incident is to be found in it which we have not met with an hundred times before not a fentiment that is new or ftriking. How, then, are we to characterife fuch productions? We can only fay of them, with the facetious Mr. Shandy, that they refemble the affair of an old bat cocked, and a cocked old bat; or, in the language of logicians, that they exhibit a diftinction without a difference, for as to the major part of those which we have lately perufed, we find them no way varying from each other but in the arrangement of words and fentences. The substance, if substance it can be called *, is always the fame. Art. 34. Georgina: or Memoirs of the Bellmour Family. By a young Lady. 12mo. 4 Vols. 10s. fewed. Baldwin. 1787. This novel exhibits a good deal of fancy, and it is written, for the most part, in a correct and pleafing manner; but the fair Author introduces too many characters on the fcene, and all of nearly the fame importance: fo that her work, in fact, becomes fo many feparate hiftories. However, therefore, we may be pleafed with its feveral parts, we can by no means commend it as a wholeA perfect fable, it fhould be remembered, is compofed of incidents which have a nice and regular dependence on each other: and which, though they may at firft appear diftinét, are at the fame time affifting and co-operating in one and the fame final purpofe. Such are the novels of Fielding, particularly thofe of Amelia and Tom Jones, in which the unity of defign is admirable; and which, on account of that and their other excellencies, cannot be too attentively and diligently ftudied by the novelift. We cannot too much commend the fpirited manner in which our Author has depicted the petit maitre, the man of mode, he who thinks it impoffible for any woman to look on him without affection; and whofe confident air feems to fay to her, did you ever behold fuch an accomplished gentleman? don't you think me a wonderful creter? Such a character cannot be too feverely and farcaftically treated; and we are truly glad to find that this is his fate in the prefent performance-our modern novels rather ferving as leffons to him in folly and foppery than otherwife, occafioned by the romantic manner in which the power of love is reprefented in them. The scene of this novel is occafionally removed to America; and the Author has drawn a very animated picture of the diftreffes to which the Bellmour family were reduced, during the fury of the late unnatural war. PHILOSOPHICAL. A.B. Art. 35. A Treatise on Elementary Air. By Hamilton Kelfo, M.D. 12mo. Is. Murray. What Dr. Kelfo means by elementary air will be beft conveyed to our Readers in his own words: Atmospheric air is a mixed, tranfparent, compreffible fluid, which covers the whole terraqueous globe, " The other shape, If fhape it can be call'd, that fhape had none; Or fubftance might be term'd that shadow feem'd." MILTON. and and goes upward to an unknown height, and is composed of celestial air, which confifts of inert, evanefcent particles, and elementary air, which confifts of active, pellucid, and compreffible particles, which give the celestial air density and motion.' The Author then defcribes the modifications of his elementary air, recites many of its properties, and fhews the effects it produces; but his philofophy is wholly his own, and will not be immediately comprehended by his readers. A-m LAW. Art. 36. The Trial of Andrew Robinson Bores, Efq. Edward Lucas, Francis Peacock, Mark Prevot, John Cummins, otherwife called Charles Chapman, William Pigg, John Richley, Henry Bourn, and Thomas Bowes, Attorney at Law, on Wednesday the 30th Day of May 1787, in his Majefty's Court of King's Bench, Weftminfter. Before the Hon Mr. Juftice Buller and a fpecial Jury. For a Confpiracy against the Right Hon. Mary Eleanor Bowes, commonly called, Countefs of Strathmore. To which are added the Speeches of Mr. Erfkine, Mr. Chambre, and Mr. Fielding, in Mitigation of Punishment on behalf of the Confpirators; and of Mr. Mingay, Mr. Law, and Mr. Garrow, in Support of the Profecution, previous to the Judgment of the Court on Tuesday the 26th Day of June, which is alfo included. Taken in Short Hand by E. Hodgson, Short Hand Writer to the Seffion, at the Old Bailey. Folio. 35. 6d. Robinfons. 1787. The Reviewer is much obliged to Mr. Hodgfon, for making his title-page fo full and circumftantial, that it requires nothing to be added; except our acknowledgment of the care and accuracy with which he appears to have given this Trial to the Public. MECHANICS. Art. 37. A Treatife of the Mechanical Powers. To which are added feveral ufeful Improvements in Mill-Work, &c. By John Imifon. 8vo. Ls. Jamefon. 