are admirabie; and we will add in favour of this preacher, that he feems to have an acquaintance with the Spirit of Christianity, and a zeal for real religion, diftinct from thofe forms, and articles, and other appendages, which are merely of human contrivance. Conformably to this, he expreffes a wifh for a review of the ecclefiaftical offices.' Again he fays, God forbid that we should contend for an invariable adherence to any thing confeffedly refting on man's authority; and farther obferves, that the mild grace of charity will do more for the edification of the church, than the understanding of all myfteries and all knowledge.' This is liberal and Chriftian! If such sentiments are heartily cherished and acted on, it will not only prevent much oppreffion and mifchief, but greatly contribute to the advancement of virtue and happiness.

II. Mausoleum Sacrum: or, the Redeemer's Sepulchre. Preached at St. Thomas's Square, Hackney, on the opening of a new Burying Ground in an adjoining Garden. By Samuel Palmer. 8vo. 6d. Buckland.

In the preface to this difcourfe, the Author endeavours to vindicate thofe Proteftant Diffenters who have burying-places of their own, and to recommend it to fuch as have not.' One principal argument, employed for this purpose, has been lofing its ftrength for feveral years, and we truft is ftill gradually weakening. The established clergy, for the greater part at leaft, are now too candid and liberal, we apprehend, to oppose the interment of diffenters in their burying grounds. Other reasons are here mentioned which will differently affect different minds. A few parts of the burial-fervice (though on the whole excellent) are no doubt exceptionable, and pity it is, that no attempt is made for a little alteration, which would, we fuppofe, be acceptable to all confiderate people, as the paffages referred to have rather a deceitful and dangerous tendency. Mr. Palmer confiders it as hardly confiftent with the principles of non-conformity, that diffenters fhould countenance their ufe by uniting in that fervice. But we enter not farther into the debate.

The fer

mon before us is plain, ferious, and ftriking; contrafting the ideas of the fepulchre and the garden, and directing to the right improve ment of that frailty and uncertainty which attends human life and all its enjoyments. The text, John xix. 41.

III. The Tabernacle of God with Men. Preached at the opening of a Meeting-Houfe at Walthamstow, June 6, 1787. By Henry Hunter, D. D. 8vo. Is. Murray.

A diffufe, popular, but not inelegant paraphrafe on the text, Rev. xxi. 3, 4. with fomething fubjoined on the occafion. We have that opinion of Dr. Hunter's good fenfe, that we believe he would have been as well pleased with Mr. Fletcher (the perfon to whom it is dedicated), had that gentleman not folicited its publication; though rather than be fatigued with repeated importunities, the preacher fubmitted to it, well knowing that a man can neither get nor lofe much reputation by printing a fingle discourse.

It is impoffible, he fays, for any one to think more humbly of this fermon than the Author; whence we may infer, that, as a compofition, he does not expect it to be greatly applauded,

N. B.

N. B. We have long thought that the Diffenters have chofen a very awkward name for their places of worship by ftiling them Meeting-houses.

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE Marquis de Cafuux's obliging letter is received, and we are forry that it is inconfiftent with our plan, and incompatible with our narrow limits, to infert it in our journal, or to give thofe farther elucidations that might be agreeable to him. At his defire, we have revised the articles to which he is pleafed to refer, but do not think we could make the alteration he wishes. Were it not on account of the great length into which the difcuffion would draw us, we think we could fatisfy the liberal-minded Marquis him felf of the. propriety of this determination. We readily however admit, that an author is in all cafes the beft judge of the meaning of his book, and that a reader may fometimes mifunderstand a paffage, from his own deficiency of perception, and not from any inaccuracy in the expreffions of the author. This may poffibly have been our cafe; we are bound however, in juftice to the Publice, in all cafes to adhere to what appears to us to be juft and right, after having confidered the matter with candour. At the fame time, we must beg leave to remark, that in a work of fo much originality, and of fuch nice difquifition as that which has been published by the Marquis, an author may very naturally make ufe of an expreffion without perceiving it, which to another perfon will convey a very different meaning from that which the author intended: for his own mind, flored with congenial ideas, goes directly forward in its own track, like a traveller in a well-known road, without adverting to thofe avenues which fometimes diverge from it, and greatly perplex a traveller who goes that way for the first time. This confideration will, we hope, confirm our very ingenious author, in his defign of giving a fuller developement to his notions than he at firft thought would be neceffary; for in a work of the nature of that which he has undertaken," he ought not to be ashamed of repetitions, nor of turning and re-turning the fame idea, in every way which can tend to render it more acceptable, and ferviceable, to the generality of mankind."

TYRO's polite letter is received. To answer it at large would require more room than we can at prefent fpáre. We must however briefly remark, that the specific gravities of fubftances cannot be taken with much accuracy by any other means than by weighing them in two different mediums; as we mentioned in our last month's answer to Tyro. The comparative denfity of two bodies thus obtained, is the ratio of their specific gravities, and though they are referred to one standard, as water, yet the ratio is not thereby altered: for example, when we fay, filver is to water as 11 to 1, and copper as 9 to 1; it is evident that filver is to copper as 11 to 9. +++ Biblicus is acknowledged. Farther notice will be taken of the fubject.

1+1 There is little probability of thofe volumes of the Review, concerning which P. P. enquires, being speedily reprinted.

THE

MONTHLY REVIEW,

For AUGUST, 1787.

