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in 1773, tranfmitted a confiderable number of fpecimens procured from Hudfon's Bay; they have not as yet received any returns on the part of his Catholic Majefty.

The next article is an account of young Mozart, a German infant mufician, reprinted from the Philofophical Tranfactions, Vol. LX. To this are added, fimilar inftances in Charles and Samuel Wefley, fons of the well-known Rev. Mr. Charles Wefley; fome farther anecdotes relating to little Crotch, of whom Dr. Burney gave a very circumftantial account in the Tranfactions, Vol. LXIX. Part I.; and fome particulars of the Earl of Mornington's very early mufical propenfity.

On the Deluge in the Time of Noah.

This effay is introduced with the following objections to the Scripture account of the univerfality of the deluge:

There feem to be the ftrongest objections to the fuppofition of an univerfal deluge; fome of which, without mentioning others, may be thus fhortly stated.

He must be a more ingenious architect than even Bishop Wilkins*, who can contrive a fingle veffel large enough for Noah and his family, the beats, fowls, reptiles, and infects, of the whole globe, together with provifions for their fuftenance, during the space of a twelvemonth; whilft the lives of each animal, in this confined state, must alfo have continued for that time, otherwife fome genus or fpecies must have been intirely deftroyed, without a new creation.

If we are to underland likewife the expreflion literally of ALL, the extirpation of the web-footed fowls would not have followed; nor of the water reptiles and infects.

On the other hand, there must have been a new creation of either the falt or fresh water fish, fuppofing the fluid which covered the face of the globe to have been either falt or fresh, as the former could not have lived a twelvemonth in water fo much freshened, or the latter in an element become fo much falter.

How could the animals, almoft peculiar to the Arctic circle (a rein-deer for example), or thofe only found in America at present, have been procured for the ark, or infects in their different metamorphofes? How was the proper food alfo to be fupplied for the animals of the whole globe, for a year, when many of them, particularly infects, only feed upon peculiar plants, which therefore must have continued to vegetate in part of the ark deftined for a confervatory? The animals again are directed to be male and female; many of which, within the twelvemonth, would have procreated; and from what flores on board the ark was this numerous offspring to be fupported?

The deluge, if univerfal, likewife continuing for a twelvemonth, all the annual plants of the globe must have been deftroyed, not to mention both shrubs and trees, many of which would have lost all ve

See his Works,

+ No mention is here made of fuel, as well as many other bulky but neceffary articles.

getative

getative power, after they had been covered fo long by water, either freth or falt.'

Leaving the removal of these difficulties to thofe whose peculiar province it is to confider them, we shall just mention such as Mr. B. finds in reconciling the univerfality of this flood with natural appearances on the earth...

To the thells of marine animals found on the tops of mountains, he oppofes the want of ability and of inducement in fhellfifh to remove from the bed of the fea to fuch elevated fpots; that many of these fpecimens in the cabinets of virtuofi, are reported to have been found in places where none are to be difcovered; and that the refemblances of fhells, bones, and the impreffions of plants, are lufus natura, or the work of fubterranean infects, either by their claws or antennæ, or perhaps by emitting a liquor that may both excavate and difcolour the ftone, or other body on which they may happen to work.' Mr. B. is at fome trouble to find these infects, and admits they must rest on what at most will amount to a probability. We wish we could add, that even his probability refted on philofophical facts, analogy, or reafoning; but to have recourfe to wild furmifes, to account for immenfe beds of oyfters for inftance, lying in natural order*, though now left on dry land, by viciffitudes beyond record or tradition, cannot be admitted as found philofophy: nor can iron anchors, found at great depths within land, be referred, with a ferious face, to fuch workmanship. Mr. B. concludes with a critical commentary on the Scripture relation of the deluge, in order to circumfcribe the extent of it: but there is no profit from all this labour, unless the marine productions, found on dry land, muft neceffarily be understood to refer to that deluge. Again, what becomes of Mr. B.'s fubterranean infects, if Noah's flood, received to the utmoft extent, is wholly infufficient to account for these marine productions In fuch cafe his faith and his philofophy clash to no better purpose than to injure each other.

