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(replies the Pupil) make much ufe of this obfervation when I meet with thofe that cry down philofophy; for though indeed I cannot deny but that there are many it impertinencies in divers of thofe philofophical, books which are extant, yet where fhall we find virtue fo clearly delineated, according to all parts, as in the ancient philofophers, Plato, Ariftotle, Plutarch, Epictetus, Seneca, and the like ?And truly if we did not make ufe of this moral philofophy, as well for the explicating as the enlarging divers commandments read and taught by our priefts, I should fall fhort of my intention. For though indeed they be perfect, as far as they go, yet much more is required than what is fet down exprefsly in them, to make men as good as they ought"

to be."

The Tutor here affects to correct the Pupil. You are (fays he) more bufy in these things than I would have you, till we have the conveniency to speak of them before fome learned divine.*

The reader from this and many other paffages of this Dialogue, may fee the manner in which his lordfhip manages his weapons against Chriftianity, by his pretended tenderness to talk of revelation, after he has done all he can to fap the foundations of its belief, except in presence of a divine.' He next launches out on the difference between priesthood and philofophy, greatly to the advantage of the latter; but feems to deny a particular providence; tho' he recommends a kind of fcepticism with regard to miracles, as being the fafeft ftate of mind to his pupil, till he can have the advice of a learned divine.' His lordship next treats of the antiquity and univerfality of the Jewish church, which he illuftrates from St. Austin and other Chriftian fathers. The Pupil here takes an opportunity to confult his Tutor with regard to the propriety of Abraham's facrificing his fon Ifaac; and the latter gives it as his opinion, that the voice enjoining Abraham to that act came rather from fome wicked spirit than from God; but he ftill defires his Pupil to confult learned divines on the fubject.

We are next entertained with an account of the Greek Ichools, with fome obfervations on the difference between coinmon reafon and faith. It will be neceffary, fays the Tutor, for you to remark this difference, that what proceeds from common reason, you know it to be true; but what proceeds from faith you can only believe it; and there is a vaft space and diftance betwixt knowing and believing, fince knowing and understanding are implanted, or inhering in the foul, and common to all mankind; whereas fingle faiths and beliefs, concerning things paft, is but extrinfical, and adventitious, and together subject to many deceits and errors, how much foever it feems to be authorized by any church,'

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As the preceding quotations are fufficient to give the reader a comprehenfive view of lord Chirbury's divinity, we fhall not detain him longer upon this work. It must be acknowledged that his reafoning, tho inconclufive when applied to Chriftianity, is very fpecious, His deductions of fuperftition and idoJatry from the practice and policy of priests and legiflators, are ftrong and fatisfactory; but he cautiously avoids all examination of the evidence of Chriftian miracles, and the truths of the gofpel: a Chriftian, therefore, may fafely fubfcribe to many doctrinal parts of this performance, without being fhaken in his own religion. Upon the whole, however, the tendency of the book is d dangerous; and the more fo, on account of the extraordinary natural and acquired abilities displayed by the author: and we are forry to fee fuch a publication make its appearance at this juncture, when the minds of men are fo much employed in reafoning themfelves into infidelity.

II. The great Probability of a North-West Paffage deduced from q Obfervations on the Letter of Admiral De Fonte, who failed from the Callao of Lima on the Discovery of a Communication between the South Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; and to intercep Jome Navigators from Bofton in New-England, whom he met with, then in Search of a North West Paffage. Proving the Authenticity of the Admiral's Letter. With Thres Explanatory Maps. 1. A Copy of an authentic Spanish Map of America, published in 1608. II. The Discoveries made in Hudfon's-Bay, by Captain Smith, in 1746 and 1747. III. A General Map of the DiscoAveries of Admiral De Fonte. By Thomas Jefferys, Geographer By to the King. With an Appendix. Containing the Account of a budou Discovery of Part of the Coast and Inland Country of Labrador, dmade in 1753. The Whole intended for the Advancement of Trade and Commerce. 4to. Pr. 75. 6d. Jefferys.