1787. What we faid of a former work by Mr. Imison, in our 73d Vol. p. 394, will equally apply to the present performance, viz. Readers who have not an opportunity of confulting many books, may meet with amufement and information in this.' It is compiled from fome of our best writers on the fubject; particularly Emmerfon and Ferguson; and though it is not a complete treatife on mechanics, yet it explains, in a fatisfactory and popular manner, the principles of the fimple mechanic powers, and delivers fome fundamental rules for the conftruction of mill-work. FISHING. R-m Art. 38. A concife Treatife on the Art of Angling. Confirmed by Experience, and minute Obfervations, &c. To which is added, The Complete Fly-Fisher. By Thomas Btt, Gent. late of his Majefty's Drawing Room in the Tower. 12mo. 25. bound. Stalker. 1787. The defign of the Writer, as fet forth more particularly in the title-page, is to give us a concife Treatife on the Art of Angling, exempt from the redundancies and fuperfluities, which tend more more to perplex than inftruct.' In doing this, a particular eye has been had to old Walton, where the many anecdotes, &c, related by that pleafing Writer, have been defignedly omitted, and nothing new is given us in their ftead; fo that while we have to complain that the venerable Patriarch is ftripped of his beautiful coat of many colours, very little is left to compenfate for his nakedness, except the bare skeleton of a figure, of which, as of Hamlet, we might fay, This was a Man.'-The printing too (we are forry to mention it) gives no additional credit to the work. Those who fhall perufe the first line, quoted from Thomson, in page 100, "Soon as the firft foul torrent of brooks," will lament the defperate halt given to that fmooth Poet, which by the Irish would be termed downright boughing. But nothing can poffibly exceed the injury done to Pope in the following line, page 112, "The Lodden flow, with vendant alders craw'd.” Blunders of this nature are almoft fufficient to raife a much lefs irritable Bard, than Pope, from the dead; and as the Greek poet faid of the potter that fung one of his fongs out of tune, all the wares in his fhops are not fufficient to compenfate for it.-In short, we fee nothing in this Treatife, which may not be found at leaft Th-s. full as good almost any where else. EDUCATION. Art. 39. Improved Latin Orthography. Phædrus; or Phaidros' Fables in Latin, adapted to the Ule of Learners, &c. By S. B. A. B. 8vo. Is. 6d. Debrett. 1787. This improved method of Latin orthography confifts in fubftituting additional vowels, characters, and marks, to diftinguish the long and fhort vowel. We cannot give a fpecimen of it for want of types. It feems an ingenious thought, though, we apprehend, not a very ufeful one; for, boys accustomed to this whimsical kind of fpelling, will never, or at least with great difficulty, be able to read a book in R-m the common Latin character. Art. 40. Sele Parts of Grey's Memoria Technica: to which is added, Thofe parts of knowledge which involve a large field of enquiry, difcourage the young ftudent; the feemingly unbounded profpect that lies before him excites defpair, either that he fhall be never able to wander over it, or to recall the memory of the numerous objects which have attracted his attention. By collecting what lies widely scattered, in the fame or different authors, into a narrow compafs, the profpect that before perplexed the beholder by its greatnefs, becomes in fome meafure determinate; and the object, that was too unwieldy for a young understanding to manage, becomes more proportioned to the ability of the pupil. For this end the prefent publication feems well adapted; and its fimplicity and concifenefs render it an useful school-book. go Art. Art. 41. An Italian and English Pocket Dictionary, in two Partsä Italian and English, and English and Italian. Compiled from the best. Authorities. By G. Graglia, Teacher of the Italian Language. Small 4to. 5s. bound. Davis. 1787. M. Graglia's intention was to provide a portable and cheap dictionary of the Italian and English language. The defign is well executed; brevity, the chief excellence of fuch a performance, is peculiarly attended to, without leaving out any thing that is effential. Phrafes, fentences, proverbs, &c. are intentionally omitted; the Italian word is explained by one, and fometimes two, English fynonymes; and in order to facilitate the pronunciation, the Italian words are properly accented.-A Compendium of this kind, with regard to the Italian tongue, was much wanted. K-m Art. 42. A new Spelling, Pronouncing, and Explanatory Dictionary of the English Language; to which is prefixed an introductory Effay on the Elements of English Pronunciation, Elocution, and Grammar; with an Appendix of Heathen Gods and Goddeffes, &c. By William Scott. Small 4to. 35. bound. Robinfons. 