MONTHLY For CATALOGUE, MAY, 1791. FRENCH REVOLUTION. Art. 18. Obfervations on the Right Hon. Edmund Burke's Pamphlet on the Subject of the French Revolution. By Benjamin Bousfield, Efq. 8vo. PP. 54. Is. 6d. Dublin printed. London reprinted for Johnson. 1791. WITH much freedom, and fometimes with warm and glowing language, but yet with a candid and becoming fpirit, Mr. Bousfield animadverts on various parts of Mr. Burke's work; and especially on his ridicule of the Revolution and conftitutional focieties; on his contempt of the diffenters; on his abuse of the French National Affembly; on his exaggerated picture of the royal fufferings; on his principles of civil government; and on his ideas of the English conftitution, of the neceffity of an alliance between church and ftate, of a parliamentary reform, and of the poffibility of altering and improving the ancient conftitution of France into a good one, without overturning it. In his remarks on thefe feveral topics, Mr. Bouffield has manifefted a laudable zeal for civil and religious liberty. He has alfo occafionally pointed out the inconfiftency of Mr. Burke's fentiments, with those which he has publicly maintained on former occurrences. The contrast between Mr. Burke's violent and rude flander of the French National Affembly, and his own vindication of the American Congrefs from the indecent afperfions that were wont to be caft on that body, is very ftriking. Speaking, on a former occafion, of the Americans and their Congrefs, he faid, "that he did not know the method of drawing up an indictment against a whole people. That he could not infult and ridicule the feelings of five millions of his fellow creatures (the Americans) as Sir Edward Coke infulted one excellent individual, Sir Walter Rawleigh at the bar. I am not ripe, faid Mr. Burke, to pafs fentence on the graveft public bodies, entrusted with magiftracies of great authority and dignity, and charged with the fafety of their fellow creatures, on the fame title as I am myfelf: that he really thought for a wife man, this was not judicious; for a fober man, not decent; for a mind tinctured with humanity, not mild or merciful." Pear. Art. 19. Letter to the Right Hon. Edmund Burke. By M. Rofbonne, Curate of, Ex-member of the National Affembly. 8vo. PP. 34. IS. Ridgway. 1791. This foi-difant Frenchman, and Ex-member*, appears, by his own confeffion, to be one of thofe poor country curates who, as Mr. Burke fays, had never feen the ftate fo much as in a picture. Dragged,' he says, from my cure, to difpofe of affairs, the very terms of which were, at the offset, unknown to me, I began foon We imagine this pamphlet to be entirely of Anglo Anti-Gallican manufacture. to to fufpect that the National Affembly was no place for me.' One would fuppofe that a little common fenfe would have kept fuch a man from ever entering the doors of the Affembly. For want of this common fenfe, however, he boldly undertook that to which he was fo unequal; and accordingly found him felf quickly bewildered. In this fad ftate of moody confufion,' he remained a ftranger to all peace of mind,' till Mr. Burke's book fell in his way; which, on a fudden, fo wonderfully enlightened him, that he now finds himself competent to difcufs, not only French, but English politics alfo. For the information, therefore, of all honeft folks, on both fides of the water, he tells them, in a tone of indignation very congenial to that of his voluble illuminator, that thofe whom he has refolutely quitted are the infamous inftigators of manoeuvres not less favage, than infenfate;' that wretches, whom people would perfuade him to be Englifhmen, and who have raifed their impotent pens against the prince of English literature, have produced nothing but a bundle of stitched trash;' that the diffenters are a colluvies of non-citizens who ought not to be fuffered to gang together;' and that a venerable dotard among them has showered down fo much empirical powder, that twenty millions of French heads ftill feel the fatal effects of it.' To cure this mental malady, he thinks it will be fufficient to fhew that,' we,' (speaking of himself and the National Affembly, as his affociates,) have left undone thofe things which we ought to have done, and have done those things which we ought not to have done.' He therefore draws up a regular lift, in two divifions, of facta and infecta; on which we have only to remark, that among the things which ought not to have been done,' and for which he alone, of all the members of the Affembly, is refponfible, he has forgotten to enumerate the writing of this letter to the Right. Hon. Edmund Burke. Pear. 6 CORN BILL. Art. 20. Confiderations on the Opinion ftated by the Lords of the Committee of Council, in a Representation to the King, upon the Corn Laws, that Great Britain is unable to produce Corn fufficient for its own Confumption: and on the Corn Bill, now depending in Parliament. By William Mitford, Efq. 8vo. pp. 77. 