&c. or, instead of prevalent, we may read acknowledged. A fhort account then follows of the impiety, injustice, and horrid crimes of the French; against which charges none will defend them, except a very few who dignify themselves, and each other, with the much-abufed title of philofophers. Mr. H. enquires, "What is the conduct of the Dutch, the Swifs, the inhabitants of Flanders, Venice, Genoa, Rome?” P. 7. And he justly argues, that "the treatment they have experienced is tender mercy to what we muft expect; their hostility to us being directed by fingular animofity, and with a rage and rancour pe. culiarly envenomed." P. 8. "And as our foes have openly renounced their faith, difavowed their allegiance to the Majefty of Heaven, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, denying the government of any power fuperior to their own, it seems peculiarly incumbent upon us, when taking up arms to reprefs 'heir infolence, that we as unrefervedly declare our abhorrence of their impious principles; and that, while we make every proper military prepiration, and exert every human effort, we ftill depend for final fuccefs upon the arm of Omnipotence." Ib. I am, therefore, happy to find it has become a sort of fasbim, upon raifing any free military force, in whatever part of the kingdom, to confecrate its arms and its banners to the Lord of Hofts, the God of Battles; thereby appealing to Heaven for the juftice of our cause, and imploring its aid and protection." P. 9. The preacher then states, that the rebellion in Ireland was in a great measure fuppreffed by the activity and bravery of a body of men fimilar to thofe he was addtef fing. The aid of Britifh forces (our militia in particular) might here have been properly acknowledged. The army of England being now annihilated, we pass over what is here faid of an invafion, and proceed to obferve, that various inftances are produced of the vifible interpofition of heaven, in our defence, during the prefent conteft. The conclufion (pp. 16, 17, 18) is found and fpirited; and the discourse, in general, is well adapted to the occafion, being calculated to invigorate patriotism by the spirit of piety.

ART. 37. A Sermon, preached before the Gentlemen of the St. George's Southwark Volunteers, and of the Southwark Volunteer Cavalry, Si Nov. 29, 1798, being the Day appointed for a General Thanfgiving. By the Rev. W. Mann, M. A. published at the Request of the Corps. 4to. 19 pp. IS,

A prefatory address to the volunteers informs us, that," previous to the delivery of this difcourfe, the preacher had no notes, nor any written plan, even for his own direction." This circumftance led us to expect a defultory effufion of extemporary eloquence, little worthy of being attentively perufed by the hearers, when retired from the church. But we were agreeably difappointed in finding a regular, temperate, yet animated difcuffion, of a well-chofen text," Rejoice with trembling," Pfa. ii. 11.

ART

ART. 38. Dedicated to the First Lord of the Admiralty, and published for the Benefit of the Widows and Orphans of the brave Seamen who have fallen in the glorious Conteft in which the Nation is engaged; a Sermon, preached in the Chapel in his Majefty's Dock-yard, at Portfmouth, on Thursday the 29th of November, 1798, being the Day appointed by bis Majefty's Royal Proclamation, for a General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the late Glorious Victory obtained by his Majefty's Ships of War, under the Command of Rear Admiral Lord Nelfon of the Nile, &.c. By the Rev. Tufton Charles Scott, S. C. L. Chaplain in Ordinary to bis Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, and officiating Chaplain to his Majefty's Dock-Yard, and the Ordinary at that Port. 4to. 20 pp. 1s. 6d. Cadell and Davies. 1798.

The Dedication of this Sermon ferved very opportunely to mode rate our expectation of any high degree of merit in it. We are com. pelled to fay that it is a very flimfy declamation, though it eoncludes. with ufeful hints to failors, foldiers, tradesmen, artificers, and lastly to the female fex in general (pp. 22, &c.) Quere, what is the meaning of S. C. L. which the author fubjoins to his name?

ART. 39. A Sermon, preached in the Parish-Church of Woolwich, in the County of Kent, on Thursday, October 16, 1798, before the Members of the Armed Affociation of Woolwich Loyal Volunteers. By G. A. Thomas, A. M. Rector of Woolwich, and Prebendary of Lichfield. Published by Request. 8vo. 34 PP- IS. Rivingtons. 1798.

