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This is apparently another arrow out of the fame quiver, (vid. the foregoing article) as being founded on the fame materials, and directed to the fame ends; namely, to exculpate the Admiral, and to fubftitute the great men in power, as far greater delinquents, in his ftead. The author of this piece affects alfo to be a convert, like The he author of the former; and affirms no man could be more irritated against the Admiral's conduct than he was. -But then he enters much deeper into the controverfy; is much minute and circumftantial in his difcuffion of every point which comes before him; and carries his fuppofitions (it would not be fair to call them conclufions) much farther fome indeed, feem to think this treatise as much too long, other is too fhort; as that the topics, being too much wire drawn, the whole chain is thereby proportionably weakened. The truth is, That for the fake of a fecond part, he has been rather a better husband of his fubject-matter, than in strictness he ought to have been; to fay nothing of frequent repetitions, which, instead of enforcing his arguments, ferve only to difguft his readers.

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Having, however, already given fome extracts out of the pieces just published, to prove the rectitude of our minifterial conduct, it is incumbent on us to adjoin a fhort fpecimen of the many ftrange, and it is to be hoped, unwarrantable things, here urged against it; and fo much the more, as a total fuppreffion would, now more especially, be conftrued into a tacit acknowlegement, that the doing juftice to one party, would be condemnation to the other..

Had the planners of the expedition been truly animated with 28 the intereft of their country, why, during this preparation at Toulon, when all England, and all Europe, was exclaiming against their delay, did they continually give out to you, that there was no fleet preparing at Toulon that the French had fino failors, nor military flores? was not this to be the palliating fpeech to the people, to countenance their proceedings? Was it not to give the air of relieving St. Philips only, that the English fleet fet fail a few days before the French, and before a certain intelligence of it was given to the public? Tho' the day for leaving Toulon by the latter, muft, beyond all doubt, be known by thofe who prevented its relief, in fending a fleet from hence fo inferior to the undertaking.

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When the popular clamour now began to be very gainst this fhameful behaviour, were not ten thousand stories invented, to draw off the public attention from the planners of the expedition, and to throw it on him who commanded, and who they concluded would mifcarry? Was it not owing to a defign of ill fuccefs in them, that the fleet was fent out fo fmail, and that he was affured, the French armament could not poffibly exceed feven fhips, and probably would not be more than five? Was it not conftantly afferted, that no fleet

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was ever fo well manned, equipped, and powerful for the number, as this English fleet? And that the French confifted ⚫ of old fhips, not fit for fervice, ill manned, and worse provided; whereas one moment's thought would have told them, that a fleet, however ill furnished with men when it left Toulon, must be abundantly provided with hands from two hundred tranfports, which after landing the troops and ammuni• tion, and at anchor, could very well fpare two thirds of their crews; as to the fhips being feeble, or ill-fitted out, the falfehood of that affertion is now perfectly well known, Was not this ftory of great deficiency in the French fleet, propagated to create a believe in you, that La Galliffonniere was inferior to Mr. Byng; as the extolling the ftrength of our fleet, was to make the latter appear fuperior? To thofe fpurious accounts ⚫ of the different ftrength of the two fleets, was it not constantly added, that Mr. Byng could blow the French out of the water? With what intent could this be propagated, but to aggravate the miscarriage of the Admiral, by creating an opinion of his fuperior force, and to animate your expectations with views of fuccefs, the more effectually to inflame your refentment against him, when the ill news of his not-prevailing fhould arrive, and which they must foresee?

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The citadel of Mahon being attacked, it now became the common converfation amongst the planners of the voyage, that the fortification could not hold out a week, with a defign to leffen the furprize of its being taken; or if it was defended any confiderable time, to give an idea of its being well pro'vided; does it not therefore feem evident, from the fleet of England being appointed fo inferior, fo long delayed after it was ready, fent fo late, without a foldier, but thofe who acted as marines, without an hofpital-fhip, fire-fhip, transports, or ⚫ tenders, that no battle was intended to be fought, nor St. Philips relieved? But by this delay, to give time to Marfhal Richlieu to take the fortification, return with his fleet, and leave Mr. Byng to cruize ineffectually round Minorca.

XIII. Impartial Reflections on the Cafe of Mr. Byng, as ftated in an Appeal to the People, &c. and a Letter to a Member of Parliament. 8vo. Is. Hooper.

This, with due deference to the high opinion every Author entertains of himfelf, and his works, is but a trivial, indigested performance.

By a ftrange fatality the cafe of Mr. Byng is come into queftion before its time; and fuch an attention has been raifed to it, that almoft any thing will fell, which but promifes to throw any additional lights upon it. The lights communicated in this, do not, however, deferve the name of revelations: they are fuch as any man of common understanding might have communicat

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ed; and the ftile and manner of communication, is not the clearThen as to the Author's imparsevere on both fides, than candid

>eft that ever was made ufe of.
tiality, it confifts more in being
towards either, blow inquod 2209 197

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To fay all in few words, tho' a man may reafon impartially on partial premises,fo far as they go, any defect in them will render his comment (as to the whole of a cafe) defective too. Now Mr. Byng, and his advocates, profefs to have their referves; and thofe on the other fide, have not, except by way of parenthefis, 10.been heard at all fo that it is reafonable to think, a man, o who had not the market in his eye, would have chofen to poftpone the display of his impartiality, till he was furnished with all the materials requifite for difplaying it to fome purpofe. M

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XIV. A Differtation on Bleeding. Shewing the neceffity of it in many cafes where it is generally condemned; and the ufefulness of it, if taken away in fmall quantities; ferving as a fuccedaneum to fome medicine not yet difcovered, or at leaft not made public, that can remove the fizinefs, and blacknefs of the blood, without bleeding: defigned for the use of patients, in order to remove the common prejudices against frequent bleeding, from which, perhaps, they may have seen fome fatal inftances, by bleeding in two large quantities. 8vo. IS. Field.