ART. I. The Rural Oeconomy of Norfolk; comprifing the Manage ment of Landed Eftates, and the prefent Practice of Husbandry in that County. By Mr. Marshall (Author of Minutes of Agriculture, &c.), refident upwards of two Years in Norfolk. 8vo. 12s. Boards. Cadell. 1787.

2 Vols,

ENSIBLE men, who have applied to the ftudy of agriculture, have often regretted that the knowledge which individuals have acquired by long and attentive practice, is fuffered to die with them. They yet more regret that the knowledge of certain useful modes of practice, which have been long adopted in a particular diftrict, fhould remain, even for ages, entirely unknown in other diftricts, where they could have been adopted with great fuccefs, had they been known. Several plans have been devised for remedying this inconvenience, none of which have hitherto proved entirely fuccefsful. The ingenious Author of the treatise now before us, who, at his first outfet in his agricultural career, feverely felt the want of that knowledge which might have been drawn from fuch fources, could they have been acceffible to him, devifed, with his ufual ingenuity, a plan that bids fair for proving more effectual for thefe purposes (especially the laft) than any other that has come to our knowledge; and we are now well pleafed to find that he has been enabled, in a certain degree, to carry his plan into practice, of which the prefent volumes will afford a very advantageous fpecimen.

Mr. Marshall, eager to acquire knowledge, not in that superficial way which fatisfies theoretical fpeculators, but in that accurate manner, which alone can answer the purpofe of those who are to depend on actual practice in agriculture, for the means of fubfiftence, very foon perceived, that no man, were he poffeffed of the brightest talents, could poffibly acquire a knowledge of all the particulars neceflary to direct the practical farmer, by the course of a hafty vifit to the different diftricts where the beft modes of practice were adopted; and that if his apprehenfion was flow, his imagination lively, or his judgment imperfect, Rev. Aug. 1787.

H

error,

error, inftead of truth, might thus be widely propagated, and well-meaning individuals greatly mifled.

To guard against thefe evils, our Author, in the year 1780, fubmitted to the London Society of Arts, &c. a plan for obtaining a very accurate knowledge of provincial practice in agriculture, and offered himself to carry it into execution. His propofal was, firft, to fix a diftrict that was known to poffefs fome peculiar and valuable mode of practice-to place himself in fome centrical farmer's house in that diftrict, where he should remain for the space of two years at leaft, attentively obferving the practice during all that time, converfing with the moft intelligent farmers, and exercifing himself in the actual performance of the different operations; at the fame time minuting every thing that feemed worthy attention. In this way, he hoped to be able, at length, to delineate the peculiar practices in that diftrict, with fuck accuracy as that it might be relied upon by others who had not the fame means of information, without fear of being misled. This done in one place, he proposed to move to another-and fo on, till he had thus made the round of the whole island. These are the outlines of his plan and an excellent plan it doubtlefs was, in the hands of such an acute and attentive obferver. But though it was approved of by the refpectable fociety above named, no measures were adopted by them for facilitating the execution of this great national enterprize; and we feared the proposal would be no farther attended to: but we are now happy to be informed, that private circumftances have fo far fortunately concurred with our Author's public-fpirited views, as to enable him to carry his plan into practice, with regard to the county of Norfolk; and this has given rife to the prefent work; which, we are fatisfied, will long occupy a diftinguished place in the annals of English agriculture.

'The work is divided into two parts, each of which forms a feparate volume. The firft volume contains a fatisfactory account of the Norfolk practice of husbandry, which, for the fake of diftin&tnefs, he has arranged under the following heads;

viz.

A general Description, with particular Obfervations on 1. The Districts.

2. Eftates.

6. Farmers.
7. Workmen.

8. Horfes.

9. Implements.

10. Taxes.

3. Farms.

4. Soils.

5. Manures.

16. Planting and general Management of Timber.

32. Buck.
33. Turnips.
34. Culture of Graffes.

39. Swine.

40. Poultry.

41. Decoys.
42. Bees.

The fecond volume confifts of minutes made by the Author, containing particular remarks on facts and circumftances as they occurred. Thefe, in general, tend to illuftrate particulars mentioned in the first volume; and they form a body of important obfervations, relative to a vaft variety of fubjects, which have a tendency not only to correct fuch defects in practice as our Author thinks imperfect, but to fuggeft new views to the experi mental farmer, leading to important improvements and as the characteristic peculiarity of this writer, is a laudable defire to attain accuracy in practice, and to guard againft being misled himself, or misleading others, by unguarded fpeculations, these minutes form a moft ufeful, as well as highly entertaining part of the present publication. Ever attentive alfo to the reader, and confidering that this work is to be occafionally confulted for information on particular points, care has been taken, in the printing, fo to number the minutes and diftinguish the particulars, in the margin, as to admit of being confulted with the greateft eafe. Such minutes as have a particular relation to the fubjects of the different divifions of the firft volume, are always referred to at the end of each article, so that an attentive reader can find all that occurs relative to each subject without trouble; and by turning to the places referred to, may fee the whole at one view, if he fo inclines. To the whole is added an Index, and a Gloffary of Norfolk provincial words, which we think a moft useful appendage, not only for the ftudent of agriculture, who could not without it underftand a great many terms that occur in treating that fubject, but we alfo think it a valuable

* By foil process, Mr. Marfhall means the operations performed on the foil, for fitting it to produce the different crops to be reared on it; in other words, the management of the foil. Manure process is, in like manner, the mode of managing manures. Seed process, the various modes of fowing and preparing the feed. Vegetating process, the general management of the crop while growing; and fo of others.

H 2

addition