THE BRITISH CRITIC, For AUGUST, 1795. Επος δ ̓ εἴπερ τι βέβακαι Δεινὸν, ἄφαρ τὸ φέροιεν ἀναρπάξασαι ἄλλαι, HOMER If any words offend the candid mind, Far, far away those words, ye whirlwinds bear, ART. I. Travels through the maritime Alps from Italy to Lyons, across the Col de Tende, by the Way of Nice, Provence, Languedoc, &c. with topographical and hiftorical Defcriptions, to which are added, some philofophical Obfervations on the various Appearances in Mineralogy, &c. found in thofe Countries, by Albanis Beaumont, Author of the Rhætian Alps, &c. Sc. Sc. Folio. 51. 5s. Edwards. 1795. THIS HIS volume claims our attention, and that of the public, on more accounts than one. It contains all the fplendid perfections of the art of printing, and exhibits scenes of nature hitherto but little known, from the difficulty with which they can be explored. This is not an age indeed when the curious and adventurous traveller is easily discouraged by the perils which obftruct his progrefs, and after what our countrymen have of late years accomplished in Egypt, Afia, H BRIT. CRIT. VOL. VI. AUGUST, 1795. and and the East, the clouds which yet obftruct the horizon of geographical science, promife day by day to diminish both in number and extent. The chain of mountains called the Maritime Alps, to which Mr. Beaumont aptly enough affigns the epithets of wonderful and tremendous, although they contain abundant matter for the investigation of the naturalift, and innumerable beauties for the gratification of the curious travelJer, are still but very little known. Yet that the Col de Tende fhould not have been more frequently, as well as more philofophically examined, feems extraordinary. It forms the loftieft Peak of the Maritime Alps. It is one of the three great paffages over the Alps to Italy; and though once almoft impaffable, is now, by the munificence of the king of Sardinia, rendered both eafy and commodious. Mr. Beaumont took his departure from Coni, a city of Piedmont, the fituation of which is very beautiful and romantic; and thence he proceeded over the Alps to Nice. This author proves himself an acute, intelligent, and obferving traveller. His remarks on the Alps in general are thofe of a man accustomed to contemplate nature, as well in her more wild and magnificent appearances, as in her fofter and more luxuriant fcenes. If his obfervations on mineralogy be not profound, they are certainly ingenious, and he has evidently taken care to obtain the best historical information of all the places which he vifits and defcribes. The fubjoined fpecimen of his talents as a writer, will probably, at leaft excite the wifhes of the reader, to perufe the whole of this entertaining performance. "We had no fooner finifhed our frugal repaft, and fatisfied the good woman for her hofpitality, than we took our leave; but on paffing the wooden crofs, I obferved that my guide fuddenly left me to proftrate himself on a stone, at the foot of it. At his return, looking particularly penfive, and heaving a deep figh, he exclaimed, Alas! had that poor creature known when to have been satisfied, he might yet most probably have been alive; but we are a discontented race of beings. "This foliloquy naturally excited my attention, and tempted me to enquire into the caufe. He then began his tale by faying that he had been offering his prayers for the repofe of the foul of a relative who had perifhed fome years back in a most melancholy and unfor'tunate manner. Then pointing to a ftupendous mountain on the right, he added that, his relation, strong, robuft, and as the generality of mountaineers, an expert hunt man, had, in the course of his excurfions, difcovered by chance in the fame mountain, the vein of a mine containing particles of gold and filver. Delighted at this unexpected treafure, he haftened to his wife and disclosed the fecret, with a promise not to divulge it to any one, left he should be taken up by order of government. He then, with conftant and indefatigable indefatigable labour made daily vifits to this mine, and each time brought away a fmall quantity of the ore, which his wife difpofed of at Genoa. He at laft accumulated fufficient to enable him to purchafe a portion of land, on which he built the hut, where we found hofpitality fo genuine and fatisfactory. This poor man, who had been as induftrious as he was in the fequel unfortunate, continued in the fame courfe of life for feveral years; and though his daily collections were but small, and those gained at the extreme risk of his life, yet he perfifted in his exertions, and in procefs of time had the fatisfaction of rendering not only his own fituation, but that of his family, comfortable and eafy. But alas! as Antonio juftly obferved, not knowing when to be fatisfied, he loft, with his life, the fruit of his hazardous and inceffant labour. "One evening, as ufual, he went towards the mountain which contained his prize, the accefs to which was of the greatest difficulty, and when entered the rock, ftill forced to run imminent danger previous to his reaching the mine, which he could no way effect but by laying himself on his belly, and then pufhing himself on through an opening formed between the ftrata of the mountain or rock, scarcely wide enough to admit his body. When he had gained, as far as he thought neceffary, he then loofened the ore, and flid back in the fame way. But unfortunately this time, during that operation, a ftone detached itself from the interior of the cave, and fell on his fhoulders, though not with fufficient force to occafion inftant death, but enough to prevent his extricating himself either one way or the other, and. of courfe he was left to perifh by inches in this horrible fituation, without the leaft poffibility of being affifted. Alluring and deftructive metal! what great and direful evils haft thou not often caufed to frail humanity! fince even prior to the being ftamped with the arms of thy fovereign, thou haft fo frequently fpread mourning and desolation in the families of those who have been tempted to go in quest of thee. "The good woman not seeing her husband return at the accustomed hour, began to fear that fome accident had befallen him. Incapable of continuing in that dreadful and anxious ftate, the requested a friend (who had a fufpicion of thefe myfterious expeditions, but knew