ge

from the public at large; and were it to become the topic of neral converfation, would, doubtlefs, receive various very important amendments previous to adoption. We are of opinion, that the paffing of a general enclosure bill would operate much lefs exceptionably, and with equal or fuperior efficacy, in producing a furplus of corn, than the offer of a bounty. It is not the addition of one eighth to the land already under plough, which would yield an additional eighth of corn: confiderably more than one third of this additional eighth muft, in rotation, be annually cropped with turnips, potatoes, vetches, clover, &c. or the lands would foon be exhausted. A farmer of an hundred acres does not, on an average, fow fixty acres of corn: but the farmer knows, that an acre of corn produces more immediate profit than an acre either of turnips or of clover: fhould a liberal bounty from parliament, therefore, encourage the fmall farmers, by adding to this immediate profit to grow an exorbitant proportion of corn, they would in a few years be inevitably ruined. Such might be, and in all probability, fuch would be in a degree, the operation of a bounty; for which reafon only, if no other could be added, the enclosure of wafte lands is a preferable expedient. It would alfo be attended with no fmall difficulty to decide on the best mode of diftributing this bounty: our author propofes, that eight fhillings fhould be given to the farmer for every acre which he fows with wheat, and four for every acre which he fows with barley and with oats, above his ufual number. His ufual number! this is extremely vague: how is the ufual number of acres which a farmer fows with wheat, barley, and oats, to be afcertained? A five or fix years previous registration would be neceffary to obtain the average, unless the farmer's fimple affertion is in all cafes to be implicitly relied on. The clergy, indeed, might in fome inftances be able to remove the difficulty, but thefe muit be comparatively few.

The objections we have ftated are obviously not against the establifhment of granaries, which we believe to be perfectly found and prudent policy, but against the obtaining a furplus of corn by means of a bounty on it's growth.

Not meafuring the importance of a pamphlet by the number of it's pages, we have allotted to the prefent more room, than on the latter account it might feem entitled to claim: the scarcity of corn in the year 1795 is yet freth in our memory, and every plan for preventing the recurrence of fo diftreffing an event is to be received with gratitude, and difcuffed with candour and attention. L. L.

EDUCATION. SCHOOL BOOKS.

ART. XXXI. Plan of Education purfued in Mrs. Landen's Academy, No. 48, Hans Place, Sloane-ftreet. Price 1s. Ridgway. 1798. MRS Landen's plan of education appears to be upon liberal principles, and to take a wide fcope, comprehending what relates, not merely to ornamental, but to moral and intellectual improvement. The general fubjects of inftruction are arranged under the following titles. Religion and morality. Manners and addrefs. Courfe of learning, confifting of fpelling, reading, writing, the english language; grammar; the french and italian languages; arithmetic; the elements of aftro

nomy;

nomy; the ufe of the globes; geography; hiftory; natural history; belles lettres; elements of natural philofophy; english, french, and italian literature. To which are added, mufic, drawing, works, and danc-. ing. A lift is given in the conclufion of useful and approved books, which are to make a part of the fchool library. The method propofed to be adopted, in teaching the feveral branches of knowledge, feems to be judicious.

D. D.

ART. XXXII. An Introduction to English Grammar: intended also to affift young Perfons in the Study of other Languages, and to remove many of the Difficulties which impede their Progress in Learning. 4to. 32 pages. Phillips. 1797.

I WILL venture to fay, that when young perfons understand this introduction, they, to fay no more, will know as much of english grammar as meft of thofe who have been taught by the grammars, which are commonly put into children's hands. Such is the opinion of the author, and we are not inclined to difpure it. There is enough in the book, if well underfood; but then for children to underftand it, bic labor, hoc opus eft. If the chief merit of fuch performances confift in fimplicity of method, and perfpicuity of flyle, we cannot affign any great fhare to the prefent work. The language is far from being eafy, and the ufe of numerous fubdivifions and grammatical terms is more likely to confound than to affiit a beginner. There is likewife an affectation of philofophical refinement and precision, which occafionally reminds us of monfieur Jourdain et fon maitre de philofophie. This treatife, however, though not well adapted to the capacity of children, may be ufeful to foreigners, defirous of knowing the ftructure of our language, who are already acquainted with the latin, and other tongues.

