Art. 40. Letters written in London by an American Spy, from Art. 42. Appeal from Scotland, in which the Spiritual Court of 5 A filly A filly tale of trifling adventures, related in a moft vulgar ftyle. The language, both in profe and rhime, is beneath criticism; and the journey through Great Britain is neither fentimental nor inftructive. We are forry for the unfortunate woman, while, in juslice to the Public, and to our reputation, we muft, of neceffity, condemn the still more unfortunate writer. R—m Art. 44. Particulars of the remarkable Trials, Convictions, &c. of John Shepherd; with his Hiftory, from his Birth. 8vo. IS. Bladon. Tediously written; but, we believe, faithfully detailed. Shepherd was executed for a highway robbery on the 2zd of November 1786. He was a remarkable offender; and had, through mistaken lenity, been too long permitted to prey on the Public. Art. 45. The Cacique of Ontario; an Indian Tale. 4to. 1s. 6d. Fielding. 1786. * This tale appeared in the year 1776 in the third edition of a volume of poems by Mr. Richardfon, profefior of humanity at Glafgow, under the title of The Indians, a Tale +. The new title feems to be fabricated by a perfon wholly unacquainted with the Indians of the northern parts of America, whofe chiefs are called Sachems and not Caciques; and though there be a lake, yet we believe there is no tribe, of the name of Ontario. What right the prefent Editor had to make free with Mr. Richardfon's performance, is best known to himself.-N. B. His prefixed advertisement, by which he would, as we apprehend, appear as the original Author, could not, poffibly, have come from the elegant pen of Profeffor Richardfon. What he means by fractical profe,' we cannot difcover, unless it be a mif-print, for poetical profe. Art. 46. An historical Narrative of the Discovery of New Holland and New South Wales, containing an Account of the Inhabitants, Soil, Animals, and other Productions of those Countries, and including a particular Description of Botany Bay, &c. 4to. 1s. 6d. Fielding. 1786. The prefent narrative contains an account of New Holland, chiefly taken from Don Pedro Fernandez de Quiros, who firft difcovered this island in 1609, and from Capt. Tafman, who failed from Batavia in 1642. The defcription of its foil, produce, inhabitants, &c. is, in great measure, extracted from Dampier's and Cook's voyages. Fronting the title-page, we have a neatly engraved chart of Botany Bay, with a general chart of New Holland, and the adjacent countries and islands. We shall transcribe the two concluding paragraphs for the fake of the observations contained in them. Should a war break out with Spain, cruizers from Botany Bay might much interrupt, if not deftroy, their lucrative, commerce from the Philippine Islands to Aquapulco; befides alarming and diftreffing their fettlements on the west coast of South America. In the foregoing accounts, the country about the bay is reprefented as producing timber and ftone for building, as alfo wood for * Of the first edition of thefe poems, fee our account in Rev. vol. li. p. 94. We alfo find this tale in the fourth edition of Mr. R.'s poems firing; firing; its foil as fit for the production of any kind of vegetable food; and the feas to abound with the most delicate fifh. Should any ob ject to the paucity of quadrupeds, it must be remarked, that a friendly intercourfe with the tropical islands will not only procure a fupply of hogs for food, but alfo for stock; and as moft of our navigators have afferted that the iflands lying eastward of Borneo, are well stocked with cattle of the buffalo kind, a breed of those, who are endemial to the climate, may be introduced, and in a few years, with the affittance of the hogs, there may be a fufficient fupply of animal food, not only for the use of the fettlers, but also of those who may be induced to visit them.' POLICE. R... m. Art. 47. A ferious Admonition to the Public, on the intended Thief-Colony at Botany Bay. 8vo. Is. 6d. Sewel. 1786. The Author objects to the plan of fending convicts to New Hol land, on several accounts, He thinks it unadvisable for us to eftablish new colonies, especially at fo great a distance from home, while the country is ftill fmarting for a war with her old colonies, whom the found herself unable to keep in dependance.' His next argument is founded on the idea that the fcheme would be an infringement on the charter of the Eaft India Company, granting to them an exclufive trade and navigation from the Cape of Good Hope to the Streights of Magellan, within which boundaries New Holland is fituated. The great expence neceffary to keep the convicts in fubjection, after their landing, as well as that of tranfporting them thither, forms another of this gentleman's objections to the intended plan: he likewife fhews the great inconveniences that must arife if the colonists are left entirely to themselves. The arguments of our Author are by no means thofe of an unexperienced man, either in politics or in trade; yet his ftyle, we are forry to obterve, is neither fo polite as a public admonition, and firiétures on the conduct of government, require; nor is it altogether free from rancour. After having thus ftated, and in a good measure demonftrated, the truth of his objections, our Author propofes a fcheme of fending convicts to another place, which he apprehends will be attended with lefs expence to the Public, and free from the objections to which the former is liable. He would tranfport them to the Inland of Tristan da Cunha: where, on account of its fituation, governors and guards would be unneceffary; and he would have them left there to themselves, without arms, and with fuch fmall boats only as could not quit the coaft. This ifland is fituated in lat. 37° 7' South, and long. 16° 10' Weft of London. It is confiderably larger than St. Helena; well watered, and abundantly flocked with feals and birds. The coaft abounds in a variety of fith, and the inland parts produce plenty of vegetables and wood. Near to this ifland are two others (one bearing S. W. by W. diftance 6 or 7 leagues; the other S. S. W. W. diftance 6 or 7 leagues) which, though not fo large, are nevertheless fimilar in their external appearance and productions. From the fituation of these islands, there is no poffibility of the banished convicts ever efcaping while they are deftitute of boats capable of failing to the distance of zco miles or upwards, in a rough and and dangerous fea; this laft circumftance feems a firong argument in fupport of our Author's fcheme. R- -m Art. 48. A Letter to the Committee of the Court of Common Council appointed to confider of the high Price of Provifions. 