We are fo well pleafed with this publication, that we cannot take our leave of it without recommending it to the attentive perufal of our young friends; perfuaded that they may adopt, from this elegant fyftem of education, maxims not only calculated to ftrengthen the body, and to polish and refine the manners, but to establish the more important principles of piety and virtue, and to give the happieft direction to the minds and understandings of the rifing generation. ART. VII. Desmond A Moo-y. 12mo. A Novel. By Charlotte Smith. 3 Vols. pp. 924. 95. fewed. Robinfons. 1792. MONG the various proofs which the prefent age affords, that the female character is advancing in cultivation, and rifing in dignity, may be juftly reckoned the improvements that are making in the kind of writing which is more immediately adapted to the amufement of female readers. Novels, which were formerly little more than fimple tales of love, are gradually taking a higher and more mafculine tone, and are becoming the vehicles of ufeful instruction. Mrs. Smith, who has already favoured the public with several inftructive as well as entertaining works of this kind, has, in the prefent publication, ventured beyond the beaten track, fo far as to interweave with her narrative many political difcuffions. Being very juftly of opinion, that the great events which are paffing in the world are no lefs interefting to women than to men, and that in her folicitude to discharge the domeftic duties, a woman ought not to forget that, in common with her father and husband, her brothers and fons, the is a citizen; Mrs. Smith introduces, where the courfe of the tale will eafily admit of fuch interruptions, converfations on the principles and occurrences of the French revolution; and thefe converfations fhe enlivens with humorous ftrokes of character, which prove that he has obferved the prefent ftate of fociety with an attentive and difcriminating eye. As the novel of Defmond is peculiarly marked by this circumftance, and as we have formerly had repeated occafions to express our favourable opinion of Mrs. Smith's general talents for novel-writing, we fhall confine ourselves, in our extracts, to two or three political paffages, drawn, as Mrs. S. affures the public in her preface, from converfations to which she has been a witness in England and in France, during the last twelve months. We begin with a truly comic fcene: from Paris, a garden of five or fix acres, a man-fervant, a maidfervant, and a gardener. .. This is the only caffle I ever built in the air. 14 • I faun up a I fauntered into one of the libraries, (at Margate,) and took book; but my attention was foon diverted, by a very plump, fleek, fhort, and, altogether, a moft orthodox figure; whofe enormous white wig, deeply contrafted by his peony coloured face, and confequential air, declared him to be a dignitary, very high, at least, in his own efteem. On his entrance he was very refpectfully faluted by a little thin man in black; whofe fnug well-powdered curls, humble demeanor, and cringing addrefs, made me fuppofe him either a dependent on the plump doctor, or one who thought he might benefit by his influence-for he not only refigned the new paper he was reading, but buftled about to procure others;-while his fuperior, noticing him but little, fettled himself in his feat, with a magiflerial air-put on his fpectacles, and took out his fnuff-box; and having made thefe arrangements, he began to look over the paper of the day; but feeing it full of intelligence from France, he laid it down, and, "As who fhould fay I am Sir Oracle," he began an harangue, fpeaking flowly and through his nofe. "Tis an uneafy thing," faid he, a very uneafy thing, for a man of probity and principles to look in thefe days into a newfpaper.-Greatly muft every fuch man be troubled to read of the proceedings that are going forward in France.-Proceedings, which muft awaken the wrath of heaven; and bring down upon that perfidious and irreverent people its utmost indignation." The little man took the opportunity the folemn clofe of this pompous oration gave him, to cry-" very true, Doctor, your obfervation is perfectly juft; things to be fure have just now a very threatening appearance." "Sir," refumed the grave perfonage, "it is no appearance, but a very shocking reality. They have done the molt unjust and wicked of all actions in depriving the church of its revenues. Twere as reafonable, Sir, for them to take my birthright or yours." - "I thought, Doctor," said a plain looking man, who had attended very earneftly to the beginning of this dialogue-"I thought that the revenues and lands of the church, being the property of the ftate, might be directed by it into any channel more conducive, in the opinion of that ftate, to its general good; and that it appearing to the National Affembly of France, that this their property was unequally divided; and that their bishops lived like princes, while their curates had hardly the means of living like men,-I imagined" You imagined, Sir?