Art. 25. The Theory of Hadley's Quadrant, or Rules for the The Author's own advertisement will be a fufficient account of this Every new fyftem of Arithmetic has fomething peculiar to itself, to plead in its favour. Authors generally anticipate, and attempt to obviate, the objections that may be offered against every fucceffive publication of the fame nature. The plan is more rational and better adapted to form an arithmetician; or greater care has been taken in the execution; the rules are more coucifely or more clearly expreffed; and the purchafer either faves expence or gains proportionable improvements. We mean not to urge thefe remarks in derogation from the merit of the work before us. The Author, it must be acknowledged, has comprized a very reafonable quantity in a fmall compafs; and has fubjoined feveral tables, which may be of great ufe, not only to young fcholars, but to proficients in arithmetic : he has likewife added the method of their conftruction together with examples of their ufe. R-9. MISCELLANEOUS. Art. 27. The Lottery difp'ayed, or the Adventurer's Guide. Cripplegate, We are forry that the frequent returns of lotteries in this kingdom fhould render neceffary publications of this kind; fhewing the origin, nature, and management of the State Lottery; the errors and lofes incident to the arawing, regiftering, and examining; the me. thod of guarding againft their pernicious effects, and of recovering prizes, hitherto funk through imperfect intelligence or lofs of tickets: alfo, the nature of infuring tickets, with rules for eftimating the premium, at any period of the drawing; to which is added, a concife view of all the State Lotteries to the present time.' The title, we acknow'ledge, led us to expect fomething fcientific and interesting the the general principles on which lotteries are founded; the calculations whereby they are formed; the ends they are deûgned to anfwer; the inconveniences attending them; the real value of the adventurer's expectation, according to the different schemes propofed; and a variety of fuch fubjects occurred to us, when this pamphlet came to hand. We hope that thefe are not fome of the materials which our Author had taken much time and labour in collecting, and which, from a redundancy of more useful matter, he was obliged to exclude, His readers will very much regret, that the multiplicity of other concerns, and the hurry of publication, (to ferve adventurers in the laft lottery, lottery,) fhould have prevented his intermixing fuch articles as thefe, by which the prefept work might have been rendered more generally inftructive and entertaining. Thofe, however, who are curious to know the minutia attending the conduct of lotteries, from the first fubfcription for tickets, to the final decifion of their fate, will find ample fatisfaction in this effay. To the preface of the Author, in its recommendation, the editors likewife add, that, befides the capital loffes and mifchiefs this effay is calculated to prevent with regard to prizes and infurance, the adventurer (how well foever he may think himself already acquainted with the nature of the lottery) will meet with fuch inftructions in it, as will fave him more than the trifle this pamphlet will cost him, if he has (or fhould ever purchase) but three numbers in the lottery.' The public, in general, will unite with us in lamenting, that the method of raifing fupplies, by fubfcriptions and lotteries, began foon after the Revolution; (the firft State Lottery being in the year 1694 ;) yet they will find many reafons to extenuate, though none are fufficient to justify, fuch misguided policy: and they will be ready to draw a veil over the errors and weakneffes of the reign of William III. instead of speaking contemptuously (as this Author does) of the encomiums fome writers have lavished on this prince,' and running an odious parallel between that period and the prefent, by way of panegyric on the latter. R--S1 Art. 28. An Essay on the Theory of Money. 8vo. I s. Almon. 1771. The profeffed defign of this well-written effay is to illuftrate the political influence of money, and to point out its various effects upon industry, manners, and the different fpecies of governments eftablifhed among mankind. Money the Author calls Univerfal Merchandife, because it can, in all civilized nations, be exchanged for every fpecies of productions; and, he obferves, that it should have the following qualities: 1ft, It should be rare and uncommon; that a fmall quantity of it may ferve as an equivalent to a much greater of any other production; and be easily tranfported from one country to another, 2d, That it should not wear or be easily counterfeited. 