threatned with, from the promifing fuccefs of Mr. Barry's fcheme feems to have juftly entitled him to the compaffion of the public.

Art. 8. The Hiftory of London-Bridge, from its firft foundation in the year 994, to the deftruction of the Temporary Bridge by fire, on the 11th day of April 1758, &c. To which is added, A brief history and defcription of the feveral Bridges built over the river of Thames within the memory of man, viz. 1. Of Datchet-Bridge. 2. Of Fulham-Bridge. 3. Of Walton-Bridge. 4. Of Westminster-Bridge. And 5. of Hampton-Court-Bridge. With copper-plates of London and Westminster Bridges, a large map of London, with a view of the river Thames, and one plate of the view of London. And alfo of the following defigned ones, viz. At Blackfriars, (with a copper-plate thereof) Kew, and Richmond. 8vo. I s. 6d. Cooper.

When the public attention is excited by any popular fubject, then is the feafon for ready Writers to fhew their addrefs. Thus, a late catastrophe has fet an induftrious Scribe to work, in collecting fcraps from Stow, Maitland, and others, for old materials; and from the news-papers for frefh ones; which, with the embellishment of two or three old Magazine prints, compose this history of London Bridge. N Art. 9. Stenography; or, Short hand improved. Being the most compendious, lineal, and eafy method hitherto extant. The perfons, moods, tenfes, and particles which most frequently occur, are adapted to join with ease and accuracy at pleasure: the rules, are laid down with fuch propriety, confiftence, and perfpicuity, that the practitioner will need no other affiftance. The whole illuftrated with an alphabetical Praxis, adapted to all purposes in general, but more particularly to the three learned profeffions, Law, Phyfic, and Divinity. By John Angell, who has practifed this art above thirty years. 8vo. 7 s. Millar, &c.

The reputation which fucceffive plans of Short hand have enjoyed in their turn, appears to have proceeded from a caufe which does not neceffarily prove the excellency of their methods, although taken as an earneft of it; and this is the manual dexterity of the Author, acquired by long practice in his own way. Nor does our veracity run any hazard from this obfervation, fince the dead Letter has generally given place to the living Writer.

We dare not, however, extend this remark to the Author before us; for the character of his performance, drawn by himself in his titlepage, does not give us the leaft liberty to queftion its excellence. It appears, indeed, as though this treatife was penned by an Angel in the literal acceptation of the word. Be this as it will, the title fhall not bias our judgment of the book.

After a dedication to the Duke of Richmond, is a preface, containing a history of Short-hand Writers; wherein the Author falls in

with the notion of thofe, who, fond of deducing every thing from the Jews, make Mofes teach letters to them, and they to all the reft of the world. He is pretty full in the accounts of the feveral Writers upon Brachygraphy, Stenography, Radio-Stenography, Tachygraphy, Zeitography, Cryptographie, Semigraphy, and Polygraphy, the elegant names for fhort-hand, which we pafs over.

The alphabet this Author adopts, is, he tells us, principally Mr. Mafon's; he has been very careful in laying down rules and diâinctions relating to vowels, double and triple confonants, prepofitions, terminations, &c. too much fo, we imagine; they appearing too complex ever to be all regarded: fince it is natural to fuppofe, that the alphabet and fome few fundamental rules once attained, learners will infenfibly contract each his peculiar method of practice, rather than toil and fubmit to the drudgery here required of him.

Without entering into any particular criticisms upon Mr. Angell, it will fuffice to fay of Short-hand Writers in general, that their alphabets are constructed in an arbitrary manner; trivial, or no reafons being given, why letters of uncouth or compounded forms are fo contrived; nor why they fometimes depart from their own rules as arbitrarily as they appoint them.

Short hand is fo ufeful an art, that we fhould be pleased to fee fome ingenious perfon, first properly retrench our prefent alphabet, and after a judicious felection of effential letters, fubftitute the fimplett characters poffible to exprefs them by; adapting the most fimple and eafy to thofe which, upon calculation, are found to occur the ofteneft, When this is done, it may then be faid, that a Short-hand is compofed upon a rational foundation: a character not merited by any Short-hand that has yet appeared.

