ART. 33. Slavery and Famine, Punishments for Sedition; or an Account of New South Wales, and of the miferable State of the Convicts. By George Thompson, who failed in the Royal Admiral, May 1792. With fome preliminary Remarks, and a Sketch of the Charac ter of Thomas Fyche Palmer, B. D. late Senior Fellow of Queen's College, Cambridge. By George Dyer, Author of The Complaints of the Poor People of England. 8vo. 25. Ridgway. 1794. The prefent publication is principally compofed of extracts from the various travellers who have written their accounts of New Holland, and truly they feem to speak variety of wretchednefs!"— Mr. Dyer deprecates the rigour of the fentence which has condemned Meffrs. Muir and Palmer, &c. " to that bourne from which • few' travellers return." With the latter Mr. D. appears to have been on terms of intimacy, and pays an animated tribute of esteem to what he conceives to be his talents and his virtues. That men who bear a fair and respectable character among those who know them, fhould, by any intemperance of conduct or expreffion, expofe themselves to the punishments due, in general, to offenders of a lower ftamp, is matter of regret to every feeling mind: but that men of liberal education and a sense of morality, fhould be doomed to affociate with the dregs of human nature, the plunderer and affaffin, is by this writer thought to favour too much of feverity. The following extract from the journal of G. Thompfon, who failed in 1792, and whofe veracity Mr. Dyer does not queftion, will enable us to form fome opinion of the fituation of the convicts. "About four miles from this place (Parramatta) is another fettlement, Toongahby, where the greatest number of convicts are, and work very hard (there is alfo a good crop of corn standing, and promifes well) their hours for work are from five in the morning till eleven, they then leave off till two in the afternoon, and work from that time till fun-fet. They are allowed no breakfast hour, because they have feldom any thing to eat."" At night they are placed in a hut, perhaps 14, 16, or 18 together (with one woman, whofe duty is to keep it clean, and provide victuals for the men while at work), without the comforts of either bed or blankets, unless they take them from the hip they came out in, or are rich enough to purchase them when they come on fhore."-" In short, all the neceffary conveniencies of life they are ftrangers to, and fuffer every thing they could dread in their fentence of tranfportation." Travellers have a a licence for exaggeration; and whatever may be our fufpicion, we moft earnestly hope that the writer of the preceding paragraph may have made an ample use of it. FOREIGN FOREIGN CATALOGUE FRANC E. ART. 34. Oeuvres diverfes de Cerutti, ou Recueil de Pieces compofées avant et depuis la Révolution. In Svo. A Paris. If the abufe of words has given occafion to many errors in philofophy, it has scarcely been of lefs differvice in the ftudy of the Belles Lettres: it has been from fuch an abuse of words that it has been fo repeatedly afferted that verfification is only a fecondary merit, fubordinate to genius, which may very well difpenfe with, and ought to contemn it. Nothing, however, is more certain, than that verfification is effential to poetry, and that withont that art, of which Defpréaux may be faid to have fet the most perfect example among his countrymen, while he laid down the beft rules for the acquifition of ât, the other qualifications required in a poet would lofe much of their effect. It is for want of a proper attention to this art, that Mr. Cerutti, who is unquestionably a well-informed and ingenious writer, will newer rank high as a poet. As a fpecimen of his manner, we fhall prefent our readers with the following lines, taken from his poem entitled La Liberté de l'Amerique, protégée par les armes françoises. After prognofticating, that the riches of the English, which he calls les Corruptions de leurs loix, will foon take their flight to fome other country, he adds "Mais ces loix refteront: Anglois, c'eft par vos loix humain Efpr. des Journaux. ART. ART. 35. Conftitution des Spartiates, des Athéniens, et des Romains; par Guéroult, Profeffeur de Rhétorique au College de Harcourt. A Paris. As this work, written by a perfon who is known to the literary world by his excellent Fragmens de Pline, and his translations from Cicero, will fcarcely admit of an analyfis, we fhall leave our readers to form their own opinion of its merit from extracts which we shall lay before them. On the fubject of the criminal tribunals of the Athenians, Mr. G. obferves, that they were " Compofées de la même maniere que les