*Mr. Laurence's books on this fubject, may prove instructive to fome readers; but if we except his floping fhelters, we meet with nothing that is new or useful of the author's own. vd saut fig Mr. Miller is rather too fond of finding fault, and feveral of his criticifms are perhaps but ill founded: he also understands but little of the art of pruning fruit-trees, so as to confine them in little room, and promote their bearing; but from obfervation and experience he informs us of what he had found impractice, that fome kinds of fruit trees may be trained magainst ä wall, foras to bear well, without much pruning, or fhortening of the branches. He advises us to train efpaliers in a manner fimilar to that which he directs us to obferver in placing of the branches of wall-trees; he has alfo preferred making of efpa, liers to raifing of dwarf-trees, for reafons which Lam afraid the reader will find do not hold in experience. Het is fevere against the ancients, where it is evident that he had either not confulted their works, or did not understand them at the fame time, we find thin retailing their prejudices with all the eclat of new difcoveries or maxims of his own. We find him in many places anaffuming dictator, where he ought to have been la modest propofer. I muft at the fame time do him the justice to declare, that notwithstanding many obvious faults that are to be found in his Dictionary, it contains a variety of ufeful knowledge to the intelligent, that is no-where else to be met with.

to 'gjames Juftice has published a book on fruit trees, in which fome new kinds of fruit are defcribed, which may intitle it to be perused by the curious; but flowers feem to be his proper province and fuch as chufe to lay out their fortune in purchafing of flower-roots, for fpend their lives in admiration of the flowers that they produce, will find him a very proper guide in pursuing fuch ftudies d yum sgbolwes¿

We now come to the Treatife itfel, which the author has divided into three booksos od vem t

2

In the first book he treats of the fituations and foils which are fit for plantations of fruit-trees;vintroduces fome general obfervations on the kinds of fruit-trees); gives directions for fowing the feeds that produce the different kinds of stocks, and alfo for planting a nursery; fpecifies the different methods of propagating all the kinds of fruit-trees; mentions the manner of obtaining varieties, or rather of procuring new fpecies of apple and pear treesgrand concludes this division of his work with defcriptions of the different methods of budding and grafting.d DinBook II first treats of the different kinds of walls, as well as of their afpects and heights, proper for a fruit garden; of the art of training tices to a wall by wires of the making, endrelling,

1

dreffing, and keeping of borders for wall-trees; and of the diftance at which frui fruit trees may be planted walls: then follow directions for planting and heading down wall-trees, and for purchafing and planting of fruit-trees. To there fucceeds the method of training and pruning wall and fruit-trees of different growths, both in winter and fummer, together with fome obfervations explaining the rife and progress of the art of pruning wall-trees. We are next prefented with the manner of preventing and remedying the mischiefs which befall walland afterwards with directions for planting, pruning, training, and rearing of efpaliers, dwarf-trees, and half-ftandards. The author then defcribes the method of labouring and dreffing the fruit-borders; mentions the remedies proper for the mischiefs which happen to fuch fruit-trees as are planted in the open air: and clofes his fecond book with a few general directions for planting orchards.

now to emisme sa oppugnes

Book III. contains a particular defcription of fuch fruit of each kind, as have appeared to this writer to be the beft, after a careful examination; and concludes with pointing out the marks of ripenefs, with the manner of gathering and preferving fruit. Cor send oat bak ist We are forry the limits of our Review will not permit us to Plus give any fpecimens of this author's manner of treating his fubject, and defcribing the feveral neceffary operations in Gardening we will, however, venture to recommend his book plain, practical, fenfible, and useful,

as

IV. Anecdotes of British Topography, or an historical Account of
what has been done for illustrating the Topographical Antiquities of
Great Britain and Ireland. 4to. Pr. I
Pr. 1Ï. 15. Te Payne, &

تركي

Π

&c.