N.

Art. 10. The King of Pruffia's Criticism on the Henriad of Monf. de Voltaire. Tranflated from the original. With a preface, containing a fhort account of the difgrace and retreat of that Favourite. 8vo. 6d. Rivington.

It is a mistake to call this piece a Criticism; it being a mere panegyric on the Henriad; written at a time when the Prince of Pruffia's affections were young and warm, and when his youthful imagination was dazzled with the glitter of Voltaire's flowery genius. But, take the prefent Editor and Tranflator's own account of it.

In 1736 the Prince Royal of Pruffia (now the King) gave orders to Mr. Algaroti, who then refided in London, for a pompous edition of the Henriad. It was to have been engraved, with decorations to each page. For this edition, the Royal Patron and Friend of the Arts had drawn up the following preface. He was willing to leave a monument of his love for letters in general, and of the Henriad in particular. But the death of the King, his father, the wars which fucceeded, the departure of Mr. Algaroti, who left London, interrupted the defign, and this edition came to nothing.

The laft editions of M. Voltaire's works were in 1756; one at Geneva, and another at Paris, the fame year. In thefe editions this addrefs is given to the public entire. A fragment, indeed, had fome time before come from Mr. Marmontel, in his preface to the Henriad: here you have it complete, as it came from the pen of one of the most diftinguished men of this, or perhaps of any other age. It may not only be confidered as a valuable literary curiofity, but as giving a public example to the Great Ones of the earth, not only to protect and reward the finer arts and fciences, but to encourage them by their examples, and to advance them by their works. This, as it is fo uncommon among the fons of men, appears with more dignity in fo great a King.'

As to the fort account here faid to be given of Mr. Voltaire's difgrace and retreat from the Court of Berlin, it is a fhort account, indeed, containing only a very fmall part of what every body knows already.

Art. 11. Obfervations on Mr. Fielding's Plan for a Prefervatory and Reformatory. To which is added, A Scheme for eftablishing and perpetuating this noble Charity, &c. &c. By Mr. Marchant. 8vo. 6d. Reeve.

Those who have taken Mr. Fielding's fcheme into confideration, will find fome things in Mr. Marchant's pamphlet worthy their attention alfo.

Art. 12. Authentic Memoirs of the Life and Treasonable Practices of Dr. Florence Henley, who received fentence of death on Wednefday the 14th of June, 1758. at the King's-Bench Bar, Weft

er, for High Treafon, in holding a traiterous correfpondence with France. 8vo. Is. Burnet.

Cobbled up from the News-papers, and ek'd out with wife obfervations, and reflections, by the Cobler.

Art. 13. Tombo Chiqui: or, the American Savage. A dramatic Entertainment, in three Acts. 8vo. 1s. Hooper and Morley.

Entertaining to read, but not rightly adapted for fucceeding on the English Stage, It is taken from a French piece, entitled, Harlequin Sauvage. It was never offered to our theatrical Managers; and doubtlefs, as the Author, or rather Editor, or Tranflator, obferves, the righteft thing that could be, was, not to offer it.' The performance, notwithstanding, has confiderable merit, as a fatire on the foibles of thole European nations, who deem themfelves fuperior to the rest of the world, on account of their polite accomplishments: which, in the opinion of the honeft American Savage, are only vi cious deviations from the original fimplicity and integrity of nature. Art. 14. A Genuine Narrative of the Enterprize against the Stores and Shipping at St. Malo's, from the letters of a Perfon of Dif

tinction

tinction in the fervice, &c. &c. Dedicated to the Right Hon. William Pitt, Efq; 8vo. Is. 6d. Staples.

A mere catch-penny, the dirty work of fome fawning pamphletmaker, who has chiefly filled this piece of genuine manufacture with the most profufe and fulfome encomiums, upon those who conducted the late affair at St. Malo's, and who are, no doubt, heartily afhamed of such nauseous panegyric as they are here loaded with.

Art. 15. Serious Thoughts on the Trial of Mr. Barnard. With a State of the Conduct of the D*** of M*******, and the Magiftrate; and fome Particulars not before published, relating to an Incident at Byefleet, which tend to give Light into the Afair, and perhaps may lead to a Difcovery of the real Author the Letters. Addreffed to a Perfon of Honour. 8vo. 6d. Coote.