tribunaux civils. Les juges étoient toujours en nombre pair. En cas de partage, l'accufé étoit abfous. Tout citoyen avoit le droit de dénoncer et de pourfuivre les délits publics. Les délits privés ne pouvoient être pourfuivis que dans la perfonne léfée; mais alors on ne pouvoit conclure qu'à des peines pécuniaires. Tout accufateur qui défiftoit, ou qui n'obtenoient pas au moins la cinquieme partie des fuffrages, étoit condamné à une amende de mille drachmes. L'inftruction étoit publique. Les parties faiffoient ferment de dire la vérité. Elles n ponvoient employer le miniftere des orateurs, qu'après avoir expliqué elles-mêmes leur caufe. On leur accordoit un tems fixé et méfuré par un horloge d'eau. Le préfident diftribuoit aux juges une boule blanche pour abfoudre, et une noir pour condamner. On procédoit toujours par un double jugement: le premier décidoit fi l'accufé étoit atteint et convaincu: le fecond appliquoit la peine au délit. Les loix pénales étoient gravées fur des colonnes auprès des tribunaux. Lorfques ces loix n'avoient rien prononcé, les juges étoient les maitres de proportionner la peine au délit." "Ombres de Dagueffeau et de Lamoignon," proceeds he, "fortez de vos tombeaux, comparoiffez au tribunal redoutable de la pofte, rité, qui rend hommage à vos vertus et à vos talens, mais qui accuse les unes et les autres.... Je vois des jurifconfultes habiles dans le code que vous avez rédigé, mais je ne vois pas des hommes... A l'Aréopage votre code auroit foulevé d'indignation les fages qui le préfidoient. Les Athéniens vous avoient tracé la route. Pourquoi vous confumer en veilles, lorfque l'antiquité vous offroit un chef-d'œuvre de légiflation criminelle?"... In regard to the religion of the Athenians, we are informed by our author, "Qu'elle confiftoit tout entiere dans les actes extérieures. Il fuffifoit qu'on ne troublât point l'ordre public, foit en niant l'exiftence des Dieux, foit en violant les objets du culte. Du refte, on jouiffoit de la plus grande liberté dans les opinions. Le fecond Archonte, nommé roi des facrifices, veilloit au maintien du culte; comme chef de la religion, il préfidoit au facrifices publics. Les prêtres paroiffoient dans les cérémonies religieufes avec les attributs du Dieu dont ils étoient les miniftres. Les maifons et les terres qui appartenoient aux temples, les fommes prélevées fur les confifcations et les amendes, le dixieme, des dépouilles enlevées à l'ennemi, le droit d'afle, fervoient à l'entretien des miniftres du culto; et dans les facrifices le tiers des victimes étoient pour eux. Parler ou écrire contre l'existence des Dieux, brifer leurs ftatues, étoient des crimes punis de mort. Tout citoyen pouvoit fe porter pour accufateur. Nulle part, les fêtes n'étoient plus nombreuses et plus brillantes que, dans Athenes, et rien n'égaloit la pompe des facrifices, des proceffions faifoit la commémoration des victoires rem'en tout genre. portées.' Оп у What a variety of reflections might this account of M. G. furnish to his countrymen? We cannot certainly charge the Athenians with fuperftition or fanaticifm. Notwithstanding which, at Athens the greateft regard was always fhown to the prevailing worship; whereas, in a Catholic country, after a fpace of 1800 years, the legiflators have propofed, without meeting with any refiftance, to abolish the established religion. At Athens, the priests were held in that confideration, to which, from their rank in life, they had fo juft a claim; whereas, among a people heretofore diftinguished by the gentleness of their manners, they have been perfecuted without mercy, and without, bound. At Athens, the minifters who had prevaricated were punithed: whilft, in France, the law has included under the fame profcription, both those who had violated it, and thofe who have fubmitted to its injunctions. The Athenian priests had fixed revenues, that they might not be condemned to a fervile dependence; whereas, in the very bofom of Chriftianity, they have, as it were, been fuddenly dif inherited, and, to the folid and honourable means of fubfiftence which they before enjoyed, has fucceeded a humiliating and precarious falary. Laftly, at Athens, dangerous writers, who prefumed to attack, the doctrines publicly received, were punifhed with death; whereas, in the pretended temple of Liberty, under the very eye of the affembled nation, even fome of the legiflators have profeffed themselves atheifts, without exciting in the reft that contempt or indignation. which they fo highly deserved. ART. 36. Matiere Médicinale Indigene, ou Traité des Plantes Natio tionales fubftituées avec fuccès à des Végétaux Exotiques, auxquels on a joint des