"Thefe people fhall be obliged, by the English government, to pay to the priests the tythes and all the taxes they were used to pay under the government of his moft Christian Majesty.

"To thefe demands of the French general in behalf of the Canadians, Sir Jeffery Amherst, the English general, returned the following anfwer.

"Granted, as to the free exercife of their religion. The obligation of paying the tythes to the priests will depend on the King's pleasure.”

The obligation, to the payment of tithes, is here exprefsly fufpended till the King's pleafure fhould be known; at whofe will it might be either revived or totally abolished.

Again, the 4th article of the definitive treaty of peace is as follows:

"His Britannic majefty, on his fide, agrees to grant the liberty of the Catholic religion to the inhabitants of Canada. He will con fequently give the moft effectual orders that his new Roman Catholic fubjects may profefs the worship of their religion according to the rites of the Romish church, as far as the laws of Great-Britain permit."

In this claufe, admitting the Canadians to the free exercise of their religion, no mention at all is made of tythes. It only permits them to profefs the worship of the Romish religion, as far as the laws of Great Britain permit.

Now thefe laws are fo far from juftifying the Romish clergy in their exaction of tythes, that they in fact exclude all ecclefiaftical perfons from their benefices, till they have taken the oath of fupremacy; which none of the Romith clergy of the province of Quebec have taken. And thus, fays our Author,

"The neceffity of abjuring the foreign jurifdiction of the bishop of Rome, in order to an admiffion to offices of truft and power, which has hitherto been confidered as a fundamental article, and, as it were, a principal land-mark, in the conftitution of the English government, ever fince the reformation, has been taken away throughout this extenfive part of the dominions of the crown by the late act of parliament; without any obligation of honour or public faith, arifing from the capitulation or treaty of peace above mentioned, (as has been fully fhewn) to make fuch a measure neceflary. As to the reasons of policy and expedience that may be alledged in favour of it, I leave them to be confidered by thofe who are acquainted with them, having never myfelf been able to perceive that there were any, nor obferved that any have been alledged by the numerous writers in defence of the late act, who have all of them endeavoured to juflify it only upon the ground of the obligation on the national faith and honour, arifing from the capitulation and treaty of peace, which has been fhewn to be infufficient for that purpose."

ART. X. The Probability of reaching the North Pole difcufed. 4to. 2s. 6d. Heydinger.

The fubftance of this publication, it appears, was laid before the Royal Society; which, from motives we do not pretend to

account for, did not think it prudent to publish the papers, containing it, in the philofophical tranfactions, notwithstanding they were read in courfe at two meetings of that body. The little fuccefs of Capt. Phipps's voyage had poffibly induced the fociety, as they have rafhly done in fome other cafes, to conclude the thing impoflible, because not immediately practicable. Without intending any reflection on this refpectable fociety at large, it is indeed the too common language of many of its members, to declare every thing beyond the reach of human investigation and experiment, which has hitherto efcaped their own profound penetration. The ftrange inconfiftency of fuch declarations is yet ludicrously obvious, in fuch an age of difcovery as the prefent. It is not for us to prefume to judge how far the omiffion of this particular article, in the publications of the fociety, be improper or imprudent; but we cannot help obferving in general, that in the prefent imperfect state of human knowledge, it would become even a much more fcientific body of men, (if fuch could be found) to be more diffident of their actual proficiency, and more open to the means of farther improvement, than feems to be the cafe with the philofophers in Crane-court at prefent. Our modern philofophers, in common, indeed, feem to differ in this particular greatly from the ancient. To learn to doubt, was the great tafk among the philofophers of old; in fo much, that fome of them profeffed to doubt every thing. How widely different from the practice of our prefent philofophers, who profefs to know every thing, and of course are ashamed to doubt any thing. Hence that infurmountable reluctance to leave in doubt a navigation over the poles.

Our Author hath, nevertheless, produced in his first paper a number of evidences, that prove at leaft a great probability; although they do not amount to pofitive proof.