To the members of volunteer armed affociations we are willing to award any praife, except that of a critical difcernment of the merit of Sermons, preached before them, and published at their requeft. If the Woolwich Volunteers (as well as many others) had contented themfelves with expreffing their approbation of the difcourfe delivered to them, and their hope of profiting by the wholefome admonitions it sontained, we think they would have shown more judgment than by a request for its publication.

ART. 40. Prefentation of Colours, by Mrs. William Garrett, to the Royal Garrifon Volunteers, under the Command of Major William Gar rett; a Sermon, preached in the Garrison Chapel, Portsmouth, Wednes day, May 29, 1799. By the Rev. John Davies. 4to. 20 pp. is

IS

The prayer prefixed to this Sermon is a collection of fentences made with propriety from Scripture. The Sermon itself, no doubt, gratified the bearers; though we, at a distance from the animating fcere, can only fay that it is unexceptionable. The Addrefs of Mrs. W. Garrett, on prefenting the colours. and the answer of Major Garrett, are patriotic and proper.

ART.

ART. 41. A Sermon, preached in the Parish-Church of Towcester, Nos vember 29, 1798, the Day appointed by his Majefty to return Thanks to Almighty God, for our recent and important Succeffes, in diftant Sear and elsewhere. By J. Morgan, A. B. Curate. Published by particu lar Defire. 8vo. 35 pp. 35 pp. 1s. 6d. Rivingtons, &c. 1799.

An ingenuous, but fingular apology, is made in the epiftle dedicatory, for the vehemence of the author's ftyle: " If any degree of warmth fhould appear in the fubfequent pages, my countrymen will have the goodnefs to attribute it to the pardonable paffion of a Cambre Briton." We are unwilling to put this honest Welchman into a fresh paffion; and, therefore, we fhall fay of his discourse, that it is very Zayal; and farther we say not.

LAW...

ART. 42. A Treatise on the Law of Bills of Exchange, Checks on Bankers, Promi ry Notes, and Bank Notes. By Jeph Chitty, Efq. of the Middle Temple. 8vo. 286 pp. E. and R. Brooke, &c.

Mr. Chitty has divided the arrangement of his work into two parts; in the first, he confiders the right which may be acquired by a bill, check, or note; in the fecond, he treats of the mode by which payment of them is to be enforced. The work is well digefted, and correctly written, and may prove an acceptable addition to the library of the merchant and the lawyer. A few errors are to be discovered, which the author will correct, if his book fhould arrive at a fecond edition. There is a palpable one, to which we wish to call his atten tion. In the chapter in which he treats of the Evidence in an action of affumpfit on a bill, he says: In an action at the fuit of an ac ceptor having paid an accommodation bill fupra protest against the drawer of it, it is prefumed that the proteft would be prefumptive evidence of the plaintiff's having had no effects of the drawers in his hands." P. 209.

This never can be the law, as applicable to Bills of Exchange drawn in the customary form. The acceptance of the bill is a primâ facie proof of effects being in the hands of the acceptor, or, in other words, that it is not an accommodation bill; and it would be in direct repugnance to the rules of our law, if the acceptor could, by his own act of payment, fupra proteft, rebut the prefumption arifing from the act of acceptance, and thus prove it to be an accommodation bill. Yet we are afraid that the paflage can have no other meaning; for, if it is proved to be an accommodation bill by other evidence, there could be no occafion for drawing any prefumptive inference from thisfpecies of protest.

ART. 43. A Treatife on Leafes and Terms for Years. By Mathew Bacon, of the Middle-Temple, Efq. Crown 8vo. 352 PP. 95. Cadell and Davies, C. Dilly, and all the principal Bockfellers. 1798. The Advertisement prefixed to this book, acknowledges it to be nothing more than a detached publication of the title, Leafes and Terms

for

for Years, in Bacon's abridgment; taken from Mr. Gwillim's late improved edition of that ufeful work. The object of the proprietors in printing it in this detached form, was to prevent its being done in the fame manner by fome other perfon, who had threatened to publifh it. They exult that it has produced the defired confequence, of repreffing what they confider as an attack upon their property.

ART. 44. The Security of Englishmen's Lives; or, the Truft, Power, and Duty of the Grand Juries of England. Explained according to the Fundamentals of the English Government, and the Declarations of the fame made in Parliament by many Statutes. First published in the Year 1681. To which is prefixed, a Sketch of the Hiftory of Juries. By a Barrifter. 8vo. 2s. 6d. W. Dyde, Tewkesbury; W. Welt, London.

