REMARKS ON NEW PUBLICATIONS.

Broad Grins; by GEORGE COLMAN, (the younger ;) comprifing, with New Additional Tales in Verfe, thofe formerly pullifbed under the title of "My Night-Gown and Slippers."—Published in London, 1803.-In BOSTON, by Mrs. B. and J. Homans, and E. Larkin; January 1. 1804.

WHILE perusing these facetious tales, we were favoured with the following original communication by an English Gentleman, who has been long acquainted with their celebrated author. Its appearance in this place, we think, will be very acceptable to the readers of that pleasing little volume.

GEORGE COLMAN, the fubject of this effay, is the fon of George Colman, the celebrated author of the comedies of the Clandestine Marriage; the Jealous Wife; the English Merchant, tranflated from Voltaire; the Deuce is in him; Man and Wife, &c. The elder Colman was many years manager of Covent Garden Theatre, and died at the village of Brompton, near London, in a state of mental debility.

The younger Colman was initiated in the Gradus ad Parnaffum at the Univerfity of Aberdeen, in Scotland, for which place he does not entertain the most dignified fentiments. In his comedy of the POOR GENTLEMAN, he has indulged his fpleen against Scotland, at the expenfe of truth; and in his character of the Hon. Mifs Lucretia Mac Tab, he has made penury and pride the only fovereigns of her bosom.

The younger Colman, as a dramatift, is ranked highly in the prefent day. His earlieft productions, although written fomewhat loosely, indicated how confiderably he would ftand in the republic of the Drama, when his judgment was more ripened by experience and ftudy. His gradations of excellence have kept pace with his years; and it appears to the author of this memoir, that the older he grows, the better he writes. His laft comedy of JOHN BULL, or an Englishman's Firefide, comprehends more wit and philanthropy, in the dialogue and incidents, Vol. I. No. 2.

M

than any other play, that has been produced for many years; and the public award has justified this idea, as it was not merely received with applause, but with enthusiasm. But in this, as well as in his drama of the IRON CHEST, he has been indebted for its bafis and ground work to a contemporary, as the plot of John Bull is evidently borrowed from Anthony Pafquin's story of Col. Bellingham and Tim Kelty, in his life of Edwin the Comedian. This dramatist has been accused of plagiarisms, and the accufation is true; yet notwithstanding that, he is an author of brilliant and uncommon talents. He can enforce the best purposes of the heart, with an addrefs, that is almoft peculiar to himself, and infufes fuch a spirit of wit in his fcenic perfonages, as renders his productions almost as pleasant to perufe, as to fee reprefented.

This gentleman is the prefent Manager of the HAYMARKETTHEATRE, where he has established a company, who are entirely independent of the winter Theatres of that metropolis: yet he feldom produces a piece of his own, on his own ground, but prudently relies on the unprecedented ftrength of the exifting comic company of COVENT GARDEN THEATRE, where our favourite BERNARD once flourished, and which can now proudly exhibit the names of Kemble, Cooke, Munden, Fawcet, Emery, Blanchard, Incledon, Hill, Darley, C. Kemble, Farley, Rock, and the matchlefs Braham. In their catalogue of ladies they poffefs a Siddons, De Camp, Storace, Glover, Mattocks, H. Siddons, Davenport, &c. ; each being equal to her peculiar department, and forming, in the whole, a combination of hiftrionic excellence, that has perhaps never been furpaffed.

Mr. Colman has recently publifhed a volume of Tales, written in Pindaric verfe, called Broad Grins, a part of which has been formerly published under the title of "My Night-Gown and Slippers." Among the additional tales, that of the Knight and Friar is taken from the ancient history of the Monafteries of England; printed in black letter, and is there recorded as a literal fact. Of the others, one is borrowed, and the Elder Brother appears to be newly invented; but they both, however, poffefs confiderable merit.

Thefe TALES are allowed by European Critics to abound with broad and frong humour. The author appears to have taken

the CRAZY TALES for his model, and has managed the subject with his wonted ingenious address. They who are afflicted with the tedium vita, fhould hold themfelves indebted to Mr. Colman, for furnishing them with this volume, the perusal of which must excite rifibility, and banifh melancholy. On these confiderations, we heartily recommend them to our friends and readers as active antidotes against the influence of the spleen.— We have often heard of the names Fielding, Sterne, Smollet, &c. mentioned with gratitude by valetudinarians, for the relief which a perufal of their works afforded them; and we have reafon for believing that these Tales will be no less effectual ;—and that he may be juftly accounted a benefactor to mankind, who contributes to the diminution of their pains.

Elements of General Knowledge, Introductory to useful books in the principal branches of Literature and Science; with lifts of the moft approved Authors. Defigned chiefly for the Junior Students in the Universities, and the higher claffes in Schools. By HENRY KETT, B. D. Fellow of Trinity College, Oxford.-London, 1802.

THE attention of the public has been fo often folicited to books of this kind, and fo often meagerly rewarded in their perufal, that we might justly consider ourselves unworthy of credit, fhould we recommend fuch works, without being deeply impreffed with an idea of their fuperior merit. We are bold however in praifing this publication, fince we entertain no doubt of its value and importance. It manifefts a clear and judicious method, extenfive and accurate science, a correct and perfpicuous style, together with a strong and lively mode of thinking. This paffage from the author's preface, will give a better account of the work, than any we are able to offer.