In a fecond paper, our Author proceeds to fum up the abovementioned evidence, and to confirm it by phyfical reafoning. He conceives that the great quantity of ice, which prevents our navigation porthward, is to be met with only occafionally, and that in fome feafons the fea is clear and navigable even to the pole. It must be admitted, alfo, that the fudden appearance and difappearance of fuch immenfe bodies of congelation, as are mentioned even in Capt. Phipps's voyage, give great plausibility to fuch an opinion. This argument, indeed, is of much more weight with us, than the old fpeculative notion of geographers, which our Author adduces in fupport of it; that there should be nearly the fame quantity of land and fea in both hemifpheres, in order to preferve the equilibrium of the globe;" the maintaining fuch equilibrium, requiring, in our opinion, no fuch equality of diftribution of land and water on the furface. On the reasonable fuppofition of an open fea at the North Pole,

Mr. Barrington reasonably apprchends that it cannot be always frozen. To fupport the conjecture, he examines into the variation of heat between the equator and the tropics, and fuppofes the heat of climate may differ as little between the arctic circle and the pole. An open fea, he obferves likewife, is neceffary for the refpiration and fuftenance of the numerous aquatic inhabitants of the polar region.

"If the fea, fays Mr. B. is conflantly congealed from 80 N. L. to the pole, when did it begin to freeze? It is well known that a large quantity of fea water is not eafily forced to affume the form of ice? Can it be contended, that ten degrees of the globe round each Pole were filled with an incrufted fea at the original creation? And if this is not infifted upon, can it be fuppofed, that when the surface of the polar occan first ceased to be liquid, it could have refifted the effects of winds, currents, and tides? I beg leave alfo to rely much upon the neceffity of the ice's yeilding to the conftant reciprocation of the latter; becaufe no fea was ever known to be frozen but the Black Sea, and fome fmall parts of the Baltic, neither of which have any tides, at the fame time that the waters of both are known to contain much less falt than those of other feas, from the great influx of many fresh water rivers. For this laft reafon it may likewife be prefumed that the circumpolar feas are very falt, because there is probably no fuch influx beyond N. lat. So, Spitzbergen itfelf having no rivers."

Mr. Barrington, gives other inftances of navigations farther north than 80. concluding, with the propofition of feveral queries and replies relative to the fubject. To thefe papers is annexed another by an anonymous hand; entitled, "Thoughts on the Probability, Expediency and Utility of difcovering a Paffage by the North Pole," the Author of which, after exclaiming against the great injuftice of rejecting opinions, on account of their appearing, at firft fight, paradoxical or inconfiftent with notions commonly received, proceeds to expatiate on the national utility of the difcovery. On this head he obferves, that it is an object of the greateft importance to the public welfare, and its execution fhould be no longer delayed.

"There is, fays he, unquestionably no country in Europe fo well fituated for fuch an enterprize as this. The tranfit from Shetland to the northern parts of Afia would, by this way, be a voyage only of a few weeks. The inhabitants of theie iflands and of the Orkneys are, and have been for many years, employed in the Greenland fisheries, and the natives of thefe ifles are the perfons moftly fent to the eftablishments in Hudfon's Bay. By these means they are inured to cold, to ice, and hard living, and are confequently the fitteft for being employed in fuch expeditions. When this fhall be once executed with fuccefs, it will neceffarily bring us acquainted with new northern countries, where ordinary cloaths and other coarfe woollen goods will probably be acceptable, new channels of commerce will thereby be opened, our navigation extended, the number of our feamen aug

mented

mented, without exhaufting our ftrength in fettling colonies, expofing the lives of our failors in tedious and dangerous voyages through unwholefome climates, or having any other trade in profpect than that of exchanging our native commodities and manufactures for those of other countries. This, if it could be brought about, would, in the firft inftance, convert a number of bleak and barren iflands into cultivation, connect them and their inhabitants intimately with Britain, give bread to many thoufands, and, by providing fuitable rewards for many different fpecies of induftry, encourage population, and put an eafy and effectual period to the mifchiefs and fcandal of emigrations. The benefits derived from thefe discoveries, and the commerce arising from them, will neceflarily extend to all parts of our dominions. For however fit the poor people of thofe iflands may be for fuch enterprizes, or however commodious the ports in their countries may be found for equipping and receiving veffels employed in thefe voyages, yet the commodities, manufactures, &c. must be furnished from all parts of the British empire, and of courfe be of univerfal advantage. Thefe, as they are true, will, it is hoped, appear juft and cogent reafons for withing, that a project which has dwelt in the mouths and memories of fome, and in the judgment and approbation of a few, from the time of Henry the Eighth, fhould be revived, and at length, for the benefit of his fubjects, carried into effect, under the auspices of George the Third."

