ably bestowed. That Mr. P. is a gentleman of no mean literary attainments our laft and the prefent Review can testify. With all due deference to our corre fpondent Crito, vol XLVIII. p. 61, we think Mr. P. warranted in ufing Counsil and frentic by the originals of those words in the Latin and Greek languages. We beg leave to differ from the ingenious tranflator in the note on the Chorus in Antigone, whom he calls timid and fervile, for not interceding for her. They recite parallel inftances of being bound or ftarved among rocks, in the cafes of Lycurgus and Cleopatra; and fo the old fcholiafts understood it. That of Danae is not ftrictly fimilar. In the Trachiniæ Mr. P. gives the converfation with Lichas, convicting him of a falfe relation to the Alyxos, or Attendant, and not to Deianira. 90. An Essay on the Powers and Mechanism of Nature's intended, by a deeper Analysis of Phyfical Principles, to extend, improve, and more firmly establish the grand Superftructure of the Newtonian Syftem. By Robert Young. 8vo. THE title fufficiently fhews that Mr. Young's defign is a fingular favour to the memory of Sir Ifaac, and to his Syftem, by correcting and improving them. "If in this purfuit he has been obliged to throw down fome barriers of ancient opinion, he hopes the fuccefs will repay the facrifice. That matter was an inactive and impenetrable effence, was an error of early date. He was led to afcribe to matter a quality till his time unthought of, an inherent power of preferving, in its proper ftate of reit, or uniform, rectilineal motion. This principle required another to account for changes of the state of bodies from mo tion to reft, or from rest to motion. A name was given to this, impreffed motion; but no explanation given of its nature, feat, or origin. The objections to these principles are many, and unanswerable.-The vis inertia has a contrariety of nature that perplexes the understanding. To get rid of thefe principles before others were fubftituted in their room, I published, fome time ago, "An Ex"amination of the third and fourth Defini❝tions of Sir Ifaac Newton's Principia, and "his Three Laws of Motion;" wherein I fhewed the error of the received fyftem, independent of any view to fubftituting another theory in their ftead. Had I delayed the prefent work fome time longer, I might have corrected many of its faults, and confulted my own reputation more; but other avocations required me to difmifs the prefent; and I hoped this great advantage would arife from its early publication: that others would be the fooner induced to profecute fo important and extensive an enquiry in the fame method. I have chiefly confined myself, in this volume, to the investigation of general principles, and hope, in a future one, to profecute further fome applications to phænomena.— On a fubject fo difficult, treated in a method others, I hope much indulgence will he in which I had no guide nor affistance from granted me; and I am conscious that I stand much in need of indulgence. I request that the reader will diftinguish between the defects of the author's abilities and the faults of his principles: many truths be may find not explained in the beft poffible manner, nor fupport ed by the moft cogent proofs. In fupplying fuch defects, and correcting what errors I may have fallen into, there will be fufficient exercife for the talents and the good-nature of those who chuse to undertake the task." Such is the author's account of himfelf, in his Preface. As we have not fortitude or leifure to encounter "the "fatigue and the inconveniences to which his prefent and its confequent "occupations have fubjected him, and to which they will yet expofe him," in metaphyfical inquiries, which he confiders as "involving the dearest in" terefls of mankind," his candour will not object to our allowing him to speak for himself, as to his denign, rather than entering into a cloíe and laboured examination of its execution. 91. A Sermon preached at the Anniversary THE fhortnefs of this difcourfe has not prevented the preacher from urging feveral weighty arguments in favour of his diftreffed brethren, and those who inherit their diftreffes: nor has he forgotten to exprefs a proper disapproba tion of the partially levelling fyftem of reformation propofed, by fome.