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It does not appear, that this writer, has, till now, made ufe of any other channel, to convey his offerings to the public, than the Magazines: in one of thefe, he fays, he confidered the fame fubject fome years ago; and that his labours received the approbation of fome gentlemen of the faculty.' Such a testimonial of his own merit, induced us to confult his former production ; and upon comparing that with the one before us, we find very little alteration in his fyftem, except, that he then dealt in human blood by wholefale, and now chufes to trade in it only by retail. Inlead of taking away blood to fix or eight ounces once a week, to the amount of an hundred ounces or more, he now advises the taking only two ounces at a time, and this to be continued till all fizinefs, or blacknefs, difappears. Were we to particularize all the fingularities in this performance, we fhould be obliged to appropriate more pages to it than we can well fpare, or than, perhaps, our Readers might approve among these we fhould mention abundance of felf-fufficiency, couched under the veil of affected modefty; a method of curing a paffion for drams, by the help of white peas; and an extraordinary difcovery, that a man of tolerable understanding cannot be made a fool of, without being first made drunk, &c. &c It may be fomewhat doubtful whether our Author's phyfical, or metaphyfical, knowlege, is most to be

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admired; as a fpecimen of the latter, we give the following myftical definition of Nature.

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By Nature, fays he, I mean that internal, coeleftial fire, or fight, included in all material bodies fubject to our fenfes, which is carrying on the great work of purification, in all the lives and deaths, anions, vegetations, and mineralizations, ⚫ their deftructions, reproductions, and all the changes they go ⚫ through, till this spoiled univerfe (fpoiled by the fall of man and angels, now confifting of four diftinct elements, contending ? with each other) is restored to that one element, where all was once united in perfect love and harmony...

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This enigmatical explanation of a fubject, that did not want to be explained, puts us in mind of the following lines, in an old fong, made upon a dog-fifh, that was fhewn fome years ago, in a boat called the Folly, upon the Thames.

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XV. The Lion, the Leopard, and the Badgers. A Fable. to. 6d. Cooper.

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This piece is one general exception to the laws eftablished by true criticism for the fructure of a fable. It is a political poem, meant to convince our neighbours, the Dutch, of the danger of not joining us against the French; but we may venture to affirm, that if the celebrated Van Haaren's apologues had not been of a very different caft, in all refpects, from this performance, they would not have had the effect on his countrymen, which Voltaire attributes to them.By the Lion, the Fabulift reprefents Britain; the Leopard, ftands for France; and Holland is intended by the Badgers.-The print and paper of this pamphlet are both pretty good; but as to the reft, we may fay with the Fox, when he found a beautiful mafk, O quanta fpecies, Cerebrum non habet (a)! The poetry approaches to the doggrel. Take the following specimen. Dh

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Their antient treaties to fulfil,

Nor doubts their power, nor less their will:

40 For as they were by treaty bound,

raw Whenever that the Lyon's ground, 225044 Was threatned, tho' by danger diftant,

POLES As an ally to be affiltant;

He ne'er fufpected an objection,

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so gave his minifter direction,

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(For royal beafts no forms passed o'er,

2575 But each abroad had his ambassador) His fituation to expofe,

The preparation of his foes,

Do Their fiery threats to invade his land,
The fuccours therefore to demand.

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XVI. One Thousand, Seven Hundred, and Fifty-Six. 8vo. 1s. Withy.

The Brass of ********'s profe, by the interpofition of Saturn, instead of Apollo, converted into poetical Lead.

MISCELLANEOUS.

XVII. An Essay on the Rife of Corn, with fome Proposals to reduce the exorbitant Price thereof: In a Letter from a Gentleman in the Country, to a Member of Parliament in London. 4to. 6d. Baldwin.

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This Letter-writter appears to be fenfibly touched with the calamities arifing from the exorbitant price of corn, and fets himfelf to trace out, briefly, the caufes of this public grievance. Accordingly, he tells us, that it owes its birth to a combination of the Farmers, and Millers, or (as they are pleased to call themfelves) Corn-Factors. It is a common cuftom with these people, he fays, to contract for large quantities of grain to be delivered to them, without ever being expofed in the open market, as the laws direct; by which means the markets are fo thinly provided, that the poor, whofe intereft it certainly is to purchase their corn, before it is ground, are prevented from being fupplied: and, what is ftill worfe, if they apply to Farmers, at their houses, their request is rejected, it being their intereft to fell it wholesale to the Millers, or Corn-Factors, who can afford to give them an exorbitant price for the wheat, because they ufe no more than two thirds of that excellent grain, in what is called Sack Flour; at leaft in the lower-priced fortment, which is purchafed by the poor. He likewife tells us, that the greater price the Miller pays for his wheat, the greater advantage he draws from the difpofal of his meal. If the calculation he makes be juft, a dexterous Miller may, while wheat continues at the price it now bears, gain near forty per Cent. which, fuppofing him to make fix returns in twelve months, a fuppofition that will readily be granted, makes his profits, from a capital of a hundred pounds, amount to two hundred and forty pounds per annum.-În order

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