Bibliotheca Typographica Britannica, No. II. Part I. 247. Part Johnson's Evangelical Believer's Confeffion of the Son of God, ibid. Adam's Evangelical Sermons, ibid. Hawker's Sermon before the North Battalion of Gloucestershire ibid. Dr. Glaffe's Sermon before the Governors of the Afylum, ibid. Haweis's Refutation of the Arguments for.Polygamy, 317 Dr. Jubb's Lingua Hebraica Juventa Arademiæ commenda- Hawkins's Effay on Female Education, Sharp's Guide to Reading and Spelling English, Auftin's Examination of the first.fix Books of Euclid's Elements, Sonnerat's Account of a Voyage to the Spice Iflands and New ibid. Philofophical Tranfactions, Vol. LXX. Part II. 321.- Vol. Collections for the Hiftory of Worcestershire, Dr. Grant's Obfervations on the Origin and Progrefs of the At- ibid. Dr. Elliot's Account of the Nature and Medicinal Virtues Medical Pocket-book, 395 ibid. The Fair Circaffian, a Tragedy, Northcote's Obfervations on the Natural and Civil Rights of On the Dest of the Nation, compared with its Revenue; and the Impoffibility of carrying on the War without Public Oeco- nomy, Dr. Illingworth's Sign of the Times: or, a Syftem of True fure, ibid. Crowe's Sermon before the University of Oxford, November 5, Dr. Thomfon's Enquiry into the Nature, Caufes, and Method ibid. THE CRITICAL REVIEW. For the Month of July, 1781. The Hiftory of the Isle of Wight. 4to. il. 75. in boards. THE Robinfon. HE fituation of Hampshire, and the number of places of note which it contains, might have justly entitled this county much earlier to the attention of topographical writers. But though hiftories of many other parts of England, of lefs confideration, have preceded, it now enjoys, as a reparation for long neglect, the honour of having a portion of it illuftrated, in the present work, by fir Richard Worsley, baronet. Of the origin and publication of this work, we meet with the following ingenuous account in the Preface. • Notwithstanding the favourable reception given by the public, to defcriptive hiftories of counties, and other districts of England, a Hiftory of Hampshire is yet wanting; the prefent publication is intended, in fome degree, to fupply that deficiency. • The Isle of Wight, though a portion of that county, is fo detached by nature, and difcriminated by peculiar circumstances, as to be pointed out for an object of feparate defcription. This indeed appears to have been the opinion of fome learned men in former times; as we find, in Bishop Nicholfon's Hiftorical Library, that there exifted, in the last century, in the library of Arthur, earl of Anglefea, a manufcript, intitled, A General Survey of the Isle of Wight, written by fir Francis Knollis, privy counfellor to queen Elizabeth. A History and Defcription of the Ifle of Wight was alfo planned, early in the feventeenth century, by Dr. Richard James, of Corpus Chrifti College, Oxford, VOL. LII. July, 1781. B a na a native of the island, and nephew of the first keeper of the Bodleian Library, where his manufcript, intitled, Antiquitates Infulæ Vectæ, is ftill preferved. It contains little more than extracts from our early histories, for the beginning of his work; but, from a fummary prefixed to them, it appears that his plan was very comprehenfive. About the fame period, fir John Oglander, a gentleman of one of the most ancient families of the ifland, employed himself in collecting miscellaneous obfervations relative to it, moftly fuch as came within his own knowlege. His notes, beginning with the year one thoufand fix hundred and fifteen, and continued to the year one thousand fix hundred and forty-nine, remain in the poffeffion of his worthy fucceffor, fir William Oglander, baronet. They contain a great variety of very valuable, though unmethodised, materials. The History now offered to the public, owes its origin to fir James Worfley, baronet, of Pilewell, in Hampshire, who began to prepare materials for it early in the prefent century, and profecuted the work till the time of his death, which happened in the year one thousand feven hundred and fifty-feven. An unufual length of life afforded him the means of much obfervation, and extenfive enquiry; he bestowed no fmall labour in searching and examining records; he had accefs to fir John Oglander's manufcript, and made confiderable ufe of it. Little, either of defcription or of natural hiftory, is found in his papers; but he had made fome progrefs in digefting the civil hiftory of the island, and he evidently intended it for publication. Yet, notwithstanding all the advantages he enjoyed, he left his defign incomplete. His manufcript, with confiderable additions by his fon fir Thomas Worfley, has defcended to his grandfon; who confiders this publication as the discharge of a filial duty.' The volume begins with a general description of the Isle of Wight, its fituation, extent, foil, produce, trade, parochial divifions, and number of inhabitants. The hiftorian observes, that many writers represent the Isle of Wight as having been formerly attached to the main land, from which it was feparated by the encroachments of the fea. This opinion, it is remarked, has probably been adopted upon the authority of Diodorus Siculus, who mentions a peninfula, called Vectis, as the mart to which the Cornish merchants used to bring their tin in carts. Several circumftances, however, among which is the distance of the place, have inclined fome antiquaries to queftion, whether by Vectis, Diodorus Siculus really meant the Ifle of Wight. In treating of this fubject, fir Richard Worley recites the opinions and arguments of Mr. Borlafe, in his Natural History of Cornwall, and of Mr. Whitaker, in the History of Manchefter; to which are fubjoined the following remarks made by a gentleman of the island. Those are, • That, I |