MONTHLY CATALOGUE.

POLITICA L.

Obfervations on the natural and civil Rights of Mankind, the Prerogatives of Princes, and the Powers of Government. By the Rev. Thomas Northcote. 8vo. 1s. Dilly.

IN

N this pamphlet, Mr. Northcote produces many ingenious and plaufible arguments, in fupport of the univerfal right of the people to election and reprefentation. It feems to be, in respect of government, as in that of religion, that though the general ideas of both are conformable to the light of nature, certain modifications are neceffary, for adapting them, with advantage, to the practice of mankind. While, therefore, we applaud Mr. Northcote's liberal zeal for the univerfal rights of the people, we cannot help confidering the unlimited extention of thofe privileges as, in effect, injurious to fociety, and fubverfive of the public order and general happiness, to maintain which is the object of every well constituted government.

A Letter to the Right Hon. Charles Jenkinson. 4to. 25. Debrett. The author of this Letter, after indulging himself in a vein of petulant fcurrility, against a most respectable and respected character, proceeds to arraign, with all the virulence of party-fpirit, the conduct of administration, in regard to the American war. He defcants much on the efficient and official council: in treating of which, he totally mifreprefents the great authority, mentioned in fupport of that diftinction. Towards the conclufion of the Letter, this modeft, independent Whig, is fo obliging as to mention the names of those perfons to whom, in his opinion, his majesty ought to entrust the direction of public affairs.

A Speech of the Hon. Charles James Fox, at a general Meeting of the Electors of Westminster. A Broad Sheet. 3d. Debrett.

A republication, from the news-papers, of the transactions and harangues, in Weftminster-Hall, on the 10th of December; printed on a large fheet of paper, ornamented with an engraving of Mr. Fox.

On the Debt of the Nation, compared with its Revenue; and the Impoffibility of carrying on the War without Public Oeconomy. 8vo. 25. Debrett.

In this production we meet with an account of the national debt; of the annual revenues for the fupport of government, and the charge of collecting them; obfervations on the commiffioners reports, and on the expenditures for the civil lift; with strictures on the navy and army expences, compared with their amount in the laft war. In refpect of thofe fubjects, the author is apparently well informed; but to render his obfervations entirely fatisfactory, it is neceffary that the eftimates upon which he proceeds, fhould be authenticated. Mean

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while,

while, we may obferve, that the defign of the whole feems to be, to recommend economy in the public finances, upon a plan less extenfive than that which was propofed by Mr. Burke, in the laft feffions of the preceding parliament.

The Signs of the Times: or, a Syftem of true Politics. By James Illingworth, D. D. 8vo. 2s. 6d. A. Donaldfon.

A rhapfody on original fin, types, oppofition, rebellion, the American war, and a variety of other religious and political fubjects.

Obfervations on a Pamphlet entitled An Enquiry into the Advantages and Difadvantages refulting from Bills of Inclosure. 8vo. 25. Bew.

mons.

The author of this tract is a zealous advocate, as every thinking and philofophical man muft be, for the enclosure of comHe confiders a bill for this purpose in the light of a petition to fecure the property of certain perfons from depredation, and to put it into their power to enjoy and improve their own, and only their own.' He fhews the abfurdity of leaving a large tract of land unimproved and neglected, merely that a poor man may keep a flock of geefe upon it; when the fame ground, if properly cultivated, would maintain feveral families. He ftates the expences, and other inconveniences, attending the prefent method of carrying bills of enclosure into execution; and lays down the plan of a general act of parliament for the enclosure of all the commons in England worth cultivating. This, he thinks, would promote population, and produce fuch additional revenues, as in time would difcharge the national debt.

