ART. 57. Thoughts on Marriage, and Criminal Converfation, with fome Hints of appropriate Means to check the Progress of the latter; comprifing Remarks on the Life, Opinions, and Example of the late Mrs. Wollstonecraft Godwin: refpe&fully addreffed and infcribed to the Right Honourable Lord Kenyon, Lord Chief Juftice of the Court of King's Bench. By a Friend to focial Order. 8vo. 58 pp. 25. Riving tons. 1799. Thirty-feven pages are here occupied by Mrs. Godwin; whofe life, opinions, and example, are spoken of with much greater indul. gence than we think due to that mischievously eccentric character (pp. 26, 27, 37, &c.) Then follow fome remarks upon feduction and adultery; which crimes are propofed to be punished by imprisonment in Newgate, in order to mortify the offender's vanity, and prevent him from boating of his fucceffes. But fome patriots (as they called themfelves, the mob affenting) have glorified in imprisonment within our memory; and we are not fure that debauchees would not do the fame, ART. 58. Biographical Anecdotes of the Founders of the late Irish Rebellion. Including Memoirs of the moft confpicuous Perfons concerned in that foul and fanguinary Confpiracy. Among whom are those of Lord Edward Fitzgerald, bobald Wolfe Tone, &c. Sc. Impartially written by a candid Obferver. 8vo. 75 PP. 2s. 6d. Stewart, Piccadilly, &c. 1799. We are affured by perfons well-informed, that the biography here offered, is in general tolerably accurate; it appears alfo to be written, as the title expreffes, by a candid Obferver. But the writer has omitted to mention the generofity of the Irish Government to Tone, They gave him 500l. to enable him to take his family with him to America. He is also mistaken in his ftate Sent of Hamilton Rowan, as being now refident in France, fince it is well known that he has been long in America. In expreffing his juft indignation against the United Infhmen, the author, if he had been ftudious of literary praife, fhould not have called it “ that blaffed institution.“ ART. 59. An Abridgment of Mr. Byrom's English univerfal Short-Hand; defigned for the Uje of Schools. H. Lowndes, Fleet-Street. 1796. From a long ufe of Byrom's Short-Hand, we can fay that this abridgment is very well executed; fome of the modes for the junction of particular characters which he exh bits and recommends, are by much too formal. On the ambiguity arifing from ufing the fin ple point for ali vows, we have formerly given our opinion, together with an easy mode of getting rid of it, ART. 60. The Young Ladies Afflant to Arithmetic, &c. 64 pp 15. 6d. Cuft, 29, Parliament-Street. The common rees are here only treated of. This work is very defective, in the want of a fufficient number of examples of the fimple operations operations of each rule; and, although in their application to compound quantities, it is more full; yet on account of the former deficiency, we cannot venture to recommend it. A definition of arithmetical notation given here, and used as one of the fix arithmetical rules, is, it feems, the art of writing down figures [in columns] in their proper places; as units under units, tens under tens, &c. we must refer this teacher to Dr. Hutton for the fenfe of the term. The money table prefixed to the article of compound addition, is extremely redundant in its contents. ART. 61. A Key to the Tutor's and Scholar's Affiftant. By Jofeph This Key contains the answers to the arithmetical questions in the work mentioned in the title; as to their accuracy, not having the latter before us, we can give no judgment. It may fave trouble to the teachers who follow it, and be useful to those who wish to complete their arithmetical studies without an inftructor, and are in poffeffion of the corresponding work. ART. 62. Thoughts upon State Lotteries; recommending, I. The Altera- The principle upon which all the lottery fchemes of this young gentleman (and there are ten of them) proceed, is, the exclusion of small prizes; for, he thinks, this would prevent many of the lower claffes of the community from adventuring, and thus obviate, in a great degree, the principal objection to lotteries. We doubt, however, if the purchafe of tickets were confined to perfons of property, whether a fufficient number would be fold to render the lottery productive. At all events, the Minister, who always difposes of it to the best bidder, can most easily ascertain, and therefore beft judge, what mode or scheme would be most advantageous to government. The writer's scheme of funding the prizes, inftead of paying them in money, is so far from being new, that it was generally (we believe invariably) practifed, till a few years ago, when the prefent mode was, no doubt, upon good confideration, adopted. Whatever others may think of this young gentleman's labours, it appears that he does not himself under-rate them. Witness the price of half a crown for thirty-two pages; ten of which are occupied by his ten lottery schemes; fchemes that might easily be multiplied ad infinitum, and to which the talents of a very young gentleman are fully equal. FOREIGN FOREIGN CATALOGUE FRANCE. ART. 63. Principes des mœurs chez toutes les Nations; ou Catéchifme Univerfel, par Saint Lambert. Paris, 1798. 