Thefe indulgences would leave the clergy without excufe, would reduce the informations to a falutary number, and diminifh the odium confequent upon them, by directing their effects against men, who regard church preferment merely as a fource of revenue, not as an obligation to the discharge of important duties.

We venture to prognofticate, that a bill of greater feverity either will not pafs the Houfe of Commons, or will fail of its object. Confidering the times, and circumftances, we are convinced we have ftated the greatest quantum of attainable good; which of courfe will not be attained; by the customary error, of attending to what is defireable to be done, rather than to what it is practicable to do.

ART. XXIII. Effays on Mifcellaneous Subjects. By Sir John Sinclair, Baronet. 8vo. pp. 467. London. 1802.

THI

HIS volume is a collection of various papers, most of which have been printed before, in various forms. They confift of speeches in the Houfe of Commons, addreffes to the Board of Agriculture, to the Edinburgh Wool Society, to the Clergy of Scotland, &c. It would be idle in us to give any particular account of compofitions, of which both the merit and the contents are fufficiently known to all who are likely to take any intereft in them. The reft of the effays, which now appear for the first time, poffefs that general character with which the readers of Sir John Sinclair's works are well acquainted. And although these might have been withheld, without much injury to the author's reputation, they afford various proofs of the zeal with which he labours to merit the public approbation, as well as of his readiness to fave his country the trouble of bestowing the applaufes he has deferved. These appear to be his ruling paffions, of which, if the former be highly honourable, the other will easily be forgiven; and they are both fo well expreffed on the first page of this volume, that we cannot deprive our readers of the following advertisement.

I should hardly have ventured to have troubled the world with this publication, had I not flattered myself with the idea, that any perfon who will take the trouble of perufing the following Effays, will, on the whole, be inclined to fay, "This is the work of an author who feems to have directed his attention to fubjects connected with public utility and national improvement, and whofe favourite object was, not to have lived in vain."

In the firft effay, which is given as a sketch of the plan which the author intended to purfue in his analysis of the Statistical Reports,

Reports, we are informed that all thoughts of that publication are for the prefent given up; and that it is impoffible for him to foresee whether it will ever be in his power, even to begin, far lefs to complete, fuch a work.' We are greatly disappointed by this intelligence: without such a digest of the Statistical accounts as was promised, that immenfe ftore of valuable information will remain almost inacceffible; and the labours of Sir John's refpectable coadjutors will prove, in a great measure, unprofitable to the public, unlefs the redundancies of topographical information be reduced into a general description, and the varieties of detail embodied in a diftinct arrangement. If he should finally relinquish the task, we hope fome other perfon may be tempted to undertake it, who will probably not adopt, without confiderable change, that outline of contents which is sketched in the prefent volume. Even with respect to fuch articles as are properly included among the objects of Statistical defcription, our author's plan might be adapted more nearly to the order of those general inquiries, to which all local researches are fubfervient. But the chief objection to his defign is unneceffary extenfion, and a want of diftinct unity. It includes a description of antiquities, annals of eminent men, an account of the laws and political conftitution of Scotland; all of which belong to departments of literature quite diftinct from that which profeffes to defcribe the refources and political economy of particular ftates. There was to be prefixed likewise, in an introduction, a review of the hiftory of Scotland. It is not improbable that he may have been misled, in this refpect, by the example of Boulainvilliers, whose sketch of the conftitutional antiquities of France, moft awkwardly prefixed to his abstract of the Provincial Surveys, ftill delights many readers. Were Sir John Sinclair to imitate that model with any degree of fuccefs, we fhould be apt to overlook any incongruity that might fubfift between his hiftorical sketch and the work to which it ferved as an introduction. If he feels himself bold enough to attempt fuch a competition, he ought to leave the compilation of Statistical abftracts to labourers of an inferior class.

We had almoft forgotten to mention, that the outline, on which we have made thefe ftrictures, is fubjoined to general obfervations on the nature and advantages of Statistical inquiries; under which he enumerates, methodically, the fources of human happiness, and attempts to explain the means of extending the advantages of political fociety.

Thefe obfervations are extremely trite and puerile, and are the worst specimen we have lately feen of a fort of compofi tion very fashionable among Scotifh writers, in which the history of political inftitutions is deduced metaphyfically, from a fup

pofed

pofed æra of extreme barbarism, through the fucceffive stages of improvement. The masterly sketches which abound in the writ ings of Smith and Millar, communicated this tafte to the universities, and has, in fome degree, vitiated the ftyle of all our inferior writers. Such deductions unquestionably hold a moft important rank among the investigations of moral science; but, in the execution, they require most profound skill and delicate management. Whether these powers are difplayed in the following picture, our readers will determine.

The pleasures of fhelter may properly be claffed under the head of animal gratifications, as there are many animals, from the lordly lion to the skulking rabbit, who fhelter themfelves in holes, and dens, and in caverns, from the inclemency of the seasons, and from the dangers to which they themselves, and their tender offspring are expofed, from the attacks of their enemies, more especially when in fickness or at rest. Similar apprehenfions, it is probable, first gave man a conviction of the neceffity there was for fhelter; and as fuch dens and caverns as were formed by nature would foon be occupied, the idea would thence occur, of erecting the means of shelter and repofe in the trees of the forest; then huts made of wood, of earth, or of ftone, would be constructed; and by progreffive improvement, thence would arise the comfortable cottage, the elegant and hofpitable rural manfion, and the luxurious palace with all its ornaments and fplendor. Habitations would then not only afford fhelter from the inclemency of the weather, and fafety during fickness and repose, but a variety of other conveniencies and advantages would arife from that fource of accommodation, more efpecially the means of using the important article of fuel or heat; through the medium of which, food is prepared to more advantage; clothing is improved in its utility, and in the comfort of ufing it; and houfes themselves, by warmth, and the exclufion of damp, rendered fitter for the habitation of men.' p. 9. 10.