-The Secretary to the Society has fubjoined a Lift of Preachers on this anniversary, from the beginning of the institution, and 1729 the expence of the dinner is 1655, to the prefent time t. In 1728 recorded; and an hogfhead and an half of French wine was drunk. In 1730 the Society of Muficians refolved to furnish mufic in the church annually, Review of New Publications, for ever, at the fixed fum of gol.; before which it coft near 60l. and in 1754 the mufic in the hall was difcontinued. The Sermons of the years 1747, 8, 9, and 50, were not printed at all; and feveral others only, among the preachers, occafional Sermons. The anniversary was altered, 1740, from February to April, at the inftance of the Archbishop of Canterbury, on an idea that it would be of more advantage to the charity. 92. A Voyage to the River Sierra-Leone, on the Craft of Africa; cont ining an Account of the Trade and Productions of the Country, and of the civil and religious Cufioms and Manners of the People. In a Series of Let sers to a Friend in England. By John Matthews, Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, during bis Refidence in that Country in the Years 1785, 6, 7, with an additional Letter on the Subject of the African Slave Trade; ale a Chart of Part of the Coat of Africa, from Cape St. Ann to the River Rionvonas; with a View of the Island Banana. 8vo. THE firft account of this country, first discovered by the Portugucfe, was given by our countryman, Wm. Finch, in 1607, in Purchas's and other Collections; the next, by the Sieur Villault de Bellefond, 1666; a third, by Barbot, 1678; and a fourth, by Mr. Atkins, 1721. Labat has also published several pertinent remarks on the fame parts. But all these accounts are very imperfect, and do not convey a juft idea of the country, or afcertain the fituation of the towns or bays, not even Barbot's large map. A refidence of three years, it is natural to fuppofe, would enable Mr. Mathews to exceed all these in accuracy and information. If we may judge from comparing his map with former ones, we fhall be led to give it the preference for fcale, pofition, and orthography of places names. The beft defcriptions, however, do not fet off the charms of the country fufficiently to tempt any fettlers, except for the purpofes of trade; and one would wonder that even commerce had her votaries amongst dishoneft natives, tempestuous and rainy feafons, a year divided equally into rains and dry, with tornados for a month in each feafon, a low fwampy foil interfected with innumerable little creeks; more inland, a boggy plain, covered with a thin fward, on which grow a few fraggling ftunted trees, of the ebony kind, without any underwood; the cultivated country woody GENT. MAG. M.y, 1788. 433 from fix years fallow out of 7; mountains abounding with fierce and hungry leopards, wild hogs, elephants and buffaloes, chimpanfes, fuakes thirteen feet long and three round. Indigo and cottons are cultivated by the natives; the fugat-cane is indigenous; fome bad tobacco; rice is the chief and ftaple com modity. The religion of the natives is indolent fuperftition; their gods, maffes of earth and clay; their offerings, rags and broken veffels, or a fmall libation. They are most strongly added to witchcraft and charms called Greggories. Mahometanifm is well kept up among the Mandingoes, who practise circumcifion of both fexes. The government is by a king, who has the power of appointing a deputy, who fucceeds and governs till a new king is elected; or the deputy is either confirmed in the dignity of a king, or continues to act as deputy as long as he lives. Every principal man, or head of a village, is fole lord within his own town. Prefent poffeflion is the only tenure of lands. Their laws are the local traditionary customs of the country. All caufes are tried before the king in open court, and counsellors are employed, who speak for two hours with fuch dignity of action, force, and energy of elocution, es would do honour to an English orator. "Debts are commonly contracted for a "limited time, that is, there is fuch a "length of credit given. If the debtor "refufes or delays payment when the "debt is due and demanded, the cre"ditor applies to the king or chief for "his affiftance, who fends to the debt"or, defiring him to pay the debt. If, "after this notice from the king, he re fufes to pay it, or to fatisfy the creditor, the latter gets the king's confent to feize "the perfon of his debtor, or any of his "flaves or people. If this be found im"practicable, by the debtor's living in "another town, the creditor feizes upon any perfon who refides in the fame town 66 as the debtor, and detains that perfon "till the debt is paid, which the people "of the town compel the debtor to do "immediately. And this is not all; "for, when a man is thus deprived of "his liberty for the debt of another, he "inftantly brings a palaver or action against the real debtor, and generally recovers confiderable damages as a "compenfation for the imprifonment." Such is the mode of proceeding for debe among