of the temple itself admonish you to take care of your eyes in contemplating it*.'

We have thus paid an attention to Mr. Falconer's effay, which we think well beftowed upon it and him. The curioufnefs of the fubject imperceptibly led us on; and we doubt not that many of our readers will purfue the fubject with us, equally led on by curiofity, and thanking us for the excurfion that we have taken them.

(To be continued.)

ART. XI. An entire new Syftem of mercantile Calculation, by the Ufe of univerfal arbiter Numbers, introduced by an elementary Defcription of, and commercial and political Reflections on, univerfal Trade. Illuftrated and exemplified by the Elements of the Chain Rule of Three, the Nature of the Exchanges, and of all Charges and Contingencies on Goods, which are alfo reduced to a plain and concife Syftem, new and univerfal. By an old Merchant. 4to, 372 PP. 11. 11s. 6d. Leigh and Sotheby. 1796.

THIS author will, we doubt not, be fatisfied with our testimony, that although he does not shine as a writer, he has unquestionably produced a very useful and important volume. His ideas are both ingenious and novel, and he has expreffed them with perfpicuity, if not with elegance.

He begins his defcription of univerfal trade, by explaining the reafons for the locality of produce and manufactures, and how the overplus of both become the object of foreign trade and the wealth of nations. His principle is founded on this obfervation," that every perfon, either in England or her colonies, by whofe industry any article is produced worth thirty pounds, and fent to foreign parts, is the means of increafing the wealth of England by fo much, befides the profit of the manufacturer, or planter, or merchant."

Thefe obfervations have led the author to make many reflections on our West India trade, as well as on the flave trade; he urges the neceffity of continuing to fupport and encourage the former, and the abfurdity of attempting the pre

Pliny xxxvi. 5. In magnâ admiratione eft-Hecate Ephefi in templo Dianæ poft Edem, in cujus contemplatione admonent Editui parcere oculis, tanta marmoris radiatio eft."

3

cipitate

cipitate deftruction of the latter with the Africans, "whofe trade," fays the author, among themfelves, as far as we have been able to explore, confifts chicly in this traffick." He propofes, however, a method to encourage the propagation of flaves in our colonies, which he thinks would be more efficacious in promoting the caufe of humanity.

"

He proceeds to expatiate on the advantages of foreign trade, where British merchants engage in trade between two or more foreign nations; and the benefit arifing to any place, by making it a middle market: and he recommends legalizing the former, as much as prudence will admit, being a means of deftroying clandeftine trade, and much to the advantage of our own navigation; as foreign fhips only can be employed in fuch clandeftine trade." For the encouragement of the latter, he recommends the utmoft œconomy to be obferved in all charges and contingencies attending it, and the greatest simplicity to be used by government in admitting goods in and out of port," as tending molt to evade clandestine attempts; concluding," That complex regulations and checques (which always tend to confufe bufinefs) aflift the fmuggler in his operations, as much as railing a confufion in the community affords opportunities to the plunderer." He reprobates oaths at our custom-houfe, and recommends bonds, at an eafy expence, in their ftead; obferving (we think judicioully) that penalties, by being eafily recovered, would be more dreaded than fuch oaths; because their falfity would, in their nature, be very difficult to be detected as wilful."

It feems to be the plan of this author to interfperfe through his work many ufeful hints for the regulation and increafe of our national commerce; while his principal view is to point out the various means by which the balances of trade are created between all commercial places; inferring that from thence arife the various and continual fluctuations in the exchanges. It is the purpose of his first fet of tables, of arbiter numbers (which appear to be of his invention) to enable the merchant to keep a more univerfal checque on the variations and difproportions of the prices of exchanges, than can otherwife be done. In this chapter alfo he thows how the prices of goods are governed, and ufes feveral arguments to prove, that the encouragement of the exportation of all articles, is the beft means to produce plenty of then and he induces the confequent neceflity of ufing the greatcft caution in giving any cheque to their circulation. He then points out the method of procuring materials for calculations and comparing the prices of goods; and fhows, in fome fort, how his fyftem in the last chapter removes all difficulties which arife by means

of

of the variety of European weights, measures, allowances, duties, &c.

In the fecond chapter, the author enters upon practical bufinefs, and the elements of the chain rule of three: the method he uses to teach this rule, is by harmonizing its proportions, and fhowing how this harmony is kept up through all the progreffive fteps by which he carries the reader to a complete knowledge of this excellent rule. The feveral digreflions he makes from applying the rule to the exchanges, by introducing other very ufeful obfervations, feem calculated to effect the writer's purpose.

With refpect to the author's newly invented numbers, which he calls arbiters, he has first applied them to the exchanges, preparatory to his united calculations of goods with them; he puts their accuracy to the teft, by proving every example through the work, by the chain rule of three, as far as this rule will carry us; after making every attentive reader competent to checque them: The extent of the calculations which are capable of being made by the use of these arbiter numbers, appears almoft infinite. The author has formed three tables to fhow their univerfality; and he has given various examples by way of explanation; although these have convinced us of their great extent and usefulness; we with he had given a more extenfive explanation, both of his commercial and political applications of the univerfal checques which he recommends by means of these tables.