8vo. IS. Dilly. 1786. Mr. Merriman, the writer of this judicious letter, afferts, that one of the causes of the prefent high price of provifions, is the excefs of copper money, both lawful and counterfeit, now in circulation. His arguments depend on the principle that an increase in the quantity of any kind of coin decreases its value.' Mr. M. would have copper coin of the real intrinfic value of which it is a fign. This he thinks would undoubtedly leffen the quantity of it, and remedy the evil with which trade is at prefent oppreffed; and alfo be the most effectual method of preventing the circulation of counterfeit coin. Many other good obfervations are to be met with in this pamphlet. SERMONS. I. Preached before the Ancient and Honourable Society of Free Mafons, in Provincial Lodge affembled, in the Church of St. John in Chefter, June 26, 1786. By Thomas Crane, Minister of St. Olave, Chefter, and Chaplain to Earl Verney, Paft Provincial Grand Chaplain, Paft Mafter, and now Provincial Grand Orator. 4tó. Chefter printed, and diftributed gratis among the Brethren. Where publications are circulated in this liberal, difinterested manner, the privileges of authorship are extended; for mankind, by common confent, decline looking a gift horfe in the mouth: neverthelefs, though we have ever viewed the inftitution of Free Masonry in a favourable light, fo far as we could comprehend it, we cannot deem the pulpit a proper roftrum for the exhibition of its dictates. Gen. iv. 17. And he builded a city. This Rev. Brother supposes, that Cain, in his fugitive ftate, corrected his morals, and feems to have been received into favour by God; by his being permitted to build the first city recorded in hiftory: but-as he had previously been permitted to kill his brother Abel, the inference drawn from his building a city, feems to require a firmer foundation than mere permiflion to execute his purpose. Genuine mafonry, he obferves, whether applied to fhip-building, or to land structures, had its origin from Divine revelation and infpiration.' There is a branch of architecture, which being applied to the conftruction of floating bodies, is thence termed naval architecture; but we did not conceive that operative mafonry had any affinity with ship-building: the ftone-mafon and the fhip-carpenter having little in common between them, except fome few general principles, common alfo to other mechanical profeffions. How far mafonry may be intitled to a divine origin, may be left for thofe to prove, who afert it. We are difpofed to receive with thankfulness any communications with which to referved a body as the Free Mafons may vouchsafe to favour us, especially when fo folemnly delivered ex cathedra; and therefore fhall, with all due refpect, lay before our Readers, Brother Crane's illuftration of the three principal orders in architecture. • We Di 1 We MASONS acknowledge no more than THREE perfect and diftinct ANCIENT ORDERS: the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. To give a proper notion of thefe Orders, Architects have compared them to the appearance of the human body. Obferve a MAN in his luftre, formed by PROVIDENCE to be Lord over the inferior creation: in fuch a figure you will find no very ftriking beauty, but much ymmetry, much strength and majesty. Akin to this idea is the DORIC Column: not the most beautiful indeed; but neat, and of mafculine proportion. Attend to the appearance of a careful MATRON, without brilliant ornaments, and yet not abfolutely unadorned. Such is the IONIC Column, handjome and yet grave. 6 Fancy to yourself a blooming MAID, on whom Art and Nature have combined to lavish every excellent enrichment of drefs and beauty. This will give an idea of the CORINTHIAN Column, more flender than the Ionic, and abundantly more Splendid―the most perfect of the Columns.' Such fimilitudes, being the mere play of the imagination, we may yield our affent to them or not, as they ftrike our fancies with propriety or impropriety; but when a clergyman, in his proper character, ventures to pronounce, publicly, and pofitively, as to hiftorical facts of high antiquity, and to controvert their general acceptation, we naturally expect to find affertion fupported by fome kind of vouchers. Brother Crane boldly tells his congregation, that thefe Orders, though at prefent they take their names from the Dorians, Ionians, and Corinthians, three States in ancient Greece, exifted among the Ifraelites before thefe, States received them: thefe Orders came originally, as every excellent gift cometh, from GoD; and are coeval with SOLOMON'S TEMPLE, which was built to the NAME OF JEHOVAH, a name adored by all true Mafons.' As we cannot fuppofe our Author would trifle with his audience, and with the Public at large, by a fermon, which being now printed must come into a variety of hands befide ours, who are not Mafons; fo, when we ask for fome evidence to juftify thefe pofitions, we do not expect him, as a rational divine, to elude us by flipping into the obfcurity of his lodge, and to cut us fhort by the plea of their being mafonical fecrets! Any affertions may be hazarded upon fuch ground. Mystical writers, however, while they foar in regions far above the ken of thofe heavy mortals who are cautious of quitting terra firma, enjoy their opinions in perfect fecurity. For our part, we have only to confefs, that our small stock of common fenfe is ftaggered by the confident language of incomprehenfibilities; and when a writer like the prefent, undertakes to compound different mysteries together, it is time for us to retire, as we now do, after leaving the following paffage to the investigation of our Readers: But what if the fpirit of Mafonry, as carried on in the earthly Lodge, will certainly be introduced into a better state of existence! Saint John, in the Book of Revelation, fpeaking of thofe events which are to take place at the end of the world, faith" the temple of GOD was opened in heaven, and there was feen in his temple the ark of his teftament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, |