butes of applaufe throughout the performance, without a fingle inftance of difapprobation or oppofition, excepting to the encore of a particular fong, and as uniformly received on its conclufion a hoftile attack from part of its auditors. To attempt to folve this conduct," he adds, "by any principles of reason, juftice, or confiftency, would be a futile effort." To us, who, not having been prefent at the reprefentation of this piece, can judge only from the perufal, the mode of oppofition appears not difficult to be accounted for. The mufic of Mr. Hook is, on all hands, admitted to have been excellent; probably the pleasure the audience received fom it, made them at the moment pafs over the defects of the piece; but, when this charm was paft, the recollection of thofe defects produced a final fentence of condemnation. As the piece is now laid aside, we will only fay that its fable, characters, and dialogue, might perhaps, for the fake of the mufic, have been endured by a good-natured audience with patience; but are not, on their own merits, entitled to applause. ART. 24. Marie Antoinette; Tragedie en Trois Ales, et en Vers. Par le Viconte D...... 8vo. 59 pp. Dulau. 1800. The unhappy ftory of Marie Antoinette is too recent (perhaps too uniformly fhocking) for the ftage. This performance mult, however, be confidered rather as a dramatic poem than a play. The first act confifts of scenes well-written, but without action. In the fecond, an ineffectual attempt is made to overthrow the power of Robespierre, and fave the Queen; the laft confifts of her trial, the parting with her family, and the account of her execution. The compofition, fu far as we can undertake to criticize French poetry, does credit to the talents, as well as the feelings of its author. Of his ftyle, the following fpeech of the Queen to Robespierre, will afford a proper specimen ; "Tu triomphes: jouis du fuccès de ton crime; Contemples dans les fers ton illuftre victime. Les cœurs de tes pareils, d'un triple acier couverts,' Fermés à tout remords, ont doublé mes revers, Tyran lâche et cruel, puifque la barbarie Eft un affreux befoin néceflaire à ta vie, Au gré de tes défirs nage dans notre fang: De tous tes ennemis, monftre, perce le flanc, Puiffe bientôt le Ciel, fecondant mon efpoir, Détruire, anéantir ton coupable pouvoir! Puiffe le Peuple un jour déchirer fon bandeau, Et devenir alors ton juge et ton bourreau ! Vas! puiffes-tu périr au milieu des fupplices, Toi, tous tes conjurés, et tes lâches complices! Puiffe enfin ton trépas, digne de tes tortaits, Faire pâlir d'effroi les rebelles fujets!" P. 39, The behaviour of the Queen, at her trial, is alfo dignified and refelute; and her farewel interview with her filter and children, tender and affecting The merit of this performance deferved, in our opinion, a larger lift of subscribers. NOVELS. NOVELS. ART. 25. Adonia, a Defultory Story, in Four Volumes; infcribed, by Permilion, to her Grace the Duchefs of Buccleugh. Svo. 169 Black and Perry. 1801. The moft, and perhaps the only; exceptionable part of this publication, is its feemingly affected title. The moral is very good, the plot agreeably contrived and told, the characters well fuftained, and the language and fentiments correct and praiseworthy. It is not often that we can speak fo favourably of fuch performances; we are not the less forward to do fo, when the opportunity prefents itfelf, It is the production of a female pen. ART. 26. The Cafle of Eridan, or the entertaining and furprising Hiftory of the valiant Don Alvares and the beautiful Eugenia, Duchefs of Savoy. By G. A. Graglia. 12mo. 38. 6d. Hurit. 1800. Truth obliges us to fay, that we have not often read a more absurd and ridiculous farrago of ftories, put together in more rhapfodical and prepofterous language. It is an ill-wind, they fay, which blows no good; and the price of paper, it might have been thought, would have prevented or checked fuch publications as the prefent; but, alas! no; there ftill are thofe who will write, and those who will read, fuch stuff as the following: "To even sketch a lively picture of this interefting fcene, it would be neceffary to have a pen out of Cupid's wings dipt in the ink of Sappho." MEDICINE. ART. 27. Obfervations upon the Origin of the Malignant Bilicus, or Yellow Fever, in Philadelphia, and upon the Means of preventing it; addreffed to the Citizens of Philadelphia. By Benjamin Rush. 8vo. Is. Dobfon, Philadelphia; Mawman, London. 1800. 