thology, and comprises the hiftory of the heathen gods and goddeffes, denti-gods, and other fabulous deities of the ancients. The narrative is written with concifenefs and perfpicuity, and a fmail wooden engraving is prefixed to each article. The fecond volume is occupied with the elements of ancient hiftory, facred and prophane; divided into fhort chapters, adorned with the head of the person whofe history is related. The third volume contains a sketch of the Roman history, from the foundation of the city to the time of Conftantine, who transferred the feat of the empire from Rome to Conftantinople. The fourth volume comprehends an epitome of the history of England, from the earliest accounts to the prefent time. A chronological lift of public events during the different periods is added; and short characters are given of the various fovereigns. The fifth volume is appropriated to geography. It contains an account of the different nations ancient and modern, so far as relates to their fituation and climate, their rife and fall, and their customs and manners. The fixth and last volume is devoted to natural history, and treats of quadrupeds, reptiles, birds, infects, trees, and flowers, illuftrated as the others are, with engravings in wood. This is not the least entertaining department in a fyftem of polite edu. cation; and has a tendency to infpire the mind with conceptions of the wifdom, power, and goodness of the great Creator of the universe. On the whole, we think the work is happily calculated for the improvement of children in knowledge fuitable to their years. We must not omit to mention that each of the vofumes is adorned with a copper-plate emblematical of its particular fubject, 6 A Short State of the Proceedings in the House of Commons, in the Year 1765, on the Petition of the Duke and Duchefs of Athal, againf the Bill For the more effectual preventing the Mifchiefs arifing to the Revenue and Commerce of Great Britain and Ireland, from the illicit and clandeftine Trade to and from the Isle of Man' 8vo. 15, 6d. Wilkies. The Proceedings recited in this pamphlet are briefly as follow that on the 21st of January 1765, the chancellor of the exchequer prefented to the houfe of commons a bill for more effectually preventing the mischiefs arifing to the revenue and commerce of Great Britain and Ireland, from the illicit and clandeftine trade to and from the Ifle of Man. On the 13th of February a petition was prefented to the houfe from the duke and duchefs of Athol, praying to be heard by their counsel against the faid bill. On the 19th of February, the counfol (Mr. Maddox and Mr. Cooper, now fir Grey Cooper) were accordingly heard; and on the 6th of March, it was refolved, that the fum of feventy thousand pounds fhould be paid as a compenfation compenfation to the proprietors of the Isle of Man for the furrender of their patrimonial jurisdictions. Thus far, according to the prefent narrative, extended the proceedings of the houfe of commons. An annuity of fifteen hundred pounds, we believe, for two lives, was granted to the family of Athol, about the fame time, in addition to the above mentioned fum which had been voted by the house of commons. The question is, whether the whole of this pecuniary grant, however liberal it may feem, was a fufficient compenfation for all the rights, jurifdictions, honours, and emoluments which were furrendered by the family of Athol, not voluntarily, but dutifully, or rather indeed were violently extorted by the parliament. It is extremely difficult to estimate objects which in their nature are not reducible to any determinate standard of appreciation. But the farther they recede from the practicability of fair decifion, they feem to become in the fame proportion more valuable. We should, therefore, be of opinion, that the juftice and honour of the legislature are concerned, in admitting at least a candid revifal of the tranfaction, that if it shall appear that the family of Athol has been too rigoroufly treated, they may yet receive a compenfation adequate to the important facrifice which they have made to the interefts of the public. The prefent pamphlet feems to have been published with this view; and there is little doubt that the fubject, though lately interrupted, will again be refumed at a future period. Political Tras, by Sir Francis Blake, Bart. 8vo. 5s. Boards. Debrett. These Tracts confift of three principal objects, exclufive of feveral fubordinate enquiries, and relative details. The first contains a propofal for the liquidation of the national debt; the means of difcharging which, upon this author's plan, is that every proprietor of real estates and stock should contribute to the full amount of four years income. Propofals of a fimilar nature have formerly been made; but, though far less in extent, with as hopeless effect as that of the prefent baronet. In the fecond Tract, the author enquires into the efficacy of a finking fund of one million per annum towards the difcharge of the public debt. His opinion on this fubject is entirely unfavourable to the fyftem adopted by government: but it is founded upon fome doubtful calculations of the probability of peace and war. Sir Francis had formed his notion with respect to fuch events, before the late revolution in a neighbouring kingdom had begun to be agitated. The third Tract relates to a propofal for the abolition of tythes, and the reform of the church-revenue. Of fir Francis Blake's patriotifim there is every reason to be satisfied; but we are forry that his political plans, in general, feem too violent to procure them the attention of the public. WE CORRESPONDENCE. WE are obliged to Omega for his candour; but, on referring to the paffage, we find it stated with fufficient clearness. In the fecond numbers, however, there is an error, which he has properly pointed out: the number of deaths is the whole number in ten years, by inadvertently adding the 8 at the end. The multiplier 284 is evidently defigned to afcertain the population of France only: it will neither apply to England, nor probably to London. The average of deaths in the city hofpitals is one in 32, taking our author's average numbers of each, for two years, as correct: yet we believe the