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Lord Caftlereagh last year, were, he fays, "formed on the fol. lowing grounds: that a confiderable military force was neceffary for the defence and future profperity of the country; that, that force fhould, as nearly as poffible, approach the defcription of our regular troops; that the volunteer force was not only abfo. lutely inefficient, but prejudicial to the other branches of mili tary fervitude; and that, as it was contrary to the genius of Englishmen to become foldiers, from the independence and liberty which they inhale in this happy land with their firft breath, it was effential to have recourfe to the only obligatory fervice admiffible in free ftates, viz. calling on the population for home defence, that, by reconciling them to the habits of foldiers, by compulfatory local fervice, the army might be reinforced from fuch corps, by the influence of bounty, the force of example, and the indifference of many, who being (were) obliged to ferve, how far that fervice extended."

On the affumed ground of inefficiency in the volunteers, the author commends the prefent establishment of a local militia; but he would divide that body of men into claffes, and recommends that one clafs should be calculated to fupply volunteers for gene ral fervice, another be trained, in cafe of their being wanted, for home defence, and a third, confifting of the aged and infirm and the most wealthy citizens, pay for the protection they enjoy, and fupply funds to fupport this establishment. This appears to be the principle and outline of the author's plan; which, of courfe, he prefers to that of Lord Caftlereagh, giving credit, however, to the noble fecretary for having (as he fuppofes) in part adopted his fuggeftions.

Though we do not agree with this writer as to the "total inefficiency" of the volunteers, yet, confidering the importance of his object, and the fpecioufnefs, at leaft, of his plan, we deem it worthy of public attention. His remarks alfo on what he terms "Regimental Finance," appear to us well calculated to attain a material purpofe, the fimplifying, and confequently facilitating, of military accounts.

CATHOLIC QUESTION.

A&T. 29. Letter on the Catholic Claims; written to the late Right Hon. Edmund Burke, in the Year 1795. By the Hon. William Smith, LL. D. F. R.S. and M.R.I.A. now third Baron of the Exchequer in Ireland, then a Member of the late Parliament of that Country. 8vo. 32 pp. Rivingtons and Hatchard. 1808.

We have, on a former occafion, paid a juft tribute to the abili ties and patriotifm of this writer. His fpeech in behalf of the

*See Brit. Crit. Vol. xiv. p. 264.

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Union

Union with Ireland was one of the ableft vindications of that important measure. The Letter before us, though published long fince, appears to have been a much earlier production. It bears, indeed, many marks of a juvenile writer, whofe opinions were then unfettled, and whofe judgment was not matured. He enters into the queftion on the Catholic Claims with much candour, and gives, though with diffidence, fome ftrong reafons against them, arguing (juftly in our opinion) that "the complete fecurity of the established Church can only be attained by a clear afcendant on its fide;" and profeffing to agree with Dr. Duigenan, in the opinion, that "a formidable portion of temporal authority infeparably clings to that fpiritual fupremacy with which the Catholic doginas inveft the Pope." Yet, towards the end of the Letter, he feems implicitly to follow the opinion of his diftinguished correfpondent, and to recommend an acquiefcence in the demands of the Romanifts to their fullest extent. Upon the whole, we deem this Letter a hafty, or at least an ill-digefted performance, and cannot imagine why it should, at this diftance of time, have been published, as it gives but little promife of thofe abilities, which the Author has fince difplayed.

DIVINITY.

ART. 30. A Sermon on the Duties of Public Worship, preached at. the Octagon Chapel, Bath, on Sunday, Dec. 11, 1808. By John Gardiner, D. D. 8vo. 30 pp. Is. 6d. Bath, printed; Rivingtons, London. 1808.

The whole of this difcourfe turns on the fuppofition of a fub, ject admitted into the prefence of his fovereign, as illuftrative of the feelings fuited to a Chriftian on entering the House of God; and many circumftances are ftated, in which the feelings and deportment of the one may properly fupply a leffon to the, other. The inftruction in every inftance is applicable à fortiori, if fuch would be your conduct before a mortal fovereign, how infinitely more is it required before the Lord of heaven, and earth! The clearnefs and fimplicity of the illuftration would probably give effect to it in the delivery, and the circumstances of resemblance employed by Dr. G. are well chofen. He concludes thus

"If you worship the Lord in his holy Temple with the reverence due to Him; a reverence exempt from those defects and abuses on which I have infifted as too prevalent in the world; a reverence founded in reason and faith, fpringing from the heart and manifested in the most becoming outward acts, equally free from luke. warmnefs and fuperftition; if fuch, I fay, is the enlightened and pious, the pure and affecting homage which you offer to the Almighty in his heufe, then you have no need to fear but that your

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public as well as private devotions will be accepted of him; then you may be confoled in the idea that he will fpeak peace to his faithful fervants, and cause their fupplications to return on them in bleffings; then you will fhine as lights in an untoward generation, and you will experience now and for ever the fidelity of this promife, The Lord, the God of Ifrael faith, them that honour me I will bonour." P. 29.

ART. 31. Two Sermons, preached on the First Day of January, 1809, at Hanover-Street Chapel; and on the Eighth of the fame Month, at Worship-Street Chapel, London. By Jofeph Nightin gale, Author of "A Portraiture of Methodism," Published by Request. 8vo. 47 PP. Longman. 1809.

Of thefe two Sermons the firft is on "the Effects of Time on the Condition of Man;" the second on Gratitude for the Divine Mercy, Both have reference to the subject of the new year, and both are written with ability; though the former is the more eloquent.

