interwoven. which are afterwards plaftered with a mixture of clay, fand, and chalk. Thus the walls are not very thick, but, when whitewashed, they make a tolerably good appearance. There, are no partition-walls within the houfe; it is fupported by upright pieces, which, at the ceiling, and at the floor, have crofspieces paffing between them, with grooves, which afterwa ds ferve for parting the rooms. The whole houfe, at first, makes

but

but a fingle room, which can be parted into several, by fliding boards in the grooves of the cross-pieces. They ufe, for this purpose, thin boards varnished over and covered with thick, opake and painted paper. The ceiling is made of boards jointed close together; but the floor, which is always elevated above the ground, confifts of loofe planks. The roof confifts of tiles, made in a peculiar manner, very thick and heavy. The meaner houfes are covered with flabs, upon which an heap of ftones is laid to fix them down.

The houses commonly confift of two ftories, of which the upper is feldom inhabited; it is very low, and ferves for lumber-room. The houfes of the rich and great are larger, and make a greater fhew than thofe of others; but they are not above two stories, or at most twenty feet in height.

[To be continued. ]

MONTHLY CATALOGUE.

[ For MARCH, 1786. ]

MISCELLANEOUS.

ART. 17. The Novelties of a Year and a Day, in a Series of Pi&tarefque Letters, on the Characters, Manners, and Cuftoms of the Spanish, French, and English Nations; interfperfed with Real Anecdotes. By Figaro. London, printed for the Author, at the Logographic Prefs. 12mo. 3s fewed. Sold by J. Murray.

THE author, knowing that Figaro is a favourite, both here and

in France, has endeavoured to profit by his celebrity. The work is a mere fketch, of which the touch, in fome parts, is not amifs had the canvas been properly filled up, it would have acquired more intereft and importance. Some of the leading traits in the characters, manners, and cuftoms of the French and English nations, are marked with fufficient force and correctnefs; of the Spanish, little or nothing is faid. The work, flight as it is, will afford information to fome, and entertainment to many.

ART. 18. The Gamefters; a Novel. By the Authores of Burton Wood, and Jofeph. 12mo. 3 vols. 7s. 6d. fewed, Baldwin, 1786.

This novel has more to recommend it, than most publications of the kind, which every day make their appearance. The characters are well fupported, and fufficiently various; the ftory well told, and the language above mediocrity. While it poffeffes the merit of placing, in

the

the most ftriking light, the fatal confequences of gaming, and illicit
amour, there is not a thought or expreffion in the whole, that can
bring a blush into the cheek of modesty, or taint the youthful ima-
gination. But the performance is not without its blemishes; fome-
thing like what is called ftage trick in the drama, not seldom makes
its appearance; the flory is fometimes not fufficiently probable; and
the boundless culpability of Mr. Wilmot often tempts us to de-
fpife him, though he is reprefented in other refpects as a fenfible man.
It is, however, a confiderable acquifition to the circulating libraries;
and we heartily wish, that these repofitories of idle occupation were filled
with works of equal innocence and refpectability.

ART. 19. The Patriad: An Heroic Poem, in Three Books. 4to. 2s. 6d.
Debrett, 1786.

The defign of this performance is to ridicule the patriots, whether English or Irish, who oppofed Mr. Pitt's twenty propofitions. The propofitions, in the opinion of our author, included a commercial fyftem, full of the wifeft policy, and the most enlightened beneficience. The moral of his performance is included in one couplet.

Patriots I hate you, great and small,

One HONEST MAN is worth you all.'

The file of the performance is intended to be Hudibraftic, and the two firit books are employed in what our author calls an invocation. A number of mufes are fuppofed to país in review; and one of them is at length felected, by whofe means we are kindly informed, that our author writes in the spirit of Ariftophanes, Plautus, Terence, Horace, Juvenal, Martial, Ariofto, Boccace, Rabelais, Le Fontaine, Moilere, Boileau, La Motte, Scarron, Shakespeare, Butler, Prios, Buckingham, Swift, Arbuthnot, Gay, Congreve, Garrick, Thorn ton, Coleman, Foot, Churchill, Sterne, and Peter Pindar. Having thus ftated our author's modeft pretenfions, we will present our readers with one example of his execution.

That mufe, who feems fo won'drous coy,
Yet feems fo ripe for love and joy,
Is fhe, in education's fpite,
Who teacheth ladies how to write
Romances; ladies, who, at fchool,
Did never learn one grammer-rule;
Ladies, who daily glut the town
With ill-told ftories, not their own;
Illiterate nonfenfe, with intent
To render maids incontinent;

Or who, as now the mode in France is,

For comedies, write ftage-romances,

So full of Venus and of Cupid,

So fentimental and fo ftupid!

Now take your leave, and court fey lowly:
My compliments to Mrs. Cowley.

