fall order him to be profecuted at the affizes, where he may be deprived of his house and land by the verdict of a jury. He may plead fickness, or former bad treatment from the farmer who complains against him; for it is always to be understood, that he has the fame protection of the law as any other subject. Old age fhould exempt him from work, or at least from forfeiture, or the punishment of idleness.'

23. Reflections on Inland Navigations: and a New Method propofed for executing the intended Navigation betwixt the Forth and the Clyde, in a complete Manner, at an Expence a Third less than what that Work has hitherto been estimated at, The fame Method applied to almost all Rivers and Rivulets, by which Great Britain and Ireland might have, at a very easy Expence, above 5,000 Miles of New Inland Navigations. 8vo. Pr. 15. Cadell.

*

We have already congratulated our country upon the noble fpirit which diftinguishes his present majesty's reign, for introducing inland navigation into his dominions. The communication for fea-veffels between the Forth and the Clyde is undoubtedly the most national, and, when executed, will be the most extensive, of any that ever was attempted in Great Britain, or perhaps in Europe; becaufe, as this author (Mr. Gray) well obferves, it will bring Ireland and America on the one hand, and Germany and the nations of the Baltic on the other, reciprocally 300 miles nearer each other.'

He admits that Mr. Smeaton has, with much folidity and difcernment, given a distinct and accurate detail of the requifites for compleating a navigation, upon the fuppofition of digging an artificial canal from fea to fea.' Mr. Gray, in this publication, offers a method different from that of Mr. Smeaton, which he thinks is much more natural, more fimple, and founded on the plainert principles of hydroftatics; and, though it would be equally effectual, would require far lefs expence in the execution. The reader may form fome idea of his general plan from the following quotation, which we here give, as being extremely important to the public.

• When water is confined on every fide, it naturally places itfelf upon a level; but if any one part of the confining bank be made lower than the furface, the water will immediately defcend by that breach till it meets with fome other obftacle ; for its gravitation makes it always feek to approach the center of the earth, and its fluidity gives it an eafy opportunity of

efcaping; for a declivity in one part affects the whole furface. Let us fuppofe a quantity of water, of an equal depth, contained in an oblong veffel, with two fides and two ends, the fides and ends will have an equal preffure upon them; and were the breadth and length to be augmented never so much, yet if the depth be not augmented, the preffure upon the fides and ends is no more in the greater furface than in the smaller; for it is an established principle, that water does not prefs against its banks according to its furface, but according to irs perpendicular height or depth. A canal or a river made navigable by art, is nothing elfe between lock and lock than this oblong veffel, and the fame banks that will contain a fmall millitream ten feet broad, will fuffice to contain a canal 100 feet broad, if the depth in both be equal; and should an overflowing happen, It is altogether indifferent whether the fuperabundant water escape by the fides or by the end; nay, by the conftruction which I fhall propofe, its efcaping by the end is attended with particular advantages. I think therefore, that in numberlefs cafes, it may be deemed labour thrown away to carry canals along the fides of rivers at a great expence of dig ging, extra banking, aqueduct-br dges, tunnels, fluices, . when often at a lets expence, and to a much better effect, the rivers themselves might be made navigable, without the leaft caufe of apprehenfion of any excefs of water, as in the very construction of the canal the danger of an overflowing may be provided against. The great rapidity and violence of rivers during a flood, has no doubt been the reafon that deterred the conftructors of can ls from risking any communication with them. But though a body of water running down a declivity be a furious giant overturning every thing before him. yet, if this faid giant be laid flat upon his back, he lofes all his force, and becomes en irely paffive, whatever be his fize. If they had reflected on this principle, they might have cafily feen, that they had it in their power, by banks and dams of a particular construction, to bring almost every river requiring art to render it navigable to this paffive ftate; I fay almost every ri yer, because direct cataracts, and perpendicular water-falls must be excepted. Some other rivers alfo, confifting of a large body of water running down a steep defcent, ought to be neglested, because it could hardly be expected, that the profit arifing from the navigation could repay the expence of making it.

But that is far from being the cafe with the two small rivulets that have their courfe in the tract of the intended navigation. They are both very inconfiderable, are almoft dry in fummer, and run very gently to the different feas, excepting

in one place, where one of them has a cataract, which may be easily avoided. The reader, who has not an opportunity of viewing the tract upon the fpot, may imagine to himself a narrow valley running tranfverfly for thirty miles from fea to fea, and bounded on the fouth and north by high and moun tainous ground. The middle of this valley is almost a dead level for about ten miles; and two finall brooks that rise there form a ftrait line by running in oppofite directions into different feas. The current of those brooks is extremely gentle; for the place where they take their rife has been found by measurement, not to be more than 147 feet above the level of the sea, an idea of which defcent may be conceived, by fuppofing a rope fastened to the top of a steeple 147 feet high, and extended about nine miles before it reaches the ground.'

We have given a place to the above paffage, because it is applicable not only to the communication between the Forth and the Clyde, but to other inland navigations. As to the preference which either plan ought to enjoy over the other, it cannot be determined without being upon the spot. We cannot, however, help thinking, that Mr. Gray supports his plan with great plaufibility; and that, if his calculations are juft, it may be practicable, as it certainly will be lefs expensive than the other,

24. The Baflard Child, or a Feaft for the Church-Wardens, a Dramatick Satire, of two Acts; as it is acted every Day, within the Bills of Mortality. By Sir Daniel Downright. 8vo. Pr. 6d. Serjeant.

