Art. 19. Impartial Advice relative to the Receipt-Tax. 8vo. 1 s, Cadell. 1784.

While we admit this to be fenfible advice for the conduct of the givers and receivers of receipts, fo as to prevent this tax from operating to the disadvantage of either; we must alfo deem it ufelefs. The author offers nothing on the fubject that will not obviously occur to thinking men, or be fuggefted to them by occafions, and the unthinking majority, being no readers, will never fee it.

Art. 20. An Abftract of an Act to explain and amend "An Act for granting Stamp Duties on Bills of Exchange, Promiffy and other Notes, and Receipts." To which is added, an Abstract of an A&t of 17 Geo. III. relative to Promiffory or other Notes, Bills of Exchange, &c. &c. of above the Value of Twenty Shillings, and under Five Pounds: With the Forms of Notes, Bills of Exchange, and their Indorsements, agreeable to faid Act. 8vo. 6d. Shrewf bury. Wood.

Art. 21. An Abflract of all the Game Laws, refpecting Hares, Partridges, &c. &c. To which is added Abstracts of the following Acts of Parliament (the Act of laft Year granting Stamp Duties on Bills, Notes, and Receipts; that for Stamps on Parish Registers; and that impofing duties on Carts, Waggons, &c.): Alfo an Appendix, containing an Account of all the Stamps on Vellum, Parchment, &c. now in ufe, &c. with a Preface and Poetical Introduction. By E. Thomas, Aftronomer. F. S. A. B. 8vo. I s. Shrewsbury. Wood.

Thefe acts may be properly abftracted, for any thing we obferve to the contrary, not having compared them with the ftatutes at large; but they certainly have not the fanction of iffuing from the regular prefs that gives authority to legal publications. Whether what is called the poetical introduction, may be a fuitable fanction to a subject of law, we fhall fubmit to the opinion of counfel; only obferving, in extenuation of any feeming incongruity between law and poetry, that it must be a mifnomer of E. Thomas, Aftronomer, F. S. A. B. or an erior of the prefs, there not being a fingle line of poetry in it.

Art. 22. Conflitutional Truths. 8vo. 6d. Goldney. 1784. The pofitions here affumed as conftitutional truths, are fupported by paffages in point, extracted from fome of the most able political writers on the Subjects of the late coalition, and their famous East India bill; and are eight in number, viz.

1. That the coalition between lord North and Mr. Fox, was formed for the avowed purpofe of feizing upon the executive government, and as fuch, was highly dangerous to the British conftitution. From Mr. Rous's claim examined,'

2.

That Mr. Fox's Eaft India bill was unconftitutional. From Mr. Pulteney's Pamphlet.

3. That Mr. Fox's Eaft India bill was a confifcation of property. From Mr. Bofwell's Letter.'

4

4. That patronage and not regulation was the object of Mr. Fox's Eaft India bill. From Mr. Jofeph Price's Letter:

5.

That the right of adviting his Majefty, lately ftigmatized under the cant term of fecret influence, is the undoubted privilege of every Briton, and that the King is not obliged to confine himself to

the

the advice of his oftenfible ministers. From Mr. Rous's pamphlet, intitled A Candid Investigation."

6. That if lord North and Mr. Fox fucceed in the prefent ftruggle, the government is overturned. From Mr. Dobbs's Letter.'

7. That the difmiffion of minifters, folely because they had not the previous approbation of the House of Commons, would be to transfer to that houfe the nomination to the executive offices of government. From Mr. Rous's Claim Examined.'

8. That an attempt in the Houfe of Commons to nominate to the executive offices of government, is fubverfive of public liberty. • From ditto.'

The citations that stand as demonftrations under these respective propofitions, have a cogency in them that will not fail to imprefs the minds of perfons who confider fubjects abfìracted from party attach

ments.

EAST

INDIES.

Art. 23. A Clear and Candid Expofition of the Origin, Progress, and accumulated State of the feveral Loans made to Mahomet Ally Cawn, Nabob of Arcott, by British Subjects at Madrafs, from the Year 1760, to the End of the Year 1777. 4to. is. Reynell.

Calculated to justify the conduct of thofe gentlemen who advanced the money alluded to.

Art. 24. Thoughts on Opening the Trade to the East Indies; addreffed to the Merchants of Great Britain and Ireland. By Thomas Parker, of Lincoln's Inn, Efq; Author of Evidence of our Tranfactions in the East Indies, &c. [See Rev. Vol. LXVII. p. 100.] 4to. 6d. Evans. 1784.