1786. This performance is an imitation, with a few alterations, of Dr. Kenrick's Pronouncing Dictionary, of which we gave account in the 49th volume of our Review, p. 93. Mr. Scott has taken the liberty to blame all former pronouncing dictionaries, alleging that they are extremely deficient with regard to the pronunciation of words.' He obferves, that the defign of this compendium is, to fupply that defect, and to add, to their other advantages, that of afcertaining, in words of general and elegant ufe, the various founds of the letters, according to the prefent practice of the beft fpeakers.' The method of marking the fyllables as to their pronunciation, is the fame which Dr. Kenrick ufed, and which we mentioned at large in our account of his Dictionary; we shall therefore only obferve, that the commodious fize, and fmall price, are not the smallest recommendations of the present work. MISCELLANEOUS. Art. 43. An Account of the Culture and Ufe of the Mangel Wurzel, or Root of Scarcity. Tranflated from the French of the Abbé de Commerell, Correfponding Member of the Royal Society of Arts and Sciences at Metz. 8vo. I s. 6d. Dilly. 1787. Art. 44. A Treatife on the Culture, Ufe, and Advantages of the Plant called Scarcity Root. By the Abbé de Commerell, Correfpondent to the Royal Society of Arts and Sciences at Metz. Tranflated from the French, by Mr. Sibille. 8vo. Is. Debrett. 1787. Thefe two publications do not materially differ from each other, more than two tranflations by different hands may be fuppofed to do. Though the name of the tranflator does not appear in the titlepage of the former, the prefixed advertisement is figned John Coakley Lettfom; who informs the reader, that he has found the plant to flourish well in our climate, and preferve its verdure during the laft winter. We have no botanical defcription of the plant given in either of the translations; though we are promifed one by Dr. L. We fufpect that it is a fpecies of Beet, perhaps the Cicla, because the cultivation and produce of the Cicla, as given by Mr. Miller, greatly refembles that of the Mangel Wurzel. The leaves and the roots are faid to be a wholesome food for man and cattle. The produce is large, as fresh leaves fpeedily fupply the place of thofe which have been cropt. Sixteen thousand fome hundred plants, which were fet in 2 acres, Lorrain measure, fupported (from the beginning of July to the 15th of November), with their leaves mixed with a third, and fometimes a fourth of other herbage, seven cows, and three calves; and from the 20th of November, the cows and calves were fed with the cut roots, mixed with a fmall portion of chopt hay, or ftraw, during the winter. Befide the particular directions for fowing, planting, managing, and reaping the Mangel Wurzel, the Author has added fome other obfervations relative to different fubjects of agriculture; among which is a method of weaning calves at twelve days old. This, if practicable, is a circumftance of great confequence in lowering the price of milk, butter, and cheese. Some obfervations are also added on the culture of carrots and fpurrey; and a new method is given of making hay from trefoil, lucern, faintfoin, and other grafies of that kind it appears expenfive; but perhaps the great quantity which this method feems likely to produce, and the good quality of the hay, may amply repay' the labour and coft. 2 Art. 45. A Letter to the Bishop of London. Containing a Charge of Fornication against Edward Lord Thurlow, Lord High Chancellor of England. With his Lordship's de bene effe DEFENCE. By Caffandra. 8vo. 2 s. Ridgeway. Such extraordinary liberties are here taken with the great law lord, that we really know not what to make of Mrs. Caffandra and her publication; and, were we to attempt a review of fo ftrange a performance, our Readers, perhaps, would fcarce know what to make of us. We fhall, therefore, only add, that we have met with many notable paffages in this Pamphlet; and that, on the whole, we have been much amufed by it. Art. 46. A fort Rejoinder to the Rev. Mr. Ramfay's Reply: With a Word or two on fome other Publications. By James Tobin, Efq. 8vo. is. 6d. Wilkie. 1787. Not immediately feeing,' fays Mr. Tobin, the neceffity of a formal and laboured rejoinder to his [Mr. Ramfay's] ill conducted and vindictive attack, and being poffeffed of very little leifure, at the time it appeared, for fuch a difagreeable undertaking, I took the liberty of addreffing a letter to the Authors of the Monthly Review.' — And had it been confiftent with the plan adopted by the Editors of that publication to have inferted my letter at length, it should have terminated my share of a very unpromifing controverfy.' Some extracts of this letter were given in our Review for Jan. 1786. A fubfequent publication (a Letter from Capt. Smith), containing fome further ftrictures on Mr. Tobin's Curfory Remarks,' was a fecondary inducement for the prefent performance. We must ac * * See Review for Oct. 1786. knowledge, |