thefe, comparatively, unenlight 66 ened 46 oned people. The Purrah, a more political inftitution, or rather affociation, for putting an end to difputes and wars, is a kind of Arrier Ban, and equally dreaded. The Toolabs, being ftrict Mahometans, by their wars for the propagation of their religion, furnish a great number of flaves, which are fold in thefe parts. "The difpofition of the "natives is nearly fimilar every where, "extremely indolent, unless excited by revenge; of implacable tempers; full "of treachery and diffimulation where "they conceive the leaft refentment; nor do they ever let flip an opportunity of gratifying their thirft of ven• geance, when they can do it with impunity. To their particular friends, "indeed, they are hofpitable and kind; "but are addicted to pilfering, and are "remarkable for the ficklenefs of their "conduct on almost every occafion. "The Mandingoes, from religious mo"tives, hate a Chriftian, and vilify "thofe Europeans who refide among "them, and whom they frequently fee "drinking and rioting, with the appel"lation of dogs. But when I formerly "refided among them, by pursuing a "contrary conduct, and being enabled ❝to converfe with them on the tenets "of their religion, I received fuch "treatment from them in the time of the "utmoft diftrefs, when I was danger"ously ill, as I could have expected only "from my best and dearest friends." The women are extremely clean and attentive to domeftic duties. Marriages and funerals are both celebrated with mufic and dancing The drefs of both fexes is very imple; the cuftom of tattooing, or, as they call it, foccala, is pretty general all over Africa. Their houses are built of wood, wattled, and covered with a ftiff clay, the roofs fupported by long poles, and thatched with grafs; fome, more inland, of burnt brick. Polygamy prevails here. It is not unfrequent to bring up an intended bride from a child; and, with all their regard to chastity, married women are allowed their yangée canée, or cicifbeo; and adultery is not calily punished; but a fpurious offspring is never obtruded. Every dead perfon is ftrictly interrogated concerning his death, and is fuppofed to answer by impelling or moving the bearers of the bier in different directions. If he died by witchcraft, the offender is fold with all his family; or if old, or of great connections, buried live in a grave dug by himself. If the dead loft his life by poifon, the offender 66 is condemned to drink a poifoned water, which, if he furvives, determines him to be innocent. The most common difeafes are intermitting fevers and the hydrocele, the latter the effect of palia wine and exceffive venery. The vene. real difeafe is frequent, but not attend. ed with the dreadful fymptoms of Europe, and always easily cured. The fmall-pox is endemial, but not fo fre quent on the fea-coaft as inland. The phyficians are old women. The first trade was in gold, ivory, wax, gums, oftrich feathers, and feveral forts of me dicinal and dying woods; nor was it till the Europeans had formed fettlements in the West Indies, that flaves became an article of traffic. 3000 flaves are annually exported, yet no appearance of depopulation, fo populous is the inte rior country. They are either prifoners taken in war or criminals; "and fo great is the demand for European "goods, and particularly falt, that the interior natives will part with their "wives and children, and every thing "dear to them, to obtain it." Cuftom and tradition concar to perfuade us, that the practice of making, buying, and felling flaves, obtained in Africa long before our knowledge of it. The fate of prifoners was determined by the feafon of the year, and the occafion they had for their fervices; and they ftill feldom difpofe of their new flaves till the rice is on the ground, or eut. A. mong thefe many independent fares war and flavery cannot be easily abo lithed. When European fhips do not come, they starve or kill their nume. rous flaves. A head-man keeps 200 or 300 of both fexes, exclufive of domeftics, who are very numerous; and fome of the chief Mandingoes have from 700 to 1000 employed in every fervile and laborious occupation, the labouring ones fixed to the foil as the animals that cultivate it, the house flaves confidered as a branch of the family, but let out as failors and labourers, the mafters receiving the wages. They were treated fo cruelly, that in 1785 they rofe on their mafters. Mr. M. admits, "it is not to be "doubted but the idea of a flave, when "fold to one of his own country and "colour, and to an European, are very "different, but as to the cruelty of fe paration of the fexes, he observes, "that the facility with which they form "new connections, and the knowledge "that their children are the property of Review of New Publications. “their masters, foon remove all anxiety "on these occafions." Mafters, though they have no power of life and death over their flaves, are never at a loss for an accufation to fell or pawn them; and people of all ranks pawn their children. Mr. M. compares the fale in Africa, and its effect on the flave, with the transportation of English felons to Botany Bay, and pronounces it a happy exchange. "It might be urged in "fupport of this commerce, that the "cruelty of the laws in Africa, which punith with death, is mitigated by "tranfportation, as flavery would un"doubtedly be the portion of these un"happy people in their native country. "This is unalterable; but if their fitua tion in our Weft India ifslands could " be restored by wife and humane regu "lations, fuch a plan would redound "much to the honour of the British le86 giflature, and may be confidered as "the only effectual relief that, under "the prefent circumftances of Africa, "can be adminiftered." Mr. M's arguments against the abolishers of the Slave Trade are, that wars happen in Africa without any view to this trade, but chiefly on religious accounts; that there is no fuch practice as kidnapping; that the inhabitants on the coaft are only the brokers, who carry Euro. pean goods into the country, and receive llaves in return, of whom prifon ers and criminals do not constitute a tenth part; that prifoners, if not fold, would be killed, is confirmed by indubitable facts; that the abolition of flavery in Europe would not be followed by the abolition of it in Africa, nor by any mitigation of the treatment of flaves by their own mafters there; and that the African, for want of our trade, would lofe many articles effential to his happiness. Mr. M. appears to be a fenfible, humane, and well-informed writer. 93 Humanity, or the Rights of Nature: A Poem. In Two Books. By the Author of "Sympathy." 410. "The reader is requested to confider "this performance as a general outline, "with here and there fome sketched "features of a work, the nature of "which is frequently alluded to in dif"ferent parts of the poem, and the title "specified on a separate leaf at the end." This is, "Society; or, a Profpect of "Mankind under all the Influences of "Cuftom, Colour, and Climate Α 435 "Poem, in Four Parts. Dedicated to "the Human Species. Part I. Europe. "II. Afia. III. Africa. IV. Ame"rica. With Notes, critical and ex“planatory, by the Author and his li"terary Friends, and various Designs "and Engravings." Mr. Pratt proceeds: "What I ventured abroad fome years fince, under the title of Sympa"thy, a poem, which, on account of "the interefts created by the heart, was "received by the publick with fo much generous warmth, was intended to "ferve as a preliminary to what I had "farther to obferve on Society, or a "Profpect of the Human Race under "the combined influences of Clime and "Government, Religion, Laws, and "Liberties. From thefe the tranfition 66 to Tyranny was natural, and ftrongly "in connection; and, from tyranny, I "felt myself called upon by all the a"wakened emotions of humanity to "confider Slavery; but not only that "fpecies which confifts in buying and "felling our fellow-creatures in Africa, "but every other kind in every other "place. Views, therefore, of Free"dom and Bondage, through the dif"ferent parts of the globe, have been "taken, as well from experience as the " beft hiftorical evidence." The advocates for the abolition of the Slave Trade will wonder Mr. P. does not go the fame length with themselves. But he expreffly declares, "the treat"ment of the flaves appears to him more "criminal than the traffic," and that "it is not the name of flave in itself "which produces the great inconveni"ence. An hired fervant in Europe may "be as little at his own command, and "deftined to as hard labour, as a pur"chafed Negro in Africa: but the ef "fential difference confifts in the one "being guarded by the laws of the "land, which spread before his perfon "and property a fhield that defends "him from every abuse of power, and "the other is left naked and defence"lefs to the infolence of office.' For "the reft, whether the commerce flou"rifhes or falls is a matter of no mo"ment to the philanthropist." The poem opens with a general addrefs to Humanity; then celebrates the Humane Society as of British inititu tion+; Mr. Gilbert's plans for relieving See our vol. LI. p. 281. We are not fure if France or Germany do not anticipate us in the claim. the poor; Adrian + and Conftantine ther-like friends at once ftabbing to the In a Didactic poem of the length of this, it is difficult to keep up the poetic fire equal throughout. Mr. Pratt's motives muft atone for his defects as for his eratta, which are numerous We might cenfure the defcription of the prefent ftate of the Holy Land, and even the laboured portrait of Alfred; but we reflect on the many good lines, and the moral tendency of the whole, and on the effect the continued application to its compofition has had on the writer's health; but which lofs, great "and good men affure him, will be amply made up to him by an increafe "of literary reputation." 