-And give me leave to afk what right you have to imagine ?-or what you know of the fubject? —The church lands and revenues the property of the ftate! -No, Sir-[ affirm that they are not-That they are the property of the poffeffors, as much, Sir, as your land and houses, if you happen to have any, are yours.” Not quite fo, furely, my good Doctor," replied the gentleman mildly" My houfes and lands-if, as you obferve, I happen *Curés-rectors.' to to have any, were probably either acquired by my own industry, or were my birth-right.-Now, Si"-Hie would have proceeded, but the Divine, in an angry and fupercilious manner, interrupted him"Sir, I won't argue, I won't commit myself, nor endeavour to convince a person whofe principles are, I tee, fundamentally wrong. -But no man of fenfe will deny, that when the prefent body of French clergy took upon them their holy functions-that then they became, as it were, born again-and-and-and by their VOWS-" "But, my worthy Sir, thofe vows were vows of poverty.They were vows by which, far from acquiring temporal goods, the means of worldly indulgencies, they exprefsly renounced all terreftrial delights, and gave themselves to a life of mortification and humility. Now, it is very certain, that many of them not only poffeffed immenfe revenues, wrung from the hard hands of the peafant and the artificer, but actually expended those revenues-Not in relieving the indigent, or encouraging the industrious; but in gratifications more worthy the diffolute followers of the meretricious carlet-clad lady of Babylon, than the mortified difciples of a fimple and pure religion." Then, as if difdaining to carry farther an argument in which he had fo evidently the advantage against the proud petulance of his adverfary, the gentleman walked calmly away, while the Doctor, fwelling with rage, cried, "I don't know who that perfon is, but he is very ignorant and very ill-bred.”— "Tis but little worth your while, Doctor," cried the acquiefcent young man, to enter into controverfial difcourfe with perfons fo unworthy of the knowledge and literature which you ever throw into your converfation." "It is not, Sir," anfwered the Doctor; "it were indeed a woeful waste of the talent with which it has pleafed heaven to entrust me, to contend with the atheistical pretenders to philosophy, that obtrude themfelves but too much into fociety. However, Sir, a little time will fhew that I am right, in afferting that a nation that pays no more regard to the facred order, can never profper:-but, that fuch horrible facrilegious robbery, as that wretched anarchy, for I cannot call it government, has been guilty of, will draw down calamities upon the miferable people; and that the evil spirit, which is let loofe among them, will prompt them to deluge their country with blood, by destroying each other." The improved condition of the people of France is thus earnestly afferted and eloquently defcribed: In regard to the happiness of the people, perhaps the best way of judging would be to refer you to the people themfelves, as being alone competent to decide. Enquire of them, whether they are not better for being relieved from the taille, from the gabelle, from the impofts levied at the gates of every town, on every neceffary of life; for the relief they have obtained from thofe burthens that were imposed upon them, because they were poor; while their illuftrious compatriots were were exempt, because they were noble *. Afk the aged peasant, who is no longer able to labour for his own fubfiftence; afk the mother of a group of helpless children, if they are not the happier for being affured, that the fon, the husband, on whom their exiftence depends, cannot now be torn from the paternal cottage; and,. to execute fome ambitious fcheme of a weak king or a wicked minifter, be enrolled against their inclination in a mercenary army? --. Let the foldier, who is now armed for the defence of his country, rendered worthy of that blood he is ready to facrifice to preseve it, tell you whether he is not happier for the confciouinefs that he cannot be compelled to carry devastation into another land as a flave, but fhall hereafter guard his own as a freeman; afk the husbandman, whofe labours were coldly and reluctantly performed before, when the fermier-general, and the intendants of the provinces, devoured two-thirds of their labour, if they do not proceed more willingly and more profperously to cultivate a foil from whence thofe locusts are driven by the breath of liberty? Enquire of the citizen, the mechanic, if he repofes