Noftrums (which, indeed, there seems too much reafon to apprehend is fometimes abused and prostituted on fuch occafions) he proceeds to exprefs his diffatisfaction with the conduct and polity of our Univerfities, in no very fparing terms: for after admitting the decency, and even preference of our collegiate discipline in many points, fuch as the regular calls to chapel and public meals, &c. to that of foreign feminaries (whence he cenfures, en paffant, the custom of fending our youth of condition and fortune to them) he complains, that the revenues of our Universities are folely applied to the Line of Theology, while a fufficient number of profefforfhips is wanting to compleat the circle of science.

He thinks the fubfcription required to the Thirty-nine Articles, even by perfons afpiring only to the lower degrees in Mufic, Law, and Phyfic, as well as Divinity, too illiberal a bondage, and even contrary to Toleration and confcientious Liberty. He dislikes the obligation which moft Fellows of Colleges are under, of entering fooner or later into orders, and their fwearing, in fome Colleges, that they will, or defign to, take them. He confiders the reltraint of Fellowships and Scholarships, to certain Schools and Counties; and certain exclufions, as well as claims of kindred in fome Colleges; as having a bad tendency, and calling for amendment. Such amendments, he fuppofes, would give a College or University a different figure from fuch a one, (adding, if fuch a one there be) as he fuppofes, To require no other letters in their Candidates, ⚫ but letters of recommendation; no other virtues but those of good ⚫ fellowship, and steady attachment to their parties, whether in Church or State.'

Our author having thus pointed out the principal defects which he fuppofes to deform these feminaries of learning; tho' he thinks it may be decent to leave the reformation of them to the Legislature, yet obferving, that private information may fuggeft what only public wifdom can enact, he proceeds to propofe the proper remedies for amending the whole, though he thinks his own College, in feveral refpects, the best. Now as he judges that the best, with which he is the beft acquainted, perhaps an equal knowlege of the reft might have induced him to think a little better of their conduct and polity than he feems to do. But as to the remedies, he would have the Masters and Fellows of Colleges relieved from the neceffity of engaging in Orders. He would have Fellowships expire about the tenth year from taking the Batchelor of Arts Degree. We find the Doctor's Fellowship, as he tiles himfelf late Fellow, is expired, whether in confequence of marrying, or declining Orders, is not material: but had the prefent academical polity allowed him till to hold it, that circumftance might poffibly have rendered him lefs inflexible on this point-Be this, however, as it may, Dr. Davies fays, page 33, Two or three of these fequeftered Fellowships may be coalefced into a ftipend of a fuperior order, to be fucceeded to by a free election. Thefe fhould be all public Lecturers and Profefors in fome art or fcience. They fhould be permitted to marry, to refide at large in the University, and to make profit of their lectures. Many ingenious men,' he adds, will naturally fall into this way of life, po

lite

lite as it will be honourable.'-And poffibly among many others, for he does not propofe lefs than fifty for each Univerfity, our ingenious author himself might condefcend to adorn one Profefforship, when thus modelled and seasoned exactly to his tafte. The Mafters of Colleges, however, as Mafters, are to be felf-denying in this refpect, and to be incapable of enjoying Profeffor fhips, tho' furnished with a power to impel and regulate the whole;-which incapacity, or exclufion, perhaps, may not be to the taste of thefe Masters.

