willing to attain the first principles thereof in the moft natural and eafy manner. It is a ftudy held in the highest regard, and looked upon as the most effential and polite part of education, entertaining and useful to young ladies, as well as to gentlemen, and to all thofe who are bred up to the learned profeffions. The fair fex may intermingle these amusements with the operations of the needle, and the knowledge of a domeftic life. In a word, this useful fcience has ever been held in the highest eftimation in the moft refined courts, and politeft nations in the world, and is honoured at this time with peculiar attention by feveral of the younger part of our prefent illustrious royal family.'

In the courfe of this performance the reader will, we appre hend, be agreeably entertained with general and accurate defcription of the hemifpheres of the earth, the ufe of thofe maps which represent the fubdivided world into its four quarters, Eur rope, Afia, Africa, and America; the properties of the feveral inhabitants of the earth, with many other curious and interefting geographical articles, to which we may alfo add the inge nious writer's explication of the nature of longitude, which is thus: Suppofe we fail from London exactly at 12 o'clock at, noon (at which time the fun is on our meridian) and proceed by the compafs till after fome days; we wish to know our longitude, we therefore look at our time piece, and find that it is exactly 10 o'clock in the morning; but by obferving the fun we difcover it is noon, or precifely 12 o'clock; that luminary then being due fouth, or at its meridian height, and confequently at that place makes it mid-day, or 12 o'clock. The time-piece at this inftant making it only 10 o'clock in the morning; and the fun proving it to be 12 o'clock, makes 2 hours difference between the fun and time-keeper, and fhows that we are z hours eastward of London, or 30 degrees east longitude, which is equal to 1800 miles (reckoning 60 miles to a degree). The difficulty which formerly arofe in truly afcertaining the longitude, was occafioned by the irregularity of our watches and time-keepers, which is now much remedied by that excellent time-piece contrived by Mr. Harrifon, for which his labours were liberally rewarded by the government."

*

We recommend this Introduction to the Knowledge and Ufe of Maps, as extremely neceffary for thofe who, unacquainted with the principles of geography, are defirous of obtaining an ample knowledge of that fcience, without the affiftance of a mafter.

36. Confiderations on the Ufe and Abuse of Antimonial Medicines in Feuers, and other Disorders. 8vo. 15. Murray.

The attempt of fome empiric to impofe on the public credulity.

Had the time keeper pointed to two in the afternoon, it would prove we had been two hours, or 30 deg. weft of London, or weft longitude.

i

37. The

37. The Univerfal Botanift and Nurseryman. By Richard Wefton, Efq. Vol. III. 8vo. 6s. Bell.

In this volume Mr. Wefton continues to execute his ufefal undertaking according to the concife plan on which he fet forth. He ftill reftricts himself to the moft characteristic defcriptions of each vegetable, and avoids a multiplicity of fyno nymous names. The great labour and attention required in a work of this nature, can be conceived only by those who are acquainted with the fubject; and all fuch will be ready to acknowledge the merit and utility of this botanical production. 38. A Faithful Narrative of the Converfion and Death of Count Struenfee, late Prime Minifter of Denmark; together with Letters of his Parents to Him, and alfo a Letter of his own; wherein be relates how he came to alter his Sentiments of Religion. Publifed by D. Munter. To which is added, the Hiftory of Count Enevold Brandt, from the time of his Imprisonment to his Death. 8vo. 45. Sewed. Linde.

The title of this work will fcarcely bias the reader in its fas vour. Most of thofe accounts, which are given of the converfion of hardened finners, are the productions of weak, enthufiaftic writers, and are filled with trifling details, dreams, vifions, and pious reveries.

Thefe narratives are not of that defpicable character. They are fober and fenfible performances; but, at the fame time, a little infipid and prolix. The former confifts of thirty-eight conferences, on almost all the practical and fpeculative doc-i trines of Chriftianity, by which Struenfee was entirely reclaimed: from his irreligious principles. The latter is not so extenfive and circumftantial...

We have no reafon to question their authenticity. Dr. Munter and Dr. Hee, to whom they are afcribed, are faid to be two eminent divines at Copenhagen, who were appointed by the king of Denmark to attend the two ftate prifoners, Struenfee and Brandt.

39. The Mariner's Inftru&tor: being an eafy and expeditious Method, whereby a Mafter may teach the Art of Navigation in a short Time: defigned chiefly for thoje Perfons who cannot pare more, Time in learning, it than is abfolutely neceffary. By William Puddicombe. 12mo. 35. 6d. Law...

It does not appear from the work before us that either the ambition of becoming an author, or the hopes of adding any thing very new to the fubject, induced Mr. Puddicombe to prefent this fmall treatife to the public, his chief defign being rather to affift those who cannot spare more time in learning the effential branches of the nautical fcience than is abfolutely neceffary for that purpose. We may indeed reafonably fuppofe that an art fo very interefting to mankind as navigation cer