IF this publication contained only a dry recital of the books, papers, pamphlets, prints, drawings, and other requifitès, for executing a fyftem of British topography, it would be no more a fubject for our Review than the common catalogue of any bookfeller. But after carefully perufing this work, we muft candidly acknowledge the author's abilities as a critic, as well as an antiquarian. We have had many learned writers who have taken incredible pains on the different branches of antiquities, but have received no acceffion of reputation from their labours, because all they gave the public were ill judged, uninterefting, collections, in which, for want of critical difcernment, their readers were involved in labyrinths of uncertainties, improbabilities, and often impoffibilities.

37. This

This author, in the excellent preface prefixed to his work, after expofing the infufficiency of the English writers be fore the Reformation for compofing geographical defcriptions of England, pays the tribute of applaufe to the induftrious Leland, whom he juftly terms the British Paufanias. Henry VII. however, who encouraged and patronized bin, was not fo much in love with fearning as with diffipation. He gave too great a loofe to the rage of diffolving and demolishing religious houses, for his antiquary to avail himself of the contents of thofe repofitories, as he might have done under a lefs furious reformation: his principal works, therefore, are only the outlines and materials of a greater plan, which he enjoyed neither as fome time before his death life nor reafon to finish; for he in a state of infanity. Leland, as an English antiquary, was fucceeded by Camden, who made himself mafter of the Saxon language, the remains of which he found in the libraries of archbishop Parker and Sir Robert Cotton. He began his collections early in life; for our author fays, that he was but little turned of thirty, when he firft communicated them to the world. The fame of thefe two great antiquaries is too univerfal, and their abilities too generally acknowledged, for us to infift farther upon their character.

In 1590 an Antiquarian Society was formed by fome great men; but (fays this writer) though the filly apprehenfions of the timid pedant then on the throne, who must have all wifdom center in himself, checked their meetings, it laid no reftraint on their fpirit.' This paffage is inaccurately expreffed, as the timid pedant, king James I. did not fucceed to the throne of England till twelve years after 1590. Our author next mentions with proper refpect the labours of Dugdale, who publithed the Monafticon Anglicanum, as carrying the palm from thofe of Mabillon, author of the voluminous Annales et Aca Ordinis S. Benedicti, which came into the world under the patronage of the fociety whofe hiftory they contain. The Mnafticon Anglicanum (continues he) refcued from the jaws of war and fanaticism, lay at the mercy of booksellers.”

This writer, seems to be of opinion, that had Dr. Plott lived at this time, he might in part have fucceeded in the general plan he had formed to improve the labours of Leland and Camden, by travelling through England and Wales, for promoting learning and trade by a ftrict enquiry after all natural and artificial curiofities. He thinks this might have been effected through the encouragement held out by the many focieties of this age to the fearchers after truth, in every part of the plan, without the credulity of the preceding one. He fup. poses, that the Italians and the French alone can come in com

petition with the English in the ftudy of topographical antiquities, and diftinguishes very juftly between the genius of thofe people; but upon the whole, he gives the preference to the English, As to the northern nations, he mentions only the.. names of Wormius and Bartholinus. Perhaps, upon proper enquiry, be might have found other valuable Scandinavian an-a tiquaries. We fhall only inftance the notes of Stephanus upon Saxon hiftory, where we meet with a number of recondite but valuable torical antiquities, and fome of them applicable to the Saxon remains in Great Britain. Mamá ed: 1A