28 pp. In our account of this author's treatife on the Yellow Fever at Philadelphia, published in 1794, we concluded with expreffing our concern, ti. it a difference in opinion among the profeffors of medicine in that city, as to the nature, caufe, and mode of treating the fever, had occafioned a fchifm in the College of Phyficians there, which feemed not likely foon to fubfide; we are forry to find, from the opening of this little work, our prediction verified. As the author ftill maintains the opinion, that the fever was originally occafioned by filth accumulated on the beach in the neighbourhood of the city," he anticipates," he fays, a renewal of the calumnies to which the avowal of it had before expofed him. But this," he adds, "will be lefs dif See Brit. Crit. vol. v. p. 23. 3 ficult ficult to bear, than the fuppreffion of truths which involve in their confequences the profperity of the city, and the lives of many thousand people, whom poverty and defpair will finally compel to become the unwilling victims of the fever, fhould it again prevail there." He then proceeds to fhow, that the most deftructive fevers take their rife in large and populous towns, and ufually in thofe parts of them that are allotted to the poor; that is, lanes and alleys, that are crowded with inhabitants, and where little attention is paid to cleanliness and ventilation. The general principle from which the author argues is fo juft, and fo univerfally acknowledged, that we fee no ground for conteft on the fubject; neither can we fuppofe much eloquence wanted to perfuade the Philadelphians to obtain a plentiful fupply of water, to keep their ftreets and shores clean, to make openings where practicable, to encou rage ventilation, and, in future, not to permit any ftreets, &c. to be built, but of fuch dimenfions as may allow a free circulation of the air, and a paffage for the carts of the scavengers to take away all filth and offals, which fhould be done once at the leaft in every week. Thefe regulations, abfolutely neceffary in hot climates, might be adopted advantageoufly in all countries. "Let the privies," the author fays, "be emptied frequently, and let them be conftructed in fuch a manner, as to prevent their contents from oozing through the earth, fo as to contaminate the water of the pumps." A Mr. Latrobe has propofed, he says, to fupply the city with river-water; and he advifes the citizens to adopt the plan, that they may be delivered from the neceffity of ufing pump water for drinking and culinary purpofes, to which he attributes, in part, the unhealthiness of the place. We hope his falutary advice, given with fuch patriotic views, will be followed, and that he may find his fellow citizens ready to remunerate, not calumniate him, for the zeal he here fhows for their fervice. DIVINITY. ART. 28. A Sermon, preached in Lambeth Chapel, on Sunday, the 8th of February, 1801, at the Confecration of the Right Honourable and Right Reverend Lord George Murray, D. D. Lord Bishop of St. David's. By the Rev. Charles Blackstone, M. A. Fellow of Winchester College. Published by Command of the Archbishop. 4to. 14 pp. Cadell and Davies. 1801. IS. A clear and manly declaration of the authority on which the feveral orders in our church are founded, as deduced from the practice of the Apoftles, and intimated in their writings. The text is "against an elder (or Prefbyter) receive not an accufation, but before two or three witneffes," (1 Tim. v, 19) and the deduction, as drawn from this paffage and the context of the Epistles, is expreffed with uncommon clearness. "The whole charge," fays Mr. Blackstone," delivercel to Timothy, as contained in this Epiftle alone, affords of itself fufficient evidence of the original form of the Chriftian Church, as modelled by the the Apostles themselves. For example; admonition is given to him to lay hands fuddenly on no man. He was invefted therefore with the abfolute power of ordination; a power exclufively belonging to epifcopacy. He had alfo, as in the text, a power to receive an accufation against an Elder (or Prefbyter*) before witnesses; he had therefore a jurifdiction over fuch Prefbyter, or Priest. And he had inftructions given him in this fame Epiftle refpecting the fobriety of life and converfation to be required in Deacons. Here therefore is at once a portrait of the Church, with the feveral gradations of rank in her refpective officers; Timothy the Bishop, Priests, and Deacons, in fubordination to him." P. 5. The laft leaf of this difcourfe announces Mr. Blackftone as the author of a tract, very juftly commended by us in its anonymous form, namely, "Serious Confiderations on the Signature of Teftimonials+." ART. 29. The Importance of Religious Eftablishments, an Effay. By the Rev. Alexander Ranken, One of the Minifters of Glasgow. 