tainly

tainly is, muft long before this time have received every improvement which human fagacity could poffibly fuggeft; yet, On the other hand, even compilations from other authors, when properly executed by perfons well experienced in the practice, and fufficiently killed in the theory of this art, cannot fail of proving extremely ufeful to the young induftrious feaman. With this view our author has prefumed to add another book to the amazing number already extant upon the fubject of navigation. Having, he fays, when a sea-faring man, frequently obferved that many had been deterred from acquiring a fufficient knowledge in this art, by the time and trouble, as well as expence, ufually required in learning it, the common methods of teaching it in our schools requiring longer study and application than would have been confiftent with their convenience and circumftances; this induced me to attempt a fhorter method of conveying the neceffary inftructions for this purpose, by omiting fuch particulars in others books on this fubject as I deemed fuperfluous and unneceffary for fuch perfons as above described, and for whom this treatife is chiefly defigned; or by altering the order in which fome others are commonly taught, where I thought it might be thereby rendered more eafy and intelligible to the learner, and confequently enable him to make a more expeditious progrefs in the acquifition of all that might' be abfolutely for his purpose.' How far the author has fucceeded in this attempt, the work itself muft evince; we are however of opinion that the common problems relating to plane, traverfe, and Mercator's failing, together with the rules for working an obfervation, and finding the variation of the compafs by the fun's azimuth or amplitude, are here exemplified in a very judicious and comprehenfive method; to which we may add, that the form of keeping a journal at fea, correcting the dead-> reckoning by an obfervation, with many other requifites neceffary to be known, in order to keep an exact account of a fhip's way, Mr. Puddicombe has treated of in a fatisfactory

manner.

40. The Art of Playing at Skittles: or, the Laws of Nine-Pins difplayed. By A. Jones, Efq. 12mo. 15. Wilkie.

We are fo very little acquainted with the game which is the fubject of this treatife, that we cannot take upon us to deliver any opinion concerning the rules prefcribed by Mr. Jones, though we entertain no doubt but they may prove useful to those who are defirous of acquiring a proficiency at Nine Pins. We must therefore leave others to judge of goes and tips, while we quit the fkittle-ground as fast as we can.

THE

CRITICAL REVIEW.

For the Month of October, 1773.

ARTICLE I.

An Account of the Voyages undertaken by the Order of his prefent Majefty for making Discoveries in the Southern Hemisphere, and fucceffively performed by Commodore Byron, Captain Wallis, Captain Carteret, and Captain Cook, in the Dolphin, the Swallow, and the Endeavour. Draun up from the Journals, which were kept by the feveral Commanders, and from the Papers of Jofeph Banks, Esq. by John Hawkefworth, LL.D. Illuftrated with Cuts, and a great Variety of Charts and Maps relative to Countries now firft difcovered, or bitherto but imperfecly known. 3 Vols. large 4to. 31,35. Cadell.

HE peculiar circumftance attending the work before us, of being published under the aufpices of government, has proved the means of fubjecting it to more minute examination than is ufually exercifed by the generality of readers.Such patronage, while naturally tending to increafe the importance of thefe journals in the public opinion, restricted the editor in the execution of his tafk, to pay greater 'attention to the purpofe for which the work might be use. ful, than to the gratification of general curiofity. This alfo was the cafe with refpect to the journalists. The profelfed defign of the feveral voyages here related being to promote the glory and commercial intereft of the nation, by the difcovery of unexplored lands, it became neceffary for the

This work is now publishing in Sixty weekly Numbers, at 15. ech.

VOL. XXXVI. Oa. 1773.

R

com

commahders to be particularly explicit in the detail of all fuch remarks as ferved to delineate the maritime circumftances of the iflands and tras of ocean through which their course had been directed; to accumulate, for the benefit of future voyagers, a fund of nautical obfervations. Wherever therefore, either has facrificed the gratification of curiofity to more important objects, he ought to be confidered as meriting rather the approbation than cenfure of his readers. The regard which the voyagers and editor have paid to the utility of the work, however, has not prevented them from mixing their detail with trifling incidents or reflexions foreign to the subject. Such as we meet with of this nature, we shall at prefent forbear to fpecify, and only obferve, that as novelty confers even on trifling occurrences fome degree of importance, especially in the opinion of the obfervers, it is difficult wholly to fupprefs the pruriency of narration, and to avoid the digreffions to which the defire of uniting inftruction with entertainment may expofe a journalist, in the circumnavigation of the globe.

Whatever objections may be raised against the dryness of some parts of the work, and the futility of others, we must admit with Dr. Hawkesworth, that the expedient of relating the feveral voyages in the first perfon, was judicioufly adopted: for though by this mode of narration we are frequently precluded from diftinguishing the reflexions of the voyagers from those of the editor, yet certainly the navigator and the reader are thereby brought nearer to each other, and the attention of the latter is more ftrongly excited, than it could have been by the historical form of relation. This circumftance, however, is not unaccompanied with its peculiar difadvantage; which is, that it often makes the work appear of an unequal and diffimilar

texture.

In the dedication to the king, the editor roundly afferts, that under his majesty's aufpices, in little more than feven years, dif coveries have been made far greater than those of all the navigators in the world collectively, from the expedition of Columbus to the prefent time. Had Dr. Hawkefworth affirmed only, that our gracious fovereign has been more folicitous, from a laudable motive, and afforded greater encouragement for promoting fuch difcoveries than any preceding monarch, the compliment would, in our opinion, have been not only better founded, but equally honourable to his majefty.

Is the discovery of fome clufters of fmall islands, or rather rocks, which fcarcely deferve place in a chart, to be put in the balance with that of large and inhabited regions which former navigators have difcovered in the Atlantic ocean? A late traveller into Sicily informs us, that a spectator may defcry from

mount