neither the place nor the object) to accompany her to the fpot; when, alas! as the approached the mountain, the imperfectly heard the groans and lamentations iffuing from this den, which was inevitably to ferve as the living tomb to her wretched husband. Here my poor Antonio could proceed no further; but, endeavouring to check the falling tear, he, in broken accents uttered, as well as he could," Abbia la bontà di perdonarmi, ma quando penfo a quefto mi fà fempre piangere. He then continued, by acquainting me, that this unfortunate woman's grief was beyond defcription, at finding that no affiftance could be effected, although every endeavour was tried: and thus did he remain in this lamentable fituation five or fix days; and when dead, his body was forced to be taken from the rock limb by limb. She then collected his remains, and had them buried near the hut above defcribed, now inhabited by a relation, and a wooden crofs erected over his grave, where numberless masses have been faid for the falva H 2 tion tion of his foul, according to the cuftom of his country, having died without confeffion. Gracious and benevolent providence! how far beyond the conception of human understanding are the confolatory foothings which thou vouchfafett to bestow on virtuous individuals! and, alas! what little ftore do we in general fet by them! Would to heavens that we were to make a proper use of them, to alleviate the miferies and misfortunes of life; like this good woman, who, in the purity and fimplicity of her heart, found in the principles of her religion, wherewith to give her additional ftrength to bear her miffortunes with pious refignation and fortitude!" A fpirit, in fome fort, of national gratitude, demands alfo the infertion of the following anecdote. "I muft not omit mentioning a circumftance which occurred whilft I was at Nice, in 1787, which will prove how wonderfully prejudices were at that time thrown off, and likewife do infinite honour to its author. "His excellency, De V.... was then the refident bishop, a man fufficiently known for his excellent character, pureness of manners, and enlightened mind, laying aside his high birth, which was certainly one of the first families in Piedmont. This worthy prelate, having learnt that an English family who had come from Naples to Nice, where they had refided fome time, had, in confequence of the bad ftate of their finances, having contracted debts beyond their power to pay, deserted their offspring, and were gone to France, to avert the horrors of a prifon; he immediately haftened to the house of diftrefs, where he found the landlord in the act of feizing the effects of this miferable family, and on the point of turning into the wide world thofe wretched and unprotected orphans, whilft the children, who were five in number, were bewailing their cruel and forlorn fituation in moft pitiful terms. The eldeft, who was only nine years of age, feemed dreadfully afflicted, and related his affecting tale with artlefs fimplicity. The bishop heard him with emotion, difcharged the debts already contracted fince their parent's departure, with a promife of defraying their expences till he could properly dif pofe of them. He afterwards placed the boys under the care of a worthy and intelligent man, a proteftant; and the girls in a convent, with frict injunction to the nuns to leave their choice of religion entirely unbiafled. This humane and generous action, while it fecured to this excellent prelate the esteem and respect of the ftrangers who were then with him, infpired them with the fame benevolent defire of fuccouring thefe unfortunate young creatures. Thefe generous actions excite to generofity, and the benevolent mind is abun dantly repaid by feeing its liberal fenfations and impulfes propagated in the bofom of others." The felect views of the Antiquities and Harbours in the South of France, which form the fecond part of this volume, were published before; but they are by no means out of place where they now ftand, and may be confidered as a continuation of of the preceding account. Thefe views will generally be confidered as more interesting, and certainly are more beautiful than the former; but as they relate to places fo well known, and fo often vifited by our countrymen, we need not fill our pages with extracts from this portion of the work. We are forry to obferve, in fo magnificent a publication, fuch frequent errors of the prefs; and we think that, to have the whole confiftent, it would be wife to employ always more than one prefs corrector in undertakings fuch as this, which, on the whole, reflects fo much credit on the perfons concerned. The motto which Mr. Beaumont has chofen is not very appofite or happy; for how can the term Vulgares res be applied to fcenes fo little explored as the Maritime Alps, and at the fame time fo ftupendous and fublime. ART. II. Sketches of a Plan for an effectual and general Reformation of Life and Manners. By John Donaldson, Efq. 8vo. 180 pp. 4s. Cadell, 1794. THE HE reformation of manners is an object of equal interest to the moralift and the legiflator. National profperity rarely fails to relax the bonds of duty, and swell, by new and increasing luxuries, the tide of depravity and corruption. This evil demands fome corrective beyond the ftrength of ordinary counfels. It becomes a work of no common difficulty to preserve alive the moral feelings amidst the glare of fashionable vices; yet the gradual declenfion of private virtue muft eventually endanger the exiftence of public order. On this account we cheerfully enter upon the examination of a work which profeffes to meet the acknowledged evil, by a specific plan of correction and reform. The author has delivered in the preface, which introduces his plan, a statement of the precife objects to which his fpeculations are directed: "to promote harmony and peace among all ranks of people; and, by the fame means and at the fame time, to increase the public revenue." As the discovery of the fource of the malady is effential to the perfection of its cure, the author endeavours to afcend through the evils which are known to exift, to the origin from which they proceed. He fixes the fruitful fountain of national corruption in the mal-adminiftration of our charity fchools, workhoufes, and prifons; and the great encouragement |