in the jocular way; proving, that he is as ignorant of the hiftorical facts which he pretends to quote, as he is defective in argument, and illiterate in respect to grammar.

T

III. Reflections upon the present ftate of affairs at home and abroad, particularly with regard to fubfidies, and the difference between Great Britain and France. In a letter from a member of parliament to a conftituent. 8vo. Is. Payne.

·

The public hath ascribed this piece, how juftly we will not pretend to fay, to a real, not an imaginary member of parliament, and a perfon of diftinétion. It feems there was a time, when this author opposed those measures in public, which he now defends, and which even at that juncture he approved in private. The following are his own words, When I first ⚫ entered into parliament, foreign measures were fometimes • mentioned, but feldom debated. This was owing to the power of the minifter, which I thought alarming; and there⚫fore I lifted myself into the oppofition to ALL his measures'; I fay, to ALL his measures. For one of our first principles was, to keep him from the credit of doing even what was right, as well as to load him with the blame of whatever was wrong.'

This is a very frank confeffion, and may ferve at least to give us a true idea, and proper eftimation of the worth of modern patriotifm. Moreover, it ferves alfo to explain a certain aphorifm, faid to be frequently in the mouth of the late Sir R. W. which, without fuch a comment, would have appeared very unintelligible, viz. My enemies do me wrong to fay, that I give money to men to vote against their confciences: and they themselves know full well that it is false: but if I give any money, it is not to make them vote against their 'confciences, but according to their confciences, and real con'viction.' The author then undertakes to prove the necef. fity of making fubfidiary treaties, for preferving the balance of power on the continent, and afferts, that the engagements we have now entered into, would have been wife and neceffary, tho' his Majesty had not poffeffed one foot of territory upon the continent.' Towards the clofe, he makes ufeful remarks on that part of the civil law which is ftiled the law of nations; and obferves very juftly, that a fet of rules and maxims derived from the Romans, and calculated for fettling territorial difputes between ftates in Europe, where the boundaries of each are exactly marked out, can be no precedent for fettling territorial difputes in America. But why can they not? For this plain reafon, viz. Becaufe neither the French nor English, (being new-comers) nor the feveral tribes of Indians, (the original inhabitants) have ever yet marked out their limits refpecting each other, with that exactness and regularity which obtain in all European countries. Confequently, all that can be done in fuch circumftances, is to proceed upon equita

ble

ble conftructions, and the best evidence that can be given. And Great Britain has done this: but France takes fubterfuge in scientifical principles, arbitrarily laid down, and magifterially pursued. She hath chriftened whole nations by other names than they had always born, and hath put con⚫ ftructions on the words of treaties, that were never dreamed ' of before.'

So far may be very true for any thing we know to the contrary. But the misfortune is, that this eminent writer hath left the grand point untouched, which it was most for his caufe to clear up, viz. Whether it is the intereft of the mothercountry to settle colonies fo far back in the interior parts of North-America, as the river Ohio, the great lake, and the fall of Niagara? If we conquer thefe countries from the French, the English will certainly fettle them fooner or later; for it will be impoffible to prevent them.-The only question therefore worth a debate, is properly this, Whether it will be more advantageous for Great Britain to permit those countries to remain in the hands of the French, or to conquer them, in order to have future fettlements two, three, four, or five hundred miles distant from the sea?

T IV. A Letter to the King of ****. ́By an **. By an Englishman, not a Member of the House of Commons. 8vo. 1s. Corbet. His majefty of France is the king to whom this epiftle is addreffed. Its defign is to inform the moft christian king (if he will but read it) that we are the happiest people, and governed by the worthieft prince, under the fun: and, therefore, that if he the faid chriftian king has formed schemes against us, through any idea of our being a divided nation, living in diftrust of, and at variance with, our government, he will find himself mistaken, and that to his great coft. In short, the defign of this pamphlet feems to be quite the reverse of that of the author of the Two Letters to the People of England: See our Catalogues for September and November. V. Secret Hiftory, relating to the times. Particularly the rumour of an invafion. An effay tending to quiet the minds of the people. 8vo. 6d. Kinnersley.