After these propofed regulations, and specifying thofe branches of Phyfic which have no appointments for Teachers of them, our author gradually fubfides into a brief introduction of his proposed Effays on the Blood, the first of which, we are told in a Poftfcript, is now in the prefs. But we are fearful, we may have already exceeded the bounds which the dainty Dr. Davies has prescribed to us, and to all periodical Writers and Compilers on this occafion, not to abstract any part of his mental Property on this fubject, without his express permiffion, which, not having petitioned for, we cannot have obtained. But to make him fome amends for this small, yet unlicenfed invafion of it, by our difference to one part of his injunction, we have carefully declined, and shall decline, tranflating the leaft part or abstract of it into any dead or living language; having at a fmall expence indeed, taken a few precautions to prevent a transfufion of it into the Abyffinian; and this partly left thefe exotic Chriftians," who have been thought of the Greek Church, should receive any affurances of the bad polity and defective adminiftration of our English Universities. In the mean time, as the Doctor's ordinance does not exprefsly prohibit us, or any of his readers, to form fome idea or judgment of his performance, which, having purchased it, we are legally entitled to judge of, we declare, we think his pamphlet not void of merit, nor free from exception: containing fome just and reasonable reflections, and being fometimes rather declamatory than argamentative. His exceffive anxiety to preferve his important Property in this work inviolate, we must think fomewhat inconfiftent with his own idea of a compleat Phyfician, (in which it was very natural for him to give a glance at home) one requifite of which, he informs us, is to be actuated rather by the honour of the profeffion than the meaner views of private interest.' And in fact, we can inform the Doctor, from confiderable experience, that no monthly abstract of a valuable work, on any interefting or truly entertaining fubject, was ever known to contract, tho' it has often extended, the fale of it. The authors of first, or even fecond-rate, performances, have very rarely had occafion to complain of the diminution of their property, from our abftracts or reports of them.

As to the tile and language of the prefent pamphlet, it is confiderably superior to thofe of a former letter, addreffed to a very eminent phyfician in town, and fubfcribed only with the initials of our prefent author's name: to whom, indeed, that letter was generally afcribed. The prefent epiftle is not without good matter, and generally expreffed with fenfe and propriety; though there is fomething in the mein and manner of it, very pregnant with the writer's proper importance, and high felf-eftimation. This may in fome degree re

6

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fult from our author's reflection, that a perfon who, by name, profeffes to cenfure and to reform any number, or body of men, of no inconfiderable order or character, ought himself to be in poffeffion of a weighty and respectable one. Manifelt and allowed abilities fhould invest him with natural dignity; and a molt amiable exercife of them fhould extend their un-arrogated authority and influence. Perhaps, few names could have been more perfuafive on the prefent interesting topic, (fince the most candid have fuppofed fome poffible improvement in the regulation of our univerfities) than the venerable gentleman's, to whom our author has fo judiciously addreffed this prefatory epiftle. Indeed, he is not a little happy in his correfpondents, fuppofing them fuch, by refponding: and we hope, that all who are capable of redreffing whatever real defects, and of effecting whatever defirable ends, there may be among thofe mentioned and propofed by Dr. Davies, will heartily concur in redreffing and effecting them. which will be ferving the community, from whatever individual the intimations may be furnished.

"T

SINGLE SERMON s.

HE Alliance of Religion and Learning confidered; preached before the Earl of Weftmoreland, Chancellor, and the Univerfity of Oxford, at St. Mary's, on Act Sunday, July 8th, 1759. By Benjamin Buckler, D. D. Fellow of All Souls college. 6d. Rivington and Fletcher.

2. The Comparative Bleffings of Chriftianity ;-before the Earl of Westmoreland, Chancellor, and the Univerfity of Oxford, at St. Mary's, on Act Sunday, July 8, 1759. By Timothy Neve, D. D. Fellow of C. C. C. and one of his Majefty's Preachers at Whitehall. 6 d. Rivington and Fletcher.

3. The Variance between real and nominal Chriftians confidered; and the Caufe of it explained ;—from Matt. x. 35, 36. By H. Venn, A. M. late Fellow of Queen's College Cambridge. 8vo. 6 d. Townsend.

4. Life and Immortality brought to Light through the Gospel; or the Promifes of God the only Foundation of our future Hopes :-at Huntingdon, at the Vifitation of the Rev. Mr. Archdeacon Jenner, May 2d, 1759. By James Smith, A. M. Rector of Cherryorton, Hants, and late Fellow of Pembroke Hall, Cambridge. 4to. 6d. Ware.