94. A Lift of Scholars of St. Peter's College, Westminster, as they were elected to Chrift Church College, Oxford, and Trinity College, Cambridge From the Foundation by Qen Elizabeth, 1561, to the prefint Time. Including the Admiffions into the fit named College from 1663. To zubur is prefixed, a Lift of Deans of Weltminster; Deans of Christ Church College, Oxford; Masters of Trinity College, Cambridge; and Mafters of Westminster School, Col lected by Jofeph Welch. 4:c. "THE favaurable reception which the Regiftrum Regule of Eton, 1774, bas met with, would be a fufficient apology, were any neceffary, for having undertaken the following compilation; in which the editor has no pretenfion to any other merit than that of industry and fidelity. "From an official connection with the Royal School of Westminster, he was led to enquire into its hiftory, and that of the members of fo illuftrious à feminary; of whom at length he gradually obtained the prefent lift: which he has fo repeatedly been called * We are not forry to fee his last rejected in the House of Commons as complicated and burdenfome. + Adrian is complimented with the epithet of tender, and Conftantine with that of juff: how confonant to the rest of their lives let Hiftory fay. Not only in the lift at the end, but in corrections in MS. in the copy fent to us, and in others ftill unnoticed. Medicinal and Surinam are wrong accented. 3 upon to tranfcribe for private afe, that he has no doubt of its being acceptable to the publick in its prefent form. "The flight biographical notices, fuch as they are, he hopes will be found ufeful. On this head it would have been a real pleasure to him to have enlarged; but the small por tion of leifure he enjoys, and the little op portunity of access to books, muft plead his excufe for brevity. Where-ever he could, he has referred the reader to more ample ac counts; and particularly to Wood, where moft of the early scholars elected to Chrift Church are to be found. But Wood is the biographer of one University only; and as ther: but it is to be hoped that this work yet there is no publication fimilar at the owill, by holding forth its great men to view in a new light, animate that to publish Athenæ Cantabrigienfes, and procure a continuation of the Oxonienfes. "It was the editor's wish to have made the mention of the stations, which the various gentlemen have occupied, as copious as poffible; but this alfo, from the difficulty of obtaining accurate accounts, was a talk far beyond the poflibility of his performing; though the stations of them would oftentimes have promoted a pleafing enquiry to Weftminster by tracing their old school, the gentlemen who have been educated at fellows into their diftant retirements, where the intrific honour of private conduct has often equalled the most fubftantial honours of profeffional stations in our cathedrals, or of the first offices in the state. "By way of embellishment two views fent Dormitory are here inferted of the ancient and the preThe first of them, erected upon ftone arches, was originally built as a granary to the monastery of St. Peter; and is here copied from an original drawing. The history of the prefent building is as follows: a legacy of 1000l. was given in 1708, for that specific purpose, by Sir Edward Hannes, knight, phyficim to Queen Anne. This, in 1718, was followed up by a memorial from the then Dean (Bishop Atterbury) and Chapter of Westminster; which obtained from King George I. 1oool.; from King George IL (then Prince of Wales) 50cl.; from a parhamentary grant 12001; and sool. was afterward added by William Morrice, efq. (the Bishop's fon-in-law), for liberty from the church to difpofe of his of fice of high-bailiff. A noble Earl prefented building; and on the 24th of April, 1722, the model, and condefcended to furvey the first stone was laid, with the following inbeing Westminster Election Tuesday, the fcription engraved on it: Pofuit felicibus (faxit Deus) Aufpiciis Ricardus Com. de Bur lington Architectus 7 Kal. Maii, 1722.' fuch a work, fee Gough's Topography, vol. * For the materials already collated for I. p. 219-221. |
