repay, he is obliged to have recourfe to new loans, and at last has no other 7 resource but to abandon a part, or even the whole of his property to his creditor, who receives it as an equiva Tent; or to affign it to another, in exchange for other valuables with which he difcharges his obligation to his creditor. §. 13. Confequences of this inequality: The cultivator diftinguished from the proprietor. Thus is the property in the foil made fubject to purchafe and fale.The portion of the diffipating or unfortunate increases the fhare of the more happy or wifer proprietor; and in this infinite variety of poffeffions, it is not poffible but a great number of proprietors muft poffefs more than they can cultivate. Befides, it is natural for a rich man to wifh for a tranquil enjoyment of his property, and inftead of employing his whole time in toilfome labour, he rather prefers giving a part of his fuperfluity to people to work for him. very $14. Divifion of the produce be tween the cultivator aud the proprietor. Net produce, or revenue. By this new arrangement, the produce of the land divides into two parts. The one comprehends the fubfiftence and the profits of the hufbandman, which are the reward for his la-, bour, and the condition on which he agrees to cultivate the field of the proprietor. The other which remains, is that independent and difpofable part, which the earth produces as a free gift to him who cultivates it, over and above what he has difbursed, and wages for his trouble; and it is out of this fhare of the proprietor's, or what is called the revenue, that he is enabled to live without labour, and which he can carry where he will. §. 15. A new divifion of fociety into three claffes, Cultivators, Artificers, and proprietors, or the productive ftipendiary and difpofable claffes. We now behold fociety divided in to three branches; the clafs of buf bandmen, whom we may denominate cultivators; the class of artificers and others, who work for hire upon the productions of the earth; and the clas of proprietors, the only one which, not being confined by a want of fup-port to a particular species of labour, may be employed in the general fervice of fociety, as for war, and the adminiftration of juftice, either by a perfonal fervice, or by the payment of a part of their revenue, with which the ftate may hire others to fill thefe employments. The appellation which fuits the beft with this divifion, for this reafon, is that of the disposable class. §. 16. Refemblance between the two laborious, or not difpofable claffes. ' The two claffes of cultivators and artificers, refemble each other in many refpects, and particularly that thofe who compofe them do not poffefs any revenue, and both equally fubfit on the wages which are paid them on the productions of the earth. Both have alfo this circumstance in common, that they only gain the price of their labour and their disbursements, and that this price is nearly the fame in the two claffes. The proprietor agreeing with thofe who cultivate his ground to pay them as fmall a part as poffible of its produce, in the fame manner as he bargains with the fhoemaker to puri chafe his fhoes as cheap as he can. In a word, neither the cultivator nor the: artificer receive more than a bare re compenfe for their labour. 6. 17. Effential difference between the two laborious claffes. But there is this difference between: the two fpecies of labour; that the work of the cultivator produces not. only his own wages, but also that revenue which serves to pay all the dif ferent claffes of artificers, and other ftipendiaries their falaries; that is to fay, their parts of the productions of the earth, in exchange for their la bour, and which does not produce any. enue. The proprietor enjoys nothing but by the labour of the cultiva tor. He receives from him his fubfiftence, and wherewith to pay for the labour of the other stipendiaries. He has need of the cultivator by the neceffity arifing from the physical order of things, by which neceffity the earth is not fruitful without labour; but the cultivator has no need of the proprie tor but by virtue of human conventions, and of thofe civil laws which have guaranteed to the first cultivators and their heirs, the property in the lands they had occupied, even after they had ceafed to cultivate them, But these laws can only fecure to the idle man, that part of the production of his land which it produces beyond the retribution due to the cultivators. The cultivator, confined as he is, to the ftipend for his labour, fill pre ferves that natural and phyfical prio. rity which renders him the first mover of the whole machine of fociety, and which caufes both the subsistence and wealth of the proprietor, and the falaries paid for every other fpecies of labour, to depend on his industry.