The Hiftory of the Gwedir Family, by Sir John Wynne.

This genealogical memoir was firft printed in the year 1770 f, though, in a note to the Introduction, the publication is mifdated in 1773.

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* In the addenda to this effay, at the end of the volume, Mr. B. obferves, Shells in rude times may have paffed for money, as they do now in fome parts of Afa. Why, therefore, may they not have been fometimes buried under ground, as coin was generally fecreted, before paper credit took place?' Had the Reviewers helped Mr. B. out with this ingenious fuggeftion, every reader would have thought it was done in ridicule.

See Rev. vol. xliii. p. 398.

A Letter,

A Letter, intended for Dodley's Museum, on the English and French Writers.

This letter, which is dated in 1746, exhibits a battle between the writers of both countries, after the manner of Swift. The novelty of Swift's battle of the books made the thought fucceed in his hands; but it is one of those thoughts that will not bear a repetition.

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A Dialogue on the ancient Tragedies, written at Oxford, in 1746. The ingenious critic premifes, that the elegant writers of antiquity become our earliest models, nor can we have better; but as our tafte is formed from thefe excellent examples, fhould not their mistakes be pointed out to the young scholar, as well as their perfections? Yet every commentator becomes fo zealous a partifan for the Latin or Greek author which he is to explain or illuftrate, that we never hear of a blemish; or, if there be a palpable one, it is often defended by fuch reafons, as the annotator must himself be sensible are very infufficient.'

The argument is very pertinently fummed up in the conclud ing paragraph:

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I have already prefumed to mention fome uninterefting tragedies of the ancients, and conceive that I may alfo venture to fay, that there are few fcenes even that command the involuntary tear from the reader, which circumftance I fhall always confider as the true teft of the merits of a tragedy; as the involuntary laugh feems to be that of a comedy. Critics may write ingenious differtations; but if the reader is not affected till he is taught to be fo, I fhall always diftruft the abilities of the author.'

Obthere's Voyage, and the Geography of the Ninth Century illuftrated. This is reprinted from the Anglo-Saxon verfion of Orofius by King Alfred, published by Mr. B. in 1773*; illustrated now with a geographical map of the globe at that time. Journal of a Spanish Voyage in 1775, to explore the Western Coast of America, northward of California.

This journal, which is the concluding article in the volume, was, we are told, put into Mr. B.'s hands for perufal, who conceived it to be fo interefting for the improvement of geography, that he defired permiffion to tranflate and publifh it and it may certainly prove of great ufe to other navigators, who have occafion to fail along the fame coaft.

• See Rev. vol. xlviii. p. 378.

N.

ART

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ART. IV. A Treatise concerning Civil Government, in Three Parts. Part I. The Notions of Mr. Locke and his Followers, concerning the Origin, Extent, and End of Civil Government, examined and confuted. Part II. The true Bafis of Civil Government fet forth and afcertained; alfo Objections anfwered; different Forms com pared; and Improvements fuggefted. Part III. England's former Gothic Conftitution cenfured and expofed; Cavils refuted; and Authorities produced: Alfo the Scripture Doctrine concerning the Obedience due to Governors vindicated and illuftrated. By Jofiah Tucker, D. D. Dean of Glocefter. 8vo. 5 s. Boards. Cadell. 1781.