$799.

The Preface to this tract, which contains a sketch of the hiftory of juries, is the only part of it which comes properly within our province as a new publication. It is a mean and fuperficial performance. The work itself is written with great ability and knowledge of the conftitution, and if it be the compofition of any of the perfons to whom the publisher afcribes it in his Preface, we fhould give it to Lord Shaftesbury, to whom the ignoramus of a grand jury was of fignal utility. Although we approve of much of the advice which it contains, yet we fufpect that it was compofed, and is now republished, with a very different view from that of giving to juries an infight into their conftitutional duties; that the real object of both was to conceal the crimes of the guilty traitor from investigation and punishment, not to fcreen innocence from what the prefacer is pleased to call the blush and hazard of public trial." We by no means think that any grand jury ought to ignore a bill, where the criminality of the perfon accuted admits of the leaft poffible doubt. So far as reputation is affected, his character is more likely to be purged from imputation, if he is acquitted after a public enquiry into his conduct, than if the accufation is fmothered up in a private chamber, by a parcel of country gentlemen, who are fworn to keep their proceedings fecret. So far as the jaftice of the country is concerned, we are fure that many real criminals would efcape, if grand juries fhould confider themselves as the best forum for the abfolution of prifoners, whofe guilt would be clearly proved by the more competent investigation of a petty jury, under the directions of a learned and merciful judge.

POLITICS.

ART. 45. An Address of great Importance to the Natives of England, the Emigrants from France, and the Rulers of both Countries. By a Plain Englishman. 8vo. 49 pp. Longman. 1798.

This Addrefs (a confiderable part of which is accompanied by a French translation) is certainly on fubjects of the highest importance, and breathes (in general) fentiments of the beft tendency. It cannot expected that on the topics here treated (the war with France, and

the

the threatened attempts of the enemy on our liberties and conftitution much novelty fhould be produced. There is, however, a good sense and candour in this little tract, which render it interesting. The writer does not enter into the merits of our original difpute with the Rulers of France. But, as to the probable confequences of a continuance of peace (had it been practicable) he gives a very unfavourable conjecture; which we have no doubt, would have been verified by the event.

He then addrelles each clafs of the people, and proves that the poor have even a greater intereft than the rich in refifting the enemy; fince, in the event of his fuccefs, the latter might escape from perfonal injury by the facrifice of their property, but the former "would be put in requifition to flaughter or be flaughtered, and, when they were deftroyed, their wives and daughters would be put in requifition to produce new fubjects, and fupply new foldiers for the Republic."

To avert thefe evils he propofes, firft, "to strengthen the hands of government, and, by every means in our power, to contribute to the fupply of the exigencies of the ftate," fecondly," to attend to the condition of the laborious poor, fo as to leffen the hardships they may fuffer from the want of employment, which the ftagnation of trade, during this conteft, muft inevitably occafion, and, laftly, to affociate, and learn the use of arms, for our mutual defence. The author must be pleafed to find the first and last measure recommended by him, have fince been fo generally performed.

The writer next addreffes the French emigrants, recommending to them a quiet and peaceable demeanour among a people who have re'ceived and fupported them. The prevailing party in the French nation he confiders" as the fcourge of God, and as his inftruments for bringing to pafs the infcrutable purposes of his providence." He compares them with fome propriety, to the Saracens; except that the prophet of that nation" taught the belief of one God, whereas the French deny his existence; the Saracens were content with impofing a tribute on the conquered nations, the exactions of the French are confined to no limits while any thing is left to extort." He concludes with a paffage from Mr. Malone's Vindication of Shakspeare, on the dangers of a peace with France.

ART. 46. Confiderations upon Frauds on the Revenue. Addressed to the ferious good Senfe of the People of Great Britain. 8vo. 36 pp. Hatchard, and Rivingtons. 1799.

This is a very ftrong and able remonftrance against the base and immoral practice of evading the public contributions. The author propofes to examine from what caufes this "gigantic immorality" has arifen. He removes the blame from Commerce, upon which it has frequently been laid; and places a part of it to the account of the writers upon public law and morals, who have "treated the crime of fuggling with too much lenity; by restricting the moral guilt, and its expiation, to the contingent payment of the penalties upon difcovery," p. 3, and a part to the pulpit and fenate, where too little notice has been taken of this difcreditable vice, He then traces the fource of

public