— The artificer, on the contrary, receives his wagès either of the proprietor or of the cultivator, and only gives them in exchange for his work, an equivalent for his ftipend, and nothing more. Thus, although the cultivator and artificer, neither of them gain more" than a recompenfe for their toil, yer the labour of the cultivator produces befides that recompense, a revenue to the proprietor, while the artificer does not produce any revenue either for himself or others. 1. Cider, a Poem, in two Books. By John Philips. With notes provin. cial, hiftorical, and claffical, by Charles Dunfter. 8vo. 45. Boards. -Cadell. 1791. T HE propriety of the prefent at tempt, which the editor in his advertisement endeavours to establifh, is certainly not to be queftioned. A century has nearly-clapfed fince the first publication of Philips' Cyder — A poem of that era, particularly one of a didactic kind, on a provincial fubj:t, must require explanatory notes. The notes are written with tafte and accuracy and we doubt not but that the modern defcendants of the Ariconian knights will be well pleafed at this farther expanfion of their forefathers' renown, and the Silurian bard's poetical reputation. Their utility in elucidating a provincial fubject, will, we truft, not only prove grateful to his countrymen, but to readers in general, and make a defir able addition to the ftores of domeftic literature. We understand that Mr Dunfter, who, by the specimen he gave in tranflating the Frogs of Ariftophanes, led us to with that he' would favour the public with an entire verfion of his works, is the author of this pleafing commentary. 2. The American Oracle, comprehend ing an account of recent Discoveries in the Arts and Sciences, with a variety of religious, political, phyfical and philofophical fubjects, necessary to be known in all families, for the promotion of their prefent felicity and: future happiness. By the Honour able Samuel Stearns, L.L.D. 8vo. 8s. 6d. Boards. Lackington, 1791. IT is difficult to convey an ade. quate idea of this work philofophy is combined with medicine, morals' with hiftory; religion with politics; and the whole together is a farrago, containing not only, 'quicquid agens homines, homines,' but quicquid egerunt; quicquid agi debuiffent.' Why it was called the American Oracle we know not. As books are fcarce in America, as diftant carriage is expenfive, Dr Stearns probably wished to preclude every other author, by combining in one volume a little of every science, fome inftruction on every fubject, and fome amufement in every fituation, Our author is, at times, whimsical and fanciful; a few errors have occafionally crept in ; but, in general, his morality is unexceptionable, and his philofophy, when he does not attempt to explore untrodden tracts, correct and judicious. Of the poetical reafoning of this philofopher take the following fpecimens : The Mighty God hath all the fyftems made What wondrous works the Great Supreme hath laid 3 In feventeen hundred eighty-eight, I fat Is it not strange, that it doth break its bands! I form'd a new hypothefis indeed! I turn'd my thoughts upon that gloomy night, May May not, faid I, the vapours here and there When they into a proper ftate are roll'd, Of breezy currents, or of gentle gales?" taking rudenefs for fimplicity; the particularifing and dwelling on circumftances which are too mean to be no 3. Travels through Barbary, in a Series of Letters, written from the Ancient Numidia, in the Years 1785 and 1786; and containing an Acticed; and the confequent lengthencount of the Cuftoms and Manners ing of the ftory till it becomes weak of the Moors and Bedouin Arabs. and uninterefting. Tranflated from the French of the Abbé Poiret. 12mo. pp. 346. 2s. 6d. Boards. Forster. The author is often pretty, frequently beautiful, but feldom fublime; his defcription delights, but néver aftonishes: he animates his reader to joy, but does not exalt him into rapture: he foothes him to forrow, but does not deprefs him into defpair: his mufe exerts herself rather to analyfe, than to combine the fhews the moft brilliant fragments, but fails to produce a finished wholę. THE Abbé Poiret vifited the inhoftable defers of Barbary, chiefly for the purpose of improving the fcience of natural hiftory: but, at the fame time, he made many obfervations on the countries through which he paffed, and on the manners of the inhabitants; the refult of which is communicated to the public, in a work written in French, in two volumes octavo. From this 5. the tranflator, omitting the botanical parts, has extracted a small volume of entertaining narrative. 4. Poems by the Author of the Village Curate, and Adriano. 