A. B.

ART. XXXIII. Leffons for Children. By Mary Wollstonecroft Godwin. pr. 6d. Johnfon. 1798.

THESE leffons, fimple and appropriate to the purpofe for which they were defigned, are peculiarly interefting, as the fragment of a feries intended to have been written, to adopt the patlictic language of the authorefs, for the instruction of the unfortunate' daughter of awom an, whofe talents, fufferings, and premature fate, have excited general admiration and fympathy.

MISCELLANEOUS.

D. D.

ART. XXXIV. Mifcellaneous Writings: confifting of Poems; Lucretia, a Tragedy; and Moral Effays; with a Vocabulary of the Paffions: In which their Sources are pointed out; their regular Currents traced; and their Deviations delineated. By R. C. Dallas, Efq. 4to. 308 p. Price . Is. boards. Longman. 1797.

THERE are few men of leifure and of reading, who have not in their study fomething of a port-folio, in which they depofit their loofet unlaboured effays, and keep them till occafion call them forth amid fome future lucubrations: in any fubfequent collection, by the author, of thefe mifcellaneous writings for publication, a want of difcrimination is always to be apprehended; and his great difficulty confifts in accurately estimating the unequal merits of compofitions, produced at different times, and under various circumstances.

Thefe

Thefe reflections were fuggefted by the perufal of the prefent mifcellaneous volume, which appears to be written by a gentleman of feeling and of good understanding, but betrays an incompetent judgement in felection, and occafionally, we think, a miscalculation of taler s. The tragedy of Lucretia, on which our author evidently prides himfelf, is not fo fraught with energy as he seems to imagine: as to the ftory, it is fufficient to inform our readers, that the horrours of it bear fo ftriking a refemblance to those which are delineated in the Mysterious Mother, that Mr. D. has thought it neceffary, and it certainly was neceflary, to declare, that he had never feen that performance till laft winter, and that his own has been written more than thirteen years. The language of Lucretia is tame, and it's imagery fcanty. The breathing thoughts, and the burning words of the Myfterious Mother give tentold frightfulnefs to Horace Walpole's tragedy, but half the horrour of the prefent production is loft in a poverty of expreffion. As to the other poetry of this volume, the firit piece, Kirkstall Abbey, prepared us for a better repaft than we have found: the feelings of the author appear to have been very warmly excited on vifiting thefe venerible ruins; and fo much captivated was he by the ftillness and folemnity of the furrounding fcenes, that he formed the refolution of keeping his birth day on the fpot, in the employment of felf-examination, and in holy communion with his Maker. The poem of Kirkstall Abbey was the confequence: a beautiful vignette, reprefenting the ruins, is prefixed to this production, which, in point of poetical ima gery and expreffion, in our opinion far exceeds any other in the book. The following tranflation, however, from MOUSTIER, & Lettres à Emilie, is executed with confiderable elegance and vivacity; it is short; we thall give the original. P. 93.

'Tis faid Love flies :-Whence fprung hi› wings!

The boy was born with no fuch things;

VOL. XXVII.

H

For

For Innocence would never rove,
And wings were needlefs then for Love:
Nor did they fhoot as up he grew,
Fond Infancy is pure and true;
And ftill unfledged he reached the age
When gentle fighs the heart engage;
For Conftancy will ever prove
The fifter fair of youthful Love.-
• But foon as.e're one balmy KISS
From Chloe's lip had fealed his blifs,
And taught his little heart to leap,
The callow points began to peep:
Another KISS-the callow points
To pinions (prout with downy joints:
Kiss follows Kiss-two days, 'tis said,
Full plumage o'er the pinions fpread.
In fine, he talked and wooed fo well,
He gained much more than I fhall tell :
Soon as his power the Urchin knew,
He proudly clapped his wines, and flew."