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Buo HIS author endeavours to fhew the probability of a Hobo North West Paffage, by confidering the various evidence relating to fuch paffage, from the time the fuppofition of its actual difcovery commenced. He alfo determines the latitude * of the mouth of the Paffage, upon the information of such evidence, on the fide of America that is washed by the fouthern ocean, And, laftly, he propofes a very rational method to be fatisfied of the truth of fuch a communication.isd yn bigos bas His chief argument in fupport of his firft propofition, is a copy of a letter of admiral De Fonte, then admiral of Spain and Peru, and afterwards prince of Chili, giving an account of the moft material tranfactions in a journey of his from the Callao of Lima in Peru, on his discoveries to find out if there was any North

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North-West Paffage from the Atlantic Ocean into the South and Tartarian Sea. As this letter, however, has been generally fuppofed to be fictitious, and even by a foreign geographer Stobbe forged by fome English writer, the author generously defends this country from any imputation of that kind; and by a overy critical attention to feveral circumftances in the title Graffixed, as well as the letter, makes it highly probable, that if this journal was an impofition upon the world, it was framed Yoby a foreigner in the Spanish language. of The editor's next enquiries are more immediately directed to {andexamination of the authenticity of the letter, which he endeavours to prove was no fiction or romance, not only by feveral very substantial arguments, but alfo by a great number of collateral circumstances, hiftorical anecdotes, and traditional reports. The following paffage from De Fonte's letter illuftrates this fabaject, and juftifies our author's conjectures.

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The 17th we came to an Indian town, and the Indians told our interpreter, Mr. Parmentiers, that a little way from us lay a great fhip where there had never been one before; we failed to them, and found only one man advanced in years, and a youth; the man was the greatest man in the mechanical parts of the mathematicks I had ever met with; my second mate was an Englishman, an excellent feaman, as was my gunner, who had been taken prifoner at Campeachy, as well as the mafter's fon; they told me the fhip was of New England, from a town called Bolton. The owner and the whole fhip's company came on board on the 30th, and the navigator of the fhip, Capt. Shapley, told me, his owner was a fine gentleman, and major general of the largeft colony in New England, called the Maltechufets; fo I received him like a gentleman, and told him, my commiflion was to make prize of any people feeking a North Weft or Weft Paffage into the South Sea, but I would look upon them as merchants trading with the natives for be vers, otters, and other furs and skins, and fo for a small prefent of provisions I had no need on, I gave him my diamond ring, which coft mer1200 pieces of eight, (which the modeft gentleman received with difficulty) and having given the brave navigator, Capt. Shapley, for his fine charts and journals, 1000 pieces of eight, and the owner of the fhip, Scimor Gibbons, a quarter cafk of good Peruan wine, and the 10 feamen each zo pieces of eight, the 6th of Auguft, with as much wind as we could fly before, and a current, we arrived at the firft fall of the river Parmentiers, the 11th of Auguft, 86 leagues, and was on the fouth fide of the lake Belle on board our fhips the 11 16th of Auguft, before the fine town Conoffet, where we found all things well; and the honeft natives of Conoffet had in our ab

90 C.

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fence treated our people with