ND fo, the labouring mountain, whofe pregnancy was

announced to us fome years ago, is at length delivered! But fmile not, courteous Reader, nor make merry on the occafion, for this, be it known unto thee, is no ordinary mouse, no little nibbler of niceties, nor feeder on fuperfluous crumbs; but a great devourer, and demolisher, of fyftems and fyftem-makers. He can even chop down a man at a mouthful: and the adamantine walls of civil liberty are no more to him, than the raised cruft of a Christmas pie. As to fallacies, contradictions, and impoffibilities, he can digeft them as easily as an oftrich does a horfe-fhoe. Alas, poor Locke!-gone!-gone for ever! Who could have thought, that, after fo long a career of glory, and his Herculean conquefts over the hydras of falsehood and tyranny, he should have been swallowed up at laft by-a moufe! As to Molyneux, the champion of Hibernia, Priestley, Price, and Cartwright, they ferve only as fauce to their mafter, LOCKE, to Jubricate the moufe's throat; and of the poor Profeffor of Aberdeen he makes mere nuts; cracking and champing him with all imaginable glee. Beware, therefore, O ye difciples of LOCKE who yet remain, and all ye republican, rebellious, traiterous fons of liberty, who dare opine that kingly power hath any limits, corrupt government a cure, or an oppreffed people their redress, in the British Conftitution; beware of the mighty and tremendous Moufe of Glocefter!

Proceed we now, as becometh true critics (having done with the mouse), to make a diffection of our Author in form, delivering all the while an anatomical lecture on the head, the heart, the spleen, the gall, the noble and ignoble parts of the subject under our hands.

The Dean ushers in his work with a few felect quotations from Locke, Molyneux, Priestley, and Price, on the first principles of government; Men, fays he, whofe writings (we charitably hope, not intentionally or malicioufly ;-though actually) have

See the Advertisement published with Dr. T.'s Tracts about five years ago.

laid a foundation for such disturbances and diffentions, fuch mutual jealoufies, and animofities, as ages to come will not be able to fettle or compofe.' But if that great teacher of civil government, and all his moft eminent difciples, are in this respect fuch objects of our reverend Author's charity, we hope he equally extends it to that greater Teacher and his difciples, from whom we derive our religious fyftem; who, according to the like charitable mode of reasoning, require ftill further allowances; inafmuch as the animofities, violences, and bloodshed, which have been occafioned (as fuch like reafoners must express it, and always have expreffed it) by CHRISTIANITY, infinitely exceed what Mr. Locke's principles have occafioned, ACCORDING TO THE DEAN, in America. But whether the Chriftians or their perfecutors, Mr. Locke and the Americans, or the Ministry, have been the parties at whofe door these animofities, violences, and bloodshed ought to be laid, far be it from us to determine.

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From the quotations above-mentioned, our Author, p. 22, collects-take notice Reader-our Author colle&s, that it is the doctrine of Locke and all his difciples, I. That mankind do not fpontaneously, and, as it were, imperceptibly flide into a diftinction of orders, and a difference of ranks, by living and converfing together, as neighbours and focial beings:- but, on the contrary, that they naturally fhew an averfion, and a repugnance, to every kind of fubordination, till dire neceffity compels them to enter into a folemn compact, and to join their forces together for the fake of felf-prefervation.' Then follows, p. 23, a quotation from Dr. Priestley, viz. "To begin with firft principles, we muft, for the fake of gaining clear ideas on the subject, do what almost all political Writers have - done before us, that is, we muft fuppofe a number of people exifting, who experience the inconvenience of living independent and unconnected; who are expofed, without redrets, to infults and wrongs of every kind, and are too weak to procure to themselves many of the advantages, which they are fenfible might eafily be compaffed by united ftrength. Thefe people, if they would engage the protection of the whole body, and join their forces in enterprizes and undertakings calculated for their common good, muft voluntarily refign fome part of their natural liberty, and fubmit their conduct to the direction of the community for without thefe conceffions, an alliance cannot be formed." Upon which our Author proceeds to remark thus: Here it is very obfervable, that the author fuppofes government to be fo entirely the work of art, that nature had no fhare at all in forming it; or rather in predisposing and inclining mankind to form it. The inftincts of nature, it feems, had nothing to do in fuch a complicated bufinefs of chicane and artifice, where every man was for driving the best bargain he could; and where all in general, both the future governors and governed, were to be on the catch as much as poffible. For this Author plainly fuppofes, that his first race of men had not any innate propensity to have lived otherwise, than as fo many independent, unconnected beings, if they could have lived with tolerable fafety in fuch itate: in fhort, they did not feel any instincts within

themselves

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