< The love of our country, like all other natural paffions, is in itself not only innocent, but laudable; though it may also, for want of being kept within due bounds, become the fource of error, and, in confequence of that, fubject us to ridicule. We are offended when we find the Greeks and Romans, at every turn, calling all other nations barbarians. We treat contemptibly fuch kind of diftinctions, when introduced by the moderns; and very justly blame a mixture of pride and prejudice, that ferves to maintain caufelefs animofities, without fo much as having one good effect. That a man ought to love his country merely because it is fo, is out of difpute; but he ought not to magnify it beyond the truth, fince if this proceeds from an over-weening fondnefs, it is downright folly; if from a defign of impofing on others, it is falfehood. But, on the other hand, we are affuredly at full liberty to maintain the honour of our country against the prejudices, miftakes, and mifinformations, that may have milled others; and fo long and fo far as we have veracity on our fide, we need be under no apprehenfions of tranfgreffing the bounds of decency. It is highly commendable to examine this point minutely, and to understand it exactly, that we may be at all times in a condition to speak pertinently on a fubject fo frequently brought upon the carpet, and in refpect to which, in a free country efpecially, every member of fociety has fuch an immediate intereft, that he ought intimately to know his country, from the fame principles that lead him to know his own eftate. With this view, and that we may be the more able to render service to the Public, and know what may turn to her detriment, what to her advantage, after having made the previous inquiries we judged the moft requifite, in order to ftrengthen our judgment, we will addrefs ourselves to the taking a candid furvey of this island.' His account of the fituation, extent, climate, and inhabitants of the British islands is very full, minute, and yet entertaining. He defcribes at large our peculiar felicity in the diftribution of water; and gives a general and philofophical account of our most celebrated springs and baths. What he says of meers and lakes might be very useful if attended to. He has fuggested a method of improving them by stocking them with fifh, and fupports it in the following manner : But I fhould be wanting to myself, and to the fatisfaction of the inquifitive reader, fhould I neglect to inform him, that this method of improving is already practifed in China, where their pedlars carry jars of fpawn about from one province to another through the whole empire, for this very purpose of ftocking every lake with all the different kinds of lake fith. A circumftance that certainly demands the notice of an age and nation nation that feem fo much difpofed to do the fubjects of this empire justice in every other refpect. We already imitate the Chinese in a multitude of things; why not in this? We adopt their grotefque paintings; we are proud of imitating their porcelain; we are daily quitting our own principles of architecture, in order to follow theirs; why not copy them in a matter of such apparent benefit? We might then have all the lake fifh of this island in every lake, with as much eafe as they tranfport them from this province of their empire to that. We might then procure the ftreamling, which is the prime fish, in the Swedish lake Maeler; the Rheinlacker, or Rhine falmon, which are two ells long, and forty pounds weight, from the lake of Conftance; and those enormous trouts, that are the glory of the Geneva lake, with as little trouble, without queftion, as the Chinese carry their jars even from the remoteft diftricts of their extenfive empire. We might imitate them alfo, when our lakes were thus ftocked (for that of course would bring us waterfowl of every kind) in making ufe of birds of prey to fish for us, before they were permitted to feed themfelves. And thus employment and fubfiftence too being found for an acceffion of people, every little lake would quickly have its village; every larger one, in procefs of time, would have its town, as well in the rough parts of Britain, as in Switzerland. In order to effect many things of this kind, there is nothing more requifite than to convert that reftlefs paffion of curiofity, which is the characteristic of the prefent age, into a laudable view to utility; which, by a few exalted and confpicuous examples, might certainly be done. We had heard that gold and filver fish ferved to amuse the idle in China. We longed for them here. Experience has fhewn that this longing might be gratified; and the fame experience has fhewn us that this is a mere piece of amusement. Surely the trouble would not have been greater, or the acquifition lefs fatisfactory, if it had produced us fifh that were fit to eat. We very readily admit that this, as it flands, was a very innocent experiment; and on the other hand, we hope it will be allowed that our propofal is more useful, and that there is not the fmalleft room to doubt that it may be attended with as much fuccefs.' Dr. Campbell proceeds to enumerate and defcribe our rivers and ports, and fuggefts to us feveral improvements which deferve the public attention. He has fome ftriking, and, we think, new observations on the benefits arifing from the particular form and great extent of our coaft. He then retires into the midland provinces, and gives the materials of a complete differtation on each of the following fubjects,-meadows, arable lands, mountains, and metals. He next proceeds to the leffer iflands depending on Britain; and he gives an affecting account of their present ftate: particularly of the Shetland ifles. It is REV. July, 1774. indeed C indeed furprifing that our political guardians fhould overlook them for the fake of thofe dazzling but precarious advantages which arife from remoter fettlements! If the prospect of these islands, fays the public-fpirited Author, feems to occupy a large fpace in this volume, it may be fome apology to fay, that their having been hitherto very indifferently, indeed hardly known, and confequently little attended to, not only recommended them to, but required for them a larger confideration in a political furvey; and if still more is neceffary to be faid, let me have permiffion to obferve, that the prefent ftate and circumstances of this country made it at this time ftill more peculiarly requifite. For the British dominions being now grown not only to an empire, but to a most extensive