After this profound deduction of the pleafures of fhelter, we have an inquiry, equally learned and original, into the pleafures of friendship and matrimony; and an ingenious account of the gratifications to be derived from political inftitutions and religious practices. The best method for promoting all thofe kinds of happinefs, we are finally informed, is to collect ftatistical information; and the effay concludes with this prophetical apotheofis of all who devote themselves to fuch meritorious researches.

By fuch inquiries, when properly conducted, and wifely acted upon, every individual in a great political community may be enabled to enjoy as much real happiness in this world, as the imperfect condition of human nature will admit; and may indulge the pleafing hopes, of partaking in thofe fuperior bleffings, which Revelation teaches us, a truly virtuous character will inherit beyond the grave. p. 22.

The

The next effay, which is entitled, Obfervations on the means of enabling a cottager to keep a cow,' was originally addressed to the Board of Agriculture, and circulated in a feparate form among the patrons and pupils of that inftitution. It is now fubmitted, for the first time, to the exoteric ftudents of the science, and really does not appear to contain any of its higher mysteries. There can be no other means of enabling a cottager to keep a cow,' we should humbly conceive, than to allow him fuch a quantity of land adjoining to his cottage, as may be found neceffary for her fubfiftence; and if the cottager pays the ordinary rent for this land, there is every reason to believe that he will make as œconomical an use of it as any member of the Board of Agriculture could have done. This is the learned author's opinion also; and it is the fum and fubftance of an effay confifting of nine titled fections, and an oratorical peroration.

The third effay, On the converfion of pafture land into tillage,' confifts altogether of facts reported to the author by his correfpondents, which lead him, though they may not lead all his readers, to the following conclufions:

On the whole, though it may not be adviseable to recommend the ploughing up of very rich old paitures, or water meadows, or land apt to be overflowed, yet, with thefe exceptions, there is every reason to believe that other forts of grafs lands may be rendered much more productive, by being occafionally converted into tillage; and for that purpofe, it is defirable, that the converfion of fuch lands fhould be promoted as much as poffible; by removing the obftacles to fuch converfion—by enforcing the neceffity of commuting tithes, without which, no confiderable tract of old pafture can be broken up-by pointing out to landlords the conditions under which they may agree to fuch a plan, not only without detriment to the real value of their property, but alfo yielding a moft important addition to their income-and, above all, by explaining to Parliament, and to the public, that the measure above recommended, is one which may effectually tend to prevent future fearcities; and to render this country independent of foreign nations, in the important article of provifion. P. 59. 60.

Hints regarding cattle' is the title of the fourth effay. It contains neither fyftem nor conjecture, that approaches to originality; and states no facts or maxims that are not either self-evident, or familiar to the most superficial obferver of rural œconomics.

After this, follows a long paper on the improvement of British wool, being the fubftance of an addrefs to the Edinburgh Wool Society in 1791, which was published at that time, and is now reprinted with a few alterations.

The fixth effay is a third edition of An addrefs to the Board of Agriculture, on the improvement of waste lands,' which was

printed

printed by their order in 1795, and annexed to a Report to the House of Commons in 1796. Though these publications are within the reach of every one who takes an interest in the subject, the philanthropy of the author has determined him to give his work this additional chance of notoriety.

The fubftance of a fpeech in the Houfe of Commons, on the fubject of private inclosure bills,' forms the feventh article in this collection. As a fpecimen of Sir John Sinclair's eloquence, we extract the following paffage from the conclufion of this oration. It defcribes the feelings of a peafant, looking with hungry anxiety' at an improveable wafte; and reprefents him as

،

enraged to fee the fkulking rabbit ftarved, where the induftry of man, once unfhackled, would foon enable the ftately bullock to fatten itself in luxuriant paitures; enraged to fee gofs and ling, and furze and heath, and all the miserable trash that might be enumerated on fuch an occafion; to fee them growing, where the knotted oak, the pride of the British foreft, would expand its lufty branches, enliven the bleak fcene, and, in future ages, would become the boaft and bulwark of the country.' P. 204-5.

As our degenerate peafants no longer feed on acorns, the 'knotted oak,' we should imagine, would not relieve their hungry anxiety much more effectually than the gofs and the ling which are fuppofed to have excited their indignation.

In the eighth effay, which is entitled, ، Hints for the improvement of an extenfive property, more especially applicable to an eftate in the North of Scotland,' Sir John Sinclair has favoured the public with an account of what he has done, and proposes to do, for the improvement of his own property in the county of Caithnefs. We fhall not trouble our readers with any part off the eulogium which Sir John pronounces on this happy region; which he reprefents as admirably calculated for every fpecies of improvement-though he confeffes that trees will not grow in it; and that there is ftill nothing more than a probability that a valuable mine of coal may be found.' As every Highland improver, however, is now fufpected of being acceffory to the depopulation of his country, (which we are far from regarding as a very grievous offence), it may afford fome confolation to thofe who fhudder at fuch confequences, to learn how this matter is adjusted by our author.

The great difficulty in carrying on the improvement of the property I am converting into a fheep farm, arofe from the circumftance of its being occupied by eighty small farmers, who did not pay in all above 250l. per annum. Nothing could be more abfurd than to fuffer fuch an extenfive and valuable diftrict to be employed aimolt in nothing VOL. 11. NO. 3.

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