In the generality of bills of enclosure, it has been the practice to allot a certain proportion in lieu of tithes, as a full equivalent and compenfation for them. Much has been lately faid in the houfe of lords upon this fubject; and it is anxiously expected, that a bill will yet pafs for an univerfal commutation. Our author freely acknowleges the pernicious tendency of tithes ; but infifts, that any allotment of land in exchange, muft injure either the tenants, the landlords, or the clergy. To prove this point, he gives us a variety of calculations, on which he fays: By thefe calculations it appears, that a proportion of one-fixth, to one-feventh, will in general be as much, as the laity can give in lieu of tithes, without lofs to themselves; but it is apparent, that the clergy must be fufferers, whenever they accept of it. On the other hand, fhould fuch an equivalent be made to them, as appears to me they have a right to expect and demand, containing a quantity of land, the rents of which are equal to the tithe they give up, it follows, that the laity must be greatly injured by the bargain.'-He therefore propofes a pecuniary compenfation, to be paid out of each titheable farm, of the nature of

a rent..

They who wish to fee the foregoing paradox explained, must have recourfe to the author's calculations.-Here however we

fhall

fhall beg leave to obferve, that, in a fcheme of commutation, the clergy may give up a part of their legal demands without any real detriment; becaufe at prefent they very feldom, if ever, receive the full value of their tithes.

DIVIN IT Y.

Aferious and affectionate Addrefs to all Orders of Men, adapted to this awful Crifis. 8vo. IS. Robinfon.

The author of this Addrefs is Mr. Thomas Mills, bookseller at Bristol, an enthufiaftic admirer of the works of the late Wm. Law, which, he tells us, bear every internal character of a divine original. The poor man, it feems, had been bewildered and loft in the end!efs mazes of doubt and error,' till he happily met with the works of this truly illuminated divine.' And now, from the love which he bears to his dear fellow-pilgrims, he could not, in the evening of his life, go home to his eternal na tive country, well contented, till he had pointed out to those, may yet be ftrangers to Mr. Law's works, a treasure of fuch ineftimable value.'

who

A Sermon preached before the University of Oxford, Nov. 5, 1781. By William Crowe, LL.B. 4to. IS. Cadell.

From the institution of the paffover among the Jews, in remembrance of their deliverance out of Egypt, the author of this discourse takes occafion to fhew the propriety of our observing the 5th of November, as a day of public thanksgiving. But the commemoration of this day, he fays, may well confift with perfect charity towards the Roman Catholics, and with fome relaxation of those penalties, by which their religion has been reftrained. We have no occafion at present to be alarmed on account of their numbers, their difpofition, or the influence and practice of that church, with which they hold communion. These confiderations naturally lead him to a review of those precautions, which the people of this nation were obliged to take, when their civil and religious rights were actually violated in the reign of James II.

MEDICA L.

An Enquiry into the Nature, Caufes, and Method of Cure of Nervous Disorders. By Alex. Thomfon, M. D. Svo. 1s. Murray. The author of this Enquiry, after giving a brief description of the nerves, and enumerating many fymptoms of their morbid affection, endeavours to account for the prevalence of nervous diforders, upon the general principles of idlenefs and intemperance, independently of any particular fpecies of modern luxury; and in fupport of this opinion, he adduces arguments of great weight. Concerning the origin of nervous complaints, he obferves, that, for the most part, they may be traced to a weakness of the ftomach and bowels, whence if thofe diforders do not actually derive their earliest

earliest existence, at least the figns of their invasion are there moft perceptible.

That, fays he, a difeafe which depends upon irritability, and is fupported by a fympathy in the nervous fyftem, derives its origin from the ftomach and bowels, is an opinion_strongly confirmed by the texture and offices of thofe parts. Furnished with numerous branches of nerves, there are extremely fufceptible of irritation; to which they are alfo particularly expofed from the weight or refiftance of the food, its occafional acrimony, and the stimulating nature of the gastric fluids, rendered yet more acrimonious by vitiated digeftion.'

The difficulty attending the cure of nervous diforders, is placed by our author in a light peculiarly clear and forcible.

