ter has undertaken to comprefs in the space of an octavo volume the more important materials of Dr. Jortin's two thick quarto volumes, which relate to the life, character, and writings of Erafmus. He appears to have accomplished his undertaking with confiderable dexterity. A good head of Erafmus is prefixed, with a fpecimen of his autograph; and an account of his works, with a copious index of names is fubjoined at the conclufion of the volume.

ART. 32. Memoirs of the Life and Writings of the late Reverend and learned Hugh Farmer. To which is added a Piece of his, never before published, printed from the only remaining MS. of the Author. Aljo feveral original Letters, and an Extra& from bis Effay on the Cafe of Balaam. Taken from his MS. fince deftroyed. By the late Michael Dudfon, Efq. 8vo. 162 pp. 35. Longman, &c. 1804.

The divine, who is the fubject of thefe Memoirs, was fo eminent among the diffenters, that it is rather to be wondered, that a feparate life of him had not fooner been published, than that this has at length appeared. It is of no great extent or curiofity, nor are the original pieces fubjoined to it of any confiderable value. To the principal circumftances refpecting him, "thofe which refpect his character and his writings," it is confeffed that "Dr. Kippis has done ample juftice, in the fifth volume. of the Biographia Britannica. But," adds the author, "that large and expenfive work being in the hands of comparatively few readers, who perfonally knew Mr. Farmer, or of those who, from an acquaintance with his writings, may wish to know fomething of the author, it has been thought defirable, that a feparate account should be published, with fome additional anec. dotes, which the above learned author probably did not poffefs." P. vi.

Mr. Hugh Farmer was born near Shrewsbury, in 1714, and died at Walthamstow in 1787.-His principal works were, as is well known, 1. An Inquiry into the Nature and Design of Chrift's Temptation in the Wilderness; 2. A Differtation on Miracles; 3. An Effay on the Demoniacs of the New Tefta. ment; 4. The general Prevalence of the Worship of human Spirits in ancient Heathen Nations afferted and proved. In the firft and third of thefe he was employed, as is well known, in denying all that common fenfe would naturally deduce from the narratives in the Gofpel, to which they allude. The work of moft utility was the Effay on Miracles.

It is extremely regretted by his biographer, that in confequence of a request to his executors in his will, all his papers were burnt; though there were among them a fecond volume on the Demonology of the Ancients, which he had nearly completed; and a curious Diflertation on the ftory of Balaam,

which had lain by him for feveral years, fairly tranfcribed for the prefs; and even a prepared edition of his Differtation on Miracles, with confiderable additions and improvements.-What might be his fecret reafons for ordering this deftruction of his own labours, it is vain to enquire; but it is fair enough to con jecture, that an author who had dealt fo much in paradoxes, might, at the clofe of a long life, fee fo far into the unfound nefs of them, as to refolve before he died, not to attempt any further propagation of them.

POLITICS.

ART. 33. The True Origin of the prefent War between France and England; with Obfervations on the Expediency and Advantages of an immediate Peace. 8vo. 51 pp. Hinricks, Leipzic. 1805.

The Pamphlet before us is faid, in the title page, to have been printed at Halle, and publifhed at Leipzic. From what manu factory the compofition of the work proceeded we are not told; but, though published in the English language, we cannot suppose it to be the work of any Englishman. Never was a publication more palpably hoftile to the interefts, as well as honour of Bri tain; never did an author more impudently, though weakly, advocate the cause of its implacable enemy. The author affects to investigate the fubject "with calmnefs, candour, and impar tiality;" yet nothing can be more intemperate than many of his expreffions; nothing more uncandid than his fuppofitions; nothing more partial than his reprefentations. It is needlefs to dwell on particulars, when the groffeft perverfion of facts and fophiftry in argument is confpicuous throughout. Most of the author's affertions, indeed, have already been made by our ene mies, but repeatedly difproved; and his reasonings (if they deferve that name) fully confuted, both in the writings of individuals, and by the declarations of the British government. We will not enter into the difgufting task of again expofing them; but it may not be amifs to give one fpecimen of the writer's confiftency with himfelf. He argues (p. 23.) that we have no right to complain of the numerous aggreffions of France on the independence of Europe fince the Treaty of Amiens, because, forfooth, we did not object to the acquifition of Louisiana by the United States of America, or declare war against them on that account! Yet, in a few pages afterwards, he states, as one of the injuries we have done to France by the war, our "having obliged her to refign Louifiana." Could any anfwer to fuch reafoning have more completely expofed its abfurdity? Upon the whole, with the fingle exception of a work called "The Crimes of Cabinets," (the production of the notorious Lewis Goldsmith)