The tables of arbiters, applied to the exchanges, follow thefe explanations; and thefe are preceded by a table of the money now in ufe in each place, viz. that in which they keep their books, exchange, and pass current, compared together; and alfo a table of the courfes of exchanges, by way of index to the tables of arbiters. This we think an arrangement perfectly convenient to the merchant.

The laft chapter begins by a defcription of the nature of the charges and contingencies of goods; with a minute detail of the many caufes which fubject them to continual variations. These the author forms into tables defcriptive of the fundry charges enumerated; which he has introduced before every clafs of his tables of arbiters for goods; to remind and enable the merchant to deduce from them, in the money of each country, the total charges and contingencies to which goods are liable by the pound, centner, piece or fixed tale, yard, ell or quarter, and thofe they are liable to by the per cents. On these two fums he forms his fyftem, by reducing the first coft price of every article, in all places, to the full coft price fimply; and the grofs fale price of ditto, to the net fale price

fimply:

fimply: and thus divefts fuch prices of all incumbrances, which interrupted their being combined in calculation with the prices of exchanges.

He next proceeds to recommend to every merchant to form lifts of fuch two numbers for every article they wish to deal in; and exemplifies with what ease they might be varied, conformably to every variation to which they are liable, by the feafons of winter and fummer, war or peace, &c. &c.

Having by these means reduced the prices of goods to the full coft prices fimply, and the net fale prices fimply: the arbiter numbers annexed to fuch prices, added to the arbiter numbers annexed to the price of exchange, between the two countries where the goods are purchased and fold, give the exact profit or lofs per cent, arifing from such a transaction.

Such is the author's fyftem, and though in many places we wish he had been more explanatory, yet we may congratulate our refpectable body of merchants on fuch an opportunity of furnishing themselves with a fund of mercantile knowledge; and with having the means of making the moft intricate calculations with ease and conciseness.

ART. XII. The Works of the British Poets, with Prefaces biographical and critical. By Robert Anderson, M. D. Thirteen Volumes. Royal 8vo. 81. in Boards. Bell and Bradfute, Edinburgh; J. and A. Arch, London. 1794— 1796.

WE

E formerly (Vol. iv. p. 41) noticed with approbation the first four volumes of this collection, which contained the more ancient poets of the nation. Of the remaining nine, the firft feven comprife all the modern poets of diftinction, in whose works the copy-right has expired; and the last two contain the most celebrated tranflations into verse, of the Greek and Roman Claffics. In a fenfible and unaffected preface, prefixed to the eleventh volume, Dr. Anderfon takes upon himself the refponfibility of the felection that has been made, and declares the plan of the work to have originated with him. He points out the propriety of his defign by an accurate account of the feveral collections of British poetry, from Tottell's Poetical Mifcellany, printed in 1557, to the edition known under the appellation of Dr. Johnfon's, re-published and augmented in 1790. Dr. Anderfon informs us, that he took occafion to recommend to the prefent proprietors,

a collection

a collection upon an enlarged plan, which might unite the works of the ancient and modern poets in one comprehenfive view, and exhibit the progrefs of our national poetry, corref ponding with the gradual refinement of language and of manners, from the rudeness and fimplicity of a remote period, to the polish and elegance of modern times." To encourage the proprietors in an undertaking fo extenfive, this gentleman, with a love for poetical literature which merits the highest applaufe, difinterestedly offered to "furnish them with a biographical and critical preface to the works of each author."

The editor, after giving a lift of the feveral poets whofe works he recommended for insertion, and specifying fome both ancient and modern, to whose inferior merit a place was neceffarily denied, "on account of the arrangements which the proprietors had made relative to the extent of the collection," gives the following account of what has been effected.

"Notwithstanding thefe limitations, which on the part of the editor were unavoidable, it is with fome degree of confidence that he offers to publick infpection, a Collection of English Poetry, which contains the works of one hundred and fourteen authors, of whom fortynine are not to be found in the laft edition of the Works of the English Poets, commonly called Dr. Johnson's edition; and forty-five are now for the first time received into an edition of English Poetry."

"In the works of the authors already collected, efpecially of the later authors, fome deficiencies have been fupplied in the prefent edi tion. In the works of Langhorne in particular, the additions are numerous and important. They are fuch as a reader of English Poetry will readily distinguish, and therefore unneceffary to be pointed out."

A collection in which the reader will thus find almost the whole of the British Parnaffus placed before his view, merits our approbation. From the firft afcent to the highest fummit, all its paths are rendered pervious, and every spot made acceffible. The attention is called not merely to its grander scenes and moft ftupendous monuments, which excite aftonishment and command admiration, but is attracted to the humbler retreats of Nature, where we are delighted with the appearance of fweet and modeft cultivation. Every poetical performance, whether eminent for fublimity or tenderness, for grandeur or for eafe, whether the labour of the ferious or the laughing Mufe, has its station affigned. Such a book enables the intelligent reader to afcertain the improvements of our language and the progress of our taste; to trace the genealogy of every writer from his poetical parents, and afcertain his pedigree from the fimilarity of his hereditary lineaments. In it he may watch the course of imitation, and difcover the æra or

the