eaft, it cuts off fo much distance? I fee the force of this objection; but let the navigator reflect, that this fair wind, on which there can be no dependance for continuing, in fteering fouth-eaft, and by which it would feem he coveted eafting as well as fouthing at the fame time, may leave him in the lurch, by the expiration of the favourable fpirt, in a parallel far fhort of where he might have got, had the getting fouthing at this time been his principal object, letting the cafting come in only as a collateral or fecondary consideration. 'Having got well to the fouthward, I would by no means advise coming near the Cape of Good Hope, if the navigator intends going without Madagascar, but to keep in thirty-nine or forty degrees of latitude. The variation of the compafs determines the longitude nearly; and it is not unadviseable to make Gough's ifland, whence, who knows but refreshments may be had? In this high parallel the winds are more steady, and the currents fetting weft near Africa are avoided. If bound without Madagascar, I would now advise the navigator to pay his chief regard to getting eastward, and not covet northing too foon; never keep his fhip right before the wind, (unless, indeed, the fails beft that way); to remember that east-south-east and east-north-eaft courfes combined, differ not from east. And here I would have him ftudy the cafe of the ship, and her mafts, in the courfe he fhapes; always giv ing his officers a latitude of altering the courfe two or three points, fo far as fo doing makes the ship eafter, or enables her to go fafter; and by no means to confine his course to a certain point, as if deviating therefrom could be of any bad confequence here in the wide ocean. From the longitude of ten degrees east to yond the meridian of the island of Madagascar, the wind will frequently veer from weft to fouth-weft, fouth, fouth-fouth-eaft, and fouth-eaft, and in the courfe of forty-eight hours, or three days, comes round to the western quarter again. When this happens, let him keep his fails rap full, and rely chiefly on his variation for making Ceylon, or the ftrait of Sunda. But, during the middle, or north-eaft monfoon, if bound for the ftrait of Sunda, let him fall-in with Engan's, or the coaft of Sumatra, fouth of Bencoolen. If during the fouth-west monfoon, but especially in May, June, and July, he is bound for the ftrait of Sunda, let him fall-in with the coaft of Java, as fouth-eaft winds prevail there in general, during these months; at the fame time attended with revolutions from the oppofite quarter; remembering, that the current generated by VOL. LVIII. Sept. 1784. the the wind at north-west, on the north end of Sumatra, in fummer, though it drains in-fhore along the fouth part of that ifland, the draining eastward goes not beyond the ftrait of Sunda, to the coaft of Java; it being already exhausted on the coast of Sumatra.' MONTHLY CATALOGUE. NOVE L S. The Independent. A Novel. In Two Vols. 12mo. 6s. Cadell. HE beautiful little poem of Velina, we praised in our Fifty-fifth Volume, p. 187, with the higheft fatisfaction; and tribute was never offered with greater purity to the fhrine of merit. The author was, and is still unknown to us. This pleafing novel is the work of the fame perfon, who told us before that he was a Scotchman, and tells us fo here more explicitly by his language. The story is pleafing and fimple; more interesting by the manner of relating, than by the novelty of the adventures. The end is not merely to add to the entertainment of those who would destroy time rather than employ it. Our author's object is to render attempts to violate conjugal fidelity ridiculous. They have often been the fubject of fermons and declamations: they have been the fubject too of various novels; but our author thinks all have failed, by accumulating diftrefs, and making the picture fo terrible, that we lay afide the work, and lofe much of the effect, from the vehicle in which it is conveyed. We do not entirely aee in this opinion, though the present story may be ftill valuable: many hearts are fo much hardened as not to be affected by the diftrefs which they will occafion to others, though they acutely feel the ridicule which they may bring on themselves. But the author fhall give his own fentiments. 6 • Writers feem to me to have failed, from attempting too much. By exceffive over-loaded pathos, they diffolve that delufive charm of reality, which ought to hold the mind, during the perufal of any work of fiction. Grief after grief is poured in ; and every page exhibits fome merciless stroke of tragic genius: fo that, before the middle of the narrative, the heart is wearied and torn with diftrefs; and the understanding, ftepping in to its aid, reprefents the whole as a difgufting and unprofitable tale. Almoft any writer may extort tears; but every reader will diftinguish between the tear of torture and the tear of delight. He He will throw away the volume, never more to be lifted, which, by a tedious accumulation of mournful incidents, wrings from his eyes fome bitter drops; while he will read a thousand times the pages, and blefs as often their author, wherein, by magic touches, and by nameless energies, his feelings are in a moment excited to give delightful expreffions either of mirth or of wo.' The first volume contains a fermon: its merit is confiderable; and, we think it is not injudiciously applied, when fuppofed to be preached by a hermit at a masquerade. This fermon is faid to have been culled from a bundle of papers, left by a poor twenty-pound curate; a young fellow who, with a fpirit ill-fuited to his ftate, had lived a few years unfriended, and died unknown.' We fear that our author has written his own epitaph; but if our praise can have any effect, we will destroy the last portion of the prophecy; and, at least, as the author of Velina and the Independent, though perhaps unfriended, he fhall not be unknown. The Baftard: or the Hiftory of Mr. Grenville. By a Lady. z Vols. 12m0. 