8vo. pp. 254, 45. fewed. Johnson. THE author of thefe poems has fhewn, by his former productions, that he can write well; nay, he has given ample proofs of it in the prefent -performances: but he has likewife proved that he can write ill. We learn, from the preface, that our poet had been advised not to publifh the pieces before us, leaft they might detract from the reputation that he had already acquired. The advice was friendly. We do not, however, wish that the poems had been fuppreffed; but they certainly fhould have been amended. The faults which are chiefly reprehenfible in this volume, are,-- the mif Genuine Poetical Compofitions, on various Subjects. By Elizabeth Bentley. Small 8vo. pp. 70. fewed. Norwich, Croufe and Stevenfon. 1791. In a letter addreffed to the Rev. Mr Walker, in Norwich, our female poet gives the following account of herfelt: I was born at Norwich, in the parish of All Saints, in November, 1767, and was the only child of my parents. My father's name was Daniel Bentley, by trade a journeyman cordwainer; who, having received a good education himself, took upon him to teach me reading and fpelling, but never gave me the leaft idea of grammar. Being naturally fond of reading, I ufed to employ my leifure hours with fuch books as were in the boufe; which were chiefly a fpelling-book, fable-book, dictionary, and books of arithmetic; and with fuch little pamphlets as I could borrow of my neighbours. When I was about ten years of of age, my father was afflicted with a paralytic ftroke, which took from him the use of one fide, and difabled him from working at his bufinefs; but ftill retaining the use of his right hand, and his diforder not affecting his mental faculties, he taught me the art of writing, from copies in the fpellingbook. My father was now obliged to go about felling garden-ftuff for a living, till (a few months before kis death) he obtained the place of bookkeeper to the London Coach, which then fet out from the King's Head, in the Market-Place. His lameness continued till his decease, which happened by a second stroke of the fame diforder, on the 25th of January 1783, in the 48th year of his age; I being then about fifteen years old. My father died in the parish of St Stephen, in which place my mother and I have, continued ever since. About two years after my father's death, I difcovered in myself an inclination for writing verfes, which I had no thought nor defire of being feen; but my mother fhewing my first productions to fome acquaintances, they encouraged me to proceed. Soon after I purchafed a small grammar-book, fécondhand, from which I attained the art of expreffing myfelf correctly in my native language. My mother's maiden name was Lawrence; her father, when living, kept a cooper's fhop in St Stephen's parish.' From this fhort narrative, it appears that this poetefs of nature enjoyed few advantages of education, and had few incentives to ftudy: but the muft certainly have read more than the enumerates, for fhe mentions no books of poetry, and fome of thefe fhe doubt lefs had feen. not lefs refpectable for her modeft virtues, than for her fuperior ablilities. 6. Report of the Lords of the Committee of Council appointed for the Confideration of all Matters relative to Trade and foreign Plantations; fubmitting to his Majesty's Confideration, the Evidence and Information they have collected in confequence of his Majefty's Order in Council, dated February 11th, 1788, concerning the prefent State of the Trade to Africa, and particularly the Trade in Slaves; and concerning the Effects and Confequences of this Trade, as well in Africa and the Weft Indies, as to the general Commerce of this Kingdom. Folio, a large Volume, illuftrated with a Map of Africa, 'fhewing the route of the Caravans, 21. 25. fewed. Debrett. THIS valuable State-publication is arranged under the following heads: I. A view of the evidence that the Committee has obtained of the present state of those parts of Africa whence flaves have been exported, taking each country that lies upon the coaft feparately, beginning from the river Senegal, and defcending fouthward to the east of the European fettlements, on the faid coaft; with fuch information as has been obtained of the interior countries fituated behind each of the faid countries on the coaft refpectively. ار 2. View of Evidence concerning the manner of carrying flaves to the Weft Indies, &c. 3. The treatment of flaves in the Weft Indies, and all circumftances relating thereto, digested under certain heads. 4. The feveral accounts which have been called for in order to shew the extent of the trade in all its branches, and the number of white people and flaves in each of the islands in the Weft Indies, as far as the accounts could be procured. '5. The The editor affures us that the poems are the genuine and fole productions of E. Bentley that neither correction nor addition has been made nor fug gefted but by her; and he concludes his preface with observing, that she is 3 R2 |