The volume contains fifty-two portraits, among whom will be found persons truly illustrious, by their rank, their genius, and their science; since among them we discover the names of Knox, Buchanan, Johnston, Drummond of Hawthornden, Fletcher of Salton, James Gregory, and Maclaurin.

of these distinguished characters, we think, the biographical account is too short; and we doubt whether the reason assigned by the author is satisfactory, viz. that a fuller and more complete narrative may be found in other productions. This reason, if it be admitted as a good one, renders the possession of those other works necessary, in order to give a knowlege of the persons here represented.-We should have been glad to have found more particulars of William Drummond, whose genius was so highly admired by our dramatic writer Ben Jonson, as to induce him to walk to Hawthornden from London in order to pay him a visit. Mr. Pinkerton has, in this instance, made some amends by the introduction of the following Sonnet, prefixed to an extremely scarce book, Penardo and Laissa, by Patrick Gordon, Dort, 1615. 12mo.

Come forth, Laissa, spred thy lockes of gold,
Show thy cheekes roses in their virgin prime!
And though no gemmes thee decke, which Indies hold,
Yield not unto the fairest of thy tyme.

No ceruse, brought farre farre beyond the seas,

Noe poisone-lyke cinabre paints thy face;
Let them have that whose native hues displease,
Thow gracest nakednesse, it doth thee grace.

Thy sire no pick-purse is of others witt;
Those jewellis be his owne which thee adorne.
And though thou after greatter ones be borne,
Thou mayst be bold ev'n midst the first to sitt.
For whilst fair Juliett, or the Farie Queene
Doe live, with their's thy beautie shall be seene..

M. WILLLIAM DRUMMOND."

We in vain look for anecdotes of that distinguished politician and philosopher, Fletcher of Salton; whose portrait alone, as here given, creates great interest, and a strong desire of being made acquainted with the original. Though we do not assent to the doubts and suspicions conveyed by the following letter of Sir David Dalrymple to Lord Buchan, we transcribe it for the amusement of our readers:

My Lord, Newbailes, April the 26, 1787. Your Lordship, I observe, means to oblige the world with the Life of Fletcher of Salton. It may well be supposed that, considering the people from whom I come, he is no Saint in my Calenderwhat I wish to know, was he a whig at bottom? I have moral evidence which convinces me that another of that party, Lord Belhaven,

C 3

had

had a private meeting with the Duke of Queensberry in the gallery of the Abbey. Ville qui parle, your Lordship knows the rest of the French proverb. The Duke of Hamilton went secretly aboard of the ship of Van Aersen, Admiral Sommelsdyke, in the road of Leith, and proposed an union with Holland. You may well judge who was to have had an office like that of a Scotish Stadtholder. The Admiral related this anecdote to Lord Auchinleck, his grand nephew, from whom I had it.

'At present I can remember few anecdotes of Fletcher of Salton.

A footman of his desired to be dismissed. "Why do you leave me?" said he-" because, to say the truth, I cannot bear your temper-To be sure I am passionate, but my passion is no sooner on, than it is off-Yes, replied the footman, but then, it is no sooner off, than it is on.

• I knew him well, said Fletcher to Dr. Pitcairn, he was hereditary Professor of Divinity at Hamburg-Hereditary Professor of Divinity, exclaimed the Doctor, what nonsense!-Doctor, what think you of an hereditary King?

If I mistake not I have somewhere recorded that Fletcher said "Toland is a bigotted atheist."

It was said of Fletcher that he wished for a republic, in which he himself might be King.

I can make a pair of shoes for your feet, said Mitchel the famous shoe maker, but I defy all the shoemakers in Scotland to make a pair for your head.

Like the elder Cato, and the elder Scaliger, he went late to the study of Greek.

He had acquired such knowledge of Italian as to be able to compose a treatise in that language. Prince Eugene spoke to him in Italian, but Fletcher was not able to answer yes or no.

I ever am, &c.'

The whole account of Robert, first Earl of Ancram, is interesting; and, as it furnishes a fair specimen of the biographical part of this work, we shall present it entire to our readers, The portrait exhibits a countenance of great cha

racter.

This nobleman, descended of Sir Andrew Ker, of Fernyhirst, in Roxburghshire, and direct male lineal ancestor of the present Lothian family, was first, Gentleman, and afterwards, Lord of the Bedchamber to Charles I. who advanced him in 1633, to the dignity of the peerage by the titles of Earl of Ancram, Lord Ker of Nisbet, Long Newton, and Dolphington *.

Lord Clarendon says of King Charles, "that he saw and observed men long before he received them about his person ;" and as other historians, less partial to this monarch agree, however much they have differed respecting his kingly virtues, that he was eminent for every quality and endowment which adorns the sphere of private life; his affection and favors are surely to be considered as honorable

• * Vide Douglas's Peerage,

to

to those on whom they were conferred: the Earl of Ancram, it is unquestionable, with but a short intermission*, enjoyed both for a long series of years; and of this distinction he has not only shewed himself worthy by his probity, his taste + and accomplishments, but also by his faithful adherence to Charles in every vicissitude of fortune throughout his disastrous reign; an adherence, by which upon the death of this unfortunate prince, it appeared that he had become so obnoxious to the prevailing party as to be under the necessity of retiring into Holland, where he experienced many hardships, and died,

* It is evident from two letters written to this Earl, by the celebrated Drummond of Hawthornden, that he had lost, for a time, the favor of the court, but on what account, the letters make no mention; the probable conjecture is that it happened in consequence of a quarrel, related by Crawford in his book of officers, which ended in a duel between him and a Mr. Charles Maxwell, wherein the latter fell, which obliged the Earl to leave the kingdom. It was very likely during his exile on this account, that he indulged his taste for paintings by collecting pictures, and brought with him, on his return to England, those with which, according to Vertue, ke afterwards presented his royal master.'