A wretched parody upon the common complaint of churchwardens eating children; that is, devouring in treats and entertainments, between themselves and the justices, all the compofition-money they receive for the use of the parish on account of baftards.

25. Elogy on Prince Henry of Pruffia. Compofed by his Majesty the King of Pruffia; and read by his Order in an extraordinary Affembly of the Academy of Sciences at Berlin. 8vo. Pr. 13. 6d. Elmily.

This performance infpires us with no very high opinion of the royal author's eloquence, even in the original. It is compofed with all the air of an academical exercise; but the tranflation before us finks it below contempt. Its true elogy is, that it is printed with Mr. Baskerville's best letter and paper.

26. Philofophia Vera, or a new Syftem of Philofophy, Natural, Moral, and Divine; very concife, but comprehenfive; much defired by, and very interefting to Mankind in general. By Elias Newman, Gent. 8vo. Pr. Is.

By this pompous and oftentatious title-page, we find, that Mr. Newman has a moft exalted opinion of his philofophical fyftem. Some of the notions he has advanced are certainly new; but we can never be perfuaded to think, that the world will look upon this performance in the fame advantageous light in which it is viewed by the author.

37 Letters to the Author of a Free Enquiry into the Nature and Origin of Evil. To which are added three Difcourfes. 1. On Confcience. 2. On Inspiration. 3. On a Paradifiatal State. By the Rev. R. Shepherd, Fellow of C. C. C. Oxford. 8vo,. Pr. 31. Flexney.

A confiderable part of this work was published fome time fince.

With respect to the general question, the author tells us, that the doctrine of the origin of evil, as revealed in fcripture, appears to him more confonant to reason, and more confiftent with the attributes of God, than any other scheme human ingenuity has fuggested, even the plausible solution urged by the Free Enquirer.

The performance of that ingenious and adventurous author certainly abounds with many fprightly fallies of imagination, and acute obfervations, but is open to many objections. This letter-writer treats it with great freedom, and, we must confefs, feeins to have pointed out fome contradictions, inconfiftencies, and falfe conclufions.

In the firft difcourfe annexed to thefe Letters, the author enquires, how far confcience is, or is not, a full and fufficient rule of action.

The Free Enquirer having made it a doubt, whether any one can poffibly know when he himself is infpired; and having fuppofed it utterly impracticable, that he fhould ever produce indubitable credentials of his divine commiffion to others who are uninfpired (there being no marks by which the fact can be afcertained, nor any faculties in the human mind which are able to diftinguish it) this writer, in his fecond difcourse, endeavours to fhew, that it implies no contradiction to fuppofe, that God can instantaneously enlarge the faculties of the human mind, whenever he fees good; that fuch inftantaneous enlargement of the intellectual faculties may be very well fup

pofed

pofed perceptible by the perfon himself, on whom fuch effect is wrought; that fuch perception is to himself sufficient conviction of his infpiration; and that certain criteria may be ef tablished, by which real infpiration will be fufficiently diftinguished from all falfe pretentes to it.

In the third difcourfe, which is in Latin, he attempts to prove, that the doctrine of a primæval state of innocence and happiness has not only the fanction of fcripture, but was a re'ceived opinion among the Egyptians, and adopted by the Greeks and Romans; and alfo, that such a notion is most confiftent with reafon, moft agreeable to the attributes of God, and to the nature of man. The probability, or even the poffibility of fuch a ftate having exifted, our author thinks, will greatly contribute to the demolition of the fabric which the Free Enquirer has erected; for, fays he, if there ever was such a state, that is, if the nature of man will adınit of fuch a ftate, what hinders but that such a state might have continued? Whereas the theory in question proceeds upon a fuppofition that it is impoffible fuch a state should ever have exifted, and entirely refts on this hypothefis.'

Adam and Eve, we can eafily fuppofe, were innocent and happy, at their first introduction into the world; but we do not fee any confequences arifing from hence which are fufficient to fubvert the Enquirer's hypothefis; and it is certain, that the fpeculations of fome writers on this topic, are no better than amufing dreams.

28, Letters concerning Confessions of Faith, and Suhferiptions 10 Articles of Religion in Proteflant Churches; occafioned by Perufal of the Confefional. 8vo. Pr. 25. White.

This is one of the beft answers that has appeared to the Confeffional, but, like the reft, contains feveral frivolous and inconclufive arguments in behalf of fyftematical confeffions. The author has in fome places run into a difagreeable and unneceffary prolixity, by taking notice of minute circumftances which do not affect the principal queftion. But battologies and logomachias are the chief ingredients of controverfial writings; otherwife two hundred pages would be reduced to twenty; and authors lofe fome of their importance by appearing in the character of pamphleteers.

As we may reasonably fuppofe that the generality of our readers are pretty well fatiated with the controverfy occafioned by the Confeffional, we fhall not trouble them with a particular account of this production; but refer thofe to the work itself, who have leifure and inclination to pursue the subject.