An Efay on Agriculture, with a View to inform Gentlemen of Landed Property, whether their Eftates are managed to the greatest Advantage. By Thomas Stone. 8vo. 6s. in Beards. Baldwin.

T

HE fimple candour, and plain good fenfe, which feem to have dictated the contents of thefe pages, must render them highly eftimable to gentlemen of landed property, for whose use the volume was written. The great object is to inform them to what points their attention is to be directed, in leafing their eftates, or in trusting, more generally, their concerns. This leads our author into many miscellaneous confiderations relating to husbandry; and his remarks, though feldom very new, are commonly just. What we mean by new is, that no particular plan is recommended, which had not been before practifed; but this is lefs the design of the author, than to apply what is already known to the ufe of those for whom the Effay is defigned. We read, with particular pleasure, his obfervations on the breed of cattle, and on the improving ftock of horses; for he does not push his opinions precipitately, with the zeal of a reformer, but recommends with the calm difcretion of an experienced obferver. The shape, the form of animals, muft be, in a great degree, connected with their general health; and that again muft influence the time required to fatten them, and their ftate when fat. The obfervations on husbandry are calculated to preserve the estate in an improving condition, by accurately afcertaining the mutual claims and interefts of the landlord and tenant. In this way, the rent is only the annual price paid for the use of the land; it is not a deduction from the real value, which it muft be, when at the end of a term the eftate is left in an impoverished condition.

There is no fet of men, fays our author, I have a higher efteem for than farmers; but I must confefs, that no fet of men know better how to make a bargain for their own advantage. A fteward ought to be careful how he allows the custom of any country, for there is a good, and a bad one every where. For instance, where a farmer is allowed to take only two crops and a fallow; and after fallow, turnips and barley, which is generally efteemed good hofbandry, he can manage his farm fo, that at the end of a term he will have fowed all his land with a fucceffive crop; or having taken two crops, the whole will be to fallow by the incoming tenant in his first year, which will be an infuperable objection against any man's hiring it. Indeed the like advantages may be taken throughout the whole of a lease loofely and injudiciously made. And

was

was the cafe to be litigated, in which a tenant had taken two crops and left all his land to be fallowed, it might be determined in the tenant's favour, he having only taken two crops to a fallow, during his term, according to agreement: therefore a man, who is a good judge of the properties of land, and its condition, will frame covenants fuitable to each cafe, in order to remedy fuch an evil. For inftance, a farmer fhould be bound not to crop more than a certain proportion of his arable land with the fame kind of grain in any year of the term; not to fow a second or fucceffive crop upon more than a certain proportion thereof every year; after which he should be constrained to fallow, manure, and fow turnips or colefeed, and to lay the fame down with artificial or natural graffes for fuch a limited time, as should be approved.

• In fome cafes it might be adviseable for a farmer to covenant to lay a proportion of his farm down for perpetual pafture at the commencement of the term, and to lay other parts down at ftipulated times during the leafe. However it is a landlord's business to improve the value of his estate, not only at the end of the term, but during the occupation; yet the great view ought to be directed to the end of the term, that the value of the land may not be reduced, but improved, and made defirable for a tenant to continue thereon, or others to take it.'

We have felected this paffage, as an instance of the plainnefs and fimplicity of our author: we have felected it too, as we truft it will recommend his performance, and perhaps himfelf, to thofe most interested in fimilar concerns.

La Grace et la Nature, Poëme. 8vo. 5s. Longman. THIS poem is adorned with a new title, and extended by

the addition of ten cantos. Its former title La Louange,' was a term equally equivocal with those which are now prefixed to it. In fact, this poem is of the religious kind, chiefly in the language of Scripture, an extended commentary on the 148th Pfalm, with numerous annotations. After much difficulty, we have reached the end; for the ftyle is frequently flat and profaic, the lines fometimes inharmonious: we can praife little but the author's defign. The work, fays Monf. de la Fléchére, is not polemic; it treats of no object of controverfy; it unites moral philofophy with the principal tenets of the Gofpel, and confequently every Chriftian fect will find in it the principal truths which they admit: truths proper to . conduct us from faith, to the practice of every Chriftian virtue.'

Yet

Yet fomewhat may be adduced to leffen the cenfure which we have paffed. Religious poetry, as we have often obferved, finks, in the copy, greatly below the original; the Muse too walks in fetters, and the greatest praise we can bestow on the best poets, on fuch subjects, is, that she moves with apparent eafe, and supports her chains with grace. They are, however, ftill chains which keep her on the ground, and check her fublimeft flights. In this volume, fome mifcellaneous fubjects are alfo introduced.

If the work has any merit, it is an exact conformity with holy fcripture: thofe who have read the facred writings with attention will perceive it; for the fake of others, to whom they are unknown, different paffages are added in the margin.' We readily allow, that this may be an apology for the religion of the work, but not for its poetical imagery. Even Milton's genius was blinded by the brilliancy of the infpired penman; and, when on holy ground, the fublimeft poet funk to the humblest and most imperfect copyift.-On the whole, we think that the work breathes, in every part, Chriftian piety, faith, and charity.'

Prefixed to the poem is a Difcourfe on Evangelical Myf ticism, and the Use made of it in the Work.' We were pleased with the title, because various paffages in the poem feemed to border on mystery. The author properly began to define myfticism,' (we must be allowed this word, for no other feems adequate to the author's intention.) • Reasonable mysticism, fays he, as we find it in many excellent works, both ancient and modern, is a flight veil which covers the nakednefs of truth, so as to render her more amiable, to excite the attention of those who feek her, to augment the pleasure of those who discover her, and to conceal her from the fight of her enemies.' Thefe veils are, we find, both pleafant and convenient; but, in this sense, myfticifm is only a hard word for a metaphor, and a learned term for allegory: we can affure our readers that monf. de la Fléchére means no more.

