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bayliffes in the different counties of England and Wales, amounting in all to thirty-two, for which we must refer to the book.]

The fourth fpecies of eftate in poffeffion confifts of lands retained in his Majesty's hands, either for his own convenience or the public fervice of the former fort are the palaces and parks; the latter fort are the castles, forts, docks, hofpitals, and public offices, and places vefted in the King for the ufe and protection of the country.' [Follows a lift of the King's palaces, houfes, and parks.]

The fifth and laft kind of eftate in poffeffion, although not in its prefent ftate productive of any confiderable revenue, is of fuch a nature that it may be rendered, and in all probability will become, of very great value and importance; I mean the intereft which the crown hath in the forefts, chaces, parks, warrens, and waftes in England and Wales. Upon the contingency of the inclosures and improvement of thefe waftes great allotments will probably be given to the crown, in compenfation of its extenfive rights and royalties. Thefe allotments will of course be in different proportions, according to the nature and extent of the King's rights in the several inftances.

• Previous to the execution of this great measure, many steps must be taken to gain information on the fubject, and, above all things, great care fhould be ufed to render it palatable to the principal proprietors, and popular in the country. Great difficulty will be found in obtaining the neceflary information in this business. Much useful intelligence may be obtained from the Surveyor General's office, but that must be very infufficient without gaining intelligence from perfons refident on the fpot, or in the neighbourhood, nor can complete knowledge be had without actual furveys. In this place I fhall only enumerate the several forefts and chaces, mentioning under what furvey they are placed, and diftinguishing fuch as are deemed real forefts from thofe which are now reputed to be merely nominal.' [Follows a lift of forests and chaces in England and Wales, 97 in all.]

Our Author next proceeds to treat of those eftates of the crown which are only in expectancy; namely, efcheats, forfeitures, and remainders; but as the crown, confeffedly, now derives little emolument from these once fertile fources of revenue, we think it unneceffary to dwell on the particulars. The chapter is concluded with the following fhort view of the produce of the land revenue, and the charges on it:

Grofs amount of rents as they ftand in charge before
the feveral Auditors of the land revenue,
From which may be deducted,

Rents granted away for ever, but ftill
continued on the rent-rolls, rents
granted for terms, and arrears, com-
munibus annis,

Land tax allowed and deducted from

the rents, com. ann.

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s. d.

36,720 7

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s. d.

17,530 15 10

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Clear average produce in rents per annum,

Fines for leases

on an

from 1772 to 1782

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Clear average produce per annum

23,383188

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Penfions, Salaries, and other Payments, charged
on the Land Revenue.

Perpetual penfions and other eleemo-
finary payments, and grants of an-
nuities to individuals,

Salaries to Keepers of prifons and
caftles, Rangers of forefts, parks,

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£.

s. d. 4,794 17 7

991 0 7

1,446 10 9

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Refidue,

Charges of Management.

Fees and wages to the Auditors, Receivers, and other
officers, and incidental charges relating to the land
revenue,

Clear furplus per annum, about

14,829 9 9

3,999 8 3

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• £ 10,830 1

6

We have been at fome pains to ftate, in a very particular manner, the nature and extent of this branch of revenue, that our Readers might fee how little it amounts to, and that they might judge of the propriety of its total alienation from the crown. There can be no doubt that the real value of the fubject in question is much beyond what it now appears to be; and that, while under its prefent mode of management, it can be confidered merely as a fource of corruption and peculation, which, while it retards the improvement of the country, tends to vitiate the principles of a numerous body of the people. We therefore moft fincerely join with our ingenious Author in wishing to fee the alienation propofed foon effected, as we are perfuaded it would prove a fource of great national benefit.

This treatife is called Obfervations on the Land Revenue of the Crown'-without any limitation-and will doubtless be understood to apply to the crown of Great Britain. But we obferve through the whole that no notice is taken of any fort of land revenue derived from that part of Britain called Scotland. Though there are doubtless in that part of the island, as well as in England and Wales, royal palaces, caftles, forefts, chaces, and parks: whence arifes this omiffion?

An..

ART.

ART. II. Troisieme Suite, &c. Third Continuation of Thoughts on certain Parts of the Mechanifm of Societies. By the Marquis de Cafaux. 8vo. 3s. 6d. fewed, Elmfley.

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WE have read, with increafing pleasure, this third continuation of the Marquis de Cafaux's ingenious performance, on the Mechanism of Societies. Were we to indulge our inclination, we might endeavour to give fome abridgment of thofe ideas, which, in their developement, have afforded us fo much fatisfaction; but it is poffible that many of our Readers will think we have already appropriated a fufficient portion of our journal to this fubject: and when we farther contider, that inftead of admitting an abridgment, many of thefe notions, equally new and ingenious, would rather require to be illuftrated by farther comments, in order to bring them within the reach of those who have not been accuftomed to reflect deeply on fubjects of this nature, we cannot help feeling the propriety of contenting ourselves, on the prefent occafion, with barely recommending the prefent performance to thofe few who take delight in fuch fpeculations; not in the leaft doubting but they will thank us for pointing out this inftructive, and (confequently, to them) entertaining publication.

