lift of re-agents, but in this kingdom they are feldom eployed.

A concife Relation of the Effects of an extraordinary Styptic, lately difcovered. By Barth. Rufpini, Surgcon Dentift. Svo. John

fon.

This remedy has been employed chiefly on animals, though, in one or two inftances, it has been applied to wounded arteries of the human body. The author, with a commendable candour, does not speak from himself, but in the words of those' who made the experiments, and related the events. The teftimony is greatly in favour of the ftyptic, which is fupposed to act as a fedative rather than an aftringent. We do not indeed approve of this method of confidering its effects, which feems to be fomewhat inaccurate; but this does not change the facts themselves. The remedy feems a valuable one, even though it should not be fo extenfively useful as the eagerness of an inventor may expect; and we would recommend it to the attention, (may we add to the candour?) of the faculty.

MISCELLANEOUS.

The Hiftory of New-Hampfire. Vol. 1. By Jeremy Belknap, A. M. 8vo.

The hiftory of New-Hamphire, as well as of the other parts of America, has been related by feveral writers, fome of whom not having any opportunity of confulting records, have depended entirely upon the authority of their predeceffors. The author of this volume, who is a native of the province of NewHampshire, has, it feems, had access to useful manufcripts on the fubject of his work; and of these he has industriously availed himself. The prefent volume contains the hiftory of the province from its fettlement to the year 1715. The narrative, which is perfpicuous, appears to be conducted with fidelity; and in an Appendix is given a variety of papers relative to different tranfactions.

Mr. Belknap has inferted the fubfequent petition as a curiofity, and from the fame confideration we alfo prefent it to our

readers.

Portsmouth, the 7th of Sept. 1687. To the much honred cort now fiting in faid Portsmouth, for the prouinc of Newhampfhir,

The humbel petishon of William Houchins, on of his magefty fubgies belonging to faid prouinc, humbly feweth for aduic, ade and releff in his deplorabell eftat and condition.

That whareas it has plefed God to lay his hand uppon him, and that hee is in fuch a condition not being abell to help him felff, as to the geting a liuing or proquering help or remedy for my deftemper, being low in the world, and hauing ufeed all the menes and aduic pofabell for nere fiue year past ; hauing bin

informed by fom that it is a deftemper caled the king's euell, fo can not be qureed but by his magefly. Hauing littel or nothing in this world, if my liff fhould go for it am not abell to trancfport my selff for England to his magefty for releff; thareffor humbly and hartly beg the help, ade and affistanc of this honred cort, that thay would fo far commiferat my deplorabell condition as order fom way ether by breff or any other way that youer honers fhall think moft meet to moue the harts of all criften people with compation to beito fomthing uppon mee, to trancfport mee for England, whar, God willing, I intend forth with to goo iff pofabell, but without help not pofabell. This humbly leuing my felff in the fad condition I am in, trusting in God and youer honers for help and aduice, fubfcrib youer por deplorabell faruant, WILLEAM HOUCHINS.'

Apology for the Life of George Anne Bellamy. Vol. VI. I 2mo. 35. Bell.

The public curiofity, fcarcely yet fatisfied with the former volumes of Mrs. Bellamy's Life, is again excited by a fucceeding one. This volume is intended to correct mistakes, and to fupply defects; but those who perufed the former part, with an anxious attention to dates and periods, will not meet with many elucidations. As Mrs. Bellamy fuppofed that he was born in 1733, and first performed Monimia in 1744, many were furprised at her attempting this character, at eleven years of age. But, on a more accurate enquiry, the year of her birth was 1731, and fhe was confequently thirteen at that time: and she has been alfo reminded of having forgotten to mention, that she had before played the part of Mifs Prue, for Bridgewater's benefit. Perhaps the circumftance is not much less furprifing for this very important correction; and Mrs. Bellamy might have answered with the contemptuous fmile of Voltaire, who was once informed that he had committed an important mistake in history, by transferring the date of a battle, from one day, or from one year to another. In fact thefe minute details, thefe labours of little minds, are only important when magnified by dullness.

Yet we must own that the additions in this volume are feldom of more importance; but they are often amusing, and to the loyers of the ftage interefling. We fhall felect a short one, as a picture of the theatre at no very diftant period.

Mr. Ryan might truly have been denominated, in the theatrical phrase, a avear and tear man; that is, one who had conftant employment, and fills a part in almoft every piece that is performed. This frequently occafioned his coming late to the theatre. I have known him come at the time the laft mufic has been playing; when he has accofted the fhoe-black at the ftage door in his ufual tremulous tone, (which it is impoffible to give those an idea of on paper that never heard it, but those who have, will eafily recollect it) with, boy, clean my fhoes.

• As

As foon as this needful operation has been performed, het has haftened to his dreffing room, and having hurried on an old laced coat and waistcoat, not a little the worfe for wear, a tye wig pulled buckifhly over his forehead, and in the identical black worfted ftockings he had on when he entered the houfe, order the curtain to be drawn up. Thus adorned, he would then make his appearance in the character of Lord Townley; and, in the very tone of voice in which he had addreffed his intimate of the brush, exclaim,

"Why did I marry; was it not evident, &c."

And in the fame harsh monotony did that gentleman fpeak every part he played.

I have not introduced the foregoing circumftances to ridi cule Mr. Ryan; as from the acknowledgment of Mr. Garrick, he was a just as well as ufeful actor; but to point out the real ftate of the theatrical community, at the period I was interested in it.