Mr. Parker argues for putting an end to the East India monopoly, and for throwing the trade open, upon free and generous principles, but in confufed, though we will not add, negligent language; for, he may really have laboured his expreffions into an ill-conceived ftyle, that only resembles want of care. Not however, to dwell upon his manner, whatever may be urged in oppofition to the East India company, under the odious idea of a monopoly, it ftill remains to be proved, that fo very diftant an intercourfe, requiring large adventures, and a permanent confiftency of management, could be conducted by unconnected competitors, who would have no correfponding fyftem in their feparate tranfactions, but who might be liable to thwart and counteract each other, as well to their mutual lofs, as to the injury and difcredit of the national interest and character. A great deal of what the author urges in favour of throwing this trade open, is guarded by the conjunction if, and he appeals to trial for its validity. But if this trade has risen to be an object of national importance, under a fyftem of management that is often condemned; we really think, it would be an act of great temerity to convert the whole to the hazard of an experiment recommended on the fame principles !

When we are unwillingly inftructed by experience, that fyftems of policy conceived and matured in the clofet, upon the most clear principles, have, when carried into execution, difappointed the best founded expectations, as much as the wildeft fchemes of the most vifionary projectors; we shall deem experiments more profitable in the

laboratory

laboratory than in the cabinet. This author affirms, that' to extend the laws and form of the British government, as foon, and as nearly as it can be, among the people who are now under the India company, is to increase at once the British fubjects to more than double their number, and to make the best compensation that can be made (if the univerfal opinion of the nature of our government is well founded) to all the people of India who may have fuffered at our hands, and the evils which have been done, and cannot now be recalled, may be turned into the greatest good which future ages in that country can receive in a state of civil fociety; and the almost numberless inhabitants of the adjoining nations, may think themfelves happy to withdraw from under governments where reafon and justice are made to give way to arbitrary power and unrestrained avarice, and constantly be adding to the number of the subjects, and to the value of the British dominions.' When a fpeculative man, by dwelling upon his own ideas, can work himself up to form fuch chimeras, though we may refpe&t his philanthropy, we must pity his ignorance of human nature. As children who are inftructed to catch birds by putting falt upon their tails, fo we must advise our author to folicit an act of parliament, to fubject all the children in the East to a British education; and when this is done, his fcheme will be in a fair train with the rifing generation. But we are afraid this preparatory step will not keep pace with his fanguine views; for he declares that to diftinguish from all others, and prefer a government under which all the fubjects are only accountable to justice and to fettled and equal laws, feems to require no other capacity than that knowledge of right and wrong which is given to all mankind.' If our author is poffeffed of fuch happy talents of perfuafion, as never to have met with a true born Englishman whom he could not convince and bring over to his own way of thinking, he is the best qualified man in the world to undertake a political miffion among Gentoos and Maho

metans.

IRELAND.

Art. 25. Letters addressed to the Committee of Belfast, on the propofed Reformation of the Parliament of Ireland, by the Rev. Christopher Wyvill: to which is prefixed, the First Letter from that Committee, which occafioned this Correfpondence: alfo Mr. Wyvill's Address to the Freeholders of Yorkshire. 4to. Is. Stockdale. 1783.

The Irish, as well as the English, diffatisfied with the inequalities obfervable in their parliamentary reprefentation, have applied to divers political reformers for affiftance in the momentous object of adjufting a fyftem of popular reprefentation upon more correct principles. They have accordingly received the respective opinions of the duke of Richmond, the earl of Effingham, Dr. Price, and now of Mr. Wyvill: the confequence will probably be, that unable to agree among themfelves, in the preference of any one plan offered to their choice, they will give up all fpeculative fchemes whatever, and recurring to the mode provided by the conftitution and actually in ufe, will, like their forefathers, content themselves with checking as well as they can, the abuses to which it may from time to time be expofed.

AMERICA N, &c.

:

Art. 26. The American and British Chronicle of War and Politics; being an Accurate and Comprehenfive Register of the most Memorable Occurrences in the last Ten Years of his Majefty's Reign in which will be found above Eighteen Hundred interefting Events, during the late War between Great Britain and America, France, Spain, and Holland. The whole carefully collected from Authentic Records, &c. 8vo 28, 6d. No Bookfeller's Name. Sold at No. 25. Exeter-Street, Strand.

To thofe who may want a meer chronological order of the events included within the ten years above specified, this tabular feries will undoubtedly prove acceptable: but we cannot agree with the compiler in confidering fo dry a table as fuperior to more circumftantial and connected details of important tranfactions; merely because hiftory may be ill written, or too much embellished with opinions and diction, Every reader who poffeffes judgment, while he avails himfelf of the abilities of an hiftorian, will exercife that judgment, and comment for himself upon any author he perufes. This brief chronicle and record of the times, will, however, be convenient to refort to occafionally. There are likewife added, fome ufefel abstracts relative to the government, population, &c. of the several states.

