range of the guns of Tantumquerry fort. Mr. James Laney a private trader, carried on business in that town for fome years paft; he supported an excellent character, was remarkable for buying good flaves, which he generally fold to the British fhipping in Annamaboe road, to the number of about two hundred and fifty annually; this poor man, for twelve months before he died, enjoyed a very bad ftate of health, and at his decease, in Auguft last, was fuppofed by most people to be worth at least 2000/. fterling. As foon as the town's people heard of his death, they immediately broke into his houfe, and carried off the greatest part of his effects; none of which (as far as I can learn) have ever been recovered from them, nor any fteps taken to bring those villains to juftice. If fuch outrages as these are committed under our forts, and the perpetrators fuffered to enjoy unmolested the fruits of their rapine, we may as well have

no forts at all.'.

The letter, containing the above account, is dated July 1, 1770, and figned by Richard Brew.

Many are the inftances here recited of the ill-conduct, &c. of the committee, and thofe connected with them, and of the hardships under which the private traders labour, notwithstanding the annual parliamentary allowance of 13,000 l. for their protection and affiftance.

6

A private merchant, obferves our Author, may fometimes monopolize a trade, and that undoubtedly is an injury to the public; but it can be only a tranfient injury, as there are three things, any of which muft inevitably put a flop to it, his death, his bankruptcy, or his making a fufficient fortune :-but in a monopoly fupported by the public, thefe chances are all cut off. The committee can never die; one wave fucceeds another, and, their followers. roll on in the places of their predeceffors; they, in a collective capacity, can only break when they have broke the public that fupported them; and a fucceffion of hungry applicants are ever infatiable from their first dependency to their plenitude of power. Various have been the attempts to reform the abuses of the committee, but they have all been fruitlefs; for the legislature having forged the chain, a power only equal to theirs can break it and that is fincerely to be wished; for nothing but an entire alteration of the prefent management can put the African trade on a refpectable footing.'

Thus argues this Writer, who appears to be very intelligent, and a fufficient judge in particular of the fubject on which he treats. He lays before us the plan of an act, which, he apprehends, fhould it meet with a fuitable fanction from authority, would remedy the evils of which he fo juftly complains he, therefore, humbly, but earnestly, recommends it to the confideration of the legillature.

In

In the conclufion of the treatife, it is obferved, that it is not the reverie of any one fingle perfon, but the joint sentiments of the beft writers upon trade, and the refult of the united opinions of the moft capital merchants trading to Africa, drawn from their long experience and perfect knowledge of the fubject, and collected by an African Merchant.

ART. X. Joineriana: or the Book of Scraps. 12mo. 2 Vols. 5 s. fewed. Johnson. 1772.

W

HAT an exalted being is an author!-feated fublime in his lofty apartment, he looks down on the lower world, and forms his obfervations on men and things, as they pass in review under his perfpicacious eye.-What a beneficent being too is an author, who, having thus enriched his mind with intelJigence and reflection, generoufly opens the ample storehouse of this wit and wifdom, for the inftruction and delight of inferior mortals!

Thus the Author of the Book of Scraps,' from the height of his obfervatory, wherever it is fituated, in Grub-ftreet or in Grofvenor-fquare, (to us it matters not which) has benevolently fhowered down on the gaping multitude of book fellers and book-readers, the refult of his fpeculations-on antiquaries, authors, book-makers, bookfellers, freethinkers, law and lawyers, melancholy, merit, news and news-writers, orators, paint and tuafhes, fleep, theatres, Triftram Shandy, want, wifdom, and vanity.

It is impoffible, on opening this writer's firft volume, and beginning at the preface, as every reader ought to do, for the fame reason that on entering a houfe, he chufes to pass in at the door, rather than to fcramble through the window, or to jump down the chimney ;-it is impoffible, we fay, for any one who is acquainted with the writings of Sterne, to peruse the preface to Joineriana, without thinking of Triftram Shandy. In feveral of the effays, too, or firaps, as he chufes to call them, there appears to be fomething of Sterne's manner :--the fame fort of disjointed paragraph, abrupt tranfition, and broken fentence; yet the Author profeffes nothing of this; he acknowledges no fuch imitation; but rather contends for the palm of originality which, on the whole, and with respect to his matter, we are inclined to yield to him, for the fake of the many fenfible and striking obfervations contained in his two little ufeful and not unentertaining volumes.

There is a degree of vivacity in his preface above-mentioned'; an extract from which will contribute to the amusement of our Readers, at the fame time that it indulges the Author in the exercife of his natural right of fpeaking for himself, and explaining his own defign.

Rev. Jan. 1773.

JOINERIANA, or the Book of SCRAPS?'-Ay, or CARPENTERIANA, or the Book of CHIPS, if you had rather-or any other ANA you like.

Call them SCRAPS, or Fragments; CHIPS or Shavings; waking Reflections, or wandering Imaginations, it matters not— fo that fome of them profit the reader, which is the principal aim of the writer.

They are not gathered from PLUTARCH, LAERTIUS, STOBUS, ERASMUS-yet if there are any good among them, I have no doubt but they may be found in their collections.

Neither can they owe much, to my knowledge, to LA BRUYERE and ROCHEFOUCAULT-yet, 'tis poffible, many of the fame fentiments cccur in both :-But I am perfectly inno'cent of any charge of that kind, which may be brought against me-for, to the beft of my remembrance, I have not looked into either of thofe much-admired wits thefe twenty years and upwards.

They are not, I promise you, translations, or gleanings, or filings, or fweepings of ANAS.

