drawn under the Author's immediate inspection by M. de Larochette, from the latest and most accurate discoveries and obfervations. And that the errors in other maps, and the times when they were rectified, might be the easier traced and known, A Differtation is prefixed to the whole, on the Rife and Progrefs of Geography, which, though far from being fo complete as the Author could have wifhed, may ftill be of fome ufe to many who have been hitherto lefs converfant in this branch of fcience.'

As the Author hath spoken in fuch modeft terms of this differtation, juftice to its merit obliges us to add, that we have perufed it with great fatisfaction; and that we look upon it to be a learned, elaborate, and ingenious performance.

As Dr. Blair hath faid much in favour of the late duke of York, whofe real character is, perhaps, not yet, in all refpects, generally known and understood, the farther circumstances here added concerning him, may afford fome gratification to the curiofity of our Readers :

How much that excellent young prince, fays the Doctor, deferved of the world, and of his country, was evident, and will be long remembered, by every one who had the honour of being near his perfon, or to whom he was at all known; for amidst the gaiety of youth, enlivened by a great conftitutional vivacity, few perfonages of his high rank had a more steady attention to bufinefs, or a firmer attachment to men whofe characters he approved.

"To science, in particular, he was one of the warmest friends, and took all opportunities of honouring and promoting every ufeful or ingenious improvement in knowledge.

Flatter'd, unhappily, with an idea of having a conftitution equal to every fatigue, and poffeffed of a flow of natural cheerfulness and animal fpirits, which neither travelling nor watching feemed to leffen, he fell a victim to this ill-grounded prepoffeffion. For the too intenfe exercife he took in a fultry feafon and climate, brought upon him the attack of a putrid fever, against which he was perhaps lefs fortified than moft other perfons, from his great temperance in wine; fo that its violence foon put a period to his life, in the bloom and vigour of youth, and when he was juft entering, with uncommon fedulity, into a career of public bufinefs, where his abilities would have rendered him of the greatest fervice to the king his royal brother, and to his native country. Even in his laft moments, he fhewed the strongest proofs of a fortitude and refignation, as well as a prefence of mind which was natural and unaffected, and would have diftinguished his character had he been born even in the lowest rank of human life.'

To

To many of our Readers, the foregoing particulars` will probably furnish a new idea of the character of the late duke of York. How far the picture is a just one, or what allowance ⚫ught to be made for the peculiar fituation of the painter, as a courtier, let thofe pronounce who knew his royal highness better than we had the honour of knowing him; and who are likewise better acquainted with his learned panegyrist.

ART. V. Letters written by his Excellency Hugh Boulter, D. D. Lord Primate of all Ireland, to feveral Minifters of State in England, and fome others. Containing an Account of the most interefting Tranfactions which passed in Ireland from 1724 to 1738. 8vo. 2 vols. 10s. Boards. Oxford, at the Clarendon Prefs. 1769. Sold by Horsfield in London.

DR.

R. Boulter's worthy character is fo univerfally known, and he is fo juftly eminent for his wisdom and his virtues, that we have no reafon to doubt but that his epiftolary remains, now made public, will be well received: they will alio, we. are perfuaded, be regarded as a valuable addition to the ftock of materials for the hiftory of Ireland, for the fpace of time in which they were written, viz. from 1724 to 1738.-A period, as the editor obferves, which will even do honour to his Grace's memory, and to thofe most excellent Princes George, the First and Second, who had the wifdom to place a confidence in fo worthy, fo able, and fo fuccefsful a minifter; a minister who had the rare and peculiar felicity of growing still more and more into the favour of both the king and the people, until the very laft day of his life; which happened, he being then for the thirteenth time one of the Lords Juftices of Ireland, on the 27th of September 1742.'

The original letters from which the prefent, volumes have been printed, are depofited, as we are told in the previous advertisement, in the Library of Christ Church in Oxford. They are entirely letters of bufinefs, and were collected by the late Ambrofe Philips, efq; who was fecretary to his Grace, and lived in his houfe during that fpace of time in which they bear date, They are all, we are further told, in the Primate's hand-writing, except fome few, diftinguifhed by a mark, which are fair copies by his fecretary; and they are now firft publifhed as they were received from Mr. Philips, without any the least material alteration, or omiffion, whatever.'

Our readers have feen, that they are not to expect, from thefe letters, a difplay of the writer's character as a Divine, or as an Author. In the last of these refpects he was never, that we can recollect, greatly diftinguifhed, for his life was too much spent

in action, to allow much leifure for writing, but in regard to the PRACTICE of the duties of his facred function, no minifter's life could be more exemplary of which various inftances are recorded in the brief account given of this good prelate, in the. Biographia Britannica.-His Grace will, therefore, be seen, in these papers, merely in the light of a fatefman, but a very honeft one; for, though a zealous adherent to the reigning family, he was not a political bigot, but a true and fteady friend to the real interefts of the British crown in general, and of Ireland in particular, which he always emphatically ftiled his country, after his appointment + to the primacy of that kingdom.

With refpect to the archbishop's private character, the diftinguishing part of it seems to have been his benevolence, of which feveral very remarkable inftances are related, both in the notes to these letters, and in the memoir of his life, in the Biographia. One or two of thefe, though perhaps already pretty generally known, deserve to be here briefly mentioned."