POLICE.

Art. 27. The Heads of a Plan for Raising the Money for maintaining Paupers, by a New Method. In which the Deficiencies of the Old Syftem are pointed out, and the Author hopes, made good. 8vo. Is. Faulder. 1784.

A vifionary scheme for making the labouring poor maintain the deftitute poor, by fixing the rates of all kinds of labour, and the wages of fervants of all degrees, and railing the poor's rate by a taxation or ftoppages out of their earnings and wages. We do not enter into the modification of the plan. Those who think it worthy their investigation, will doubtless have recourfe to the pamphlet.

MECHANICS.

Art. 28. Inanimate Reason; or a circumftantial Account of that aftonishing Piece of Mechanifm, M. De Kempelen's Chefs Player; now exhibiting at No. 8. Savile Row, Burlington Gardens; illuftrated with three Copper Plates, exhibiting this celebrated Automaton in different Points of View. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Bladon. 1784. This is a tranflation of the Letters of Mr. C. G. Windish, concerning M. de Kempelin's famous Automaton Chefs-Player; origi nally printed in German, at Bafil, 1783. by M. Chriftian de Mechel, Member of the Imperial Royal Academy of Vienna. The ingenious M. DE KEMPELEN, who has conftructed several most extraordinary and fingular machines, befide that which is the subject of this article, is Counsellor of Finances to the Emperor, and Director of the Salt-works in Hungary. He was born at Prefburg, in 1734, and gave, very early, furprifing proofs of his mechanical genius. His Chefs-player has been long the fubject of converfation; and many were fimple enough to affirm, both in converfation and in print, that the little wooden man played really and by himself, (like certain politicians at a deeper game) without any communication with his Con

ftituent.

flituent. It appears indeed, as yet, unaccountable to the fpectators, how the artist imparts his influence to the automaton at the time of his playing, and all the hypothefes, which have been invented, by ingenious and learned men, to unfold this mystery, are but vague and inadequate; but were they even otherwife, they rather increafe than diminish the admiration that is due to the furprising talents and dexterity of Mr. de Kempelen. For were the loaditone, as is fuppofed by fome, the medium by which this myfterious influence is communicated, the application of it to the production of fo many different movements is fill as inconceivable as any thing else can be. The Author of thefe letters tells us a circumftance, which every one will not be very ready to believe; viz. the candid acknowledgment of M. de Kempelen, that a great part of the celebrity of his automaton is due to the lucky method he has hit upon, of fafcinating the eyes of his fpectators. However that may be, it is certain that this ingenious man has carried the powers of mechanifm to an amazing degree of perfection, as may be obferved in another machine of his invention, which fpeaks and articulates, diftinctly, a confiderable number of fentences, in different languages. This Speaking organ is deemed a much more extraordinary invention than even the wonderful chefsplayer; notwithstanding the aftonishing powers of the latter, who has actually encountered and beaten the best players at that game; particularly, as we are informed, the celebrated Mr. Philidore. MEDICAL

Art. 29. Obfervations on the General Bills of Mortality. By W. Hawes, M D 8vo. 3s. 1783.

These observations are fubjoined to a new edition of this writer's Address to the King and Parliament, of which an account is given in the Monthly Review for March 1-83.

It requires little reflexion to be convinced, that the table of diseases in the London Bills of Mortality, furnished by a few ignorant women called fearchers, must be very un cientific and inaccurate. Dr Hawes has gone through an enumeration of the particulars, in which he has not fpared the venerable fifterhood, but with all the force of that critical acumen once fo formidable to Mr. Weftley, has expofed their manifold errors and abfurdities. Unfortunately, however, while he has abundantly proved the infufficiency of the present Bills for any medical or fcientific purpose, he has not been able to fuggeft any practicable method of rendering them more perfect. This, we have reafon to believe, will be no easy task.

Along with thefe obfervations, we have, ftitched up in the fame cover, though not correfponding in the numbering of the pages, fome Farther Hints for restoring Animation and for preferving Mankind again the pernicious influence of Noxious Vapours, or contaminated Air.* As thete hints are yet unfupported by experiments, we have only to fay of them, that fome appear to be ingenious, and worthy of attention, others crude and trifling. But why does not the projector himfelf put them to the teft of experience? Who can be fuppofed equally interested in their adoption?

*By Dr. Antony Fothergill.

LAW.