honour to their country, and added luftre to the eminent fituations which they filled. It would afford no gratification to our readers to detail the arrangement which this able lawyer has thought proper to adopt. At first view it may feem liable to fome objections, infomuch as it deviates from that order which is dictated by the subject as it occurs in practical experience. But fuch a criterion feems to us to be without foundation. The vera virtus et Venus ordinis in a fcientific book, is fo to dispose the topics, that the explanation of the first may facilitate the expofition of the fecond, and that each fucceffive dif cuffion fhall form as it were a vantage ground to enable the reader to attack and overcome the obftacles prefented by that which follows it. This plan feems to have been pursued by Mr. Nolan, with the exception of thofe chapters in his fecond volume which treat of overfeers' accounts, and the remedies against parish officers for misbehaviour, both which, as it appears to us, would have been inferted, more regularly and aptly, after chap. 2 of the first volume. In explaining the law upon each particular head, the author does not appear to have omitted any cafe that is to be met with upon the fubject, and the number of judicial decifions which he refers to, will be found to exceed the copious collection of Mr. Conft. Yet he has referred them fo clearly to the principles upon which each decifion depends, and has abftracted the fubftance of each fo clearly, that nothing feems confufed or mifplaced. To each branch of fettlement law, is fubjoined a detail of the evidence neceffary to prove or avoid each particular fpecies of fettlement. The book thus contains a clear and concife detail of principles, and an abridgement of cafes on the law of evidence, which will be found highly serviceable to the lawyer, as well as to the magiftrate. But what renders this work more immediately useful and neceffary, to all who practice at the courts of quarter feffions, is thofe chapters which treat of the method of conducting appeals, and of the manner of removing cafes which have been ftated to the fellions, into the court of king's bench. Nothing had appeared upon this fubject prior to the present undertaking, and the practitioner was left to grope his way into court through utter darkness, or to explore it from the different clerks of the peace, and the king's bench office. But he will here find fuch clear and particular directions, that it is fearely poffible to mifunderstand them. The author's language is perfpicuous throughout, and is mot deftitute of elegance when the subject admits of orna Gg 2 ment. 66 ment. In this particular he must have been encumbered by a fcrupulous, but neceflary attention, to give as much as poffible the language of the court, the difficulty and importance of prelerving which, few can appreciate who have not upon fome occafion made the attempt. Yet he has managed this fo ingenioufly, as to free his work from every thing like uncouthnefs of expreflion or dilcordance of ftyle. Mr. Nolan has in general raifed his powers, and augmented his diligence, where his fubject, from being abftrufe and complicated, feemed moft to require it. He has treated the heads of the poors rate"" of fettlements by hiring and fervice," by apprenticeships," and " by eftate," with peculiar care and correctnefs. These volumes have been already fo univerfally received and approved of by the profession, that it is unneceffary for us to enter into a more extensive detail of their merits, or to point out their defects. Some faults are of courfe incident to every firft publication, and will, we make no doubt, be avoided in the next edition. But we cannot conclude without ftrongly recommending the perufal of this treatise to every gentleman who is concerned in the management of the poor, and the adminiftration of the laws which refpect them. We do this with greater pleasure, as nothing can be more praifeworthy than to find a gentleman of Mr. Nolan's experience and practice, withdrawing fome portion of his time from the active and lucrative employment of his profeffion, and devoting it to inftruct and affift, not merely the members of his own profeffion, but that most ufeful and meritorious body of gentlemen, the juftices of peace in this part of the kingdom. BRITISHI CATALOGUE. POETRY. ART. 13. Hours of Solitude. A Collection of Original Poems, noru first published. By Charlatte Dacre, better known by the Name of Rofa Matilda. In two Vols. 12mo. 145. Hughes, &c. 1866. It is now long fince we heard of Della Crufca, Anna Maria, or any of that fwarm of infect poets, which the Baviad put to flight. Reja Murtida maft furely be a pupil of the fame fchool. Whether Whether Mifs Rafa has other views than that of having her poetry admired, we cannot fay; but the advertises, by means of Mr. Buck's graver, that she has an attractive perfon, as well as