have found yourselves at this. The relieving you from this unfortunate fituation is the object of the following effay."

Mr. Twaddle accordingly proceeds to anticipate the important day,

"When the fquadrons, impatient of longer delay,

"The call to Blackheath, and to glory, obey."

EV

VERY plan that tends to relieve the diftreffes of the unfortunate, from what ever cause they arife, merits the attention of the humane; but when those diftreffes origi nate, if we may be permitted the expreffion, in the fervice of our country, as is the cafe of the unhappy maimed foldiers and feamen, the objects of our benevolent author's pamphlet, their claim to afsistance and relief js doubly cogent To accomplish fo laudable a purpofe, Mr. Martyn propofes levying a tax on the inhabitants of all houses of above the rent of 4). per annum ; the lowest clafs to pay two shillings, the highest eight fhillings a-year. From this tax none are to be exempt. ed but minors, apprentices, and fervants. Lodgers in houfes paying more than 30l. ayear rent, to pay four fhillings; the payments to be made quarterly, and every principal of a family giving in a fraudulent ac

count of the numbers of which their family confifls, to forfeit twenty pounds.

The produce of this tax our author efti. mates at 200,000l. in England, and 20,paci. in Ireland; a fund fufficient to allow eleven thoafand men, in addition to thofe already provided for by Government, an annuity from 10l. to 201, each. Such a provifion, in their old age, for those who had spent the vigour of their youth in the fervice of the public, would, he thinks, be a means of greatly facilitating the raising recruits in time of war, and tend to render the odious custom of impressing men unneceffary. He likewife wishes this provifion might be made to extend to failors in the Merchants fervice.— We heartily approve of this humane and laudable scheme; but, over-burthened as we are already, we fee but little profpect of its being adopted.

T'es pamphlet is evidently written in

HIS pamphlet is evidently written in

fortunate predicament in which he now ftands, is here attributed to the difputes which had long fubfifted between him and his late father, in confequence of the latter's flagrant partiality to his younger fon Charles. The deceased, M'Donnel, appears to have rendered himself extremely obnoxious to Mr. F——, by officiously interfering in thefe familyquarrels, and taking a decided part against him. "He acted," we are told, as an incendiary at the head of the tenantry, to keep the lawful claimant out of his right, and the heir from the poffeffion of his undifputed fortune; augmenting his diftreffes, and those of his virtuous mother, at least as far as his

advice and active influence could extend." These provocations, though great, cannot, however, justify Mr. F's behaviour. The unnatural conduct of the parent may intitle the fon to our pity, but it can fay nothing in defence of his violence. The following account of that part of Ireland where this bloody business was tranfacted, is very alarming. There is not," fays the writer, "any fuch thing as either law or police. The whole province of Connaught, the county of Sligo excepted, is in as wretched a ftate of barbarifm and bigotry as it was two centuries ago; nor can any man of property live any longer in peace there, than whilft he has a faction or the military to fupport him in his legal poffeffions,”

difcover the boundaries of literary property, and to detect the incroachments of other na

own; and has wrested the ftolen trophies from the brows of their fabulifts, and replaced them on the heads of his own country

men.

"Thefe Tales," fays the Tranflator, “prefent an interesting picture of the manners and customs of the earlier ages, and are cal. culated to defcribe the ordinary tranfactions of private life. The opinions, prejudices, fuperftitions, customs, turn of converfation, mode of courtship, all are to be found in them, and in them alone."

The manners which they exhibit, he acknowledges, are not always fo chafte and decent as might be wifhed; and the expreffions are frequently of the most disgusting coarseness, This he attributes to the fimplicity of the times, the fpirit of libertiniẩm not having then invented thofe ingenious circumlocutions, which, by half concealing it, renders the fin more feducing. He, however, thinks he should be no lefs culpable as a tranflator in altering them, than as an author in conceiving them. But he promifes the respect due to the reader shall not be forgotten, nor any improper or indecent expreffion admitted. He has, accordingly, entirely fuppreffed fome tales, and expunged the licentious paffages from others; yet, after all, many of them are ftill fufficiently Joofe. We have felected the following as a fpecimen :

THE NORMAN BACHELOR.