not more quietly in his house from the certainty that it is not now liable to be entered by the marechauffées, and that it is no longer poffible for him to be forcibly taken out of it by a lettre de cachet, in the power of a minister, or his fecretary, his fecretary's clerk, or his mistress? Let the voice of common fenfe anfwer, whether the whole nation has gained nothing in its dignity, by obtaining the right of trial by jury, by the reform in the courts of judicature; where, it is well known, that formerly, every thing was given to money or to favour, and to equity and juftice, nothing-As to the prejudice that all these alterations have been to the manners of fociety, to that, indeed, I have nothing to fay. I must lament that, in fhaking off the yoke, we have been fo long reproached for wearing, we have not taken care to preferve, unfaded, all thofe elegant flowers with which it was decorated." On the prefent defects of the British government, we meet with the following remarks: "Let me turn to another very common fubject of acknowledged complaint-I mean the penal laws-laws, by which the property and the life of the individual is put on an equal footing, and by which murder, or a robbery to the amount of forty fhillings, are offences equally punished with death-Is it poffible to reflect without horror, on the numbers that are every year executed, while every year's experience evinces, that this prodigality of life renders the punishment familiar, and prevents not crimes ?-Is there a feffion at the Old Bailey, where boys, from fifteen to twenty, are not condemned?-boys, who, deferted from their infancy, have been *Ce gouvernement ferait digne des Hottentots, fays Voltaire, dans lequel il feroit permis à un certain nombre d'hommes de dire, c'est à ceux qui travaillent à payer-Nous ne devons rien payer parceque nous fommes oififs.' REV. DEC. 1792. Ff driven, driven, by ignorance and want, to violate the laws of that society, which "Shakes her incumbered lap, and throws them out *;” which provides punishment instead of prevention? And can we avoid feeing, that while they give up yearly to the hands of the executioner greater numbers than die the victims of public justice in all the other European countries reckoned together; we mult, in fpite of our national vanity, acknowledge, either, that the English are the worst, and most unprincipled race of men in Europe, or, that their penal laws are the most fanguinary of thofe of any nation under heaven. Attempts have been made to remedy this enormity, which I cannot help calling a national difgrace; but, like every other endeavour at partial correction of abuses, these humane efforts have been baffled on the ufual principle, that nothing must be touched, nothing must be changed."" Really, Sir," faid Mr. Cranbourne, " you are a moft able advocate for beggars and thieves." "At least, Sir, I am a difinterested one, for I plead for those who cannot fee me-but it is not for beggars and thieves, as you are pleased to say, that I plead-it is for the honor of my countryfor the reform of the laws, which occafion beggars and thieves to exift in fuch numbers; while we oftentatiously boast, that those laws are the best in the world. Nor is it only the penal laws that feem to want alteration; allow me to obferve, that from the continual complaints of the defects of our law, as it relates to the protection of property, it does not feem to deferve the praise of fuperiority which we arrogantly claim.-We hear every day of fuits in which even fuccefs is ruin; and we know, that far from being able to obtain in our courts, that fpeedy, clear, decifive, and impartial juftice, which, from their inftitution they are defigned to give, a victory (obtained, after being fent through them all) is often much worfe than a retreat-the remedy more fatal than the difeafe.-So conscious are even the lawyers themselves of this, that if one of them (as may happen) has a perfonal regard for his client, and is willing to wave pecuniary advantage in his favor, fuch a lawyer will fay "Do any thing-fubmit to any compromife-put up with any lofs, rather than go to law."One of our courts is called that of Equity, where the widow, the orphan, the deferted and unhappy of every defcription (who have money), are to find protection and redress; yet it is too certain, that fuch are the delays, fuch the expences in this court, that the ruinous tedioufnefs of a Chancery fuit is become proverbial-the oppreffed may perish, before they can obtain the remedy they feck; and where, under the direction of this court, litigated property is to be divided, it continually happens, that, by the time a decifion is obtained, there is nothing to divide.-The poet 1 just now quoted, fays, In this rank age, Much is the patriot's weeding hand requir'd t," |