we do not recollect having met with a work pretended to be English, which was in fpirit and tendency fo truly Gallican; and we doubt whether any London publisher would have affixed his name to it. If any thing could have aggravated the infolence of this tool of France, it would be his dedication of fuch a work to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales; whom he calls (with what allufion we will not pretend to fay) "the Prince of Peace."

ART. 34. To your Tents! An Addrefs to the Volunteers of the United Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland. By the Rev. Matthew Wiljon, A. M. formerly Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, and Curate of Crayford, Kent. 8vo. 23 pp. 6d. or 59. per dozen. Reynolds, &c. 1806.

In the advertisement prefixed to this addrefs, we are told, it was delivered at the drum head, to a Loyal Regiment of Volun teers, when they were mustered in order to be brigaded for a fortnight, and is now published at the request of private friends.

It is a fenfible, fpirited, and pious exhortation; wherein the nature of the conteft in which we are engaged is very justly stated, and the motives to exertion in the defence of our country ably enforced.

ART. 35. The Mysteries of Neutralization; or the British Navy vindicated from the Charges of Injustice and Oppreffion towards Neutral Flags. By John Brown, of Great Yarmouth. 8vo. 156 pp. 3s. 6d. Jordan and Maxwell, 1806.

How ably the caufe of Great Britain, in her difpute with the Neutral Powers, has been defended upon general principles, our readers must have obferved in several inftances, more especially in our account of the mafterly tract entitled "War in Disguise." A different, but not lefs effectual, courfe is pursued by the writer before us, who confines his attention chiefly to an exposure of the frauds practifed by Neutrals, in evading thofe laws, the obligation of which they cannot controvert. The queftion, therefore, fo much agitated, on the right of Neutrals to convey to our enemies the produce of their colonies, is not difcuffed by this author. His purpofe is to ftigmatize the fyftem of deception and perjury carried on by the hoftile owners of French and Dutch property, in conjunction with a fet of merchants, or pretended merchants, in the Pruffian territories. For this purpofe he has procured and published a variety of documents (extracted, we believe, from the Regifters of our Courts of Admiralty) proving a fyftematic fraud, and an audacious profligacy which almoft exceed belief. Our limits will not permit us to detail the particulars of these documents; but we will ftate, in the author's own words, a few of the nefarious practices which he has brought to light.

"At

"At Emden, Leer, Papenburg, Oldenburgh, Grietzyl, Varel, Norden, Altona, Hamburgh, North Bergen, &c. are upwards of one hundred neutralizing eftablishments, formed for the fole purpose of covering, by fraudulent documents, the veffels and merchandize belonging to the fubjects of the belligerent powers *.

"The neutralizers of Leer are connected with, and fupported by, Mr. C. a banker of Berlin, and divide their profits with him. They cover many large and valuable veffels by falfe papers, and are entrusted with the expediting and neutralizing very valuable cargoes to and from the enemy's fettlements in the Eaft, the Cape of Good Hope, the Weft Indies, &c. &c. In cafes of very rich cargoes, a number of neutralizers of Leer affociate as part owners, the better to conceal the enemy's property from detection. At Leer and Emden, in common with all other marts for the fale of neutral documents, attefted proofs may be procured, for any purpose whatever connected with neutralization, without difficulty or delay. It has very commonly been the practice, after veffels had been condemned in the ports of this country, and purchased sometimes by the agents of the former afferted proprietors, who were anxious to carry on the fame kind of trade, to fend to Papenburg for complete fets of papers, which have been always regularly forwarded under the fign and seal of the magiftrates, ftating the number of the feveral perfons compofing the crew; that they had been there fhipped and hired, and a regular clearance for the veffel, as if fhe had failed from Papenburg; notwithstanding neither the veffel or perfons had perhaps ever been there." P. 6.

