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In the Deserted Village, there were faults, fo we find there are in the Deserted City. Perfection is not to be found.

But let us leave its faults, to try if we can discern its beauties: it being more agreeable to our temper to receive pleasure, than to give pain. Who would not fooner gather rofes, than ftrew thorns.

In refpect to the fentiments of the following extract, as they relate to party, we decline giving our opinion. Our concern is literature, not politics.

Who can behold our THAMES, his tide, in vain,
Ebbing and flowing to bring his land no gain;
When he to Ocean speeds his daily way,
To bring whate'er that wafts without delay:
To fee his vacant tides in grief return,
And disappointed hear his banks to mourn.
Who can all this behold nor heave a figh;
And to himself, thus fadden'd, but reply?

'Twas not fo feen of late, when ev'ry tide,
We faw our fhips upon his bofom ride,
Before the wind then flew each breeze-fill'd fail,
While THAMES he ftrove to waft them with the gale.
His bofom rofe elate with confcious joy,

To bring from Ocean, for his fons, employ.

Bales, truffes, cafks, the long-neck'd crane did weigh
The World's produce befpread our ev'ry quay.
The deep-fraught lighter, fcarcely could upbear,
Above the water's edge its load of ware,

Nor fcarcely feem to move-its fpeed fo flow.

THAMES feem'd himfelf full well the weight to known,
The fkimming wherries their wings inceffant ply'd,
To wait the paffenger from fide to fide.

The banks were tir'd with echoing the found
Of shipwrights, anchor-fmiths you heard around.
Employment's voice fo varioufly combin'd-
No harmony fo pleafing could you find.
To hear and fee the good deriv'd from thence,
It chear'd, amus'd, elated ev'ry fenfe

Each paufe from toil to reft, mirth came between-
Joy, then, pervaded all this bufy scene.
The wherry-man, he fung his water lay,
And with his oars kept time-fo chearly gay.
The failor hail'd his land-his friends to fee
Once more, alive and well, in fea-phras'd glee
How pleas'd he was his lafs all new to rigg,
That the might with him go to fee the brigg.
And when return'd, they could but fee the play,
VOL. XI.

Which

Which always would conclude the mirthful day.
Come home, the can of grog was furely fill'd:
While half, perhaps, was drank-the rest was fpill'd-
Such frolicks he would have with Nell and Sue,
With Doll, and Bet, and Nan-if not with Prue.
Thus happy while he fpent his all on fhore-

And then content to hoift the fail for more."

In perufing this Poem, we have obferved many errors, which we fuppofe are typographical, as we perceive the prin-. ter has not in other refpects done our author justice.

Remarks on Mr. Hume's Dialogues concerning Natural Religion. ·By T. Hayter, A. M. Fellow of King's College, Cambridge, and one of the Preachers at his Majefty's Chapel at Whitchall.

In our Review of Mr. Hume's Dialogues on Religion was given an analyfis of the work, with a brief refutation of the principal systems hazarded in it by the author.

The objections to the moral attributes of the Deity, the narrow limits of our plan did not allow us to remove in so full and copious a manner as might be wifhed by fome people, whom a general ftate of arguments does not enable to penetrate a fubject, and who must be led by the hand through every difficulty. This tafk Mr. Hayter has undertaken, and in our opinion with confiderable fuccefs. We could, however, wish that, inftead of frittering his fubject by remarks, he had given us one luminous and fimultaneous view of it, in order to efface the ftrong impreffions made by the rhetorick of his opponent. Had he been a little more careful in guarding against the ufe of a few barbarous expreffions and ungrammatical conftructions, the reader would have come to the conclufion more prepoffeffed in his favour. What authority can he quote for the ufe of the words inftigatres, abforp and difcadure? Where is the fubftantive with which the participles fuppofing and admitting in the following fentence agree?" Suppofing, though not admitting, the truth of this pofition, how, Philo, does it answer your prefent purpofe? In what fhape does it conftitue a plea for the entire difcardure of religion?" Thefe are certainly small matters; but it is our business as Reviewers to take notice of them for the general improvement of English grammar. Moft of our capital writers are in that refpect juftly chargeable with inaccuracy and it is full time that we fhould

warn

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warn our authors to avoid what is so great a reproach to our language.

The Senfe of the People. In a Letter to Edmund Burke, Efq. on bis intended Motion in the Houfe of Commons, the 11th inftant. Containing fome Obfervations on the Petitions now fabricating, and the propofed Affociations. 8vo. Is. Becket.

