"Full oft in fcenes of deep diftress "When foreign climes can yield no more, "And Colne fhall roll his filver wave, ART. 17. The Citizen, a Hudibraftic Poem, in Five Cantos; to which is added, Nelson's Ghoft, a Poem, in two Parts. By Edward Montague. 8vo. 6s. Chapple. 1806. Edward Montague, if fuch a wight there be, alarmed, as alas! any of us may be, with the unexpected appearance of his butcher's bill, fate down doggedly to work on a Hudibraftic poem, as ways and means for defraying faid bill. Heartily as we may with the aforefaid bill, and we may add, with a figh, all fuch bills paid, we rather doubt the efficacy of a compofition where fuch rhimes occur as the following: "They first his face cleared well, that they But fome who view'd him ftraight did fay He was a lufus natura. So without any more difpute, Savore they'd convey him to St. Lake, Leaving us in mighty dudgeon, For lofs of fo much bullion. For with a very few exceptions, I've follow'd clofely your directions." Et fic paffim. ART. 18. The Angler, a Didactic Poem. By Charles Clifford. 23 PP. 25. This little poem was in danger of being overlooked, but finding merit in it, we are glad to devote a page to recommend it. We agree with the author, that the fports of the angler are as fufceptible of poetical embellishment as many others which have been adopted for that purpose with fuccefs. Near the beginning of the poem, the author thus vindicates the fport he has undertaken to celebrate : "And And ye who boast the tender feeling heart, Nor could thefe millions live, were there not giv'n, 'Twas made for thousands-made for general good." The prefent compofition is only the firft book of a poem, which, if encouraged, the author profeffes himfelf not averfe to extend to other parts of his fubject; namely, the enfnaring of fishes by various means, this first book being confined to legitimate angling. It will be feen by the above fpecimen, that Mr. C. is not defi cient in the art of verfification, nor is he, apparently, in the knowledge of his fabject. In the didactic parts of this book, he is neither eminently fuccefsful, nor lefs fo than many other writers on didactic fubjects. The prefent fpecimen is very neatly printed, and has in the title-page a well executed wooden vignette of a fish. ART. 19. DRAMATIC. Three and the Deuce! A comic Drama, in three A&ts, as performed at the Theatres Royal, Haymarket, and Drury Lane. Written by Prince Hoare, Author of Sighs, or the Daughter. Indifcretion.-Chains of the Heart-Mahmoud, &c. &c. 8vo. 67 pp. 25. Barker. 1806. This little Drama was, it feems, firft prefented to the public at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, in the year 1795; and after that feafon laid ade, till, on the occafion of a benefit, it was 273 revived revived during the laft fummer at the fame theatre; and fince, as the Dramatis Perfonæ imports, performed at Drury Lane. We are told in the advertisement, that it is grounded on a Spanish Comedy. The refemblance between two brothers, which produces fo many ludicrous mistakes in Shakespeare's "Comedy of Errors," is here extended to three; but to make it appear more probable to the audience, the three brothers are all reprefented by the fame actor; which, as their characters are extremely different, muft have a very comic effect. The main difficulty is to pre vent the neceffity of their appearance on the ftage together, even in the denouement. This the author has obviated with fome fkill. His incidents are extremely ludicrous; and, for a farce, fufficiently probable. We have not been prefent at the reprefen tation of this piece; but think it calculated to excite a hearty, and not irrational, laugh. TRAVELS. ART. 20. Travels through Italy, in the Years 1804 and 1805. By Auguftus Von Kotzebue, Author of Travels in Siberia and France, in Four Vols. 12mo. 11. Phillips. 1806. Thefe volumes are compofed in the fprightly ftyle of the writer's former productions, and poffefs a confiderable portion of entertainment. Nothing new can be expected relative to places and people, fo often and fo well defcribed; but various anecdotes are interfperfed, and many of the author's obfervations are fufficiently acute. We do not know where he at prefent refides, but we hope, for his fake, that he is out of the reach of Bona parte. Some of his fly farcaftic allufions to this extraordinary man would never be forgiven, and are of fuch a nature, as a fecond journey to Siberia would not be fufficient to atone for, nor indeed any thing lefs than the catastrophe of Palm. Kotzebue feems to poffefs the talent of a ready writer, for others and yet others of his works are ftill before us for examination, but muft wait their turn. This work is dated from Berlin, now occupied by the man who is here ftigmatized for his tyranny and cruelty, but who feems to poffefs the famous feven-leagued boots, being one day at Paris, another at Berlin, to-morrow, perhaps, at Warfaw. ART. 21. Travels from Buenos Ayres, by Potofi to Lima. With Notes by the Tranflator; containing Topographical Defcriptions of the Spanish Poffeffions in South America, drawn from the lat and beft Authorities. By Anthony Zachariah Helms, formerly Director of the Mines near Cracow in Poland, and late Director of the Mines, and of the Procefs of Amalgamatic, in Peru. Izmo. 6s. Phillips. 