Obfervations Médicinales fur les mêmes Objets : Ouvrage qui að remporté le premier Prix, écouté le 3 Decembre, 1776; au jugement de M. M. de l'Académie de Sciences, Belles Lettres et Arts de Lyon. Par M. Coste, Premier Médecin des Armées Françoifes, Sc. and M. Villemet, Doyen du College de Pharmacie, Démonftrateur de Chymie et de Botanique à la Faculté de Médecine en l'Univerfité de Nancy, &c. Nouvelle édition, confidérablement augmentée. A Nancy, 1793. To fubftitute in the room of exotic plants, ufed in the daily practice of medicine, others which grow fpontaneously in our own climates, and which it is eafy to procure at a lefs expence; plants from the analysis of which it appears that they contain the fame principles with thofe whole places they are intended to occupy; to give a concife hiftory of both; to point out the choice, preparation, and ad miniftration of thefe remedies, with the precautions neceffary in their application; to fpecify the different experiments and obfervations that have been made on them; fuch are the important objects of this treatise, which cannot but add greatly to the reputation of Mr. Villemet, who is already fo advantageoufly known in the Republic of Letters, and who is actually employed in the Botanico-pharmaceutical department of the Dictionaire de Chymie et de Pharmacie in the Encyclopédie méthodique par ordre des matieres Efpr. des Journaux. ITALY, ART. 37. Differtazione fopra il quefto: Quali vantaggi e fvantaggi abbiano rimpetto alla Tragedia e alla Commedia quelle che divanfi citta dinefche, e quali fiano le peculiari leggi coftitutive di questo genere, oltre le communi agli altri, çavandole dalla specifica ed intima indale loro per dimoftrare qual grado di perfezione poffa ottenerfi, prefentata dal Sign. Abate Ildenfonfo Valdaftri, Modenese, al concorfo dell' anna MDCCXC, della Reale Accademia di Scienze e belle Lettere di Mantova. 1793, 90 pp. in gr. 4to. In this differtation the author fhows himself to be poffeffed of a refined tafte, and intimately acquainted with the great mafter-pieces of dramatic compofition, not only in the Greek and Latin, but likewife in the French and English languages, of which he appears to enter tain a more favourable opinion than the generality of his countrymenThe differtation is divided into three parts. In the first and fecond parts, the author combats the prejudices of thofe critics who decry, as a monftrous production, all tragedy founded on events in common life, from which the French were heretofore peculiarly averfe. He does not allow, therefore, that the Poëtic of Ariftotle is, what that philofopher intended it to be thought, fo much a complete rationale of the dramatic art in general, as of the practice of the Athenian theatre in particular, of which it may certainly be regarded as the moft perfect analyfis. Inftead, therefore, of reprobating this new fpecies of the drama, Mr. V. is perfuaded, that if the reprefentations of fcenes drawn from modern times, and defcribing the events of ordinary life in fuitable language, have not a more certain, and more extenfively beneficial effect than fuch as are derived only from an imitation, fo often repeated, of Greek or Latin writers, and exhibit occurrences in the hiftory of perfons removed alike by time and rank to the greatest distance from us, it must be owing to the inability of, or want of appropriate talents in, the pcet himfelf. Our readers will, however, doubtless think him too partial to his favourite fpecies, when he fays, that "Vado perfuafo dalle mie proprie offervazioni che it capo d'opera di Razine l'Atalia debba ai prestigi delle decorazioni, e di ciò, che forma propriamente Spettacolo, non piccola parte del fuo fucceffo. I pompofi abiti, emblemi "d'un gran facerdote, un fanciullo pofto fù un arono, à cui brillano in volto la placidezza e la gioia dell'innocenza; una furiofa Reina alla tefta di truppe, che dà loro il barbaro comando di trucidarlo; Leviti che accorrono à defenderlo coll'armi in mano; tuttą quefto offre un quadro, che accrefce al fommo l'eloquente energia del pate fico." In the third part, the author lays down rules for the compofition of tragedy in general, and of this fpecies in particular. Among the former is a strict obfervance of the three unities, which he confiders to be of equal importance; and among the latter, that this drama fhould be written in profe. Giornale Enciclop. d'Italia. ART. 38. Opere del Muratori. Tom. I. VI. 8vo. In Venezia. Of the works of the celebrated Muratori a complete edition was undertaken in 1767; which, though it has been extended to thirtyfix volumes, is not yet finished, From the prefent edition are ex cluded |