LOVE REFUTES THE CHARG2:

• And brings proof that Kiffes are not the origin of his Wings.
"Love proudly clapped his wings and flew,
When from a kiss his power he knew.”

So fings the Bard in witty vein :

The injured Boy denies the ftrain;
Denies that KISSES e're could prove
The origin of WINGS to LOVE.

What! KISSES! than Ambrofia sweeter,
Moiftening from the rofy feature;
Diffufing every foft delight,

Shall KISSES put the God to flight? .

Such open malice Love defies:

Confult your heart, the Smiler cries,--

That heart, o'er which fupreme I reign,

Through ten fond years has wooed my chain:
Meanwhile with many a glowing KISS
EUGENIA'S lip has fealed your blifs,
And flamed your heart with raptures ftrong!
Yet for EUGENIA's lip you long:
"Tis for her lip alone you glow,

'Tis to her lip your joys you owe.'

The concluding pages of this volume contain Moral Effays, on the fubjects of adoration, love, the feparation of friends by death, and pleasure to which is added, a Vocabulary of the Paffions. In this latter performance no metaphyfical inquiry is interwoven respecting the origin of our paffions, in one fenfe of the word, namely, whether they be innate and coeval with our birth, or whether they be fubfequently acquired through the medium of the fenfes: our author's object appears to have been, to thow that our malevolent propenfities are to many deviations from the regular paffions,' which are alfo • traced to fources pure and worthy of our Creator. From not at.

tending

tending to, or not acknowledging the juftnefs of a distinction, which lord Kames fuggefted between paffions and emotions*, our author has multiplied the number of what he denominates regular passions to about thirty. This vocabulary is an ingenious compofition, and bears upon it marks of thinking. We fhall give a fhort extract. P. 283.

Shame.-Shame is an emotion arifing from the confciousness of guilt, defects, or mifconduct, real or imaginary. It is a genuine feeling, but muft, like fome others, have been unknown antecedent to the introduction of evil. Whatever we ought not to do, we ought to be ashamed of doing. The degree of un-alinefs attached to this paffion, will be proportioned by fenfibility to the nature of the guilt, defect, or mifconduct. Habitual vice has, at times, totally eradicated fhame from fome minds; while, on the other hand, there is a conftitutional quickness, which renders fome fenfible of this emotion, not only with out juft reason, but even on occafions that are extremely honourable.

The bafhfulness of a young woman fprings from her respect to i purity: and diffidence, which in itself is amiable, will often create a perplexity very fimilar to fhame. An ingenuous mind alfo feels a con fiderable degree of this emotion, on being over-valued; for, if we would be what we are thought to be, we blush at the deficiency. In this view, Shame is very amiable; and fir Harry Beaumont, in hist elegant dialogue upon Beauty, mentions it as capable of adding much intereft to a lovely face. In no view, indeed, is well-grounded shame other than laudable: it always marks a fenfe of wrong, or of deficiency; and, at the fame time, an openness to conviction, and defire of perfection. The mind that feels it, is prepared to retrieve its errors; ~ to atone for guilt; or to aim at excellence:-but we may july fet". him down upon the fcale of dæmons, who can knowingly do wrong without remorfe; can injure a fellow-creature without compunétion; and offend his Maker without contrition.

• Shame of doing right.-There is fuch a deviation of this paffion.A falfe education, by which the prejudices in favour of a number of vices, far from having been rooted out, are confirmed, is the mean by which this falutary emotion is forced from its natural channel. The virtues oppofite to fashionable vices, bring blushes upon the faces of

many.

Fashion is nothing more than the opinion and practice of a multitude; to defy which, indeed, requires confiderable courage. But an early habit of difcriminating between prejudice and rational conduct, will give that courage. This habit it should be the grand aim of education to inftil; and they who have been taught to estimate the right will blush only at doing wrong.'

The other effays are fhort, and have but little claim to originality. The thoughts on adoration,' however, are delivered with appropriate fervor and folemnity. On the whole we give a preference to the profaic above the poetical portion of this volume.

* See Elements of Criticism, Vol. I,

H 2

Art.