"The following work contains the fubftance of a course of lectures, which I have occasionally read to my pupils during the last twelve years. The fatisfaction, which they expreffed on hearing them, has encouraged me to hope, that they will not prove unacceptable to those, for whose use they are now made public.

"To affert a claim to originality in fuch a work as this, would perhaps only be equivalent to a confeffion of its demerit. My pretensions to public regard must depend in no small degree upon the manner, in which I have clothed old ideas in a new dress, and upon my skill in compreffing within a moderate compass the fubftance of large voluminous works. Upon a!!

my fubjects I have endeavoured to reflect light from every quarter, which my reading would afford. My references, and the books mentioned in my appendix, will show the fources, from which I have derived my principal information but it would be almost an endless, and perhaps a very oftentatious task, to enumerate all my literary obligations.

:

"There are a few topics indeed, with respect to which I think I may be allowed to affert fome claims to novelty. For many of my remarks on the Greck Language I am indebted principally to my own obfervations upon its nature and comparative merits. The biftory of Chivalry, important as the influence of that remarkable institution has been upon manners, is a fubject, upon which I have been able to collect little information from English Authors; and the history of the revival of classical learning, although a topic of the strongest interest to every man of letters, has never been fully treated by any writer, with whose works I am acquainted.

"Many of my quotations are felected from such books, as, either from the number of the volumes, their scarcenefs, or expenfe, do not frequently come within the reach of young men. If fome of them are borrowed from more obvious and popular works, their peculiar beauty, strength and appofiteness, it is prefumed, will justify their introduction. But elegant as my quotations may be in point of style, conclufive as to reasoning, or striking as to the impreflion they are calculated to make, they will not completely anfwer the intended purpose, if, while they raise a high opinion of the merit of their authors, they do not excite an eager curiofity to perufe more of their works.

"If I should be fortunate enough to fucceed in procuring for eminent writers any additional degree of regard; if I fhould excite a more ardent and more active attention to any branches of useful knowledge; and if the variety of my topics fhould contribute to diffuse more widely the light of general information and useful truth; I fhall have the fatisfaction to reflect, that my time has not been facrificed to a frivolous purpose, by thus - endeavouring, in conformity with the occupations of the most valuable portion of my life, to inftruct the rifing generation."

Our limits will not permit us to enter into a thorough inveftigation of the propriety or impropriety of the fentiments and doctrines, contained in this book: we will only mention, that we have scarcely ever followed a didactic writer through the variegated fields of literature with more pleasure and approbation. We do not hesitate in declaring, that we think this work will prove an interesting manual to every Student, and that the perufal of it will by no means be unpleasant to the accomplished literati. We present to our readers these paragraphs, which clofe the chapter on eloquence.

93

"The eloquence of the moderns has rarely reached the standard of excellence, which was erected by the ancients. The character of each is widely different. In Greece, the public speaker was bold, impetuous and sublime. In Rome, he was more declamatory, verbose, flowery, and pathetic. Fenelon has thus ingeniously discriminated the eloquence of the two great orators of Greece and Rome. “ After hearing an oration of Tully, how finely and eloquently has he expreffed himself! faid the Romans. After Demofthenes had spoken, let us rife and march against Phillip,' faid the Athenians." In England the public fpeaker is cool and temperate, and addreffes himself more to the reafon of his audience, than to their paffions. There is still great scope for the display of genius in the pulpit, at the bar, and in the houses of parliament; and the path of fame is still left open to rifing orators. The rules laid down by the ancients, as the principles involved in those rules are of general utility, may be studied to great advantage, although much judgment is neceflary for their proper application; and attention must be paid to modern manners and to modern taste.

"Many distinguished examples of eloquence may be held up to the observation of the young orator; but he must avoid too close an imitation, even of the most eminent. Let him ftudy the most esteemed works of his predeceffors; let him frequently revolve, and even commit to memory, their productions, and repeat them with fuitable voice and action: and let him rather in his own compofitions endeavour to catch a portion of their spirit, than tread fervilely in their fteps. Demofthenes was vehement, abrupt, energetic and fublime, Cicero was dignified, luminous, and copious. Chatham united the energy of the one to the elegance of the other. Mansfield was perfuafive, delightful, and instructive. Burk was flowery, vivid, and fluent. Let the orator study to combine in his compofitions their united excellence. Let him not, to ufe the appofite and beautiful illustration of Quintilian, resemble the stream, that is carried through a channel, formed by art for its courfe; but rather let him be like thofe bold rivers, which overflow a whole valley; and where they do not find, can force a paffage by their own natural impetuofity and strength."

We have not heard of the republication of this work in the UNITED STATES. If it has not yet been printed here, it is furely an object, that deserves the attention of OUR BOOKSELLERS.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES.

By the death of J. Mackenzie, Efg. the publication of the Orig

inal Poems of Offian is for the prefent fufpended. To this gentleman Mr. Macpherson committed the original Celtic, from which he had tranflated or made up his English Offian. A fubscription,