I may be rude; but, on my life,
I had much rather have a wife

f

Could

Could make a pudding or a pye
Than write a play-good reafon why;
I never faw-'tis truly fhocking-
A writing lady mend her ftocking.
Now, if he will but let us fee,
I'll lay a crown, above the knee
There is a hole-Ah, fye upon't!
Ladies I mean you no affront;
But I advise you, one and all,
Learned, unlearned, great and small,
If you regard thofe creatures men,
Refume your needle for your pen.
"Twere better to employ your time
In making fhifts than making rhime.
Moft men had rather see you ftitching:
Girls, fo employed, are all bewitching.
If thus to industry ye turn ye,
Ye'll husbands get before Mifs Burney.
So far, fair fifters, 'tis agreed,

To other bards you may proceed.'

The character of the Patriad may be given in two words. The author has a few glimmerings of humour, but a full fhunshine of illiteratenefs and ignorance. His great skill lies in understanding, according to the prefcription of Horace, the quid valeant humani. Had he pretended to write with thought and deliberation, he would have been intolerable, but he luckily enters into the file of a man already half feas over with fun and ftrong beer.

ART. 20. An Authentic Account of Forgeries and Frauds of various kinds, commited by that moft Confummate Adept in Deception, Charles Price, otherwife Patch, many years a Lottery Office Keeper, in London and Weftminster; who, to avoid a shameful and ingnominious Death, deftroyed himself in Tothill-Fields Bridewell, on the 24th of January, 1786. Published principally to gratify the Curiofity of the People, concerning a Man, who bad baffled every Mode of Detection fet on Foot by the Directors the Bank of England, and the Magiftrates of Bow-freet, for upwards of five Years. With which is given, as a Frontispiece, an exact Reprentation of his Perfon, in the Difguile which he wore when he negociated his firft Parcel of Counterfeit Bank Notes, in the Year 1780; and likewife bis Portrait in bis ufual Dress. Small 8vo. Kearfley, 1786.

These memoirs of villany, although written in a very vulgar manner, and without that perfpicuity and clearness, which are fometimes to be found in the most vulgar narratives, fufficiently illuftrate the truth of the maxim, that honefty is the best policy and furnish no uninteresting comment on the famous verfes of the pfalmift, on the excellence of moral wifdom, "I have more understanding than all my teachers; for thy teftimonies are my meditation: I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts." Had this unhappy man but known the peace of them that reverence the laws of God, this conviction would have availed him more than all his penetration, ENG. REV. VOL, VI. March, 1786. P fagacity,

fagacity, and forefight, which, being employed in immoral enterprizes, were degraded from the name of talents, and branded by that of the meaneft cunning and artifice. He poffeffed, together with these qualities, great firmness of mind; and in the most trying moments, and under the fevereft mental agitation, he could fummons to his aid the most perfect recollection, and the utmost compofure of countenance. Nothing was wanting to entitle him to the praife of the most profound fagacity and prudence, as well as the greatest fortitude and heroic virtue, but the exercife of his faculties and powers in a worthy cause. The manner of his death, emphatically expressed the folly of his life, and the mifery and infamy of mifpent ta

lents.

ART. 21. An Apology for Negro Slavery: or, the Weft. India Planters Vindicated from the Charge of Inhumanity. By the Author of Letters to a Young Planter. 8vo. 1s. Strachan. 1786.

This apologift obferves, that we do not painfully feel the want of that which we never enjoyed; and that, therefore, flavery can only be faid to be a great evil, when it is a deprivation of liberty; that Montefquieu, fays, that although all men are born equal, flavery, in certain countries, is founded in natural reafon, the cowardice of the people of hot climates almost always rendering them flaves; and that the Weft-India negroes are not fo unhappy as those who are obliged to work under ground in the Spanish mines. He affirms, that negroes are not fitted, by natural character and difpofition, to fill the fuperior flations, or more elevated ranks in civil fociety; that nego flavery is one of thofe indifpenfable and neceffary links, in the great chain of caufes and events, which cannot and indeed ought not to be broken; and, in fhort, that "whatever is, is right." He fhews that the flave trade is confiftent with found policy, fince it cannot fail to be gainful to this country. He fhews that, in fome inftances, the negro flaves in the West-Indies are happier than the peafants and day labourers in Great Britain, but allows, that in fome inftances they are treated with extreme cruelty. He laughs at fome of the romantic fchemes of Mr. Ramfay, and makes large quotations, and retails other things, without acknowledging them, from the "Curfory Remarks" on that gentleman's effay. Upon the whole, the author of the apology before us is an unconvincing defender of a wretched cause.

ART. 22. Delectus Sententiarum et Hiftoriarum, in ufum Tironum accomodatus. 12mo. 2s. Robi fons. 1785.

The compiler of this collection juftly obferves, that there is no claffical author fufficiently ealy to initiate youth in Latin conftruction. To remedy this defect in the catalogue of books fit for young ftudents, in the Latin tongue, two books have been published: Selette è veteri Teftamento: and E profants Scriptoribus, biftoriae. To the former it is an objection, that it is unclaffical; to the latter, that claffical Latinity is intermixed with inelegant tranflations from the Greek. The felection under review from the pureft latin writers obviates both thefe difadvantages. And the author of this compilation, at the

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