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It is a juft and striking obfervation of our Author, that in England, a law, at all times, announces the general degree of knowledge exifting in the nation, concerning the object of the law at the time of its promulgation.' It is equally true, that under more arbitrary fyftems of government, a law on fome occafions only announces the degree of knowledge exifting in the head of the minifter.' And even in Britain, fome Minifters have been found who were wrong-headed enough, in the hour of exaltation, while popularity ran high in their favour, to attempt to dictate fome laws that were not confonant to the ftate of public knowledge at the time; but how many of these laws which did not rife fo high as this general barometer, or which have gone a little beyond it, have been quickly revoked, or fo modified as to approach nearly to this ftandard? How often have not these laws decided the fall of the imprudent minifter, who had more confidence in the ideas of an individual, than refpect for general opinion; or of the too zealous adminiftrator, who neglected to inftruct the people before he ventured to ferve them? Yes, the Public cannot be properly ferved without being previously inftructed; nor can they even be inftructed but by flow and gradual fteps. The author, whofe degree of knowledge far exceeds that of the age in which he lives, ftands not in the most enviable fituation; he may not, indeed, be now perfecuted like Galileo-or infulted like Columbus,-but he may fuffer neglect, like a Bacon, or be, like Machiavel, abused by the

multitude,

multitude, who could fkim the furface, but could not comprehend the general tendency of his arguments. In this laft cafe, every little critic, fupported by the general prejudice against his author, may lafh him with impunity, and without any knowledge of thofe doctrines which have excited the general alarm, may freely condemn or ridicule whatever crude notions he may chufe to hold up to the Public in their ftead. We will not proceed farther in this line; our ingenious Author will perceive whither this tends.

Our acknowledgments are due to the Author for the polite manner in which he has taken the trouble to answer an objection we farted; and which, to us, is entirely fatisfactory; but which ought to have been more clearly hinted at, if not fully explained in the original work itfelf. The word total being marked in Italics is but a very flender hint, indeed, of the Autho's meaning, and even this flender bint we had not the benefit of receiving, as no fuch mark of diftinction occurs in the tranflation which we reviewed; nor, in the paffage which gave nccafion to our remark, is there the fmalleft indication or referve of any kind: the words are general, and ftrongly expreffed, and fairly quoted by us [See Rev. April 1787, p. 304.] We are happy, however, that by ftating the objection, we have given our Author an opportunity of explaining particulars, that, if applied to other parts of his fyftem, will tend to remove the feeming paradoxical and contradictory appearance which it must have, with refpect to ordinary readers. A great deal may be gathered, from the little that he has there faid :-but we must not enlarge.

We tender our thanks to the Author for the pleasure we have received from the perufal of his work; and though we cannot acquiefce in all h's conclufions, yet we are more and more convinced that his Thoughts will long be efteemed, by those who have talents and opportunities for entering deeply into political fpeculations: they will be in a peculiar manner acceptable to those whofe minds take no pleasure in gloomy profpects that induce defpondency, but who rather delight in tracing those beautiful arrangements in nature, by which the moft falutary effects often refult from caufes that are concealed, or which may fometimes appear calculated to produce the moft ruinous confequences. An

ART. III. The One great Argument for the Truth of Chriftianity from a fingle Prophecy, evinced, in a new Explanation of the Seventh Chapter of Ifaiah; and in a general Refutation of the Interpretations of former Commentators. By Samuel Cooper, D. D. Minifter of Great Yarmouth. 12mo. 3s. 6d. Boards. Robinsons, &c. S every new difcovery in any branch of science is valuable, all pretenfions of this kind, fupported with ingenuity,

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merit attention. In the prefent work, Dr. Cooper profeffes to caft new light upon a prophecy, which has divided and perplexed the Commentators, and which has, in his opinion, been univerfally misunderstood.

The prophecy in queftion is Isaiah, vii. 1-16. This paffage has hitherto been fuppofed to contain two prophecies, both delivered at the fame time, and referring to the fame event; namely, the affuring Ahaz, that the attempts of the combined forces of the Kings of Ifrael and Syria against Jerufalem would be ineffectual and it has been generally agreed, that the latter prediction, "Behold a virgin fhall bear a fon," &c. was to be a fign to Ahaz of his prefent deliverance, and at the fame time a prediction of the birth of Jefus Chrift. The difficulties attending former interpretations our Author states in their full force, and pronounces them infuperable. He then gives his own fenfe of the paffage, which we fhall endeavour to lay before our Readers as accurately as a concife abridgment will admit.

The prophet Ifaiah being sent to the idolatrous King Ahaz, before the fiege of Jerufalem by the Kings of Ifrael and Syria was begun, affured him that the confederate Kings fhould fail in their attempt, and that Samaria, after 65 years, should cease to be a people. The former part of this prophecy was, foon afterwards, accomplished; yet Ahaz continued to addict himself to idolatry. The prophet was therefore, after a long interval, fent to him again, to endeavour to bring him back to the acknowledgment of the God of Ifrael. For this purpose he calls upon Ahaz, to chufe a fign, or miraculous difplay of divine power, in any part of nature. Moreover the Lord spake unto Ahaz, faying, Afk for thyself a fign of the Lord thy God: afk it either in the depth, er in the height above. Ahaz impiously refufed the offer, replying, I will not ask, nor will I make trial of the Lord. The prophet, obferving the unconquerable perverseness of Ahaz, and finding that it would be in vain to fay any thing farther to him fingly, now addressed himself to the whole houfe of David: Hear ye now, O boufe of David, do you not find it a difficult thing to contend with men? how then, and by what means, are you to contend against God? The prophet now begins the fecond prophecynot as a confirmation of the former, which had now been accomplished, but as a prediction of the birth of the Meffiah, and the exact period when this great event should happen- he Lord bimfelf fhall give you a fign; Lo THE virgin shall conceive and bring forth a fon, and thou, O virgin, fhall call his name Emanuel, or, God with us. The prophet goes on to predict, that, between the time of the birth of the Emanuel, and the age in which children ufually acquire knowledge, Ifrael having long ceased to be a feparate kingdom, Judea alfo fhould be deprived of its government. Butter and honey shall be eat (that is, wifdom and sweet

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