ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Amicus in the North" has written us a letter, replete with great good fenfe. An undertaking, fuch as he describes, will certainly have our good wifhes, but is incompatible with our own fituation and engagements. No anonymous communications are confiftent with our plan; but if "Amicus in the North," will fend what he propofes with his real name, and addrefs, it will receive the most careful and candid examination.

We do not remember to have yet feen the Poetical Collection alluded to by "A Conftant Reader."

LITERARY INTELLIGENCE.

Mr. Charles Bell's new work on the Anatomy of Expression in Painting is almoft ready for publication. The fubjects will be illuftrated by sketches of the bones, mufcles, &c.

The fecond Volume of Mr. Cary's Tranflation of Dante, which includes the Inferno, will appear in about a month.

An Edition of Gifford's Tranflation of Juvenal, in octavo, with the addition of the fixteenth Satire, will be published next month.

The first Volume of a Continuation of Mr. Donovan's Hiftory of British Infects will be published in the courfe of the

month.

The Poctical Regifter for the Year 1804, will appear in a few days.

Our

Our Publishers have defired us to announce, that two Volumes of the Continuation of the Annual Regifter, will be published within the next month.

A new edition of the late venerable Mrs. Carter's Poems, with original Pieces, and Memoirs of her Life, by her Nephew, Mr. Montague Pennington, is preparing for publication.

THE

BRITISH CRITIC,

For MARCH, 1806.

"Omnium bonarum artium fcriptores ac doctores et legendi, et pervolutandi."

CIC.

They who write on useful arts, of all kinds, are to be read and examined.

ART. I. Memoir of the Expediency of an Ecclefiaftical Establishment for British India; both as the Means of perpetuating the Chriftian Religion among our own Countrymen, and as a Foundation for the ultimate Civilization of the Natives. By the Rev. Claudius Buchanan, M. A. Vice Provoft of the College of Fort William, &c. &c. 4to. 126 pp. 12s. Cadell and Co. 1805.

ERY rarely can a book of fuch intrinfic importance as this come before the public. The queftion agitated in it is nothing less than that of giving Chriftianity, and with it eivilization, to myriads of human beings, now funk in the groffeft ignorance, and debafed by the moft atrocious fuperftitions; befides confirming and extending its influence over those who have been bred to the early participation of its bleffings. Nor is the queftion merely difcuffed in point of principle, but fuch facts are brought forward, with so much information at once curious and interefting, refpecting the practicability as well as the propriety of the defign, that we hardly remember to have read any production with a more fixed and eager attention, than this memoir in every part of its statement excited. That we may diffuse this information as widely as we can, we shall give an exact analysis of the whole memoir.

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BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XXVII. MARCH, 1806.

This

This valuable tract contains three principal divifions. The firft relates to the care and prefervation of the Chriftian faith among our own countrymen, as the primary object of concern: the fecond treats of the practicability of civilizing and converting the natives: the third ftates the progress already made in that civilization, and in the planting of Chriflianity. To, the whole is fubjoined an Appendix of very material documents. The memoir is dedicated, with great propriety, to the Archbishop of Canterbury, (the late Archbishop) who, as well as the Bishop of London, had expreffed in the ftrong. eft manner, his fenfe of the propriety and even neceffity of forming a permanent provifion, for the maintenance of the Chriftian Faith in British India. Even the dedication contains fome facts well deferving of attention. Mr. Buchanan there fiates that,

New fources of information on all Oriental fubjects, have been opened by the College of Fort William in Bengal. Thofe perfons who have held official fituations in that inftitution during the last four years, have had conftant opportunities of obferving the conduct, and of learning the opinions, of the moft intelligent natives. There are attached to the college, at this time, upwards of one hundred learned men, who have arrived, from dif. ferent parts of India, Perfia, and Arabia. In fuch an affemblage, the manners and customs of remote regions are diftinctly defcrib. ed; and their varying fentiments, religious and political, may be accurately inveftigated and compared.

"Of the learned Hindoos who have been employed as teach ers, there were lately two from the Decan, who profefs the Chriftian faith; and comport themfelves according to Christian manners. Two Protestant miflionaries have also been attached to the inftitution; one of whom is lecturer in the Bengalee and Shanferit department; and has been for many years employed in preaching in the Bengalee language to the natives in the North of Hindooftan. The other is a teacher of the Tamul or Malabar language; and has been long attached to a miffion in the South of

the Peninfula.

"More defirable means of obtaining accurate and original intel. ligence could not have been prefented to any one, who wished to inveftigate the state of the natives of India, with a view to their moral and religious improvement." P. ii.

To which afterwards thefe important particulars are added.

"Under the aufpices of Marquis Wellesley, who, by favour of Providence, now prefides in the government of India, a version of the holy Scriptures may be expected, not in one language alone, but in feven of the Oriental tongues; in the Hindooftanee, Perfian, Chinese, and Malay; Orifla, Mahratta, and Bengalefe; of which

the four former are the primary and popular languages of the Continent and Ifles of Afia.

"In the centre of the Pagan world, and at the chief seat of su. perftition and idolatry, thefe works are carried on; and the unconverted natives affift in the tranflations. The Gofpels have already been tranflated into the Perfian, Hindooftanee, Mahratta, Oriffa, and Malay languages; and the whole Scriptures have been tranflated into the Bengalee language. One edition of the Bengalee Bible has been diftributed amongst the natives; and a fe'cond is in the press for their use. A verfion of the Scriptures in the Chinese language (the language of three hundred millions of men) has alfo been undertaken; and a portion of the work is already printed off." P. v.

We proceed to the memoir itself, which opens with a fhort chapter, and unhappily it could only be a fhort one, on the prefent ftate of the English Church in India: in which it is very ftriking, that only three English Churches fubfift in the whole of our dependencies there, one at Calcutta, one at Madras, and one at Bombay. The great want of an Ecclefiaftical Eftablifhment has produced, as might be expected, great irregularities. Marriages, burials, and fometimes baptifms, by the civil magiftrate, or by a military officer, are not only performed, but are in a manner fan&tioned by a precedent of thirty years." Yet, it is ftated, that there is no want of a difpofition to attend to Chriftian inftruction were it beftowed. "Wherever the Chriftian minifter folicits attention, he finds an audience." The fecond chapter contrafts, to this fcanty view, the establishment of three archbifhops and thirty bishops, with priests in proportion, belonging to the Romish Church in India: befides Armenian and Greek priefts and one bifhop. Chap. 3. explains the extent of an establishment for our Church, which appears to the writer to be abfolutely neceffary for British India; on these particulars we fhall not dwell. If the measure itself be confidered as expedient, the fpecific mode of carrying it into execution must be left to the investigation of those invested with public authority; by whom the recommendation of a perfon fo extremely well informed as Mr. Buchanan, cannot poffibly be difregarded. In the fourth chapter we find fome general confiderations relative to the propriety of fuch an eftablishment. One remark is particularly ftriking, though it ftates only what might naturally be expected from the previous ftate of our religion in India.

"The advantages of fuch an establishment, in refpect to our afcendancy among the natives, will be incalculable. Their contant obfervation is, that "the English have no religion;" and they

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