It follows then that they are mine:-Indeed I mean they fhould pass for fuch, in the full scope and import of the phraseas, when a man fays, That is mine'-he would be understood the matter to be queftioned, was his property.

In that juft fenfe, I repeat, They are mine'-for was I confcious there were any fentiments throughout the book, which belonged to one man more than another, I would either reftore them to the right owner, or expunge them altogether.

But truths as truths, muft belong to every man who is in fearch of TRUTH.

Now fecing the book is mine, as I faid before-for without the clearest conviction upon that head, I should never have thought of obtruding it upon the public-I have a right to affert my claim.

For, in my fenfe, 'tis the highest infult imaginable, that which is offered to the understanding-'Tis an offence unpardonable!

What, are we to be bamboozled under falfe pretences and a fpecious fhew of novelty, with the fame things over and over, and over and over, and over and over again, and again, and again everlastingly, and world without end?

Then, I have a further conceit-The writer who improves me not, in some measure, leaves me in a worfe condition than that in which he found me-far worfe indeed!-for he has robbed me of TIME; which with all his wit and ingenuity, he can never make up to me.

Think of this occafionally, my brethren-'tis well worth a thought.

And now I give up all further claim to the following SCRAPS of reflection, the fruits of a few folitary hours-They are no longer mine; but yours and every body's.

Accept them, gentle Reader, with the fame good will with which they are offered-perufe them with attention, and, if the author may fo far prefume, be confident it will be your own fault, if fome of them do not turn out to your advantage.'

As a fpecimen of the manner in which this rambling, but not injudicious effayift has difcuffed the feveral topics which feem cafually to have attracted his notice, we have felected a fhort chapter in which he has fenfibly, though flightly, touched a fubject of great importance to the interefts of learning; and, in confequence, to the general welfare of mankind :-yet a fubject ftrangely neglected by our great guardians of liberty and property.

· LITERARY PROPERTY.

Is there no law in this free country, where every man, is bleft in the poffeffion of what he owns, to fecure LITERARY PROPERTY?

"None fufficient it feems"

• Why then I heartily with there was.

We have laws to fecure not only the property of horses, but of dogs-not only of partridges, but of their eggs-not only of fifh, but of their fpawn.

A man fhall be feverely handled for fhooting a hare, or angling a trout; which never coft the prefumptive owner any thing-the hare happened to fit down in his manor-the fili chanced to fwim up to his royalty.

• But the book, we may fuppofe, coft the author much study, much pains—and, what is in itfelf invaluable, a confiderable portion of his time :-Time spent in the fervice of the public (if properly spent)-from whence a confiderable benefit may arife to the public, in more refpects than one-(if the heart of the writer happened to lay [lie] in the right place)—and from whence, gencrally fpeaking, a very inconfiderable advantage has accrued to himself.

It is no fuch trifling confideration as fome imagine; neither is it an eafy matter to eftimate the real worth of the found Cafuift, the experienced Philofopher, the fkilful Demonftrator, the faithful Hiftorian, the juft Critic, the good Writer-or to say how much the age is indebted to the candour and ingenuity, and no less to the Spirit of liberty and benevolence of the living author-who feels as he ought, and writes as he feels.

But that fuch may not be entirely abandoned, and lie at the mercy of their unreflecting and diffipated fellows-fee how wonderfully PROVIDENCE provides !-There are a fet of men called BOOKSELLERS, who make a traffick of the fpirit of Brain which

E 2

diftils

diftils from their pens:-Many of them deal largely, and hazard a great part of their fubftance in that precious commodity.

The property being once conveyed, whole and entire, from the author, for, what is called, a valuable confideration, to the bookfeller-he, the faid bookfeller, has an unquestionable right, thereafter to multiply copies of the fame, after any form and manner, as to his good liking fhall feem beft, for his own particular benefit and emolument-neither fhall any have licence to utter, vend, print, pirate, abridge, hafh, fritter, part or parcel thereof, without the concurrence of him the faid purchaser.

It is become a part of his freehold-and fo I understand it fo be accounted in every country in EUROPE-the Imperial, Royal, Ducal, or State-privilege amounting to no less.

He may fell, let, leafe, mortgage the whole or any part thereof

He may convey in truft, give outright, devife by will— In cafe of any misfortune to himfelf, it becomes the property of his creditors

In the purchafe thereof, he hazarded a confiderable part of their fubftance, as well as his own; and it now devolves to them to make good deficiencies.

one.

But, it feems, it bears no title-at beft, an imaginary

To the right owner, by purchase, whom it coft a thousand pounds; it is not worth a thousand pence :-But, to the thief, who ftole it, knowing it to be another's property-(there being no Law to hang fuch thieves)-it has been worth far more than the first purchase.

This appears to be a matter of fome moment, upon several accounts-and, fooner or later, we hope, will be thought an object worthy the attention of the Legislature.

I need fay no more upon this head-much has been faid upon it, within these few years, in the Courts of Chancery and King's Bench-but nothing has been effectually done-fave that not only the ufual, but even enormous fees (too much in ufe of late, and advancing every Term) have been expended.

At prefent, the matter of LITERARY PROPERTY, fcarce amounts to any property at all-and leaves the cafe of Authors, a lamentable cafe indeed!

For difappoint them of their Bookfellers, and they are undone!-Cry down the only market for Literature, where fhall they fell their ware?-Spoil them of the only patrons, which modifh folly and a diffipated age have left-what must become of them?

They will no longer be able to wait upon MINISTERS and MANAGERS in clean fhirts and hofe !-ragged and dearned ones, they have been contented to put up with a long while.

• But