8vo. 136 pp. 25. 6d. Glafgow printed, by David Niven. 1799. Though we are not able to inform our readers how to procure this tract, otherwise than by employing a bookfeller to fend to Glasgow for itt, we cannot feel ourselves juftified in paffing it unnoticed. It contains a fenfible and temperate defence of religious establishments in general; upon principles drawn from the common nature of man, the experience of the world, and the neceflity of religion. It includes an hiftorical view of the practice of different countries in this refpect, and an account of what is now the cafe in various countries, particuJarly America. As the circumftances of the latter country are fometimes fuppofed to prove establishments and profeffions of faith not neceffary, Mr. R. obferves, very judiciously, that it remains to obferve the want of a full and univerfal establishment, on the morals and good order of the people. The experiment is not yet of fufficient duration to demonftrate the abfolute neceffity of it; but the probable iffue of it is becoming every year more apparent. Mr. Morfe, the able and judicious author above-mentioned, obferves repeatedly the increafing evils, in most of the States, arifing from the want of an established Religion. Every intelligent obferver, on returning from America, remarks the fame thing. Their teftimony is corroborated by letters." He then quotes an account in proof, which he says may be depended on. "In confequence of the want of a religious establishment in America, Infidelity increafes, and the very femblance of Religion decays rapidly. The congregations are the feweft, where the popula tion is greateft, and are not likely to increafe. Many Prefbyterian Minifters have been difmiffed by their congregations, without any * Καλά Πρεσβύτερο. + See Brit. Crit. vol. xyi, p. 205. There are bookfellers in London, particularly connected with Scotland, who would perhaps execute fuch a commiffion more readily than others. For example: Kay, oppofite Somerfet House; Arch, in Gracechurch-ftreet, &c, complaint complaint either against their life or doctrine." P. 39. This is an alarming fact, and is followed by others of a fimilar kind. Though this tract was drawn up principally with a view to the Scot tish church, there is much in it of general ufe to all eftablishments; and particularly fome excellent remarks in favour of creeds and confeffions of faith. We confider the whole Effay as highly beneficial to the real interests of fociety. ART. 30. When the pofthumous publication of difcourfes is intended to alleviate the diftrefs of a family, a confiderate critic will be particularly on his guard left, by a precipitate or harsh judgment, he fhould defeat a purpofe fo important. The author of thefe difcourfes appears, by the short Memoirs prefixed, to have been a pious and exemplary minifter. He had no defign himself of publishing what he had prepared for his flock; they are, however, of a useful kind, and full of fincere piety. The fecond, third, and fourth Sermons. are on the fubject of public devotion, which is defended against all objections, and recommended with great earneftnefs. The fifth and fixth are on a fubject well calculated for general benefit-the exaltation of the human character by means of righteoufnefs. In a word, the impreffion naturally produced by this volume is, that the writer of it well merited the character given of him by his fon; and that his difcourfes well deferved to fee the light, without reference to the motive of expedience which immediately occafioned the publi cation. Being rather largely printed, and not compreffed in the writing to the modern extent, thefe Sermons are only eight in number. The editor promifes two more volumes; but the profecution of that defign will of courfe depend, in part, upon the fuccefs of the first experi ment. ART. 31. A Funeral Sermon, delivered at the Interment of an exemplary Parish Prift. By Laurence Halloran, D. D. To which is added, an Elegy on the Death of the Right Honorable Lord Andover, reSpectfully infcribed to W. Coke, Efq. M. P. 4to. 42 pp. 2s. White, Wibech; Rivingtons, London. The picture of a very exemplary clergyman, whofe name is fuppreffed, is delineated in the Preface to this Sermon, and in the dif courfe itfelf. We give all due credit to the feelings which occafioned the compofition: but the author has not the power of mind to attain originality on a fubject fo exhaufted; nor has be tafte enough to avoid fuch paragraphs as this: "Could I deign to proftitute my miniftry to the meannefs of adulation, it could not joothe the dull cold ear of death, and 19 |