28. Stockdale. 1791. Amid the variety of opinions on this important concern, thofe of the country gentlemen are not to be overlooked. Among thefe, Mr. Mitford obferves, that, while the interefts of trade have, for the last century or two, formed a principal object of study for ftatefmen, in almost every government of Europe, thofe of Agriculture, though often spoken of as of the first importance, are far from having been actually treated with equal attention. To account for this, perhaps it may fuffice to confider the different manner in which land and commerce offer themfelves as objects on which to raise a public revenue. Land can be taxed, and heavily taxed, in the grofs; commerce only in detail : Land affords little variety of articles for taxation, and thofe always the fame; commerce offers innumerable, and is frequently producing new: Land, sturdy in its nature, is patient Rev. MAY 1791. under H 98 under injury, and able to bear rough treatment; commerce is deli- But, however it has happened, on comparing the bill offered to Parliament with the reprefentation fubmitted to the King, it appears, I muft own, to me, as it feems to have appeared to Lord Sheffield, that the Lords of the Committee have, upon their own principles, begun their bufinefs at the wrong end: they have been confidering of means to improve the corn trade, when they should have been enquiring for means to improve the corn culture: they have too hastily (I have great refpe&t for them, and would not wantonly ufe expreflions that might feem to imply the contrary), but I muft hope that they have much too hastily adopted the notion, and declared it to the world, that Britain is unable to fupply itself with bread; that Britain must be dependent upon other countries for fubfiftence; that he must be dependent upon America! The imagination of fuch importance in the difcovery of Columbus never occurred to the heated fancies of our ancestors, when they were moft eager in adventure to the new world in queft of gold; and furely it behoves us to confider well and inquire diligently before we reft under the perfuafion that it is now neceffary for us to go thither for bread; and ftill more before we take measures which may produce the neceffity, if it does not yet exift, or may inhance it if it does. The Lords of the Committee of Council have themfelves obferved, that a mistaken fpeculation in the trade of corn may be productive of the moft ferious ill confequences, dearth, general distress, popular commotion. If then we proceed to compare their corn bill with the principles which they have themselves laid down, the first remark that occurs (thus, at leaft, thofe difpofed to cavil at the meafures of adminiftration will probably turn it) is, that they propose to promote the home production of corn by establishing perpetual magazines of the produce of other countries. This is the liberal incouragement to the corn grower, this the protection, this the incitement to induftry, without which, as the Lords of the Committee of Council have declared, plenty can never be procured!* On the other hand, thofe defirous to find whatever may deferve 'applaufe and obviate reproach, while they give credit to the framers of the bill for good intention in the measures taken to promote the trade in corn, and to keep down the price of fo indifpenfable an article for the confumer, muft be forely disappointed to find no provifion, or next to none, for incouraging the growth at home, and restoring that advantageous circumftance which a few years only ago certainly exifted, the fuperiority of the home produce to the confumption; • Representation, p. 20 or 25. and and they will unavoidably feel fome anxiety for the uncertain event of the principal innovation propofed, fome alarm at the appearance, at least, of danger which it bears, that in this, as in fo many former inftances, the landed will become a facrifice to the trading intereft, and that the permanent welfare of the country will be bartered for a prefent but precarious plenty.' Mr. Mitford confiders tithes as a principal difcouragement to all improvements in agriculture that require difburfements. Of all obftacles to an improved and increafing tillage, which ever did or almost can exift, where liberty and property are protected by law, Tithe is furely the greatest. Nevertheless, though the grofs and glaring inconveniences arifing, both to the public and to individuals, from that most oppreffive and impolitic of all taxes, are as generally acknowledged as extenfively felt, yet every propofal to procure a commutation of it, though brought forward by men in exalted fituations, has been fo totally unfuccefsful, that no common occafion could perhaps warrant the prefumption of a private individual even to mention it again. But when fo folemn a declaration, from fuch authority as that of the