multiplier, in London collectively, has never been carried above 32. There are many reasons however, why deaths in the hospitals, in this metropolis, cannot be confidered as proper grounds to reafon from, which will not, from their different conftitutions, be applicable to foreign hofpitals; and, on the contrary, the bills of mortality are notoriously incorrect. It is impallible there fore to afcertain the population of London from this fource; but if we were to fix the multiplier, from every view of the fubject that we can take, we fhould prefer the number 32. From other fources it is improbable that the cities of London and Westminster can contain a million, as our correfpondent fupposes: the number appears to be rather below 900,000. P. L. Will fee that his favour came too late to enable us to attend to his request, which we fhould certainly have done if it had been received fooner. We faw manifeft proofs of what he mentions Vix ea noftra voco Sed quæ non fecimus ipfi WE have not yet received the work which Anonymus mentions: we shall certainly attend to it in due courfe; but he muft have been aware that, if his letter and the work had been before us, the time was too fhort to admit of so extenfive an examination as he has fuggested. THE fix following lines, omitted by accident, fhould be added after the first quotation, in p. 32. of our Review for last month: • Snatch from death his dire decree! Star of my life's foul-cheering light! ERRATUM. In our laft Number, p. 24, line 8, for "is, we doubt, not faithful,"-read, is, we doubt not, faithful." THE CRITICAL REVIEW. For SEPTEMBER, 1790. The Hiftory of the Reign of Henry II. and of Richard and John, bis Sons; with the Events of the Period, from 1154 to 1216. By the Rev. J. Berington. 4to. 11. 11. Boards. Robinsons. 10 TO Mr. Berington we are indebted for the Lives of Heloise and Abelard, to which he united a great part of the hiftory of the period in which they flourished. That work was. executed with great fpirit and ability, but the fplendor of the fucceeding æra attracted his attention, and he almost promifed a continuation: this continuation we now receive. Part of Mr. Berington's labours were, we think, fuperfeded; we mean not by Mr. Hume, of whom it is truly faid, that he feems to be executing a task, to have haftened on its completion, without his usual discrimination; nor by Rapin, a faithful annalift, except where his own prejudices interfered." Lord Lyttleton's hiftory, though not without defects, is written with an amiable prepoffeffing candour, He feems to have fpared no induftry in the examination, and to have been fcrupulously cautious in his determination. The work is perhaps written too coldly; the narrative proceeds in too anvaried a tone; often broken, by digreffions, and by antiquarian researches, folid and instructive, rather than pleasing. This is not however the whole of the accufation: the noble author is fuppofed to have reprefented the conduct of Henry, refpecting Becket, too partially. We must not prejudge. this question, for we shall engage in it at fome length: we may obferve, however, that if the former hiftorian is occafionally lefs partial to the caufe of liberty, Mr. Berington, in his first address, is eagerly warm in its defence. If the noble hiftorian's narrative is more, cool, our present author's is perhaps too abrupt; and, aiming at animation, is fometimes obfcure, and frequently irregular. He dazzles with his fire, but the brilliancy is only the corrufcation of a moment: it is loft before we can fay that we are pleased. VOL. LXX. Sept. 1799. R The The period which Mr. Berington has chofen is a pecu. liarly interefting one in the English hiftory. In the time of Henry II. we do not fay that the conftitution began to assume a form, but many of its features, involved in the cloud of barbarifm, became more distinct, and attracted more attention. Henry's firmness and activity checked the turbulence of thofe barons who, in a more distant æra, obtained a splendid name in the field of Runnymede, a fame due rather to the confequences of that action, than to the aristocratic fpirit which dictated their conduct. The fubfequent reign would have been more admired, if the actions of Richard had not been chiefly performed in the Eaft. This monarch has long wanted an hiftorian, and we regret only that Mr. Berington's account is fo concife. His hiftorian, however, must not be contented with the English annalists: in the life of Saladin, Richard almost shines with as bright a luftre as the particular fubje&t of the biographer; and it is recorded, that Saladin feared Richard's skill and abilities in the cabinet, not lefs than his prowefs in the field. Yet in this volume, he is little more than the connecting link between john and Henry. The events of their lives, from the peculiar circumftances, perhaps from the predilection of the author, are the chief objects of Mr. Berington's narrative. A general introduction comprehends the fix first years of Henry's reign, and the hiftory begins with the council of Pavia. The ten years of Richard are included in seventy-two pages. The council of Pavia was fummoned by Frederick Barbaroffa, on account of the dispute between Victor and Orlando, who had each been elected to the papal chair. The latter was perfonally obnoxious to Frederick, and difobeyed his fummons; it was not therefore furprizing, that his competitor's election was established, though apparently informal and irregular. The other candidate was fupported by Louis and Henry; and this uncertain ftate of the papal power had a great influence on the fubfequent tranfactions. Though Mr. Berington's work is rather a hiftory of the Catholic church, than of an English king, and the life of Becket more ftrictly, perhaps, than that of Henry; yet even the outline of this tranfaction is not equally filled up, and one effential part feems to be flightly paffed over, we mean the projected accommodation by means of a conference between the emperor, the kings of France and England. Mr. Berington blames Henry for the fudden marriage of his fon with the daughter of Louis, though by this means, which can fcarcely be called a fubterfuge, an obftinate and bloody war was probably prevented. The cooler cafuifts may |