3d, That it be divifible, in order to facilitate its ufe; for this reafon, metals are preferred to precious ftones, which cannot be divided into proportionable parts.' The Author has given the following abftract of the fubjects treated of in this effay. ft, The nature of public banks, together with the advantages and difadvantages of them. zd, Circulation; its nature and its effects upon national indufry, the different fpecies of government, arts, fciences and morals of a nation. 3d, The proportion between the quantity of circulation and the price of provifions, labour, &c. 4th, The proportion between metals, generally ufed, from whence the theory of coinage will be deduced. 5th, The proportion between the quantity of circulation and that of the taxes. It must be acknowledged, that the Author of this effay is an ingenious and able writer, and that he has thrown out feveral obfervations, which merit the public attention. But we are forry, at the fame time, to remark, that he writes too much like a theorift; advancing advancing many pofitions which are very doubtful, and fome which are unquestionably contrary to fact and experience. There is one principle, in particular, that feems to lie at the foundation of a great part of his reafoning, and often recurs in feveral parts of his elaborate performance, which, in our opinion, is evidently groundlefs. Population (and he repeats the fentiment once and again) depends on circulation; and as the latter increases, the former increases likewife. The number of inhabitants, fays he, will be in proportion to the facility of fubfifting; and the facility of fubfifting in proportion to that of exchanging one commodity for another; and this finally in proportion to the quantity of circulation either of money or of paper currency.'- Every country in Europe is peopled in proportion to the quantity of circulation. There are now ten towns for one that was ten centuries ago; we are therefore furprised, how fo many learned men could imagine that our population declines.' We are fully perfuaded, however furprifing it may be to this writer, that it is indeed the lamentable fact, (and we believe it is capable of the ftrictest demonftration,) that population has been upon the decrease in this country for several years paft, and that this decrease has been very confiderable. Our limits will not allow a critical examination of the Author's reafoning in other particulars. We will therefore conclude with juft mentioning another fentiment, which, to fay the leaft of it, is very controvertible, and which, it is certain, will not hold univerfally, viz. The industry of a nation will be in proportion to the quantity of circulation.' We apprehend, that in fome degree, and within certain limits, this may be the cafe. But there is a maximum, beyond which it fails. ་ R-S. ART. 29. Character of the English Nation, drawn by a French Art. 30. The Life of Servetus. By Jaques George de Chauff- The cruel fate of this unhappy Spaniard, hath drawn down a general odium on the character of that famous reformer John Calvin, to whofe intolerant fpirit it was chiefly and incontestably owing that poor Servetus was brought to his FIERY TRIAL, for maintaining the unity of the Supreme Being, in oppofition to the Athanafian doctrine of the Trinity. 1 It is difficult to determine whether the principle of religious perfecution be most wicked, or moft weak.-Calvin, imagining Servetus to be wandering in darkness and error, feems to have concluded, that no light would fo furely guide him to the truth, as that of a bonfire, in which the convert himfelf was to be the principal faggot. How abominable, and, at the fame time, how abfurd! The defign of this performance feems to be grounded on the honeft maxim of giving the Devil his due. The Author is a moderate apologist for Calvin; whofe infamy he endeavours to leffen, by placing the whole weight of the odium incurred by this diabolical tranfaction, in equal proportions, on the fhoulders of the civil magiftrates of Geneva, in connection with Calvin, as joint agents in the fame act of perfecution and tyrany. It is certain that Calvin, great as his power and influence was in that city, did not, and could not, alone, bring the unfortunate heretic to the ftake; but what extenuation of his crime can be drawn from this circumftance? As much as might with equal reafon have been pleaded by any one of the Jews lately executed for the robbery and murder at Chelsea, I did not fingly perpetrate the fact, for we were all concerned t! In fine, we fee candour itself may be engaged in a bad cause; and we must add, that, with our ftrong feelings and extreme abhorrence of religious perfecution, we cannot but think, that next to the guilt of an actual commiffion of this horrible crime is that of endeavouring to leffen its odium, by any degree of palliation for what is it, but an apology for the worst kind of MURDER? : Art. 31. The Life of Lamenther. A true Hiftory. Containing a juft Account of the many Misfortunes fhe underwent, occafioned by the ill Treatment of an unnatural FATHER. 