a poetical pen; and the takes care to tell the public, in a short advertisement, that he is ftill only three and twenty. The Lady's turn for verfification was very early fhown, (if we may truft the fuperfcriptions of her poems) which often announce the age of fixteen, or feventeen as the period of their compofition. But, left this fhould not be fufficiently furprising, we have an appendix of poems, written as early as at thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen. The poems chiefly relate to love, of which poor Rofa feems to have felt all the viciffitudes. That he has also poetical feelings in her hours of folitude, we are far from attempting to deny; but he has not been inftructed, how much a few produc tions of high finish, are preferable to a number of unequal effu fions. We will felect as good a fpecimen as we can, and leave the poetefs to her mufes and her lovers. IL TRIONFO DEL AMOR. "So full my thoughts are of thee, that Ifwear Spell-bound I am and fpell-bound wife to be." The laft line of this has much poetical merit, as painting nature with truth as well as force. Many poems in this fecend volume, which by no means difgrace it, are written by Azor, a lover of Rofa Matilda. ART. 14. The Lamp; or original Fables. Dedicated to her Roya! Highnefs the Princess Charlotte of Wales. By a Lady. Ém, bellished with fifty-four elegant Engravings in Wood. 12mo. PP. 236. Ios. 6d. Carter, &c. 1806. A candid reader and critic, on examining this book, will lament that it is not, what it mi ht be rendered by no very dit Gg3 process, procefs, an elegant and inftructive prefent for young perfons in general, Had the fair author, inftead of fending it hastily to the prefs, fubmitted it to the full and free revifion of fome friend well verfed in writing, and acquainted with the laws of poetry, it would have made a very different appearance when prefented to the world. We think it ftill worth while to let it undergo this procefs. If the first edition fhould be facrificed by it, the confequence will furely be a repetition of editions, which other wife can never take place. Though the thoughts are often not only new, but ingenious and good, yet continual deficiencies in the technical parts of writing abfolutely forbid any extended fuccefs. The very title of the firft fable, for want of a know ledge of language, is delufive. It is called "the Pigeon Carriers." Now pigeon carriers can only mean perfons who carry pigeons whereas the writer intends pigeons which carry letters, or thofe ufually called carrier-pigeons. The friendly procefs which ought to have been applied to all, we will exemplify in part of the firft fable, marking the faulty parts in Italics. "Thus was given no denial * Sure that he could ftand the trial; Nor was either much faint hearted. "The three days o'er, return'd the dove, Hoping her folitary love Would rejoice the trial ended* On which happiness depended.* "But how can we her feelings state, When the beheld another mate Perch'd near her false inconstant spouse, Let the confeffion pray be thine," + To her who fitting by his fide, Befides Befides the faults in meafure and expreffion, the moral here is imperfect. The lady means, doubtlefs, that it is foolish wantonly to try conftancy, but ftill the engaged dove was not free to choose. Own'd is applied improperly. The verses marked with ftars are all of wrong cadence. Those with a dagger are unintelligible, for want of a proper tranfition. But for a few blemishes of this kind, the third fable would have great merit, the thought is elegant, and the expreffion sometimes happy. In the introductory fable, the pigeon who acted rightly, fhould not have been the fufferer. The fecond fable is very faulty, both in verfification and grammar. Many of the fables are on trivial or injudicious thoughts. Nevertheless there is that in most of them, which might by fkill be worked into fomething. ART. 15. Original Poems for Infant Minds. By feveral Young 121 PP. By fome accident, the second volume only of this little work has come into our hands. We may prefume that the first volume is worthy of its fellow; and in that cafe we pronounce, that a more entertaining or inftructive collection of verfes for the ufe of children, cannot eafily be produced. A fhort fpecimen will ferve to justify our favourable fentence: 66 MY OLD SHOES You're now too old for me to wear, poor fhoes, ART. 16. A Poetical Effay on the late memorable Engagement, beween the British and Combined Fleets of France and Spain, off Trafalgar: wherein the gallant and much-regretted Vice-Admiral Lord Viscount Nelfon, fell a Sacrifice to his Prowess and Magnanimity, in the Service of his King and Country. By the Rev. W. Wills, A. M. Vicar of Edlington, Lincolnshire. 4to. 10 pp. Jackson, Louth. 1805. It would be a very inadequate reward, on the part of Briwish poets, to our departed Hero, if his achievements should Gg 4 be |