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Ronquillo anfwered their civility, great humanity, and Capt. de and juftice." The author proceeds next to give us a particular account of the family of this Capt. Shapley, whom his crew, for fear of the Spaniards, had abandoned, by retiring into the woods; and he feems to be of opinion, that he made fome confiderable difcoveries with regard to the North Weft Paffage. His brother Alexander fettled at Pifcatua, in North America, in a tract of land to which he gave the name of Kittery, His defcendants, a genteel people, (fays our editor) were not many years fince living at Kittery; but Nicholas Shapley, retired to New London, where he had a fon that was living in the year one thoufand feven hundred and fifty-two, a fisherman. The family at Kit tery were very shy as to giving any information as to what they knew in this affair, upon an application by the author of these obfervations, or looking into Alexander's papers, as an officious perfon had got beforehand, and difcouraged them from giving any gratification of this fort, under pretence, if their papers were feen, it might give fome infight into a lawfuit depending between the two branches of the family, or expected to be commenced; and that there was a great reward for the discovery of a North-west Paffage, which, if the account was attained from them, they would be intitled to a part, which by this means they would be deprived of. Jealoufies of this kind, raised by a pretended, at least an ignorant friend, against the application of a ftranger, who affured them he was fuperior to any trick of that fort, and would give them any fatisfaction in his power as they fhould propofe, occafioned a difappointment. The fon of captain Nicholas, upon an application made by the author likewife, had nothing but his father's fea cheft, in which there were once a great many papers, and which his mother, the wife of captain Nicholas, made a great account of; but the fon, being an illiterate man, had made ufe of them in the family as wafte paper.'

This Alexander, according to the editor, was a difcoverer likewife. As to Gibbons, who was afterwards a major in the army, we have a remarkable account of his deliverances in the Ecclefiaftical Hiftory of New England, by the Rev. Cotton Mather, published at London in 1702, in folio: in his account of wonderful fea deliverances, book the fixth, is The wanderful fory of major Gibbons.

Among remarkable fea deliverances, no lefs than three feveral writers have published that wherein major Edward Gibbons was concerned. A veffel bound from Bofton to fome other parts of America, was, through the continuance of contrary winds, kept fo long at fea, that the people aboard were in

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extreme ftraits for want of provifion, and feeing that nothing here below could afford them any relief, they looked upwards unto heaven, in humble and fervent fupplications. The winds continuing ftill as they were, one of the company made a forrowful motion that they fhould, by a lot, fingle out one to die, and by death to fatisfy the ravenous hunger of the reft. After many any a doleful and fearful debate upon this motion, they y came to a result, that it must be done! The lot is caft; one of the company is taken; but where is the executioner that shall do the terrible office upon a poor innocent? It is a death now to think who fhall act this bloody part in the tragedy:, but before, they fall upon this involuntary and unnatural execution, they once more went unto their zealous prayers; and, behold, while they were calling upon God, he answered them, for there leaped a mighty fifh into their boat, which, to their double joy, not only quieted their outrageous hunger, but alfo gave thein fome token of a further deliverance: however, the fish is quickly eaten; the horrible famine returns, the horrible distress is renewed; a black despair again feizes their fpirits: for another morfel they to a fecond lot, which fell upon another perfon; but ftill they cannot find an executioner: they once again fall to their importunate prayers; and, behold, a fecond answer from above; a great bird lights, and fixes itfelf on the maft; one of the men fpies it, and there it ftands until he took it by the wing with his hand. This was a fecond life from the dead. This fowl, with the omen of a further deliverance in it, was a sweet feaft unto them. Still their difappointments follow them; they can fee no land; they know not where they are: irresistable hunger once more pinches them: they have no hope to be faved but by a third miracle: they return to another lot; but before they go to the heart-breaking task of flaying the perfon under defignation, they repeat their addreffes unto the God of heaven, their former friend in adverfity; and now they look and look again, but there is nothing: their devotions are concluded, and nothing appears; yet they hoped, yet they ftaid, yet they lingered: at laft one of them fpies a fhip, which put a new hope and life into them all: they bear up with their hip; they man their long-boat; they go to board the veffel, and are admitted. It proves a French pyrate: major Gibbons petitions for a little bread, and offers all for it; but the commander was one who had formerly received confiderable kindneffes of major Gibbons at Bofton, and now replied chearfully, Major Gib. bons, not an hair of you, or your company, fhall perish if it lies in my power to preferito you. Accordingly he fupplied their ne ceffities, and they made a comfortable end of their voyage. The moft ftriking proofs in favour of this writer's opinion,

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