It will likewise be seen from it, that the drefs of the gentlemen, both of the fock and buskin, was full as abfurd as that of the ladies. Whilft the empreffes and queens appeared in black velvet, and, upon extraordinary occafions, with the additional finery of an embroidered or tiffue petticoat; and the younger part of the females, in caft gowns of perfons of quality, or altered habits rather foiled; the male part of the dramatis perfonæ ftrutted in tarnished laced coats and waistcoats, full-bottom or tye wigs, and black worsted stockings.'

The volume is filled with what, in a claffic, would be ftyled the teftimonies of authors; in fact, with the character of the apology' in the different literary journals, and a fhort interlude, written by the late Mr. Woodward. We will coincide with Mrs. Bellamy in her with not to injure his pofthumous. fame; but this will oblige us to fay not a word of his dramatic performance.

The Village School; or, a Collection of Entertaining Hiftories for the Inftruction and Amusement of Good Children. Two small Vols. 15. Marshall.

Thefe little books are in themselves fcarcely objects of criticifm; but, as their defign is important, and their influence may be extenfive, we have perufed them with fome care. In general, the execution is judicious, and we have no objection to the leffons inculcated: thefe are highly proper, and the language frequentiy clear and exact. But we must also add, that it is in a few instances incorrect, or colloquial-off of the grafs'-' dawdled and played,' are both exceptionable expreffions. 'Ugly tricks,' a clever hiftory,' look purely again,' are deformities which should have been avoided. But we must acknowledge that there are very few of thefe defects: we have mentioned them to guard against their recurrence, for thefe early leffons often leave a lafting impreffion. 'Set' instead of ‹ fit,” may be a prefs error.

THE

CRITICAL REVIEW.

For

OCTOBER,

1785.

Elays on the Intellectual Powers of Man. By Thomas Reid, D. D. F. R. S. E. Profeffor of Moral Philofophy in the University of Glasgow. 4to. 11. 55. in Boards. Robinson.

THIS ingenious author prefented us, fome years fince, with

an Inquiry into the Human Mind, on the Principles of Common Senfe;' a work that, in fome respects, enlarged our views, and in others corrected our mistakes. It has been the fubject of much controversy; but, if we allow for a few errors, which humanity can fcarcely avoid, and, in one or two inftances, for a little intricacy, which the unfettled ftate of metaphyfical language muft neceffarily occafion, enough will remain to raise Dr. Reid into a very refpectable rank among authors of this clafs. The Effays before us are chiefly to be diftinguished for the precifion of the language, the perfpicuity of the definitions, and the clearnefs of the reafoning. The definitions, indeed, are not always new; but we have often wifhed to find them in a valuable work, where they may be eafily referred to, and whose acknowleged excellence will give them permanency and authority. This rank they have now attained. Dr. Reid, in his illuftrations, often contends with Mr. Hume; but we have much reafon to fufpect, that this fceptical enquirer purposely confused fome parts of his reafoning. The man who would fubstitute doubts for certainty, and perplexity for order, may often, in the threshold, prepare for the fubfequent confufion; and there is some reason too, for fuppofing, that he wished to preclude those from reading his works, whofe deficiencies rendered it probable that they would mistake the application. From fome of thefe caufes it has certainly happened that Mr. Hume's works, whatever he might have intended, have really done lefs injury to religion than many laboured injudicious defences of it.

The firft Effay is ftyled preliminary. It contains the explanation of words; treats of analogy, hypothefis, and their dif VOL. LX. Oa. 1785.

R

ferent

ferent ufe. It explains the caufes of the flow advance of metaphyfics, particularly from the difficulty of attending to the operations of our own mind; for emotions or paffions prevent the exertion of attention, at the only time when it is chiefly requifite. After the paffion is gone, our recollection is generally too imperfect to make our enquiry of much confequence. There is one chapter on the Social Operations of the Mind, viz. thofe which are carried on with fome other intelligent being, without exciting any of the ufual mental ope

rations.

The fecond Effay is on the Powers we have by Means of our external Senfes,' and includes an account of the organs of fenfe; of perception, its theory, and the various fentiments which have prevailed respecting its caufe. Dr. Reid then proceeds to the objects of perception, enquires how matter and space are perceived, and concludes with the improvement, and the fallacy of the senses.

The third Effay is on Memory, which introduces the enquiries into duration and identity, as connected with it. Some remarks are added on Mr. Locke's account of the two last, and the different theories of memory.

The fourth Effay is on Conception, or Simple Apprehenfion, a fubject which has been much mistaken. Indeed our minds are fo rapid in their operations, that he must be a very cautious and experienced enquirer, who can always diftinguish between fimple apprehenfion and the refult of reasoning. After fome time, we leap at once to the conclufion, without taking the intermediate fteps; fo that the confequences of our experience, and our former reasoning, feem to belong to fimple apprehenfion. Dr. Reid explains the different theories on the fubject, and detects fome mistakes respecting it.

The next operation of the mind is Abstraction, and it is the fubject of the fifth Effay. General conceptions are acquired both by combination and analyfis. General words, in our author's fenfe, are not only those which form the predicate or fubject of the propofition, but the auxiliaries and acceffories, viz. the prepofitions and conjunctions, &c. Each of thefe fubjects fhares Dr. Reid's attention.

The fixth Effay is on Judgment; and, in this part the author introduces common fenfe as a fpecies of judgment. Our metaphyfical readers will remember the contest which this term and its application, in Dr. Reid's Enquiry, formerly occafioned. It may be truly faid, that fome of the writers loft the substance in purfuit of the word. Our author has introduced many respectable authorities to juftify his ufe of common fenfe in the manner in which he employed it.

From