We have taken occasion, in the preceding note, to mention his taste for paintings; he had beside, a turn for poetry, which is displayed in a beautiful little sonnet, addressed to his friend William Drummond, and which, on account of its being so little known, is here transcribed.

SONNET IN PRAISE OF A SOLITARY LIFE.

"Sweet solitary life, lovely dumb joy,

That need'st no warnings how to grow more wise
By other men's mishaps, nor the annoy,

Which from sore wrongs done to one's self doth rise.
The morning's second mansion, Truth's first friend,
Never acquainted with the world's vain broils;
Where the whole day to our own use we spend,
And our dear time no fierce ambition spoils.
Most happy state that never tak'st revenge
For injuries received, nor do'st fear

The court's great earthquake, the griev'd truth of change :
Nor none of Falshood's savory Lies dost hear,

Nor know'st Hope's sweet disease, that charms our sense,
Nor it's sad cure, dear bought Experience."

It also appears from the letter which accompanied this sonnet, that he had written several others.

Not only himself but his wife and children, whom he left behind in England, were oftentimes in great distress and indigence. In a letter extant of Lady Ancram's to William Earl of Lothian, she writes, "I think I need not tell you of my affliction, your father being banished, and all our means taken from us ever since the King's

died, before the restoration, at a very advanced age. He was twice married, first to Elizabeth, daughter of Murray of Blackbarony, by whom he had a son, William, afterwards Earl of Lothian; secondly to Lady Anne Stanley, daughter of William 6th Earl of Derby, and sister to James 7th Earl of that name, who suffered at Bolton for assisting Charles II.; by her he left a son, Charles, who succeeded him as Earl of Ancram, and four daughters.

This portrait of Lord Ancram is from a painting at Newbottle Abbey, done in Holland when he was eighty years of age, but by what master is not known; it possesses, however, great merit, and is extremely interesting from the impression it gives ef that mildness and resignation, which under every material event of his life, particularly marked the Earl's Character.

The drawings for this and the preceding engraving were taken by Mr. James Nixon, Royal Associate, now in Edinburgh, and obligingly given to the Editor of this work by the Earl of Ancram.'

Mr. P. concludes his preface with observing that, if encouragement should arise, another volume of this size might contain the most curious of the remaining portraits; and beyond that extent, materials could hardly be found.'-We hope that the work will meet with the patronage of the public, as the nature of it is interesting in no common degree, and the engravings are generally well executed. We would recommend it to the author, however, to be more detailed in his narrative in a future volume: perhaps the plan adopted by Dr. Birch, in the work before mentioned, might in the present instance be pursued with advantage; it being sufficiently circumstantial to gratify curiosity, and not so minute as to occasion fatigue in the perusal.

The abrupt beginning of the Life of Knox,

Who has not heard of John Knox ?'

naturally reminded us of Armstrong's Ballad

"Is there ever a man in all Scotland ?" &c.

death, that I have not been able to afford him the least relief, that if it had not bine for some that were meere strangers to us, and did compassionate my sad condition by sometimes furnishing us with meate and fyer, 'I and my children had starved; and that which forceth me to make you so much a sharer in our calamities, as to acquaint you with them, is by reason- of many sad letters, which I get weekly from my Lord your father of his great wants, and the disagreeing of the place where he is with his health and age." And towards the end of her letter, she adds "I must deal plainly with you, I and my children have bine several days that we have had neither bread, mecte, yor drink, or knowledge or credit where to helpe our-selves."

ART.

ART. III. An Account of the Proceedings of the Acting Governors of the House of Industry in Dublin, for Two Years. Annexed to their Petition to the Hon. the House of Commons of Ireland in the Session of 1798. 8vo. pp. 68. IS. Dublin, printed; London, reprinted for Cadell jun. and Davies. 1799.

THE

HE interests and management of the poor are subjects. entitled to consideration, not less from motives of prudence than of charity; and at no former period have they undergone more attentive investigation than has of late years been bestowed on them. In public establishments for the relief of distress, the greatest discouragement has been experienced from the difficulty of discovering adequate means to guard against peculation, whether in embezzlement or in misapplication, Another object of nearly equal difficulty, and of superior importance, is the prevention, or rather the cure, of idleness: by methods not coercive, but such as excite and encourage a spirit of industry; without which, habits of useful labour cannot be established. These objects, experience has abundantly proved, will not be attained until the opulent shall cease to content themselves with contributing merely their pecuniary assistance. It appears to us one of the most blameable neglects in our police, that the management of concerns, which necessarily must have so much influence on the moral character as well as on the comforts of so great a portion of the people, is scarcely ever consigned to those whose circumstances and stations in life place them at a distance from temptation; except when, occasionally, men of such description voluntarily step forwards. Instead of such uncertain arrangement, if all householders, whose assessment to the poor's rates exceeded a certain quantum, were required to undertake in rotation the offices of inspection and management; and no exemptions were allowed without sufficient reason, or subjecting to the payment of a considerable increased rate; the portion of integrity and intelligence, which would then be applied to the foregoing purposes, could not fail of producing important public benefits.

The present account of the management of the House of Industry in Dublin well illustrates the advantage to be derived from the personal assistance of independent and informed men. In the article of expence, it appears that, previously to the appointment of the acting Governors, (elected on the 19th of June 1797,) the average expence of maintenance, with other incidental charges in relieving the poor, was at the rate of 71. 1 s. 1 d. per head per annum :-That, in the first half year of the new direction, ending at Christmas 1797, the average expence for the same purposes was at the rate of 51. 4s. 11d.

per