Mr. Nightingale, whofe "Portraiture of Methodifm" we read with attention and inftruction*, profeffes himself a diffenter, though to what clafs he belongs does not appear. The Methodifts will hardly own him, after difclofing fo many of their faults. To whatever fociety he may belong, it is evidently not one of the difcontented fort. He is loyal, and truly fenfible of the bleffings which even diffenters enjoy under our happy constitution. After confeffing that we fuffer fome evils from the present ftate of warfare, he adds :

"But we know comparatively nothing of its horrors, and in deed experience but few of the wants and neceffities with which the beft conducted war is always attended. Let us again have recourfe to comparison and contraft. Ah! my friends! were we to witness the thousand horrors that stalk abroad in those coun tries which conftitute the theatre of ambitious carnage, we should then think our prefent condition a comparative heaven! Could we fee the depopulated cities, the burning villages, the fmoking plains, the ftreaming vallies, red with the blood of the fallen; could we hear the cries of the helplefs orphans, the thricks of premature widowhood, and the groans of departing warriors, [in the countries] over which the defolating hand of war has been, and ftill is ftretched, we fhould turn our eyes from the heart ap palling picture, and exclaim with humble gratitude, while our cheeks felt the tear of pity, furely goodness and mercy fhall fol low us all the days of our life." P. 49.

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ART. 32.

Moral Maxims, from the Wisdom of the Son of Sirach, or Ecclefiafticus. Selected by a Lady. 12mo. 3S.

Harris.

These maxims, inftead of being referred to their places in the original, are numbered in fucceffion, and amount to 548. They certainly tend to give a high idea even of the uninfpired merality. of the Jews, fo far as they are not borrowed from the canonical books themselves. What is remarkable is, that this fmall work, at fo fmall a price, includes four engravings, both elegantly defigned, and by no means ill engraved.

MISCELLANIES.

ART. 33. Advice to a young Reviewer, with a Specimen of the 8vo. 17 PP. Is. Oxon, Parker; London, Riving..

Art.

tons. 1807.

This is an elegant sketch, of which more might eafily have: been made by the fame talents which produced it. The fatire conveyed in it is not remarkably fevere; at leaft we have feen Reviews which we thought deferving of a much more biting at tack. To us, we fatter ourselves, it does not at all apply. The fra part is remarkable for good writing. The fecond is not perhaps inferior in that refpect, but taking up an idea which has al ready been very ably employed, lofes fomething of its force. It is a critique on Milton's Allegro, as the fuppofed production of a young poet, exactly in the ftyle of the newfpaper critique on Othello, which is fo admirably given in Mr. Cumberland's Obferver. We know not how we have fo long overlooked th tract.

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ART. 34. Tales of Inftruction and Amusement; written for the Ufe of young Perfons. By Mifs Mitchell, Author of Řational Amufement, Faithful Contract, and Moral Tales. 8vo. 252 pp. Harris. 1807.

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Indeed these are, in a high degree, "Tales of Inftruction and Amusement ;" and we ftrongly recommend them to the ufe of young perfons. It appears, from an affectionate dedication to Mifs and Mifs M. A. Harrifon, that the author was employed in conducting their education, during the early part of it; and we find, with great fatisfaction, this leffon continually inculcated, that religion and virtue muft ever be the bafis of folid happiness. We cannot afford room for one of these tales, though they are far from being long or tedious; but a few lines, from the dedi cation, will fufficiently recommend the whole book.

"You are now entering on a more extenfive plan of education, you are mixing with a larger fociety, but do not in the public feminary

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feminary forget the private friend! Let thofe precepts, it has always been my ardent defire to inculcate, ftill live in your re membrance! Let them warn you, that however defirable mufic, drawing, and thofe elegant accomplishments befitting your rank may be, they are ftill but fecondary confiderations; which, though they may render you agreeable, can never, without higher acquirements, make you beloved; they may impart plea. fure, but can never beftow happiness!" P. vi.

ART. 35. The Bibliomania; or Book-Madness; containing fome Account of the Hiftory, Symptoms, and Cure of this fatal Disease. In an Epiftle addreffed to Richard Heber, Efq. By the Rev. Thomas Frognall Dibdin, F. S. A. 8vo. 87 pp. 45. Longman and Co. 1809.

The poetical Epiftle to Mr. Heber, noticed in June last, p. 631, has produced a profaic Epiftle on the fame fubject, which contains at leaft much more matter than the former. Mr. Dibdin is too notoriously a victim to the disease here examined, to be fuppofed at all ferious in defcribing it as fatal, or even pernicious; but he has taken this pretext as a convenient vehicle for collecting many curious particulars refpecting the hiftory of fcarce books, and their collectors, more especially in England. Some materials of the fame kind had been collected by Mr. D. for the periodical paper called the Director, which had been very well received; and this fuccefs probably encouraged him to purfue the subject here.

The author is methodical in his view of the Bibliomania, and takes a view, 1. "Of the Hiftory of Disease, or an account of the eminent men who have fallen victims to it.

2. The Nature and Symptoms of the Disease. 3. The probable Means of its Cure." The fymptoms appear to us to be very ably selected. They are displayed, he fays, by a paffion for, 1. Large Paper Copies. 2. Uncut Copies. 3. Illuftrated Copies. 4. Unique Copies. 5. Copies printed upon Vellum. 6. First Editions. 7. True Editions. 8. A general Defire for the Black Letter," P. 58.

These symptoms are then more particularly defcribed; and we with it could be affirmed that medical writers in general were equally clear and correct in fetting down the diagnoftics of the dif orders which they undertake to illuftrate. At the fame time, like a sportsman who encourages the breed of foxes, Mr. D. in his propofed republication of Ames's Typographical Antiquities, is providing amply for the increase of Bibliomania, whofe efforts to inflame the price of books efteemed rare or curious will remain to be recorded by himself, or fome later hiftorian.

ART. 36. A new Picture of the Isle of Wight, illuftrated with Thirty-fix Plates of the most beautiful and interefling Views

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