A Sermon on the Occafion of his Majefty's Recovery from the Indif pofition with which it pleafed Almighty God to afflict him, preached in the Parish Church of Mansfield, on Thursday the 23d of April, 1789. By the Rev. Charles Plumptre, M. A. 4to. is. Longman. In this fhort Sermon, which the author fays he published merely because it was defired, he takes occafion feriously, but briefly, to lament the prevalence of duelling, fuicide, adultery, gaming, and theft. He obferves that God has heretofore bleff ed this nation in a peculiar manner, and concludes with faying, therefore, that virtue and religion may be re-established univerfally among us by our fovereign's example and authority, let us all, in thankfulnefs for this his fresh prefervation of us, pray fervently, with one heart and one voice, God fave the king. To which we moft heartily fay amen. Caufes for obferving the late memorable Event, by a public and National Thanksgiving: a Sermon. 8vo. 15. Payne and Son. We fhall copy the Addrefs to the Public prefixed to this pro duction, of which we fee no reason to doubt the truth. The following difcourfe was partly compofed, and partly extracted from a volume of pofthumous fermons (but little known) by an unbeneficed clergyman, of the bishop of London's diocefe; who, with a wife and five children, and debts unvoidably contracted, to the amount of one hundred pounds, has no dependance whatever, befides two curacies, in an obscure part of the country; the one of thirty, and the other of twentyfive pounds.' Did this work poffefs lefs merit than it really does, we should be glad to promote its fale. But we are afraid that the profits of a fingle fermon, and that upon fo hackneyed a fubject, will go but a little way towards relieving the diftrefs of the reverend author and his family. All that we poor critics can do, is to drop this hint to those whom it may and ought to concern. SLAVE-TRAD E. Scripture the Friend of Freedom; exemplified by a Refutation of the Arguments offered in Defence of Slavery, in a Fract entitled, Scriptural Researches on the Licitnefs of the Slave Trade. 8vo. Is. 6d. Debrett. Notwithstanding the unhappy prevalence of infidelity and irreligion, it ftill continues a matter of fome confequence to contending difputants, to fhew that they have the Scriptures on their fide of the question. This is a fanction for which it is ftill thought worth while eagerly to contend. There is scarcely any caufe fo bad but the facred volume has been preffed into its fervice. Owing to the perverfeness of the human mind, it has been made to teach defpotifm to kings, and abject fubmiffion to fubjects; to enjoin all the bloody horrors of the inquisition ; and and laftly, Mr Harris and fome other writers have endeavoured to convince mankind that it countenances the African flave trade. The object of the work before us is to prove the very revere; and we are of opinion that the author has fucceeded in hewing, that the firit and meaning of the Scriptures are on his fide of the question. But we do not think his language elegant, or his reafoning fo perfpicuous and forcible as fome other replies which the Scriptural Researches' have called forth. Perhaps the advocates for the flave-trade would do well to confine themselves more to the arguments of commercial policy, and political neceflity. This feems to be their strong ground. No Abolition; or, an Attempt to prove to the Conviction of every rational British Subject, that the Abolition of the British Trade with Africa for Negroes, would be a Measure as unjust as impolitic, fatal to the Interefts of this Nation, ruinous to its Sugar Colonies, and more or less pernicious in its Confequences to every Defcription of the People. 4to. 25. Debrett. Our author's violence, as ufual, renders his facts fufpicious; though many of the fe are extracted from the best fources. After a History of the African Trade, from our first connections with its western coaft to the prefent time, he calculates the advanTages derived from the trade to the nation, by a rather pompous display of the flipping and failors employed; by the vaft property at fake, on the event of the abolition, in our Weft India islands; and the utility of this trade, not only from the manufactures exported, but from the Weft India productions brough back in return. Of his reafoning, or declamation, we fhall add a fpecimen: his facts, we fuppofe, have in general a better foundation. It is humanity with a vengeance, to cut off from the remain ing colonies, the means of their existence; to doom to ruin 56,000 of our fellow-fubjects; and to hazard the lofs of fhips, feamen, income, and revenue, whose amount and value to Great Britain, almeft furpats the powers of computation. • Admirable humanity!—to violate all compact with, and wrest from them their birth-rights. To coerce; to denounce the terrible thunder of Britain; to do what? to crull its henefactors. The brave veterans of the British navy could nevertarnish their well earned honours, by the difgraceful office to be affigned them, of centinels to intercept fupplies from the islands, and starve their honest industrious countrymen. There can be no doubt, but that the wretches whom a prepended humanity would leave to be destroyed on the African coaft, will be taken care of by our ancient competitors the French and Dutch. But the fate of thofe now exifting in the ifland, is more doubtful.-They will diminish in number.-The work of any, will become too heavy for a few.-Their difcontent wil increase in proportion, until fome fatal catastrophe hall termimate the fcene, Doubts concerning the Legality of Slavery in any Part of the Britijh Lominions. 