Silly affected banter. We hardly know how to speak more characteristically of this pamphlet; which, indeed, as Mr. Pope faid of the ladies, (perhaps with less justice) has no character at all. But if, by quieting the minds of the people, the author hints at the foporific quality of his performance, we may ven. ture to fay, from experience, that nothing can more effectually anfwer the intention, of compofing the reader to rest. VI. The French Encroachments expofed: or, Britain's original right to all that part of the American continent claimed by France, fully afferted; wherein it appears, that the honour

and

and interest of Great Britain are equally concerned, from the conduct of the French, for more than a century past, to vindicate her rights; the practicability of which, at this juncture, is manifeftly proved. In two letters from a merchant retired from bufinefs, to his friend in London. Recommended to the perufal of every honeft Briton. 8vo. 1s. Keith.

Tho' we cannot difpute any author's right to recommend his own works, for which he may have very substantial reasons ; yet as those reasons will not in the least affect us, we do not think ourfelves obliged always to concur with fuch recommendations. With refpect to the pamphlet now before us; we perceive nothing in it, but what has been taken notice of again and again, by feveral of the many, who have affumed the difcuffion of this, at present, popular fubject. Could a few vollies of hard words reconcile the differences between the two kingdoms, and reinftate Great Britain in her just poffeffions, it is poffible our author might be thought no inadequate champion for fuch a purpofe; his zeal for his country is expreffed in furious declamations against its enemies, and in these declamations his merit, as a writer, feems chiefly to confit.

MISCELLANEOUS

L

VII. An Account of the Trial of Francis Delap, Efq; late provoft-marfhal-general, upon an information for a misdemeanour; at a fupreme court of judicature, held in the town of Kington, in the island of Jamaica, June 18, 1755. 8vo. Is. Kinnerfley.

The information brought March 11th, 1755. fets forth, ⚫ that a writ was iffued under the great feal, directed to Francis Delap, provoft, &c. for an election of reprefentatives for the parish of Port-royal, in the enfuing general affembly; that on the 2d of October, the governor, before the tefte and return of that writ, did, by virtue of an inftrument of writing under his hand of that date, directed and delivered to the faid Delap, fufpend him from being provoft-marfhal; and ⚫ that the governor did appoint and impower Samuel Johnson to be provoft-marshal in his dead. That the faid Johnson was worn on the 3d of October, and gave fecurity to the faid Delap, and in every refpect was legally qualified.' And then charges, That the faid Delap, maliciously contriving, defigning, and intending, to fubvert the government, and 'disturb the peace and tranquility of the island, and to prevent the due execution of the writ, did, on the 3d of October, ⚫ fecrete and detain the said writ, and refuse to deliver it to the faid Johnson, then provoft marshal; and that the faid

*The office of provoft marfhal, in that part of the world, feems to be analogous to the office of sheriff here..

• Delap

* Delap did not, on the 4th of October, deliver up the faid writ to the faid John, tho' often required by the faid Jobafon, and altho' Delap knew him to be provoft marshal at the time of fuch refusal.'—Of this mifdemenor Mr. Delap was convicted, and fentenced to pay a fine of 500l. and to be imprifoned a year and a day.This pamphlet feems to have been published by the friends of Mr. Delap, (with the pleadings of his council in his defence) in order to represent the profecution as a party-bufiness, carried on in a defpotic and cruel manner: but the account here given does not look with a very impartial afpect.

VIII. The Chain of Fate; or public fpirit preferred to private intereft: being an hiftory of the adventures and fufferings of a North-Briton, who was ruined by ferving the public, but retrieved himself by induftry. 8vo. Is. Gibson.