1806. If a regular communication were eftablifhed by our country. men between Buenos Ayres and Potofi and Lima, this would ferve as a valuable and useful book of the roads; but as to the country itfelf, its beauties, advantages, and defects, Mr. Helms tells us but little about them. He was induced, by views of profit on the part of the Spanish government, to undertake the reform of their valuable mines at Poto, and other places in Spanish America. By the account, fuch reform was indeed wanted; but the writer's efforts were ineffectual, and he was compelled to return as he went, with little more than a certificate that zeal on his part was not wanting. The appendix is of equal extent with the work itself, and gives an account of the various countries belonging to Spain in South America. Two maps are fub. joined, which are neat and useful; and it may be faid, that though imperfect as it may be, is the beft work on the subject that has appeared fince Buenos Ayres was added to the British dominions. POLITICS. ART. 22. The War as it is, and the War as it should be: an Addrefs to the United Adminiftration, urging the Neceffity of a new Species of Warfare, and a new Bafis for a Treaty of Peace. By a True Englishman. 8vo, 46 pp. 1s, 6d, Jordan and Maxwell, 1806, The trite, but just remark, that an ardent mind will almoft always, in the purfuit of a favourite object, overleap the bounds of reafon, was never more truly exemplified than in the tract before us. The opinion of the author, refpecting the cause and nature of the war between us and France, appears to us, in a great degree juft, and well worthy of attention; but the fcheme of war. fare, and of a treaty of peace (when peace fhall take place) which he has formed, in confequence of that opinion, feems, in some effential parts, impracticable, and if practicable, would not affect our enemy in the chief fources of his power. The war (he conceives) arifes (on the part of France) wholly from the commercial jealoufy cherished by her ever fince the treaty of commerce made by Mr. Pitt with that power. "Whatever countenance (he obferves) the French government has affumed during the last fifteen years, there is one feature that has remained uniform and unchanged, namely, a rooted hoftility to the trade and manufactures of this country.' He reafons ftrongly on the circumftance that while Bonaparte was making a political peace with the government of England, he continued a commercial war with the people of England," and thence argues that we fhould unite our political and commercial interefts in any future treaty." Thus far at leaft we deem his reafonings juft, and his propofitions expedient. His plan for carrying on the war is, in fubitance, comprifed in the following paragraph: 27.4 " To "To oppofe this fyftem foot to foot, and ftrength to ftrength, we ought, first, to blockade all the enemy's ports in the most rigid manner: fecondly, to take poffeffion of all his colonies and tranímarine dependencies: and, thirdly, to declare every neutral a lawful prize, who is found with any goods, wares, productions, or merchandize, on board, being the manufacture, produce, or property, of the enemy, or his country. No mode of directing our efforts against the enemy can be more equitable than this, because it is encountering him with his own weapons. He iffues his prohibitions, and excludes us from THE CONTINENT, because he has the power to do fo; and, in return, we fhould blockade his ports, and exclude him from THE SEA, becaufe we have the power to do fo. He feizes all the territory within his reach, be. longing either to us or our allies, in order to diminish our refources, and encrease his own means of oppofing us; and, in return, we ought to feize upon all territory, belonging to him, or his allies, within our fphere, in order to diminish his means on the one hand in the fame proportion that he increases them on the other, and to fupply the place of thofe refources of which he deprives us. He has abolished the Law of Nations, and fubjected all his neighbours to his own power in its ftead; he has, therefore, no title to any of the privileges which that law would have allowed him. But we are bound in juftice to ourselves, tó declare to every neutral, in the fame language that France does, with regard to our goods and merchandize; that if he is found in poffeffion of, or trading with, or carrying on board of fhip, any ma nufactures, merchandize, or productions of France, or her dependéncies, within the reach of our power, we will feize and confif. cate all fuch fhips and goods, as a punishment for aiding and affifting our enemy to make war upon us. Every thing fhort of this is children's play, and only serves to make us the laughing ftock of thofe treacherous neutrals, who hire themselves out to baffle and abufe our wishy washy code of maritime laws." P. 17. To a part of thefe propofitions we alfo affent; and more efpecially to his plan of rendering the fyftem of blockade as strict as pofiible. The capture of all the colonies belonging to our enemy and his dependants is a measure of more doubtful expediency. St. Domingo we confider as out of the queftion, unlefs a treaty could be made with its prefent poffeffors. It would alone employ almoft the whole of our difpofable force, and probably never would be compleatly reduced. The fcheme of guaranteeing to it's prefent poffeffors would be far preferable, yet even this Itep we are not prepared to recommend This author's plan of conferring the enemy's foreign poffeffions as indemnities, on the Bourbon family, the king of Naples, &c. may be a fubject of confideration when thofe poffeffions fhali fall into our hands. In our opinion, fo long as there remains a fingle continental power independent of the uforper, the ruggie in Europe fhould not be relin. quifhed. |