empire, there feems to be nothing of fo great importance towards fupporting its fplendor and authority, as ftrengthening the center and feat of government, towards which, it can be efteemed no trivial fupply, if by connecting more closely to us these iflands, we may have the ufe and affiftance of fo many thousands of active and able men, equally capable of being employed at land or on fea, and who, from the fituation of the countries they inhabit, may be at any time employed to the most useful purposes with the greateft facility. These islands are our own, we have not only an indifputable title, but an uninterrupted poffeffion, fo that we need not go to feek or to discover them; but barely to examine their utility, and by what means and methods we may avail ourselves of them and their inhabitants to the utmost.It ought to be no bar to fuch enquiry, that in their present state they feem to be almost useless; for if we call to mind the ancient condition of Cornwall, of (everal of the northern counties of England, and the best part of Ireland, and compare them with what we now fee to be the produce of these countries, and of which they were always capable; we can entertain no doubt that, by a like application of fkill and affiftance, the like effects may follow even here. Some difficulties will very probably occur, but they will be far from being great; for we need not either forces or fleets, we need not depopulate the happy regions of South Britain to plant thefe. They are for our purpose fufficiently peopled already; and if those who now inhabit them had the power of providing for their pofterity, they would quickly become, in proportion to their extent, as populous as any other province that we have. The people who are at prefent in them are our fubjects, and as well affected as any fubjects can be, which affords them a juft claim to our protection and affiftance. That they have not either wealth or rich commodities to attract notice is alike their misfortune and ours. But if even in this ftate, they fhould be fo fortunate as to draw the attention of government, there there is no room at all to doubt, they would in a very short space emerge from this unhappy fituation, to the common be nefit of themfelves and of the mother country. In refpect to religion, the far greatest part of them are fincere and zealous Proteftants, and the reft may be easily made fo. The better fort every where speak the English language, and there are none amongst them who have not an ambition to learn it; nor are they lefs defirous of feeling the benefit of our laws, and of participating in the effects of that admirable conftitution, which secures to men wherever it reaches, the most profperous state of rational liberty. Their old prejudices, which in giving their history we have fairly reprefented, are long ago extinguished, their ill habits are entirely worn out, they are exceedingly fenfible of their own misfortunes, clearly difcern the causes of them, and would not only fubmit to, but eagerly welcome and embrace any new establishment by which they might be removed. As they must recover, if ever they recover, by the favour and kindness of Great Britain, fo in confequence of this recovery they must be always and entirely dependent upon her. The benefits they receive will, and of neceffity muft, be in proportion to the strictness of their connection; and in confequence of their utility, and from their fize, fituation, and circumftances, it is fimply impoffible, that their intereft and happiness can have any other bafis than the countenance and protection of Britain. In virtue of this, they may, by a proper divifion of what is now ufelefs property, come to have all their lands cultivated that are capable of culture, and these will be then found of much greater extent than can be conceived even by themselves at prefent; and, in conjunction with their ample fisheries, would furnish a comfortable fubfiftence to the prefent poffeffors, and, however numerous they may prove, to their pofterity. If the certainty of this could admit of any doubt it might be removed, by confidering attentively the number of fhips of all nations which, by annually fifhing upon their coafts, extract that wealth which might be acquired by them with much more eafe. If the permanence of their profperity should be queftioned, let us recollect, that if once they were in poffeffion of the fishing, curing, and exporting those inexhaustible ftores that are daily within their reach, they would be able to do this at fo cheap a rate, that, while under the protection of the mother country, no foreign nation could ever interfere with them more, as their numbers, and the capacity of managing their fisheries, would increase every day.' We fhall conclude our account of this important werk in our next Review. W. ART. IV. Poems, by Mr. Potter. 8vo. 3 s. fewed. Wilkie. 1774. HE Author of these Poems is known to the literary world by a pretty defcriptive piece, called Holkham, the celebrated feat of Lord Leicester; by Kymber, an encomium on the Wodehouse family, in the ftyle and taste of Milton's Lycidas, and written with confiderable spirit and enthusiasm; but, more particularly, by a very beautiful Farewel Hymn to the Country, in imitation of Spenfer. With these poems, already published at different times, and refpectively noticed in our Review, a few others of lefs character and confequence contribute to make up this volume ;-at the end of which we find an advertisement, that the Author is preparing for the prefs a tranflation of the entire tragedies of Euripides; a piece of intelligence, which we cannot confider as unimportant to Englifh literature, because fuch a tranflation was wanting, and it seems here to have fallen into proper hands. The Chorus of Trojan Dames, tranflated from the Hecuba, ftands at the end of thefe poems; and as we may prefume that it appears here by way of fpecimen, we fhall fo far coincide with the Author's design as to allow them a place. Tell me, ye gales, ye rifing gales, That lightly fweep along the azure plain, What proud lord's rigour fhall the flave deplore Where the rich father of translucent floods, Through funny vales, through dark fome woods, Or fhall the wave-impelling oar I. Bear to the hallow'd ifle my frantic woes, Beneath whofe base the billows roar, And my hard houfe of bondage round inclofe? Spread their green honours o'er Latona's head, There 'midst the Delian nymphs awake the lyre, Her treffes bound in golden wire, Queen of the filver bow, and goddess of the plain. STROPHE, |