3 vols. 8vo. le ier de 372 pp. le 2ème de 408. et le 3ème de 235. In the year 1781, the French Academy proposed a prize, of which the fubject was to be a catechifin of morality. The following year its new Programma was accompanied with certain inftructions for the authors who might be defirous of entering into competition. They were informed in it, that the Catechifm was to be "le refultat de l'analyfe, de la méthode, de l'art de divifer, de définir, de développer les idées et de les circonfcrire." The Academy, which it feems was very faftidious in point of morality, was not fatisfied, as might naturally be expected, with any of the Catechifms prefented on this occafion; though it distinguished among them a work entitled: Les dévoirs de l'homme et du citoyen, by M. Lacretelle, which was afterwards inferted in the Encyclopédie méthodique. A proteftant, a philofopher, M. Necker, undertook to combat this doctrine, and published with this view a confiderable volume, fur l'importance des opinions religieufes. Though the author cannot be said in this work to have made any new obfervations, he has certainly brought together and presented under a new form what had been written before him on the fubject. His work, however, did not fatisfy either the believers or the foi difant philofophers, Among the latter, M. Garat attacked it in the Mercure de France, and M. Rivarol in two letters addreffed by him to the apologift of religious opinions. He then found that "le prémier homme qui avoit favorisé la crédulité réligieufe, avoie été bien coupable envers le genre humain* ;" though in a fubfequent pub-lication he was induced to allow that "la religion eft indispensable à la juftice kumaine pour gouverner les hommes," that “ la religion feule peut répondre des maffes," &c. The Principes des Maurs may be confidered as the chef d'œuvre of the fect of philofophers to which M. de St. Lambert appertains, and were drawn up by him long before the period when the prize, juft alluded to, was propofed by the Academy. Of one thousand pages of which the work is compofed, there are not more than one hundred * Seconde lettre à M. Necker fur la morale. + Difcours préliminaire du nouveau Dictionnaire de la langue Françoise. which belong to the Catechifm, nearly four hundred being taken up by the Introduction, and five hundred by the Commentary. Instead of undertaking ourselves an analysis of the work, we fhall present our readers with that given by the author himfelf in the preliminary dif course. "J'ai dû croire," fays he, "que mes préceptes devoient être précédés par des détails approfondis fur l'efprit et le cœur humain, et j'ai commencé mon ouvrage par l'analyfe de l'homme: elle eft différente de celles qui ont paru jufqu'à préfent. Après avoir expliqué comment nos fens font les caufes premières de tous nos fentimens, de toutes nos idées, de tous nos jugemens; après avoir dit un mot de l'influence qu'ils avoient fur la politique, la morale et les arts, dans le monde entier, je fais une analyfe abrégée des facultés de notre entendement. Après avoir parlé des effets de certaines idées vagues fur nos paffions et fur notre raifon, après avoir dit quelques véités trop peu employées jufqu'à préfent, fur les liaifons de nos idées, j'ai parlé de deux penchans qui forment ce qu'on appelle notre amour propre, et qui funt les caufes de quelques autres de nos penchans. "Je parle enfuite de nos pallions, fans m'y arrêter beaucoup, parce que les définitions du plus grand nombre doivent fe trouver dans le ca techifme univerfel. J'ai feulement ajouté quelques vues nouvelles fur les paffions. Je donne enfuite mes idées fur les caractères, fur la confcience, fur les effets du climat, fur l'état fauvage et l'état de fociété, fur cette raifon d'ufage que les anciens appellent la prudence, fur ce que l'opinion doit être depuis l'invention de l'imprimerie et depuis l'extrême communication qu'ont entre eux les différens peuples. Je finis par le tableau abrégé de l'homme dans les différens âges de la vie.. "L'analyfe de la femme devoit fuivre celle de l'homme; et, avant de parler de fon ame, il falloit parler dù phyfique qui détermine fes facultés, et fon caractère. Le peu que j'en ai dit eft d'après les anato miftes les plus eftimés; mais je dirai ici que les femmes n'ont jama is été