In the winter of 1728, and fummer following, all kinds of corn bore fuch an exceffive price in Ireland, that the poor were reduced to a miferable condition, and the nation not only threatened with a famine, but with the confequences of it, a peftilence. The good primate could not bear to fee his fellowcreatures perifh while he had ability to relieve them. He fet on foot a fubfcription, (contributing largely himfelf) in confequence of which vaft quantities of corn, for the relief of the poor were diftributed through feveral parts of the kingdom; and this, it was generally believed, was the great means of averting the dreadful calamity with which that nation was threatened. Moreover, all the vagrant poor, who crowded the ftreets of Dublin, were directed, without any diftinction of reli gion, to be received into the work-houfe, where they were maintained at the private expence of the prelate, till the following harvest brought relief 1.-The foregoing facts are mentioned in the Biographia; but, as our editor remarks, in a note to these letters, vol. i. p. 279. what his Grace did in 1739-40, in the great froft, almost exceeds belief.' There was not, fays he, a poor diftreffed person in the great city of Dublin, who applied,

He was faid to have been concerned, much to his credit, with feveral gentlemen, in writing the papers entitled, the Freethinker; of which papers, a collection was afterwards published by Mr. Philips, in three volumes. He left a few charges to his clergy, at vifitations; which are grave, folid, and inftructive difcourfes.

+ He was tranflated to the archbishopric of Armagh, from the See of Bristol.

The Houfe of Commons was fo fenfible of his fervices, upon this occafion, that they paffed a vote of public thanks to him, and ordered it to be entered in their Journals. Biog. Britan.

that was not daily relieved, to the full, and chiefly by his bounty. -The fums he there expended muft have been very great indeed; yet when he hath been complimented on this and other frequent occafions of the like fort, his ufual anfwer was, that he Bould die fhamefully rich-Our editor adds, The Houfe of Commons took this [the laft mentioned act of benevolence] fo well, that they voted him, very jufly, their thanks on this very remarkable inftance of his goodness. The Biographia is fome what more circumftantial in relating this memorable and most extenfive act of charity. The poor, fay the authors of that elaborate work, were fed in the work-houfe twice every day, according to tickets iflued by people entrusted, of which, from January to Auguft, the number of tickets amounted to feven hundred and thirty-two thoufand three hundred and fourteen. By the accounts of the diftribution of this charity, ftill kept in the work houfe in Dublin, it appears that two thousand five hundred perfons were fed there every morning, and as many every evening, moftly at the primate's expence; though fome few others contributed to the good work.'

From another account of the bounties of this excellent Bifhop, it appears that his private charities were innumerable, for he took the pains to enquire after thofe perfons in distress, whose modefty, and former condition in the world, made them afhamed to apply for relief.-His charities for the kingdom of Ireland alone, are computed at above 40,000 pounds. His unbounded generofity was attended with no manner of pride. He was eafy of accefs, affable and polite, and remarkable for a peculiar cheerfulness and fweetness of temper.

Some of the most curious letters in this collection are those relating to the ftate of the gold, filver, and copper money in Ireland, concerning the regulations of which there was much conteft in that kingdom about thirty years ago. In these difputes, or rather, in the meafures of government relating to the fubject of them, the archbishop happened to be on the fide oppolite to that which Dean Swift had taken; and a moft bitter antagonist he found in the Dean, whence the worthy and amiable prelate was, for fome time, in danger of lofing a fhare of that popularity he had fo justly acquired. His Grace, had, however, by his good fenfe, penetration, and temper, greatly

Whether this be the fame vote of the Houfe of Commons mentioned in the preceding note, or a fubfequent tranfaction, may admit of a query The Biographia (which profeffes to have received its information from a perfon who was most intimate with Dr. Boulter from his youth to his death) fpeaks but of one vote, and connects it with the charity of 1728. Our editor too, mentions but one, which he makes as above, to have been paffed in relation to what was done in 1739-40.

REV. Apr. 1770.

IJ

the

the advantage of his opponent, who was generally, in all matters of controverfy, the flave of his own immoderate dif pofition, and violent attachment to the Tory party. In the end, the archbishop's propofed regulations being carried into execution, every body was at length convinced of their utility; and he became, if poffible, more beloved and revered than ever. We obferved a note of our Editor's, to a paffage in p. 127. of vol. ii. with which we could not but be particularly ftruck. It relates to the late learned and ingenious Dr. Clayton, bishop of Clogher, and author of the celebrated Efay on Spirit. The writer of the note here referred to, affirms, that this prelate "actually fickened and died, on being informed that he would certainly be attacked in the House of Lords in Ireland, on account of that book."

Of the truth of this anecdote we are not competent judges; but if it be certain that bishop Clayton had fo little firmness of mind or ftrength of body, as to be hurt in the fatal degree here mentioned, on the mere profpect of perfecution, we can only fay, that we are forry for the poor bishop. If it be true, also, that a defign was really formed against him, we must observe, that it reflects no honour on the House of Lords of Ireland. Nothing of the kind, we are perfuaded, could ever have taken place, while the wife, the good, the pious, the moderate archbishop Boulter was living, and prefiding on the epifcopal bench of that houfe: for he was incapable of countenancing fo illiberal a procedure, and would have been the last man to invade the facred rights of confcience, or violate that fair freedom of enquiry to which true religion was never averse, and of which it will never be afraid-though human fyftems and establish

*

ART. VI. Peregrinations of the Mind through the most general and interefting Subjects, which are ufually agitated in Life. By the Rationalift. 12mo. 3s. Pearch. 1770.

HIS work prefents us with many ingenious obfervations

by other writers, and fometimes in a fimilar manner. It confifts of a number of Effays written with vivacity and good fenfe, and difcovering a competent acquaintance with ancient learning. The Author tells us, in his preface, that amusement was his first inducement to write; but this, though no bad plea for writing, he juftly obferves, cannot be urged in defence of pub

Nor, we take it for granted, in the time of his immediate fucceffor Dr. John Hoadly. If any fuch fcheme was really in agitation, t must have been while Dr. Stone was in the primacy.

lication