Lords of Council, warrants the apprehenfion that, if America fhould be adverfe, or feas fhould be ftormy, or an enemy's cruizers fhould be fuccefsful, Britain may want bread, any one may furely be allowed to fay what in his opinion might obviate fo formidable a calamity.' Again: To proceed then to the little that appears neceffary to fay of the effect of tithe upon agriculture, that it has a direct tendency to difcourage improvement of every kind is too obvious to require more than to be mentioned. But, it is much to our prefent purpose to obferve that, befide a general tendency to check all improvement, tithe has a particular tendency to check improvements in tillage, and to occafion a preference of feeding to arable land. Here its effects do not come within the ready obfervation of those who have not opportunity to obferve much, and difpofition to obferve closely. Tithe does not deter a farmer from plowing; he is in the habit of industry himself, and his horfes must not lie idle. When he has plowed he will of courfe fow. The rub comes when he has already plowed too much; which he will commonly do if his landlord does not prevent him; or, when, in ordinary courfe, his land wants manure which his farm yard cannot furnish; or where draining or other improvement requires more than his ordinary hands. Whenever his land wants his money to make it productive, then he thinks of the tithe. Full eleven per cent. of the increase, which his ftrong box pays for, muft go to the parfon. The farmer muft ftand all the chance of rains in autumn, of frofts in winter, of blights in fpring, of a wet fummer for his ftrong land, of a dry fummer for his parching land: the tenth fheaf would reward his adventure or alleviate his lofs: but certain profit from the fpoil of his ftrong box is to go only to one who contributes neither money nor labor, nor has any claim of merit whatever to the increase of produce. He hefitates; and unless he is more than commonly liberal, or more than commonly thoughtless, no improvement is made.' To the exaction of tithes, our author adds the evil tendency of attaching the poor to their parochial fettlements, and the propofed encouragement for the growth of hemp, than which he obferves, no other object of tillage interferes more with the growth of corn. If we raife hemp instead of corn, we must receive bread at fecond hand. The conflict of private opinions on public measures cannot fail of doing eventual good. If I, (adds Mr. M.) though but by my mistakes, can incite thofe who have more knowledge, and better judgment, to inform the public better, my labour will not be loft.' To the great councils, where agriculture, trade, law, and church unite, we must leave a fubject, with which, perhaps, after all, the lefs they meddle, the better. HISTORY. N. Art. 21. A Hiftory of England, and the British Empire; defigned for the Inftruction of Youth; to which is prefixed an Effay on the English Conftitution. Compiled from the beft Authorities; by Alexander Bicknell. Embellished with Maps. 12mo. pp. 414. 35. 6d. bound. Lowndes. 1791. Should we ask what occafion there is to multiply fuch compendiums of English history as that before us, feveral of which we have already, every reafon is ready to be offered for the production of each, fave that primary one which is common for them all, and ftimulates the competition. This feems to clafs among the best of its elder brethren; being perhaps as well compiled as fo brief a fketch can be expected to be; and, on examining fome critical periods, appearing to be a fair reprefentation of events as they occurred:-but however intelligible fuch abftracts may be, to those who are previously acquainted with the hiftory of their country, they furnish very crude notions to thofe who are to receive their first information of history from them. Eight maps, with a table of the fovereigns of Europe, contemporary with thofe of England, given in this volume, are not, we believe, to be found in any other fmall work of the kind. EDUCATION, &c. N. Art. 22. The Gramatical Wreath; or a complete Syftem of English Grammar: being a Selection of the most inftructive Rules from all the principal English Grammars. In two Parts. Part I. Containing fuch Rules as are neceffary for the Inftruction of Youth, with pertinent Examples for their Elucidation. Part II. Such further Rules and Obfervations as are needful for the Attainment of the English Language in its utmoft Purity and Elegance. By Alexander Bicknell, Efq. 12mo. pp. 160. 49. fewed. Baldwin. Mr. Bicknell here undertakes to felect, from every other English grammar, thofe parts, in which each writer appears to have moft excelled; and to digeft from the whole a copious fyftem of English grammar. To this, he profeffes to have added many original elucidations and remarks. The work contains a greater variety of matter on this fubject, than we recollect to have feen in any other |