affez obfervées par aucun d'eux. Lorfque j'ai montré combien elles font fous l'empire de l'imagination, quels font les penchans qui les maîtrifent, quelles font leurs vues habituelles, les formes conftan es ou fugitives de leur efprit, les différences dans la manière dont ell es éprouvent les mêmes paffions que nous, quelles font celles de ces pa iffions ou de leurs habitudes qui leur font le plus utiles ou le plus contrires; j'examine quels font les avantages que la nature leur a donnés ur nous; je les compare avec ceux que la nature nous a donnés fur clles. Je cherche enfuite comment et pourquoi par leurs qualités phyfiques, intellectuelles et morales, ainfi que par leur fituation, elles font dans an état moins heureux que le nôtre. "Il réfulte de ces deux analyfes, que nous ne pouvons prétendre ti degré de bonheur auquel il nous eft poffible de parvenir, qu'autant que nous aurons perfectionné notre raifon. J'en ai cherché les moyens j'en ai vu quelques-uns dont on ne faifoit pas ufage. J'ai montré que 1ques caufes d'erreurs fur lefquelles on n'avoit pas affez infifté, et que, ques-unes dont on n'avoit point parlé; j'ai indiqué des remèdes o négligés ou ignorés. Je finis par offrir quelques moyens de donner l'efprit telle ou telle qualité, qui dominera fans exclure les autres. Aprè Après cette logique arrive le Catéchifme. Comme il eft compofe de dialogues pleins de définitions, il n'eft pas à la portée du premier age. Les enfans pourroient l'apprendre et le croire; mais vous leur feriez prendre l'habitude de donner leur confiance aux définitions, avant d'avoir les idées dont elles doivent être les résultats. Ils fe contenteroient de notions incomplètes et ne craindroient pas dans le reste de leur vie de croire ce qu'ils ne peuvent comprendre. "Ce Catéchifme eft fuivi de préceptes que l'enfant peut apprendre ; mais il faut que le père ou l'instituteur lui démontrent la néceffité de les fuivre. C'eft d'après ces préceptes que le jeune homme fera l'examen de foi-même. Il connoîtra peu-à-peu fon caractère, les défauts et les bonnes qualités auxquels il eft le plus difpofé, et comment il fe rendra capable d'obéir à la raifon, A la fuite de ces différentes parties de mon ouvrage, j'ai placé le Commentaire fur le Catéchifme.-C'eft là où j'analyfe les penchans, les paffions, les caractères, dont je n'ai donné que les définitions. J'approfondis, autant qu'il eft en moi, ce qui doit être approfondi. C'eft dans ce commentaire que je développe la méthode d'oppofer les paffions aux paffions, de fubftituer les unes aux autres, d'exalter celles qui doivent être exaltées, de tempérer celles qu'il faut tempérer. C'est ici où je fais un grand ufage du principe de la liaifon des idées. J'y rappelle fouvent des vérités connues; mais c'eft pour montrer les rape ports qu'elles ont avec des vérités nouvelles. Cette partie du commentaire eft celle à laquelle j'ai cherché à donner les formes les plus agréa bles. J'y fais, autaut qu'il m'eft poffible, abstraction des gouvernemens fous lefquels l'homme doit vivre: je lui apprends fentement à aimer fa patrie et à en refpecter des lois." There is a little of every thing in this work; treatifes divided into fections, dialogues, maxims, precepts, memoirs, letters, difcourfes, tales, an Utopia, &c. &c. The Catechifm itself is compofed of what the author calls notions, preceptes and l'examen de foi-même. In the dialogue, when a child has been informed that l'homme eft un être fenfible et raisonnable, he will, in the next place, wish to know what is meant by fenfible and raisonnable; when he has been told that the latter i a quality effential to the fpecies, which muft, of course, be common to all the individuals, he will be furprifed by the further queftion-qu'eft ce' qu'un homme raisonnable? as he may not be acquainted with the doub le fenfe of the word, which fometimes fignifies doué de raison, and at others faifant ufage de la raifon; nor, if he fhould chance to underft and it, would he, perhaps, allow the definition of happiness to be just, which is here faid to be" un état durable, dans lequelmi éprouve plus de plaifir que de peine." Concerning the precepts, we fhall only obferve that M. de St. L. may be convicted of ingratitude towards religious moralifts, fince it might cafily be proved that he owes to them the best part of these, and a great number of the practices which he prescribes, from his examen de foi-même 'to the maxims with which he lines the walls of the apartments of Ponthiamas, an idea which will not appear new to thofe who have been accuftomed to vifit convents. Indeed, though M. de St. L. attacks the works of religious moralifts, he is more referved with respect to reli ion itself, as he allows that Chriftianity "a répandu cet ejprit fi doux de |