ON the year that Acre was taken, a pleasant adventure happened in Normandy. A bachelor + of that province had one morning nothing for his dinner but a halfpenny loaf. To make his fcanty meal the more palatable, he went into a tavern and called for a pennyworth of wine. The master of the house, who was a man of rough and boorish manners, came and prefented to the gentleman, with great rudeness, the liquor in a cup; and in handing it to him, fpilt near half of it on the floor. To complete his infolence, he observed to him, " you are going to be a rich man, Mr. Bachelor; liquor fpilt is a fign of good luck."

for

To break out into a rage against fo contemptible a brute, would have been beneath a gentleman: the Norman took his measures with-better management, and more addrefs. He had ftill a half-penny remaining in his

purse; he gave it to the tavern-keeper, and defired to have a piece of cheese to eat with his bread. The vintner takes it with fneering air, and goes to the cellar to bring what was required. The bachelor, during the abfence of the vintner, goes to the wine cafk, turns the cock, and lets the wine run out upon the floor. The other, on his return, finding his wine running out and overflowing the room, quickly makes up to the barrel, and having stopped the cock, rushes upon the Norman, and feizes him by the collar, vowing vengeance for the lofs of his wine. The Norman, however, being the ftronger, raises the other by the middle, and throws him among the bottles, a great number of which are broken, and proceeds to inAlict the merited chastisement, till he is interrupted by the entry of fome neighbours.

The affair was notwithstanding carried be fore the fovereign, Count Henry. The vintner spoke firit, and demanded reparation of his damage. The prince, before he condemned the knight, asked him what he had to urge in his defence. The latter then related the affair exactly as it had fallen out, and concluded with faying: "Sire, this man affured me, that wine fpilt portended good fortune, and that, having wafted half my measure, he had put me into a fair way to become a rich man. Gratitude demanded a return on my part, and as I did not chuse to be out done in generofity, I fpilled him half

a tun."

All the courtiers applauded the conduct and the declaration of the bachelor. The

Count himself laughed heartily, and difmiffed both parties, faying that what was spilt could not be gathered up again.

THE TWO TRADESMEN AND THE CLOWN.

TWO traders were proceeding on a pilgrimage. A country-man, who was profecuting the fame journey, having joined them on the road, they agreed to travel together, and to make a joint stock of their provifions. But when arrived within a day's journey of the holy place, it was almost wholly expend. ed, so that they had nothing left but a little flour barely fufficient to make a small cake, The perfidious traders entered into a plot together to cheat their companion of his share, and, from his stupid air, imagined they could

dut

dupe him without difficulty. "We must come to fome agreement," faid one of the citizens. "What will not affuage the hunger of three, may fatisfy a fingle perfon, and I Fote that it be allotted to one of us only. But that each may have a fair chance, I propose that we all three lie down and fall afleep, and that the bread may be the lot of him, who, on awaking, shall have had the most cu. rious dream.

The other citizen, as we may readily fuppose, approved vaftly this fuggeftion. The countryman alfo fignified his approbation, and pretended to give completely into the fnare. They then made the bread, put it on the fire to bake, and lay down. But our tradefmen were fo much fatigued with their journey, that without intending it, they fell icon into a profound flumber. The clown, more cunning, waited only this opportunity; got up without noife, went and ate the bread, and then composed himself to rest.

Soon after one of the citizens awaked, and calling to his companions" Friends," faid he, “ listen to my dream. I thought myself tranfported by two angels into Hell. For a long time they kept me fufpended over the

abyfs of everlasting fire. There, I was a witnefs to the torments of the damned.". "And I," faid the other," dreamed that the gates of Heaven were opened to me. The arch-angels Michael and Gabriel, after raifing me up into the sky, carried me before the throne of God. There was 1 a fpectator of his glory.”—And then the dreamer began to recount the wonders of Paradife, as the other had of the infernal abodes.

The country man, mean while, though he heard perfectly well what they faid, pretended to be ftill afleep. They went to roufe him from his flumber; when he, affecting the furprize of a man fuddenly disturbed from reft, cried out, "What is the matter?"* "Why it is only your fellow-travellers. What! do you not recollect us? Come, arife, and inform us of your dream.” “My dream? Oh! I have had a very droll one, and one that I am fure will afford you fore diverfion. When I faw you both carried away, the one to Heaven, the other to Hell, I thought that I had loft you for ever. I then got up, and as I expected never to fee you more, 1 went and demolished the loaf.”

