The British Critic: A New Review

purchafers. Mr. De Luc's Geological Travels*, in the north of Europe, are confined almost entirely to the philofophical objects of his purfuit, and will be followed before long by more refearches of the fame kind. The enlightened zeal of that veteran philofopher for obtaining by obfervation the true natural history of our globe, deferves the highest commendation, and will rank him always among the most accurate and useful obfervers of his time; but his very advanced age keeps us always in fome apprehenfion of an abrupt termination of his labours, which however Providence feems to defer, becaufe to live, and to labour for the best purposes, are with him fynoni

mous.

TOPOGRAPHY.

We can give no more appropriate defignation to Mr. Chatfield's work on Hindoftan, which he calls an Hiftorical Review†. Its objects are fo numerous and fo ably pursued. We should not, however, omit to fay, that the chief points to which his attention is directed are Commerce, Politics, Morals, and Religion. Among other works lately noticed in this branch of Literature, we must mention particularly the continuation of Magna Britannia by Meffrs. LyJons, containing the topography of Cambridgefhire and Chefhire: and conducted with the fame fagacity and fidelity which have marked their former accounts. This part completes their fecond volume. The local history of Oxford, by Mr. A. Chalmers §, is diftinguished no lefs for elegance than accuracy; . and is accompanied by prints which speak no less eloquently to the eye than the author to the mind. It is already, as it could not fail to be, a very popular work. A fhort account of the Ifle of Man, by Mr.

No. I. p. 43. ‡ No,III, p. 227.

+ No. II. p. 97, and IV. 333.

§ No. II. p. 127.

G. Woods,

G. Woods*, is rather a guide for travellers than a regular topography. It may, however, be found ufeful; and of a fimilar defcription is the fhort account of Shrewsbury †, at prefent anonymous, but which we hope to fee hereafter, both enlarged and diftinguished by the name of its evidently fagacious com piler.

POLITICS.

From the endless tracts of this clafs we fhall felect only a very small number; and among them, with diftinguished commendation, Mr. Courtenay's View of the State of the Nation . We fay, with pride, that our opinions exactly coincide with those of this able writer. A tract entitled, a Regent not a King §, demands attention, though anonymous, and well explains a fubject which has been, in general, but imperfectly confidered. In the Offrandes à Bonaparte ||, feveral very curious pictures are given, of what may be called the PSEUDOCRACY of France; the novel phænomenon of a government fupported altogether by fyftematic lying. Mr. Faber's tract, which made a confpicuous part of this interefting collection, has fince been published in English ¶, as the others had before. Dr. Duigenan, though always violent, is always worthy of attention on the fubject of the Irish Catholics**; but, what is more extraordinary, Dr. O'Conor, himself a zealous Catholic, has published a collection of tracts, which both perfuafions ought equally to refpect and confider tt. Admiral Patten, on the fubject of national defence ft, is able, though by no means impartial. It is, however, extremely advifable, that his views fhould receive a due confideration.

No. III. p. 315.
§ No. V. p. 521.
Number. ** No. I. p.
P. 267.

+ No. I. p. 80. No. V. p. 488.

77. ++ No. VI.p. 613.

No. V. p. 469.

See our prefent
No. III.

MEDICINE.

We fhall briefly touch this fubject, and pafs on.Dr. Cheyne's volume on the Larynx *, Mr. Bell's continuation of his great work on Surgery †, Mr. Lawrence's translation of Blumenbach's System of Compara tive Anatomy, and Dr. Reid's fhort tract on the Study of Medicine §, are all the works that we can at prefent bring forward for diftinction; and to fome of thefe objections may be made, which we fhall not here repeat. They are noticed in this place on the score of their general utility. On the controverted fubject of the Eau Medicinale, recommended in Dr. Jones's tract, it is not yet fafe to pronounce a decided opinion. We have been cenfured by fome for what we did venture to fay; yet we ftill maintain that extreme caution is neceffary in the ufe of a noftrum fo very violent, and fo little underflood ¶.

POETRY.

In this clafs, we muft felect even from our own felections, left we fatigue our readers by too copious a lift. We fhall mention therefore only the moft remarkable. Thefe are, Wallace, by Mifs Holford **, an hiftorical poem, of fingular merit: The Borough, by Mr. Crabbett, a work of fuch poetical power, as is very rarely produced: The Goblin Groom, by Mr. Fenwick, a jeu d'efprit above the common clafs; and the Affociate Minstrels §§, an anonymous collection of fmall poems, but marked with talent and poetical feeling fufficient to diftinguish every coadjutor. A

* No. II. p. 174. + No. V. p. 503. No. III. p. 321. No. VI. p. 656. || No. IV. p. 374. I It is now reported that the ingredients of it are found to be opium and the veratrum album. ** No. I. p. 37. ++ No. III. p. 236. §§ No. IV. p. 404.

‡‡ No. III, p. 293,

dozen,

dozen, at least, of smaller works, which we have more or lefs commended, we now pafs by for the fake of haftening to our conclufion. But we must not omit to mention Mifs Seward's works, republished by Mr. W. Scott*, in which the judgment and good tafte of the editor are at least as confpicuous as the genius of the poetess.

MISCELLANIES.

Here also we shall by choice comprefs rather than dilate. Mr. Hatchard's edition and translation of Richard of Cirencester † is a valuable acceffion to Britifh antiquities, but we had in this preface no head of ANTIQUITIES. The tracts on the fubject of the Oxford Controversy, are most highly worthy of notice. Several republications of merit have alfo attracted Our attention. Such as Evans's Ancient Ballads §, Dr. Clarke's Edition of Harmer, Mr. Bliss's Edition of Earle's Microcofmographia ¶, and, if we may be allowed to fay it, Mr. Nares's Essays and Traits **. For other works, more or lefs commended, we must refer to our general pages, to which we now dismiss our readers, for the thirty-feventh time.