Nothing in it.

Art. 16. An Extract of Paufanias, of the Statues, Pictures, and Temples in Greece; which were remaining there in his Time. 8vo. 4s. Shropshire.

To this Catalogue of the Temples, Statues, and Pictures of ancient Greece, is prefixed the following Advertisement, to fhew the Extractor's design in this publication, viz.

The contents of thefe sheets, being a faithful transcript of all that is to be found in Paufanias, in relation to the Temples, Statues, and Paintings remaining in Greece, when he travelled over all its States, about the 177th year of the Chriftian Era, in order to defcribe them; it may reafonably be prefumed, that an accurate Bill of Fare of fo fumptuous an Entertainment, with a particular description of ⚫ the nobleft and most elegant parts of it, will meet with a favourable ⚫ reception.'

Art. 17. A Differtation on adulterated Bread, and the great Benefit of Hand-Mills. 8vo. 2s. Cooper.

This appears, to the beft of our memory, to be no other than a different edition of a pamphlet entitled Syboroc. See Review for May, page 493.

MEDICA L.

Art. 18. Pharmacopeia Meadiana. Part III. Faithfully gathered from original prefcriptions, and illuftrated with remarkable cafes; alfo an account of morbid appearances upon diffections of feveral of the fubjects. Interfperfed with practical remarks. To which is added, An Appendix, containing Prælectiones Meadianæ, or Medical Lectures, 1. On the ftone in the bladder. 2. On cancers. 3. On ftruma, or fcrophula. 4. On mufcular

motion.

motion. Published from original manufcripts. 8vo. Is. 6d. Hinton.

Having very freely declared our fentiments concerning the two former parts of this collection, little more need be faid about this third, than that it carries with it as few tokens of legitimacy as its predecefThe Editor, indeed, informs us, that the original manufcript from which the feveral parts of this book are compiled, is fairly written, in a folio volume, with the Doctor's own hand; and was by him prefented to a young phyfician, for his improvement.' We cannot, indeed, abfolutely contradict the truth of this affertion; nevertheless, we muft obferve, that this young phyfician has been guilty of the highest ingratitude, in fuffering a publication fo little redounding to his patron's honour.

น

* See Review, Vol. XIV. p. 461. and Vol. XVI. p. 582. Art. 19. A Second Letter to an Apothecary at Windfor, concerning a late very extraordinary Phyfical Tranfaction at Eton. By Charles Bateman, Surgeon at Chertsey. 8vo. 6d. Coote.

In our Review for February last, we mentioned the first letter publifhed on this unhappy affair; unhappy, indeed, to Mr. Bateman, according to his ftate of the cafe. As the practice, however, of Mr. Kr, the Apothecary to whom these letters are addressed, may be greatly affected by what Mr. B. has alleged against him, it may be improper for us to defcend to particulars;-at leaft till Mr. K. fhall vouchsafe to anfwer his correfpondent. To this he is very urgently called upon by Mr. B. and if he does not comply with fuch a call, we apprehend the world will be apt to conclude him either too indifferent about his reputation, or too conscious of the real merits of his caufe.

POETICA L.

Art. 20. The Infolvent: or Filial Piety. A Tragedy. Acted at the Theatre in the Hay-Market, (By Authority) under the Direction of Mr. Cibber. Written by the late Aaron Hill, Efq; Author of Merope; partly on a Plan of Sir William D'Avenant's, and Mr. Maflenger's. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Reeve.

The Editor's account of this performance, is delivered as follows, in his preface.

Above thirty years ago, Mr. Wilks (then one of the Patentees of the Theatre royal) gave an old manufcript Play, called, The guiltless Adulterefs; or, Judge in his own Caufe, to Mr. Theophilus Cibber, who was then Manager of what ufed to be called, the Summer Company.

By the hand, and the long time it had been in the poffeffion of the Managers, it was fuppofed to have been one of Sir William D'Avenant's (formerly a Patentee) and, by the opening of the

3

piece,