In attempting, fays he, the removal of the nervous complaint, the greatest attention is neceffary to investigate the precife origin, whether fingular or plural, whence it derives its fupport: for without fuch knowledge, in vain fhall we endeavour to prevent the effects of irritation. With every advantage on our fide, we fhall often have occafion to regret the obftinacy of the disease. Indeed, that nervous disorders fhould prove difficult of cure, will not appear furprifing, when we confider how much they are distinguifhed by a variety of oppofite indications and circumstances, of a pofitive and negative, of a phyfical and moral kind. Amidst the neceffity of nourishment, is every impediment to digeftion. The impurity of the blood we find aggravated by great irregula rity of the difcharges. Sleep, however indifpenfable for recruiting the exhaufted ftrength, in many cafes comes not spontaneoufly; nor can it be procured by medicine, without increafing relaxation. Exercise, abfolutely neceffary, is often prevented by a liftleffnefs, utterly averfe to motion. In morbid irritability, which requires the most foothing treatment, the patient is peculiarly liable to perturbations of body and mind. Notwithstanding incidental or habitual lowness of spirits, which feems to indicate the expedience of fome exhilirating liquor, even the moderate ufe of cordials may be neither effectual nor fafe. Anxiety, natural to the complaint, and increased by every confideration, muft yet be supported with patience. And laftly, though fo complicated a diftemper might feem to demand the most active remedies, it is often obferved to be aggravated even by those of the gentleft kind.'

In the course of this pamphlet we meet with many judicious remarks on the method by which the cure of nervous diforders has hitherto been usually conducted; as well as with an explicit detail of that which is the most rational and most successful. We would, therefore, recommend this ingenious Enquiry not only to the gentlemen of the medical profeffion, but to all who are afflicted with any fymptoms of nervous irritability.

The

The Phyfician's Vade Mecum; or a concife Syftem of the Practice of Phyfic. Small 8vo. 2s. 6d. Robinson.

The plan of this elegant little volume is to exhibit a system of the medical art, drawn up in the most practical, and, at the fame time, in the concifest manner. Such an epitome, it is observed in the preface, is calculated not only to afford, on every occafion, an immediate recourfe to the oracular treasures of phyfic, but to imprint on the mind the most useful and effential precepts of the fcience. We entirely agree with the author, in refpect to the utility of fuch a work; as we alfo do with regard to his opinion, that, notwithstanding the numerous late improvements in phyfic, nothing is fo much wanted as a judicious compendium of practice. He obferves that the only treatise of this kind is the PROCESSUS INTERGI of Sydenham; a work which, however valuable, is now, on account of the progrefs of obfervation, become in a great measure obfolete. This treatife, therefore, is intended as a new Proceffus Integri, extracted not from the writings of one phyfician, but from those of all the most eminent of the prefent time. In refpect of its more extenfive plan, as well as of the felect obfervations, of which it confifts, it is evidently fuperior to the celebrated production above mentioned; for befide delivering explicitly the most approved rules in practice, attention has been paid to the identifying every difeafe, and particularly thofe which are more obfcure, or might be confounded with each other; by always delineating their characteristic and indifpenfable fymptoms. Where prefcriptions are given, they have been thrown into notes at the bottom of the page; a method, the editor obferves, which places them in a confpicuous view, without interrupting the text. In the arrangement of the diseases, we are first presented with those of a general nature, and afterwards with fuch as are local. acute diseases precede the chronical; and in both claffes, the diftempers are ranked in regular progreffion from the head downwards. A fyftem fo happily imagined, and executed with so much care; which delivers effential observation without tedious detail, and inculcates precept without empiricifm, muft, we are perfuaded, prove highly acceptable to the medical faculty.

The

Some Obfervations on the prefent Epidemic Dyfentery, By Francis Geach. Is. Baldwin.

These Observations appear to be drawn from experience, and a careful attention to the fick; but as they coincide, in general, with the remarks of former writers, they ferve to confirm, rather throw any new light on the nature and treatment of the difeafe.

NOVEL S.

The Adventures of a Rupee. 12mo. 35. fewed. Murray. This mode of making up a book, and ftyling it the Adventures of a Cat, a Dog, a Monkey, a Hackney-coach, a Loufe, a Shilling, a Rupee, or-any thing elfe, is grown fo fashionable, that

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