8vo. 6d. Stockdale. This author obferves, that colonel Henderfon, a zealous opponent of the abolition of the flave-trade, stated last year before the committee of privy council, as appears by their report, the reafons why in his opinion this country has no right to deprive the Weft Indian planters even of one hour's labour of their flaves without their confent. His principal argument was, that ail the old and valuable laws of England are the birthright of the inhabitants of Jamaica, and that therefore they have the fame legal rights as the people of England to the poffeffion of their property. The writer of the little pamphlet before us avails himfelf very ingeniously of this argument, and concludes, if the laws of England are the birthright of the inhabitants of Jamaica, that every man in Jamaica is free, whether native or alien, and equally entitled to the protection of the English laws. He ar gues that this is a right which no colonial legiflature can take away; and that it can no more take it away from the Negro, than from any other ftranger who fhould happen to be in the colony. This he conceives to be the natural confequence of what he confiders colonel Henderfon has unwarily advanced relative to the inhabitants of Jamaica and our other islands be ing entitled to the full enjoyment of the British conflitution in all its parts; one of the peculiar and inestimable privileges of which the author before us fays is, that where that exifts, flavery cannot exist, and that every alien is, equally with the native, entitled to the full protection of the laws as to his life, his property, and his liberty.' This writer thinks, that until an act of parliament is obtained to legalife flavery, the Negros have an undoubted right to claim their liberty in the court of King's Bench of Jamaica, or, on refufal of redress there, to appeal to that English jurifdiction which is authorifed to hear appeals from our colonies. POLITICAL. A Review of the Parliamentary Conduct of the right hon. Charles Fames Fox, and the right hon. Edmund Burke. 8vo. Stalker. 25. This pamphlet is chiefly a panegyric on Mr. Fox, but copioufly larded with trite remarks and details concerning different administrations. The author fays, that his aim and endeavour has been to blend the utile with the dulce, to inform and entertain.' But we must acquaint him, that in a fubject of this nature, his endeavour to entertain was mifplaced. Nor, indeed, have we received any other entertainment from the perufal than what arifes either from the evidence of his own partiality, or the nu merous, hackneyed, and often inapplicable quotations from Shakspeare. A Fragment A Fragment which dropped from the Pocket of a certain Lord, on Thursday the 23d of April, 1789, on his Way to St. Paul's with the Grand Proceffion. 8vo, 2s. 6d. Priest. We apprehend there is an erratum in the title of this pamphlet, and that instead of Lord, we ought to read, Grub-fireet author. But let the Fragment drop from whom it might, it certainly was not worth the picking up, far lefs the publishing. A more infipid production, though ftuffed with poetical quotations, we do not remember to have feen. The author has affixed to it as a motto, liber i pete famam, but alas, how inappli cable! POETRY. Conway Cafile. A Poem. To which are added, Verses to the Memory of the late Earl of Chatham; and the Moon, a Simile for the fashionable World. By James White, Esq. 4to 25. Dodiley. The verfes on Conway Castle are profeffedly an imitation of the clegiac meafure of the Greeks and Romans. Sydney's verfe, Pope obferved, halted on Roman feet, and we do not think Mr. White has fucceeded better, though he not only afferts his pretenfions to an equality, but to a fort of fuperiority over his claffical predeceffors. In their elegy, the ear was relieved by the manner of terminating the fecond line in every diftich: this imparted at the fame time an additional plaintivenefs to the compofition. But the mode here attempted, may be faid to poffefs one advantage Over that of antiquity, in being adapted not only to the melancholy strain, but also to fubjects of an elevated nature. It appears to be capable both of tenderness and majefty.' Thefe advantages appear to us totally loft on the comparison. The mode is ungenial to our language. The halting pace of Sydney, and titupping amble of Mr. White, equally fail in giving a refemblance of the eafy flow and harmonious cadence of Tibullus and Propertius, as may be judged from the opening lines. 'Conway, deferted pile, in whofe exhausted halls The other poems are of little importance. Thoughts houghts on the Seafons, &c. Partly in the Scottish Dialect. By David Davidjon. 8vo. 35. 6d. in Boards. Murray. We find nothing fo ridiculous in thefe Thoughts as to raise 6 a laugh; and nothing fo abitrufe in fentiment, or peculiar in language, though not Scotchmen, as to prevent us from 'fully understanding our author's meaning. Allan Ramfay's Gentle Shepherd, if it be really Allan's, is often in our hands, and those who can understand its phrafeology, will be at no lofs for the meaning of the provincialifins occafionally fcattered in this poem. Perhaps our author meant to give a Doric appearance to his language, but he ought to reflect, that this peculiarity cannot alone form a pleafing work: a paftoral must be free, eafy, and natural in its language, its fentiments, and its construction, while it avoids too great familiarity, as well as unpodifhed and vulgar terms. We are forty to obferve that Mr. Davidfon has not attained either the one or the other object. Sable Victims. A Barbadoes Narration: infcribed to the Promosers of the Slave-Trade, and addreffed to J. Hargrave, efq. 4to. Es. 6d. Bew. The advocates for the abolition of the flave-trade have been duced, by their great zeal for their caufe, to apply for affift ance to Parnaffus. It does not appear by the production before us that the Mufes are particularly fond of the cause into which they have been preffed. The ftory of this poetical per formance is fomewhat fimilar to that of Oroonoko: but if flavery be allowed in the land of the Mutes, we think this author deLerves it for his lame and impotent attempt. The Son of Ethelawolf. An Hiftorical Novel. By the Author of Alan Fitzofborne. 2 Vols. 12mo. 65. Robinfons. The Son of Ethelwolf is inferior to his predeceffor; and though Alfred calls for all the veneration of an Englishman, yet his obfcurity and his adventures afford little that is not well known, and that has not been often repeated in modern times. Some expreffions are a little exceptionable: Alfred firit of men,' is an encomium mifapplied at the period when the words were fpoken; and nurtured in the fo'tnefs and delicacy of a court,' is a reprefentation not very confiftent with the manners of the times. But, notwithstanding thefe, and a few fimilar inconfiftencies, this work has confiderable merit. Mifs Fuller engages attent on by her pleafing language, and generally interefts the reader by a varied contexture of adventure. The Young Widow; or, the Hiftory of Cornelia Sedley, in a Series of Letters. 4 Vols. 12m0. 125. Robinfons. This work is the production of no common author; to an extensive knowledge of modern literature, he unites a very particular acquaintance with different parts of the continent; and our young ladies have fome chance of improving their minds, |