We shall select, as a specimen, some of the most poetical lines of this poem. They are part of an episode entitled the Peace of Paris,' which was printed, under that title, in a separate form it is but loosely and inartificially connected with the poem before us. The lines we have transcribed are part of a speech by the king of France.

"Contemplez ce combat, où pleins de nos projets,
De Graffe, Hood et Rodney, conduifent nos fujets,
D'un tonnerre infernal les traits les plus funeftes,
De leurs corps emportés ne laiffent que des reftes,

Quand

Quand de-loin nos carreaux, notre foudre, et les ventsi
Font voler le trépas fur cent ramparts mouvants :
Mais, de tous les Démons les Fureurs déchainées,
Semblent, pour nous fervir, au combat acharnées,
Lorfque de-près le bronze, et la flamme, et les flots
Sur l'onde mugiffante, affiégent nos héros.

• Alors des tourbillons d'une épaiffe fumée ;
Roulent en s'élevant fur la mer enflammée ;
Et de bruyants éclats, qu'annoncent des éclairs,
Effrayant les mortels, font trembler l'univers.
Déjà, pour abreuver mille poiffons avides,

Le fang coule, en ruiffeaux, dans les plaines liquides :
Des cadavres tronqués et des membres épars;
Sur un pont tout fanglant gifants de toutes parts,
Offrent fur cent vaiffeaux l'horrible boucherie,
Où de mille guerriers s'exerce la furie.
Que de mets odieux, que d'humains maffacrés,
Pour les monftres des mers font déjà préparés !
Des cruels Hottentots le chef anthropophage
Reculeroit d'horreur en voyante ce carnage,

Déjà mille carreaux fur un vaiffeau lancés,
Ont ouvert tous fes flanes par la foudre enfoncés,
Et quand, par mille cris, au carnage on s s'anime,
Il s'abaiffe, s'engouffre, et defcend dans l'abime.
Mais le vaiffeau tonnant, où ce fier bataillon
Arbore, fans céder, un brûlant pavillon,
Quand fon terrible feu par-tout fe renouvelle,
Saute et vole en éclats, touché par l'étincelle,
Qui l'embrafant foudain, fait monter sur la mer,
Les feux, l'horreur, l'effroi, le fracas de l'enfer :
Emportés dans les airs par la flamme épandue,
Mille Nauchers brûlés retombent de la nue!
Ah! fur leurs os brifés, fur ces fumans débris,
Sur ces mourans, ces norts, montrons nous attendris ;
Et que ces coups affreux portés à la patrie,
Nous faffent des Nimrod détefter la furie !

In this paffage there is fomething animated and poeticaf: we must indeed own that our author's spirit foars occafionally to a confiderable height, when he has put off his trammels.

In the notes, we find fome entertaining and ufeful difquifi tions. Monf. de la Fléchére attacks the modern fceptics with much zeal, and fometimes with fuccefs. We cannot speak with fufficient refpect of the author's candour, piety, and be nevolence,

The

The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, with Samuel Johnsons LL.D. By James Bofwell, Efq. 8vo. 6. Dilly.

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Tis not eafy to diftinguish the different feelings and fentiments, with which we read the memorablia' before us. The original dictator is nearer to Socrates than his reporter to Xenophon; and, instead of a calm pleafing light, which generally illuminates every intricate queftion, we fucceffively pafs from the most illiberal sarcasms, and the most trifling vanity, to judicious remarks, and the most interesting converfations. There are often, too, fo many words to fo little matter,' that we have more than once laid the book down in despair. You may read half an hour, without knowing what you have been reading:' yet parts of the volume have highly pleafed us. We know not that Johnson has faid any thing abfolutely new; but he said a great deal wonderfully well. Perhaps there has not occurred a fairer object of cri ticifm than this Journal. The author deferves all our attention; the different parts of it are of very diffimilar merit; and Dr. Johnson and his humble bark' are not averse to such difcuffions. We will keep up the fhuttlecock,' by ftriking it at both ends,' without the affiftance of Mr. Bofwell, to whom it may be flightly hinted, that we have never permitted friends to review each other's works *.

We need not inform our readers, that this volume contains the different events, and many of the converfations which occurred in Johnson's Tour. We receive a lively, and often a pleasant account both of men and their opinions: one striking feature we cannot fufficiently wonder at, viz. the great attention and respect, fometimes perhaps fervility, with which Johnfon was treated. It is with other feelings that we contemplate the returns which this literary defpot made. Contradiction was not uncommon even to the plainest or the most obvious remarks; and fometimes the most illiberal reflections, and the most unjustifiable farcafms, fupplied its place. We will select a little converfation with the very amiable and refpectable Dr. Blacklock, the conclufion of which is so highly illiberal as to excite the greatest difguft.

Sir William Forbes came to breakfast, and brought with him Dr. Blacklock, whom he introduced to Dr. Johnien, who received him with a mott humane complacency," Dear Dr. Blacklock, I am glad to fee you!"-Blacklock feemed to be much furprised, when Dr. Johnfon faid, "it was eafier to him to write poetry than to compofe his Dictionary. His mind was

VOL. LX. Nov. 1785.

See page 338.

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lefs