FROM the multifarious productions con

Foined in this volume, it appears that the

Doctor was not fatisfied with informing the world of his daughter's perfections; it was Nkewife neceffary to be told, that the Doctor, who had published several tracts, is one of "the best and most revered of men;" that his wife is the moft angelic of women," (now the daughter is dead) and has written a novel; and that his fon is "equal to his fifter in excellence," and has com pofed an elegy; fo that there never was before fuch a divine and learned family. But the Editor is not fo totally abforbed in their praifes, as to forget expatiating upon the merit of his own compofitions; for he kindly tells us, not only what he has, but what he intends publishing; and, according to his account, never author was fo fuccefsful! He has "overturned from the foundation the vifionary edifice” erected by Bishop WarBurton, in his Divine Legation; but notwithftanding the fabric is entirely deftroyed, he ftill intends, whenever a new edition of that work is printed, that his work shall attend

verted upon in fome future production. Many people will think that thefe learned men might have been treated with lefs ariogance and contempt; but to hint a fault and hefitate diflike," would betray a poor. nefs of spirit which this literary Bobadil has no idea of. Yet, from his preface, we rather fufpect that his former works have not efcaped cenfure, and that he has been condemned for that "bigotry in learning," "inanity of fentiment," and "puerility of declamation," which he now imputes to others. Nor does he seem to treat his flock, at Yarmouth, with greater decorum; for, forgetting the politenefs with which St. Paul addreffes his heathen audience when he appeared before Agrippa, he tells his congregation, (though the Worshipful Corpora tion was prefent) that they had never reflected upon "what they must do to be faved." Perhaps they believe in works of fupererogation, and rely upon the superabundant merits of their pious pafter and his family to fupply their deficiency in religious attain

ments.

But to return to the avowed fubject of the work. The Doctor fays, his daughter "was fo perfect, that no trials were neceffary to prepare her for Heaven.”—A bold affertion! She was adorned with every

moral

moral virtue. every Christian grace, and altogether refined from every the least alloy of any earthly foible or human frailty!" Surely he here deals not a little in the hyperbole! There never was but one perfon upon earth that deferved fuch encomiums.

In thofe pages where the Doctor defines the difference between appetite and passions,

we could think of nothing but Uncle Toby's smoke-jack.

This mifcellaneous volume is dedicated, without permiffion, to the Bishop of Norwich. The Doctor feared his humility, we think the prelate's good fenfe, would have prevented fo fulfome an addrefs being made public.

Tils Horian is evidentny eman, now f

HIS Hiftorian is evidently no friend of

ever, has no more formidable adverfaries to encounter, he has not much to fear. The author has proved beyond contradiction the truth of the obfervation, "that paper, pens, and ink, with the manual capacity of using them, are fufficient to write a book."Should any reader doubt the truth of this affertion, the following fpecimen may convince him.

"Emulation is one of the most forcible and operative principles in states and individuals. Man in his focial and folitary capaci. ty is the artificer of man, But it is still one of the most important defiderata in morals or

politics, whether this master-fpring in his nature be ultimately beneficial to the species; or whether, on the whole, its beft are not greatly overbalanced by its worst confequen

ces.

"The hiftory of the two rival nations, which eminently exemplifies, at the fame time that it approaches nearest to a decifion of this point, is that of France and England.

"This ancient and prevailing characteristic in the genius of each, has oftener than once portended the deftruction of both."

Need we oftener than once repeat, that fuch a writer, instead of commencing historian, is hardly fit-"to, chronicle fmall-beer."

אן

thefe Letters, Mr. Barfoot, by comparing the proportion of taxes paid by tradesmen and farmers, thews that the latter bear 2 much greater share of the burthen than the former. In order to relieve them, he recommends a variety of fubftitutes for fome of the prefent taxes which bear hard upon them, and wishes to transfer the load to the backs of those who are well able to bear it-the pluralifts and dignitaries of the church.Thefe, he thinks, "might with pleasure

give back one tenth of their tythe;" and to make it quite palatable to them, he wishes, inftead of calling it a tax, to have it termed a free gift. His fecond letter contains a plan for paying off the National Debt, fomewhat fimilar to that propofed by Lord Newhaven, by abolishing all the prefent taxes, and fubftituting an impoft which will produce confi. derably more, but by being more equally divided be less oppreffive to individuals.

death has not been fo explicitly related as the importance of it required. The public opinion having attributed that unfortunate affair in fome measure to rafhnefs or over-confidence in the Captain, Mr. Samwell thinks it a duty the friends of the deceased owe to his character, to relate the whole affair candidly and fully, in order to remove such a

for his caution and prudence than for his eminent abilities and undaunted refo'ution. This account feems to transfer the blame on an officer who was prefent at the fatal catastrophe, which is attributed to a want of timely exertions in those who were in the boats. The Author however with great candour obferves, that it is a painfal

tafk