On the whole, we cannot help fubfcribing to the probability contended for in this work; although we are by no means fo fanguine about the practicability of it, as are Mr. Barrington and his anonymous friend. The navigation projected, though practicable, will certainly be attended with much peril and uncertainty, at least for fome time after the difcovery; but so many and fo wonderful are the improvements of human ingenuity and industry, and fo many the changes that are produced in the face of nature by Time, that it would be the highest prefumption in any man or body of men to take upon them to fay, the discovery of a paffage, by the North Pole, to the East Indies, is either impracticable or will be unprofitable.

ART. XI. An Hiftorical Account of all the Voyages round the World, performed by English Navigators. Continued from Vol. I. page 406, and concluded.

Our correfpondent, who cenfures us for having already taken too much notice of this ftale publication, as he calls it, is defired to recollect that, although it be fome time fince the first numbers of it made its appearance, the whole has not been long finished; and that, if the practice of his favourite critics may be any juftification, the work was first taken notice of in the Monthly Review of the fame month [June]. It is for a better reafon, however, we are difpofed to take more particular notice

of

of this performance than of moft compilations of the like nature; and that it is our wish, to do the Compiler the justice, due to his good fenfe and fidelity, in making fo fatisfactory an abftra& of fo many voyages in fuch a imali compafs; and that without any wanton invafion on the literary property of original writers. So tenacious, neverthelcfs, were the monopolizing proprietors of, what are called, Hawkefworth's Voyages, that they obtained an injunction in Chancery to ftop the publication of this work, though not above a fixth part of it, even relates to the particular circumftances of thofe voyages, and even the best part of that is abftracted from the Narrative of Parkinfon *. So little ground, indeed, either in law or equity had the above-mentioned fticklers for literary property, for complaint against the prefent Compiler, that the injunction was not only diffolved on the firft application to Chancery; but on a full hearing afterwards, the publication declared by the higheft authority, not only legal but literate and laudable. It is a fenfe of the juftice and propriety of that determination, which has determined us to confirm it, on the appeal that officially lies at our court of literary criticifim. As a farther fpecimen of the work, therefore, we fhall quote part of the Narrative of Capt. Cook's Voyage to Otaheite; in which he defcribes the very fingular manner of the natives in depofiting the bodies of the dead. Illuftrative of this quotation, alfo, we have annexed an Engraving, as a farther fpecimen of the copper-plate embellishments, accompanying the Narrative.

"Mr. Banks and his company took this opportunity of walking cut to a point, upon which they had obferved, at a distance, fome trees, called Etoa, which ufually grow on the burial places of thefe people. They call thefe burying-grounds Morai, which are alfo places of worship. They here faw an immenfe edifice, which they found to be the Morai of Oamo and Oberea, which was by far the most confiderable piece of architecture to be found in the island.

"It confifted of an enormous pile of stone work, raised in the form of a pyramid, with a flight of fteps on each fide, fomething after the manner of those little buildings, which are commonly erected in England to place the pillars of fun dials upon; it was near two hundred and feventy feet long, and about one-third as wide, and between forty and fifty feet high.

"The foundation confifted of rock-ftones, the fteps of coral, and the upper part of round pebbles, all of the fame shape and fize; the rock and coral ftones were fquared with the utmott neatness and regularity, and the whole building appeared as compact and firm, as if it had been erected by the best workmen in Europe. As the Indians were

Against the publication of whofe narrative the fame proprietors alfo obtained an injunction in like manner; which was in like manner diffolved also, to the no Ittle difcredit of the complainants. The reader, who is curious to know the means taken to fupprefs that work by the proprietors of Hawkchworth, is referred to the introduction prefixed to that performance.

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