Lambard was ftimulated to his perambulation of Kent by the labours of Camden; Erdefwicke collected for Staffordshire and Carew wrote the hiftory of Cornwall and Pembrokeshire,: which laft remains in manufcript. Norden furveyed feven coun-a ties: Burton undertook Leicestershire. Somner's defcription of Canterbury, does great honour to his learning and industry; but the confufion of the times prevented his executingva, furvey of Kent, a lofs which cannot be fufficiently regretted. Our au-1 thor propofes Sir William Dugdale's Warwickshire as a model for all works of that kind; but thinks, that his imitator Thoroton did not equal it in his hiftory of Nottinghamshire, Bishop Tanto ner, who was undoubtedly an excellent antiquary, did not lived to finifh an account of Wiltshire, Sir Harry Spelman's de fcription of Norfolk, and Wright's of Rutlandshire,ware mete out-lines. Randall Catherall collected for Oxfordshire, 1625; Silas Taylor for Herefordshire, 1645; but we are at a loss where to find their papers. Afhmole began collecting fore Berkshire in 1667; and Aubrey perambulated Surry in 1673.idqagong to Dr. Salmon's edition of Sir Henry Chauncey's history of Hertfordfire in the beginning of this century, is valuable for its account of property; and Dr. Batteley enlarged Somner's hiftory of Canterbury. The furvey of Gloucestershire was deft by Sir Robert Atkins; but we are promifed a new history of that county by a bookfeller of Cirencester,

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easy tugis bask Rifdon's meagre furvey (fays our author) of Devon was com piled about the fame time, Mr. Bridges had been long em-i ployed about Northamptonshire, but died before he could are range his materials. Sir Thomas Cave has taken up the far therlefs work, and we are impatient to receive the ad vol. with the valuable draughts. Several defcriptions of other counties, left unfinished by their authors, found a patron and publifher in Dr. Rawlinfon. Among thefe I reckon Afamole's Berkshire and Aubrey's Surry, and the flimfey incorrect coins pilations for the cathedrals of Rochefter, Chichefter, Worcestery Litchfield, and.Salisbury. At this time too it was the fashion to enter into other men's labours: Dr, Harris compiled his

T

hiftory

history of Kent 1719 from all the former accounts of it, and his own perambulation; but without much judgment or skill in thedufe or arrangement of his imperfect defigns. Mr. Peck having put together in a most uncouth stile and method, Antiquarian annals" of Stamford, propofed 1729 fetting about a history of Leicester and Rutland hires, which failed of encouragement, and upon his death fell to the ground. In came out a flight furvey of Dorfetfhire by Mr. Coker, which Mr. Hutchins with proper encouragement will certainly improve. At the fame time N. Salmon, as his last shift to live, fet about a survey of Effex, and to the collections made by others, added his own industry and conjectures. However extravagant these last may appear, I am forry to be obliged to fay his unfinished account of this county, of which fo much might be faid, is the best yet extant. The neighbouring county of Norfolk was next attended to, and had Mr. Blomefield lived, we might have feen a valuable work. But, as if by the fatality attending antiquarian collectors, particular efforts on the hif tory of fingle counties have dropt into the graves of their intended authors."ot Dr. Borlafe in his Natural Hiftory and Antiquities of Cornwall has hewn, by an example yet unimitated, how both thefe fubjects may be treated with accuracy and elegance; and, perhaps a fingle inftance, is preparing a 2d edition of the latter work with confiderable improvements.

3

Of the forty counties of England, eighteen have found no antiquary hardy enough to attempt their general illuftration, Bedfordshire, Shrophire, and Suffex, ftill want the very rudiments of geographical and hiftorical defcriptions. Only one hundred in Bucks has been defcribed. Blomefield's Collectanea Cantabrigienfia, any more than Layer's MS. are only church notes in a fewn parishes in Cambridgeshire. George Smith, Efq; of Cumberland took fome pains about the antiquities of that northern county; but if I am not mifinformed, he has been dead eight years. A preliminary difcourfe to a natural history of Derby thirs remains in Ashmole's Mufeum; and Dr. Leigh's is not much better. Dr. Smith's and Dr. Hunter's valuable collections for the hiftory of Durham are yet with-held from the public; and Mr. Spearman's intention proved abortive. Want of materials must not be complained of there. Much might be faid of Hampshire and of Winchester, more than the two good, but short, printed accounts afford. As to Huntingdonhire, no fteps have been taken towards illuftrating it fince Sir Robert Cotton, its brighteft ornament, declined the purfuit. We are quite unacquainted with Lancafhire. Dr. Stukeley gave us all the information about the county of Lincoln that was confiftent with his other engagements, and this for the extent

of