lift of re-agents, but in this kingdom they are seldom em ployed

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 thofe who made the experiments, and related the events. The testimony is greatly in favour of the ftyptic, which is fuppofed 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-Hamphire. Vol. 1. By Jeremy Belknap, A. M. 8vo.

The hiftory of New-Hampshire, 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 accefs to ufeful manufcripts on the fubject of his work; and of thefe 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 present it to our readers.

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

The humbel petifhon of William Houchins, on of his magefly fubgicts 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

in

Informed by fom that it is a deftemper caled the king's euell, fo can not be qureed but by his magefly. Hauing littell or nothing in this world, if my liff fhould go for it am not abell to trancfport my felff for England to his magefty for releff; thareffor humbly and hartly beg the help, ade and affiftanc 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 befto 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, trufting in God and youer houers 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 ones This volume is intended to correct mistakes, and to supply 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 she 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 fhe has been alfo reminded of having forgotten to mention, that he had before played the part of Mits Prue, for Bridgewater's benefit. Perhaps the circumftance is not much less furprifing for this very important correction; and Mrs. Bellamy might have anfwered with the contemptuous fmile of Voltaire, who was once informed that he had committed an important mistake in hiftory, 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 amufing, and to the lovers of the ftage interefting. 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 phrafe, a wear and tear man; that is, one who had conftant employment, and fills a part in almost every piece that is performed. This frequently occafioned his coming late to the theatre. I have known him come at the time the last mufic has been playing; when he has accofled the fhoe-black at the ftage door in his ufual tremulous tone, (which it is impoffible to give thofe an idea of on paper that never heard it, but thofe who have, will eafily recollect it) with, boy, clean my fhoes.

As foon as this needful operation has been performed, he 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 worked ttockings he had on when he entered the house, 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 addressed 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 ridicule Mr. Ryan; as from the acknowledgment of Mr. Garrick, he was a juft 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 likewife be feen from it, that the drefs of the gentlemen, both of the fock and bufkin, was full as abfurd as that of the ladies. Whilst 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 styled 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 Amufement of Good Children. Tevo fmall 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 these are highly proper, and the language frequently clear and exact. But we must also add, that it is in a few inftances 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 fhould have been avoided. But we must acknowledge that there are very few of these defects: we have mentioned them to guard against their recurrence, for these carly leffons often leave a lasting 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. 5s. in Boards. Robinfon.

THIS ingenious author prefented us, fome years fince, with an Inquiry into the Human Mind, on the Principles of Common Sense; a work that, in fome refpects, enlarged our views, and in others corrected our mistakes. It has been thè fubject of much controverfy; but, if we allow for a few èrrors, which humanity can fcarcely avoid, and, in one or two intances, for a little intricacy, which the unfettled ftate of metaphyfical language must neceffarily occafion, enough will remain to raise Dr. Reid into a very respectable rank among authors of this clafs. The Effays before us are chiefly to be diftinguished for the precision of the language, the perfpicuity of the definitions, and the clearnefs of the reasoning. 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 whofe 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 purpofely 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 fome reason too, for fuppofing, that he wished to preclude thofe from reading his works, whofe deficiencies rendered it probable that they would miftake the application. From fome of these causes 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. 08. 1785.

-R

ferent

ferent ufe. It explains the causes 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 cause. 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 fenfes.

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 laft, 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 result 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 reafoning, feem to belong to fimple apprehenfion. Dr. Reid explains the different theories on the fubject, and detects fome mistakes refpecting it.

The next operation of the mind is Abstraction, and it is the fubject of the fifth Eflay. General conceptions are acquired both by combination and analyfis. General words, in our author's fenfe, are not only thofe 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 fubftance in purfuit of the word. Our author has introduced many respectable authorities to justify his use of common fenfe in the manner in which he employed it.

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