8vo. 5 s. half bound. Evans. 1771 Lamenther (or Lament-her) is the name affumed by the writer, who appears to have been, from her infancy, the miferable object of her own parent's unnatural perfecution. She does not mention her father's name at length, but ftyles him Mr. W--, of C—- Inn., This apologist acknowledges, that the Reformer had kept the principles he had imbibed in the church of Rome, concerning the punishment of heretics; and that he was perfuaded, in good earnest, that they were to be extirpated by the fword.' But, it seems, the operation of the word, literally speaking, was a method too mild and gentle to be ufed by thefe holy extirpators! + Calvin's apologist urges, very ftrongly, the general prevalency of the perfecuting principle, in the time of this reformer. So far from being peculiar to Calvin, he fays, it was the reigning opinion of the most celebrated and the most moderate divines: it was the opinion of all Proteftant churches.'-We are afraid there is too much truth in this. But how little reafon, then, have we, in a more enlightened age, to look with a blind reverence, upon every thing done and enacted by the early reformers of the church of Rome; who, while they were fo zealously employed in abolishing mere external ceremonies, could not find in their hearts to renounce her intolerant, bloody principle of PERSECUTION for CONSCIENCE-SAKE! This monter is here reprefented as having treated his child with fuch deterinined and continued barbarity as exceeds all that story ever related *, or that imagination can conceive: inflicting upon her every torment that hunger, nakedness, and blows can produce, without total depravation of life and even that seems to have been nearly hazarded at times, when the wretched fufferer hardly escaped with broken ribs, and other injuries, of which the fays the can never recover.-Poor Lamenther tells us, indeed, fuch a tale as, in fome of its circumstances of cruelty, feems beyond credibility; and yet we fear there is but too much truth in it. We hope, however, for the credit of human nature, that the fuffering writer's refentment of the irreparable injuries fhe has received, may have hurried her on to reprefent her wicked and worfe than brutal parent, in colours fomewhat blacker than his natural hue: though there feems bat little room to doubt that his complection is dark enough. Art. 32. An authentic and circumftantial Narrative of the aftonifhing Tranfactions at Stockwell, in the County of Surrey, on the 6th and 7th of January, 1772.-Published with the Confent of the Family and other Parties concerned, to authenticate which the original Copy is figned by them. 8vo. 6d. Marks. The refurrection of the Cock-lane Ghost. NOVEL S. Art. 33. Love in a Nunnery; or, the fecret Hiftory of Mifs Charlotte Hamilton, a young Lady; who, after a variety of uncommon Incidents, was forced into a Convent, &c. &c. 12mo. 2 Vols. 5 s. Rofon. A fhamele's catch-penny jobb, meanly pilfered from old novels, and nunnery-tale books. The ftory of the pretended Mifs Hamilton is wholly tranfcribed from the English tranflation of a well-known French Romancer, by the Chevalier de Monchy, entitled The Fortunate Country Maid. Art. 34. The Oxonian: or, the Adventures of Mr. G. Edmunds, Student of Oxford. By a Member of the Univerfity. 12mo. 2 Vols. 5 s. Rofon. Another production of equal merit with the foregoing article ; partly ftolen from the Adventures of Charles Careless t, Efq; We fuppofe the Book feller has been taken in for these two pretended new pieces, by fome genius who, perhaps, would have out-curl'd Curl himfelf, had they been co-temporaries. Ar 35. The unfashionable Wife. 12mo. 2 Vols. 6 s. Lowndes. 17 2. st. Thefe volumes contain fo much intrigue and bufinefs, that they cannot fail of being highly acceptable to a multitude of readers. Art. 36. Female Frailty; or, the Hiftory of Mifs Wrough ton. 12mo. 2 Vols. 6 s. 1772. Noble. To judge from this performance, one would imagine, that women were mere objects of luxury and voluptuoufnels; and that both the foxes had nothing to which they fhould attend but the glory of His horrid barbarity naturally reminds us of the cruelties practif ed by the Brownriggs, on a miferable orphan; but this wretch feems to have far out-done even the Brownriggs! † See Review, vol. xxx. p. 28, conqueft, |