6s. Hookham. The first volume of this novel is fomewhat interefting; but the second is much inferior, though the author endeavours to harrow up the foul' by a pathetic, but hackneyed catastròphe. There are some ridiculous miftakes a baronet, for inftance, is ftyled a nobleman; and a young man, who had never been in the army, is faid to be advanced, at one step, to the command of a regiment. We think that the whole of this work is familiar to us; but these paffing fhades do not make a fufficient impreffion on the mind's eye, to enable us to recollect the particular form in which it has appeared. POETRY. Poems. By Mrs. Hughes. Svo. 35. Dodley. Though we cannot affert that these Poems are entitled to commendation, either for fublimity of thought, or fplendour of diction; yet we can with pleasure teftify our approbation of them as pleating moral performances, which, if not highly excellent, neither difgrace the head nor the heart of their fair author. The principal pieces in this collection are, Three' Eclogues; Reflections on a Summer Evening; Edwin and Matilda, a legendary Tale, written with taste and fimplicity; and eight Paftorals. Poetical Attempts. By the Author of Thoughts upon Creation. Svo. 25. 6d. Cadell. We cannot congratulate the author on any great fuccefs in his poetical labours. Some paffages are not devoid of merit, Q but but in general the defects more than counterbalance them. The performance of greatest confequence, at least in point of size, in this collection, is a Pindaric Ode; a compofition fo truly. lyrical, that from the obfcurity of the expreffions in one place, and the quick tranfitions of the fubject in others, we are often at a loss to conjecture what could poffibly be the author's drift and meaning. One stanza of this fingular poem, if it deferves that name, will give an idea of the whole. Then fcale the hill high-breathing where Earth's fpacious amphitheatre ufurps The place of fky, which fcarcely ftcops Ravish'd from view to view the eye Leaps the broad floods and woods and plains And palaces, Where beauty, pomp, and bufinefs tofs the world.' What, in the name of harmony and common fenfe, could in-duce a man to adopt fo fantastic a measure, fo ungenial to our language! The ill fuccefs of many eminent poets, who have attempted to regulate British verfe by Roman feet, might have infpired the author with more diffidence, and deterred him from the arduous undertaking; for in that light he feems to confider it, in the following prefatory lines: • If I muft fink, I fure will fall In no attempt, or trite or fmall: Nor like the common glow-worm die, That he has failed, we are fully convinced; but whether that failure is moft analogous to the death of a glow-worm, or extinction of a meteor, we fhall not take upon u us. to determine. We must however in justice acknowlege, that two or three little poems are by no means deftitute of comic humour; particu larly that addreffed by the author to an ironmonger, on his birth-day, in which almoft every line conveys a ludicrous allufion to his profeffional occupation. Neither can we withhold our approbation of two or three others, on ferious fubjects,. written by a lady, and fubjoined to this collection.. Supplement to the Mifcellanies of Thomas Chatterton. Svo. 25. Becket... We have no reafon to doubt the authenticity of this publication, and neither opinion nor extract can now throw any ad-ditional light on this various and eccentric character. His undaunted fpirit breathes in every line; his poetical abilities occafionally foar to the height of Rowley; but, except in his firft great object, his flight is irregular and unequal. The principal pieces in this fupplement are the African Eclogue, chiefly famous for having been the object of Mr. Bryant's crtical fa gacity; gacity; and the Will, figned April 14th, 1770, when the fujcide was first refolved on, but which was not executed till some future period. But the warring fpirits are now at reft, and we fhall not again ftrike the fhield, or throw down the gauntlet. The Noble Peafant, a Comic Opera, in Three Acts; as performed at the Theatre-Royal, in the Haymarket. By Thomas Holcroft. 8.vo. Is. 6d. Robinson. Our author has removed his fcene to other times, and introduced to the stage the famous archers, Adam Bell, Clym of the Clough, and William of Cloudeflee; but, though they relieve the fameness of the comic fcene, they are not very interefting either in themfelves, or their influence on the conduct of the ftory. Edwitha is fought in marriage by Anlaff the Dane, who, on her father's refufal, invades his territory; but is driven back by earl Walter, affifted by the outlawed archers in the difguife of peasants. Alric is killed by Leonard, the British prince, who is in love with Edwitha, and has affumed the garb of a peafant alfo, that he may not owe to his rank that hand which he is willing to receive from a more interesting motive. The reputation of flaying Alric is however affumed by earl Egbert, a cowardly lord, the lover of Edwitha. Anlaff, the brother of Alric, returns with a larger army to avenge the death of the latter, and offers to fpare the dominions of earl Walter, if he fhall be vanquished in fingle combat; but if he prevails, Edwitha is to become his bride. Leonard, disguised like Egbert, accepts the challenge, declares his rank and his intentions. He had fought and gained the affections of Edwitha, under this difguife; and the whole ends happily by his victory over Anlaff. This is a fhort account of the story, in which we have omitted to mention the farcaftic pleasantries of the fool, the lively hamour of Adela, or the fuccefsful fcheme of Adam, in the difguife of a friar, to gain admiffion to the caftle, and to obtain the pardon of himfelf and companions. Each of thefe circumftances are employed to advantage in enlivening the ftory, and rendering the whole a pleafing performance. In fhort, we are by no means willing to call in question the public verdict, already delivered. If this opera be interefting on the ftage, it is entertaining in the clofet: if the mufic enchants, the poetry pleafes; and, though frequently a vehicle only for mufic, yetin this play it deferves a higher reputation. The ftory and characters in general are not new; yet the fituations are lefs common, and the dialogue is lively and fupported. We with that the author had not aimed too much at the latter quality, for at this period it can never be properly attained; and the attempt fetters the free thought or the flowing language. The fongs are frequently parodies, and in this refpect we think our author has been lefs happy than in his original Q3 com |