In order to fhow the extent to which thefe practices are carried on, it is ftated, as a known fact, that the number of veffels which really belong to the inhabitants of Eaft Friezland, does not exceed one hundred; but that the lowest computation of the number of veffels bearing the Pruffian flag, but being the property of fubjects of belligerent powers, is two thousand, and the highest three thoufand fail. The injuries and hardfhips to which the bona fide owners of neutral veffels are expofed, in confequence of the great difproportion between real and fimulated neutral shipping, are (the author obferves) a serious injury to the Pruffian commerce, prevent its increafe, and fubject their veffels to frequent detentions, owing to the impoffibility of diftinguishing between

"Emden (which certainly must be confidered the headquarters of neutralization on this fide the Elbe) contains about fifty of thefe eftablishments; but from the fuperior local advantages of Leer, the greater complacency of those in power, and the lefs extortionate charges for fictitious inftruments, the neutralizers of Emden look forward with fear and trembling to the transfer of their lucrative and illicit traffic to that place."

the real neutral and the counterfeit. There are, it appears, many venal magiftrates in Emden, Leer, &c., who furnish documents of every kind, with all the formalities of affidavits annexed, without the oaths being ever administered or taken. The author goes fo far as to name a particular magiftrate, as notorious for granting fuch fictitious inftruments, and as gaining 10,000l. fterling per annum by fuch difhonourable means. But it would take a volume to fet forth all the frauds brought to light by this meritorious writer. The present state of public affairs may indeed divert them into fome other channel; but, fhould hoftilities with Pruffia continue, the neutralizing establishments will soon be transferred to the Danish or other neutral ports. Our government, therefore, cannot be too vigilant in detecting, or too vigorous in refitting fuch practices; nor can the public fpirit of this writer be too highly extolled; as his publication has fo fully developed and exposed them.

SLAVE TRADE.

ART. 36. A Letter to Mr. Cobbett on his Opinions refpecting the Slave Trade. By Thomas Clarke, A. M. Prebendary of Hereford. Svo. 113 pp. Price 3s. 6d. Hatchard.

1806.

We have often heard the proverbial expreffion of "cutting a man's throat with a feather," but never faw it better exemplified than in the work before us; in which the intemperance and illi. berality of the perfon addreffed, are ftated and proved in language fo temperate and liberal as to reflect double fhame on the author whofe pen is employed in fo different a manner. He convicts him out of his own mouth not only of the groffeft political inconfiftency and tergiverfation, but of openly profeffing doctrinewhich every good man must abhor, fuch as (which he avows als moft in terms) that you may hold any language refpecting a political or literary antagonist, and "impute to him crimes of which you do not believe him to be guilty;" for to what else does Mr. Cobbett's apology, for the language formerly used by him refpecting Mr. Fox, amount? Very different is the course taken by the refpectable author before us. He gives his antagonist credit, in the first place, for the poffeffion of extraordinary talents, and fecondly, for the object to which he profeffes to apply them, namely, "the prefervation of the British monarchy.” He then points out the defects which he conceives effentially to detract from merits. The firft is, his difregard of religion, in maintaining, that although "fhe may be a proper auxiliary to loyalty, yet when her precepts are incompatible with his noticns of national glory, they may be boldly broken when they are too ftubborn to bend." It is alfo juftly remarked, that notwithftanding the very exalted refpect which the author alluded to feems to entertain for the perfon and office of the fovereign, he

fome.