One J. Breues, fome of whofe publications have been noticed in former Reviews*, in this pamphlet relates his own hiftory: he tells us, that after having, from a principle of public fpirit, concerted, and, in a great measure, effected, the establishment of a corn-market at Perth, he was not only dif appointed of the profits that might naturally be expected from fo useful a fcheme, but was also ruined by the contrivances of those who thought themselves interested in oppofing it. In confequence of this difappointment, he found himself under a neceffity of leaving his native country, [Scotland] and repairing to London; where he, at laft, under the favour of a hu mane gentleman, joined to his own induftry, was enabled to disentangle himself from all incumbrances, and discharge his former obligations.-The narrative is fimple, and its author appears to be a thorough honeft man, culpable, we imagine, in nothing more than an over-fondness for appearing in print, however difqualified for it in point of literature.

L • See Reviews, Vol. IX. p. 315. and Vol. X. p. 313. IX. The Wife. By Mira, one of the authors of the Female Spectator, and Epiftles for Ladies. 12mo. 3s. Gardner.

The title of this work may, perhaps, have induced some to imagine it of the novel-kind; it is, however, wholly perceptive, and intended to direct the conduct of wives; who are here advised to discard those fashionable follies, and subdue thofe dangerous paffions, that too often contribute to render the married ftate of all others the most unhappy. Mrs. Mira, tho' not a very spirited writer, in general, has painted some of the foibles of her fex in ftriking colours; but to anticipate the refentment the feems to apprehend from the freedoms fhe has fo taken, the concludes this volume with promifing, that if any of them fhall think her admonitions too ftrongly en forced, they will have their full revenge, when they read 'the duties the has enjoined a husband.'-These laft are to be the subject of another publication, said to be now in the prefs.

A Brief

X. A brief History of the Kings of England, particularly those of the royal house of Stuart, of bleffad memory. 8vo. 1s. M. Hunt.

It hath been a cuflom,' fays the author, among our flattering priests, upon mention of deceased princes, to ufe the expreffion of blessed memory; and fo, I believe, have used it fince William the baftard of Normandy over ran this kingdom." This, he adds, prompted him to fearch the lives of all our kings fince the faid baftard, to find if any of them had deferved that reverend remembrance.' The refult of his enquiry is, that all our kings, except Edward V. and Edward VI. * have indeed left behind them BLESSED MEMORIES in an ironical fenfe only. He is particularly fevere on the Stuarts.-By the obfolete style, we have been led to fufpect this to be an old tract reprinted: tho', poffibly, this may be only a studied disguise. * These two princes are fpared on account of their infancy.

XI. Two Letters to a friend on the prefent critical conjuncture of affairs in North-America. 8vo. Is. Jefferys. Reprinted from the New England edition.

The first of these letters gives an account of Braddock's defeat, and is only a new edition of the 23d article in our Catalogue for October laft; the second letter represents the vast importance of the repulfe of the French army at Lake-George; and includes a circumstantial detail of that action, with some particulars not mentioned in our news-papers.`

NOVELS.

XII. Memoirs of an Oxford Scholar. Written by himself. 12mo. 3s. Reeve. See below.

XIII. The Hiftory of Charlotte Villars. A narrative founded on truth. 12mo. 38. Crowder. See below.

XIV. The accomplished Rake; or, modern fine gentleman. 12mo. 3s. Noble. See below.

XV.The Hiftory of Barbaroffa and Polyana. 12mo.3s.Crowder.

In October-Review we took notice of the earner novels produced this feafon. We could not greatly praise what we then tafted, and of this fecond crop, we have only to fay, that we admire it as little as we did the first.

XVI. The Tell-tale: or, anecdotes, &c. collected from the beft authors and beft companions, for the improvement of youth in conversation. 12mo. 2 vols. 45. Baldwin.

A new codection of old jefts and ftories, ferious and comic; with the addition of a confiderable number of new ones; feveral of which my do fome credit to the editor.

XVII. An earnest Expofition of that important and interefting portion of the revelations of St. John, (efpecially to the prefent age) concerning the prophecy, death, refurrection, and afcenfion of the witnelies. Shewing that thefe kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland shall never more fall into the hands of papifts. By Allen Crofly. 4to. 6d. Lewis.

This