5. St. Paul's Orthodoxy; or the univerfal Advantage that Gofpelpreaching would be of, to Civil Society. Delivered to a Protestant Diffenting Church at Pinner's Hall, June 24, 1759. By Caleb Fleming, Paftor of the faid Church. 8vo. 6 d. Henderson.

6. -At the Affizes at Maidstone, Kent. By Edward Edwards, M. A. 8vo. 6d. T. Payne.

7. Hope, the Chriflian Mourner's Relief:-On the Death of the Rev. Mr. James Floyd; at Daventry, July 23, 1759. By C. Ahworth. 8vo. 6d. Buckland.

The Foreign Books will be refumed in our next; having been omitted for two months palt, only on account of the indispo fition of the author,

THE

MONTHLY REVIEW,

For SEPTEMBER, 1759.

Conjunct Expeditions: Or, Expeditions that have been carried on jointly by the Fleet and Army, with a Commentary on aLittoral War. By Thomas More Molyneux, Efq; 8vo. 7s. 6d. DodЛley.

T

HERE needs no argument to prove that the kind of war which is the fubject of this volume, claims, the peculiar attention of our British cheiftains; as

it is that only, in which we can avail ourselves of our indifputable fuperiority: every attempt, therefore, to illucidate and improve our fyftem of invafion is undoubtedly commendable. How far the author before us hath fucceeded in his defign will appear in the courfe of our examination. In a fhort preface to the candid reader, he apologizes for his book making its publick entry in fo imperfect a dress, alleging, the fhortness of time allotted for the performance of fo large a work, as well as the novelty of the fubject.' He has, indeed, very ingeniously, taken care in the preface, effectually to undeceive thofe who might expect elegance, or accuracy of compofition; for the very apology itself is hardly intelligible. However, the importance of the fubject, the amazing discoveries contained in this volume, and their unfpeakable confequence to this nation, at this critical conjuno➡ ture of affairs, will, we make no doubt, be amply fufficient to excufe a few faults, that may perchance have flipt the raVOL. XXI...

pid pen of an author, big with the future glory of his country, and the many happy confequences of his fingular capacity.

The volume confifts of no lefs than four hundred and fiftyfour pages. It is divided into two parts; the first contains the hiftory of all the conjunct expeditions that have been formed by, or against this kingdom, from that of Julius Cæfar to the prefent year. The account of those to the end of the laft reign, is chiefly taken from Campbell's Naval History, and where the compiler has fuffered that writer to speak his own language, the work is, confequently, entertaining, and may be inftructive to many readers. The expeditions of the prefent reign, fays the author, we compiled from general hiftory, and authentic papers. The second part of this rare performance is, a commentary on a littoral war. We have endeavoured, fays the preface, with the strictest uprightness and truth, to adhere to our principal defign, which was to give a fair impartial account of the expeditions in the first part of the work; that our readers may form a good judgment themselves of the nature, as well as the general imperfection of the prefent method pursued to carry them into execution. It is natural to fuppofe, by having the hiftory of the expeditions firft before them, they will also be more capable of making a truer decifion on the remarks and obfervations, as well as the new fyftem which is (with great fubmiffion to our fuperiors) offered in the fecond part, which we call a commentary on a littoral • war.'

We imagine our readers will excufe our tranfcribing any of the first part, as it contains nothing original; but we cannot pass it entirely over, without declaring our difagreement with the author, in his criticism on the conftruction of the flatbottom'd boat which was firft ufed n the expedition against St. Malo's, commanded by the late Duke of Marlborough. It differed only in thefe refpects (fays 'Mr. Molyneux), from the common boats of the fleet; it was conftructed to go in fhallower waters, and being all of a fize, they contained the like numbers (this is the very language of the author). Each had two fails and was full of benches; one, if not two, was made along the whole length of the center of the boat, with little ones branching to the right and left, like fo many ribs, with little benches alfo round • the edge. There were ten rowers on each fide. Between

Littoral from Littus, as the learned author kindly informs the illiterate reader, in the beginning of the 4th chap. part 2.

every