As it belongs not to us to enquire whether the petitions prefented to the Houfe of Commons, contain the fenfe of the different counties at large; we fhall leave fuch investigation to thofe whofe immediate bufinefs it is. We would, however, wish to warn our author against raising conjectures by the fire-fide, and then pompously fending them forth to the world, with " such is the sense of the people."

***

A Letter to Lord North.
Places.

With Free Thoughts on Penfions and 4to. 6d. Bladon.

We would recommend to our present letter writer, not to wafte pen, ink and paper in any farther political correfpondence; for till he grows a better politician he certainly does but lofe his time in writing about the matter. We could

not, however, be fo cruel as to wish to deprive him from thinking on penfions and places, feeing, from his political knowledge, that he is not in a very fair way to obtain either in reality.

***

Four Letters from the Country Gentleman on the Subject of the Petitions. 8vo. 6d. Almon.

These Letters, it feems, made their firft appearance in a daily paper entitled The London Courant', and are now to be feen in Mr. Almon's fhop window; but where they will make their exit, or how long they will fret their tedious hour upon the ftage,' time alone can tell.

002

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The

The Republican Form of Prayer, which ought to be used in all Churches and Chapels, &c. on February the 4th, being the Day appointed for a General Faft, &c. Without his Majefty's fpecial Command. 8vo. Is. Baldon.

For any further account of this prayer, than that of saying it is truly republic, we muft beg leave to refer our readers to the pamphlet itself.

***

Terms of Conciliation: or, Confiderations on a free Trade in Ireland; on Penfions on the Irish establishment; and on an Union with Ireland. Addreffed to the Duke of Northumberland. 8vo. 2s. Millidge.

However good our author's intentions, his abilities do not, by any means, feem calculated to promote the wishedfor end,

***

Impartial Thoughis on a Free Trade to the Kingdom of Ireland. In a Letter to Lord Nortb. Recommended to the Confideration of every British Senator, Merchant and Manufacturer in this Kingdom 8vo. Is. Millidge.

The political knowledge of this letter-writer, appears to be on a par with that of the foregoing author of Terms of Conciliation,"

***

Difpaffionate Thoughts on the American War. Addreffed to the Moderate of all Parties. 8vo. 1s. Wilkie.

Thoughts that may, with very propriety, be called difpaffionate. Our author recommends the recalling the troops from America, by which means he thinks Great Britain would be able to chastise the infolence of her natural enemy. This . thought is certainly not new, yet the moderate and fenfible

manner

manner with which our author treats the fubject merits commendation.

***

CORRESPONDENCE.

To the London Reviewer who figns W. "SIR,

"To fome parts of your letter I need not tire you with a reply though it were very eafy to give it. But it is abfolutely neceflary that I fhould tell you, I did not allude to any other Reviews than yours. It is amazing that you could fo miftake my words. When I faid, "I evidently alluded to more Reviews than one, though but one only I quoted," my meaning certainly and plainly was, more of your Reviews than one, though no quotation was made from any but that for April 1778.

"It is equally neceffary that I should obferve to you, that if you think by a fingle dash of your pen, or by two or three queries, to confute the long established principle of divine grace, without taking any more pains in the attempt, you are egregioufly mistaken. Instead of leading you an endless dance, through a hundred volumes, I have brought the matter within a tolerable fhort compass, and referred you only to two authors for anfwers to your queries, who have to every man of found understanding fufficiently anfwered them. This is now pointed out to the public; for what is once in print is ipfo facto addreffed to the public: they may therefore, if they pleafe, eafily fee that you are already answered. If you are unwilling to compofe a book in fupport of your own opinions, and in reply to thofe, who without confutation have proved that they are ill-founded, you tacitly give up the point. For my part I am not fo pufillanimous, as in the least to decline the challenge which I have made. And I wonder that you can be so inattentive (to fay nothing worfe) as to conceive for a moment that the great points (than which none in a literary way can well be more extenfive, or in a moral fenfe more important) of man's free cy, GOD's juftice and divine grace, can be ably and properly treated in the few pages allotted to the corner of a Review. This might feem to impeach your good fenfe: I will, however, exercise candour, and chufe to look upon it only as a meer overfight. Can any man of learning, indeed, be ignorant that a question upon an important interefting fubject may be expreffed in one fhort period, which it may juftly require fifty or a hundred prges adequately to difcufs? But if you will begin at any time to answer what has been faid by Edwards and Maclaurin upon the fubject of your queftions, I will again affure you, I have not the leaft fear to enter the lifts of controverfy with you. Whenever you shall oblige the world with an attempted confutation of the arguments, to which I

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